Obit: Old Man in the Mountain

Subject: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: GUEST,Animaterra
Date: 05 May 03 - 01:03 PM

Here's "Stone Face" by Bill Staines
in honor of the passing of New Hampshire's only natural landmark that was our very own. I'm in mourning over this symbol of my home!
Check it out on NHPR .

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: kendall
Date: 05 May 03 - 01:16 PM

Jeez! talk about being a witness to history! What a bummer.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: Brían
Date: 05 May 03 - 01:20 PM

I saw a report on my local news this weekend. What a shame. I've passed that landmark many times.

Brían

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: CarolC
Date: 05 May 03 - 01:28 PM

I'm sorry to see him go, too. He was an important part of my childhood summer vacation experiences. But on the up side, you still have Mt. Washington, Lake Winnipesaukee, and "The Front" at Hampton Beach. Those are great landmarks.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: MMario
Date: 05 May 03 - 01:28 PM

ditto - it was one of the landmarks my siblings and I would compete to be the "first" to spot when on trips.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: GUEST,Guest - Ron Olesko
Date: 05 May 03 - 01:50 PM

I was emcee for a concert that Bill Staines gave on Saturday night, the day that the collapse of the Old Man in the Mountain was discovered.    Bill had not heard about the tragedy and started to introduce the song. A few people in the audience spoke up and at first Bill did not understand what they were saying - "you fell off the mountain?". Then it became clear to him what the audience was saying and he went into the song. From my perspective, you could tell that the words were taking on a new meaning to him - at one point he broke from the lyrics to say "this is really sad".    During intermission I was chatting with him and he telling me how important this mountain was to the residents. It would be like the Statue of Liberty falling down, Mount Rushmore collapsing, or Old Faithful closing up shop.

On one hand it is certainly a loss, but more importantly it is a lesson about nature.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 05 May 03 - 07:12 PM

Thanks for the story, Ron. I have had Bill's song on my heart all weekend and I was wondering and hoping he'd be singing it!

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 05 May 03 - 07:21 PM

We all knew it was going to happen sometime, despite all the annual efforts for the past 100 years to keep it from slipping off the mountain -- but we didn't really expect it to actually HAPPEN in our lifetimes.

The first call I made was to my sister in the San Francisco Bay area. She's glad she was privileged to see it several times over the years when she visited me.

Linn

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: Walking Eagle
Date: 05 May 03 - 07:22 PM

We have something similar in WVa., Seneca Rocks. I think every West Virginian would go into mourning if the face of that outcropping collapsed.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 05 May 03 - 07:23 PM

It was an interesting moment to say the least.   It was a real shock to him to discover what happened while onstage.   He stayed composed and focused on the song giving all of us a unique, and unexpected, insight into this mountain. Talk about songs evolving!

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: bbc
Date: 05 May 03 - 09:09 PM

That's very sad. I hadn't heard. Thanks for the news & the link.

bbc

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 May 03 - 12:19 AM

Saw it in the newspaper and couldn't believe it. It's one of the first things Rog pointed out to the kids and me when we moved back East, since he'd grown up there and it was such an icon of childhood. Really sad to see it go.

I'd hate to see Old Faithful go dry, too, but as for Mt. Rushmore...it could fall off and no complaints from me. It ain't natural anyhow!**bg**

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 06 May 03 - 12:37 AM

Sorry to disappoint KittyClap -

Like so many other things in life - it wasn't real - it was a fasade - a fake front - held up by epoxy and wire-cables - it should have "vanished decades ago."

With your leftist leanings...you might compare the "Old Man in the Mountain" to the ex-soviet leader lying-in-state in the old Red-Square....but for the hand-of-man....they would both have been fod for worms.

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: GUEST
Date: 06 May 03 - 12:38 AM

why isn't THIS B.S.????

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 May 03 - 12:45 AM

Obits don't go down below according to the management.

Garglespew, do you really think you are telling me anything new? Wires and epoxy, so what...maybe you should take a cue and wire and glue your keyboard...save yourself a lot of time and effort. You might actually gain a life if you'd quit following me around with puppy-love eyes.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 06 May 03 - 06:05 AM

Besides, I started the thread with a song...

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: Jeri
Date: 06 May 03 - 07:02 AM

Just proof that time moves on and all things pass, not that it isn't sad. The old guy's on my license plate and is THE major NH symbol.

From what I've heard, there's a surge in tourists going to see the place where he WAS. He WAS completely natural at one time, but he's had a lot of re-constructive surgery over the years and it seems they're now planning to re-build him.

This story speaks volumes about how much our symbols mean and how reluctant we are to say goodbye. Now THERE'S a subject for a song!

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: GUEST
Date: 06 May 03 - 11:00 AM

Oh fellow catters! I am guest now while visiting my sister's place in Liberty, Maine. We just can't believe it! BUT!!! I noticed that the image in the Sunday Maine Telegram (showing the "Old Man" with a flag on his forehead and the "aftermath") should assure Mainers that there is still a face up there. The "new" face looks a bit angry. Perhaps over recent events? It also reminds me of the profile of Frank Fools Crow as provided by his monument up at Bear Butte, in South Dakota.

CB

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: GUEST
Date: 06 May 03 - 04:40 PM

It didn't just fall - Bush had it blown up. Claimed there were WMD's hidden there.

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: MMario
Date: 08 May 03 - 03:02 PM

*grin* coincidence; I sent an e-mail about this to my parents, because they were in Portugal taking a river cruise;

They got homme yesterday, and it turns out my Dad heard about this on the BBC news while they were in Lisbon!

Subject: RE: Obit: Old Man in the Mountain
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 08 May 03 - 07:58 PM

Just drove past it today. Sonofabitch, it's GONE! Lotsa people looking at the blank space, though.
Is N.H. going to change all their signposts and quarters, etc?

Seamus