Yesterday, the archive theme was faces, today it’s all about legs. We start with a shot featured back in 2002, of a replica of the famous leg lamp, “Major Award” from the movie, Christmas Story. The folks at the Imperial Motel in Marquette have this lamp in their office, which was actually made for them by the owner’s Dad. What a fun display, which I’m sure is a good conversation starter with customers.

Our next set of legs, was photographed by Ryan Rizor back in 2003. Ryan and some friends were snowshoeing around Keweenaw Bay and his buddy, Mike decided to jump off a small cliff. Looks like he at least had a soft landing in the snow.

Donna MacIntosh always seems to find plenty of legs in her Baraga backyard. This day in 2011, there were eight furry ones running around, playing in the snow. Those are her neighbor dogs, Amber and Bella just enjoying the sunshine and snow.

The Heikinpaiva parade this past weekend in Hancock had some interesting legs swimming down Quincy Street. I never knew that fish had legs, but this Pike, snapped by Lud Mushluck seems to have eight of them. Not being of the Finnish descent, I’m not sure what the significance of the Pike is pertaining to the Heikinpaiva festival, so maybe one of our viewers can fill us in on that.

TV6 has a video explaining some of the activities of the Heikinpaiva celebration, learning what it means to the city of Hancock and those in Finland.

Awwww...our sweet little Amber is no longer with
us....she's playing with the big bones in the sky!!
Loved that little beauty!!

1. In "Heikinpaiva [sic] 2018", the video:

At 0:22-0:28, Mary Brunet says: "Heikinpäivä means when the bear rolls over".
Oh fer Pete's sake, no; that's sure to confuse anyone trying to understand Finnish!

In fact Heikinpäivä means Henrik's/Henry’s day, celebrating the feast day of Saint Henrik, patron saint of Finland. It's "Karhu kylkeänsä kääntää" that means "The bear rolls onto his (other) side".

As noted in(click →)Heikinpäivä 2018. :

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Quote:

"Finnish speaking residents of the Copper Country still recall the proverbs their parents and grandparents brought with them from Finland. In particular, the weather proverbs connected with St. Henrik's Day have been retained in the Hancock area, where huge amounts of winter snow are the norm. "Karhu kylkeänsä kääntää" (The bear rolls onto his other side), "Heikki heinät jakaa" (Heikki divides the hay) and ultimately, "Talven selkä poikki" (winter’s back is broken). The bear - an ancient Finnish and Saame¹ [sic] symbol -- figures well in the celebration."

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Quote:

"Randy Karpinen, who teaches Finnish classes at Finlandia, marched in the parade as the mythic god Vainamoinen, carrying the traditional (click →) kantele made from a pike’s jaw."

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More on the "kantele made from a pike’s jaw.":

From the (click →) Kalevala, verses 221 to 232 of song forty:
     "Kalevala – The land of heroes" Introduction to the first edition, (1907).
     The Kalevala. Elias Lönnrot. 1849.

(In old Finnish, ca. mid 1800s to early 1900s):

Vaka vanha Väinämöinen	Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
itse tuon sanoiksi virkki:	Answered in the words which follow:
"Näistäpä toki tulisi	"Yet a harp might be constructed
kalanluinen kanteloinen,	Even of the bones of fishes,
kun oisi osoajata,	If there were a skilful workman,
soiton luisen laatijata."	Who could from the bones construct it."
Kun ei toista tullutkana,	As no craftsman there was present,
ei ollut osoajata,	And there was no skilful workman
soiton luisen laatijata,	Who could make a harp of fishbones,
vaka vanha Väinämöinen	Väinämöinen, old and steadfast,
itse loihe laatijaksi,	Then began the harp to fashion,
tekijäksi teentelihe.	And himself the work accomplished.

At the risk of monopolizing this "conversation" (monolog?) today, while perusing the Daily Mining Gazette (not Gazettte — oops!) for my first note above, I found this article that should certainly be of interest to us Pasty folks (If there really are any more of us around these parts, it's lonely here today!):

See: (click →) "Ol’ CNW 175 moving down track downstate", quoted here, in part):

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Quote:

Since the late 1950s the locomotive for the Chicago and Northwestern Railway (CNW) 175 has been silent at its location near the Quincy smelting works site.

Now it is leaving the Copper Country to be restored to operation by the Steam Railroading Institute (SRI).
…
Mineral Range sold the locomotive in early December, but the engine itself won’t depart the area until spring, depending on the weather."

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Nice pix! The guy inside the fish-head is taking a Pike's Peek. (sorry, that's all I had)

Mary,
Loved the pictures and video today, especially since there were no ice caves to further scare me.

Alex,
Your description sounded a bit fishy. Apologies as well.

FRNash,
I'm going to dare you to give us all a report on Seitsemän veljestä.

And speaking of Talven selkä poikki, where's all the snow on Quincy Street?

D. A. (Midwested)
"… FRNash,
I'm going to dare you to give us all a report on Seitsemän veljestä. …"

What, the "greatest Finnish novel ever written", Aleksis Kivi's only novel? 😉
As strange as it sounds I haven't read it!