APR 18, 19 .. WHAT ON EARTH IS A KHOMUS?

IF I wasn't for 'our' Patti, I myself still would not have a clue as to what on this good earth a Khomus is.

The story of the Khomus that you are about to read, and the photographs of the Khomus that you are about to see, all go back to our friend Gullible.

http://gullible-gulliblestravels.blogspot.com/2019/04/springtime-that-feels-like-summer.html

Little did I know, how could I realize, my life was about to change thanks to Gullible.

Gullible and Patti go back well over fifty (50) years. Gullible is the reason that I have this website. Gullible set it up for me on October the 22nd, 2011. Gullible is a very important friend and advisor and confidant to Patti and I.

I do not take-lightly suggestions given to me by any of my close, innermost circle of friends.

Back, way back, it was Monday, November the 16th, 2015, Patti, Gullible and I were in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Patti, Gullible and I were leaving Mongolia the next day, Tuesday November the 17th, and flying to Hong Kong.

The day before I fly anywhere can border on being 'crazy'. I have to completely 'focus' on my pre-trip preparations. So I usually do not plan any activities except getting ready to take the trip I am about to take.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, with no notice, Gullible says to Patti and I : "Let's go eat at Millie's Cafe!"

I work very hard at NOT using any profanity in my speech.

But I thought to myself : "What in the @#$% is Millie's Cafe? Where in the @#$% is Millie's Cafe located? There is no @#$% way that I am going to research Millie's Cafe with the three of us flying to Hong Kong in the morning!"

As I recall, I said politely : "Gullible! What are you talking about? I've never heard of Millie's Cafe. I have no idea of where it is nor how we can get there. We are flying to Hong Kong in the morning and I am sorry but I can't fit-this-into-our-plans."

Gullible replied : "I found Millie's Cafe on Trip Advisor. It is one of the most highly rated restaurants in all of Ulaanbaatar and I wanted to eat there."

I replied : "What is Trip Advisor?"

Gullible : "Cap have you been living under a rock?" 

I replied : "NO matter what Trip Advisor is, we cannot possibly find and eat at Millie's Cafe."

I then solemnly promised myself : "One someday I will find out about Trip Advisor and I will go to Millie's Cafe here in Ulaanbaatar and I will send Gullible all the details that I can gather together."

That one someday was April 26th, 2016.

As I write these words, I have posted one thousand one hundred and seven (1,107) Posts on Trip Advisor and uploaded fourteen thousand nine hundred and forty four (14, 944) photos on Trip Advisor.

To a very great extent, Trip Advisor is what I do. I research a city on Trip Advisor. Then I visit the interesting attractions. I write them up and submit photographs. Thanks to Gullible and in return thanks to Trip Advisor my life is richer.  

It was 'our' Patti who found, while herself exploring Trip Advisor attractions in Yakusk, Russian Siberia, The Museum and Center of the Khomus of the People of the World.

Khomus. What on this good earth is a Khomus? A Khomus is a Mouth Harp. A Jaw Harp. An Ozark Harp. A Juice Harp. In French it is a Guimbarde. The Turkic people of Asia call it a Temir Komuz. It did originate in Asia.


Lastly, the Khomus / Jaw Harp / Mouth Harp is far more commonly called a : Jew's Harp. My research reveals that it has no known nor firm connection with either the Jewish Religion nor its people.


We paid a modest fee of 350 Russian Rubles (U.S. $5.38) to enter the Museum. Local residents pay somewhat less. This fee covered the services of our Russian speaking docent and entitled us to a free 'concert' of Jaw Harp music given us by two different members of the staff.

The time has come to show you photographs of :

The Museum and Center of the Khomus of the People of the World.

The Russian word above XOMYC is their word for Khomus. The large red letters at the top of the below building advertise that this is where the Khomus Museum is located.

Notice that instead of using the letter O they show a Jaw Harp.

Just in case some of you do not know what a Jaw Harp looks like, you can see some of them in the below photo.

A very clear photo of the Jaw Harp being used instead of the letter O.

Yes oh yes! There were many steps to walk up. The Museum is on the third (top) floor. Patti and I just did them one step at a time.

We are not up to the top floor yet. The Museum used to be on the second floor, the one you see below. It has moved to the top floor.

A photo of the former Khomus Museum entrance.

Now we are walking up the final steps to the third floor. The below brown doors are the entry into the Museum.

Below we have entered into the Museum.

Our tickets are shown below. 350 Russian Rubles are U.S. $5.38.

Now we will walk straight through the below door and enter the Museum proper.

The Museum staff can accommodate a fairly sizeable group of visitors.

One last look at the Jaw Harps.

Our visit here was just a lot of fun. Our Russian friend Anastasia who accompanied us was a great help because our Docent and guide spoke no English.

And ..

Last but certainly not least, when Patti was exploring the Museum on Trip Advisor she noticed that sometimes a staff member will put on a short Jaw Harp Concert for visitors.

So Patti asked our Docent and we lucked out. We had two concerts with two staff members.

Thank You so much Yakutsk for hosting us.

Smiles and Hugs .. Cap and Patti

MAR 27, 18 .. INTRODUCTION TO .. SUNNYSLOPE (PHOENIX, ARIZONA) HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Once upon a long-time-ago, it was from the Autumn of 1963 and into the Spring of 1964, my first wife, our two sons (ages 4 and 1-1/2 years) and I lived way out (what was then) the Black Canyon Highway in the Sunnyslope Neighborhood located in the northern part of Phoenix, Arizona, 

Not only during this February 12th, 2018 to date visit to Phoenix, but also during our visit here from November 28th, 2016 to February 5th, 2017, I 'longed' to find where it was that my family and I lived back in the 1963/1964 time period.

Enter the one, the only, Gullible. 

Back in Mongolia, in November of 2015, Gullible (quite by accident) acquainted me with the term Trip Advisor. 

Translation : 

"Cap let's go find and eat a meal at Millie's Cafe here in Ulaanbaatar." 

"What is Millie's Gullible? Where is Millie's? How do we find Millie's?"

"I found Millie's on Trip Advisor."

"What did you call it?"

"Gullible! We are leaving Ulaanbaatar and flying to Hong Kong in two days. We don't have time to find, let alone visit, Millie's Cafe."

Long story short, Millie's Cafe was put-to-rest! We did not even attempt to find Millie's.

However the word Trip Advisor was now, thanks to Gullible, firmly implanted into my mind. So five months later, in April of 2016, I went-online and I found and I then explored Trip Advisor. I found Millie's Cafe listed under Ulaanbaatar Restaurants. Then I actually went to Millie's Cafe and found it was excellent. So I joined Trip Advisor and, in early May 2016, I posted a review of Millie's Cafe just-for-Gullible.

And? I got 'hooked-on' Trip Advisor.

And now you have, the rest-of-the-story about Trip Advisor.

Moving right along here at the pace of Molasses-in-January, a week or two ago, while surfing Trip Advisor, under Things To Do in Phoenix Arizona, quite by accident, I stumbled upon an amazing attraction here in Phoenix.

THE SUNNYSLOPE HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

I immediately went to this attraction on Trip Advisor. In  researching it, I found Sunnyslope. I then was able to discover that our 1963/1964 home was literally only a short distance, a stones-throw, from our Travelodge Motel off I-17 at Cactus Road. We were at 27th Avenue and Cactus Road and the 1963/1964 home was just 9 blocks South down from 23rd Avenue and Cactus Road!

So out and off Patti and I went to find my long ago home.

And? 

Find it we did. 

Fifty four (54) years ago.. 

Wait a minute, have I got this correct, can it really be 54-years from October 1963 to October 2017 and counting? At that long ago time, the entire Phoenix metropolitan area was still very young, and we lived in the modest, but quite adequate home, you see below.

Patti says : "Its pronounced Loopen. It's a flower Cap."

Cap says : "Its pronounced Lu - PINE. Hard on the word PINE."

Below are five photos of the street and the home on Lupine Avenue here in North Phoenix, Arizona.

The home is a modest home.

It served us well during our stay in Sunnyslope.

I will not bore you here with any more of my personal nostalgia. Suffice it to say that living here in Phoenix was an important step in both my personal and in my professional life. The world was my oyster and it stretched out ahead of me. 

One last aside, I gradutated from high school in Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1954, one year after the Sunnyslope High School was established in 1953. 

My high school in Royal Oak was established in the year 1913, forty years before Sunnyslope High School. Michigan was admitted to the Union in 1837 as the 26th state. Arizona was admitted to the Union in 1912 some 75-years later as the 48th state. Just an example of the fact that our nation progressed from East to the West.

In the following Post, we will look in detail at THE SUNNYSLOPE HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

Thanks for your interest in this slice-of-life.

Cap and Patti

The below link will take you to our review of the museum.

http://bobbacaps.blogspot.com/2018/03/mar-27-18-sunnyslope-phoenix-arizona.html