Did You Know? Rip Van Winkle

All right. I've caught up on my sleep (I think), so let's find out some things we didn't know about the world's all time sleeper, Rip Van Winkle.

Did You Know?

• Rip Van Winkle was written while Washington Irving was living in Birmingham, England?
• Although the story is set in the Catskill Mountains, Irving had never been there until after it was written?
• Irving's inspiration for the story was a noswtalgic converstion with his brother-in-law, Henry Van Wart?
• Irving was so inspired after the conversation that he pulled an all-nighter, and had the story written in one night?
• Rip Van Winkle was published in 1819, a year after Irving declared bankruptcy?
• Washington Irving was friends with Sir Walter Scott?
• In addition to writing fiction, Irving also wrote biographies of George Washington and Muhammad?
• Irving served as U.S. ambassador to Spain from 1842 to 1846?
• Irving served as the executor of John Jacob Astor's estate, and was the first chairman of Astor's library? The library eventually became the New York Public Library.
• Washington Irving is generally regarded as America's first internationally acclaimed author?

Just for fun, here's a cartoon, Popeye Meets Rip Van Winkle. I guess if Abbott & Costello can meet Dracula, Popeye can meet Rip Van Winkle...



Monday interview Series: Rip Van Winkle

This past weekend we "sprang" forward, moving our clocks forward an hour. While this means it stays light an hour later, it's also dark in the morning when I wake up. So, when I woke up to go to the gym, I was still so sleepy that I collapsed back into bed for another 40 winks.

This gave me the idea for the subject of this week's interview. Who better than the world's deepest sleeper, Rip Van Winkle? So, let's see if we can rouse ourselves enough to chat with ol' Rip.

Greg:  Welcome, Rip Van Winkle. Thanks for taking some time to chat with us today. I know time is precious to you.

Rip:  That's right, sonny. I wasted 20 years up in the hills, don't ya know.

Greg:  Can you tell us a little bit about that? How did you come to be lost in the hills for 20 years?

Rip:  First off, I didn't come to be lost. I came to hunt. Second, I weren't lost, I was bewitched.

Greg:  Oh, yes. My mistake. How did you fall asleep for 20 years?

Rip:  Well, it were like this. I like t' take things easy like, but m' wife is always after me t' be doin' things. Plow the fields, chop the wood, wash up for supper. She gives me so much t' do that I don't know whether I'm comin' or goin' most o' the time.

Now, I think you'll agree that I were totally in the right t' go off every now and again t' ramble in the woods, or t' go off and get myself some shut eye. This time, I decided that I needed t' get away an' do some huntin'. So, I took my ol' dog, Wolf.

Greg:  Oh, so you sat down and fell asleep for a long, long time?

Rip:  No I did not, dadgum it! I fell in with some strange characters, don't ya know. I was walkin' up the mountain, an' there was a powerful loud thunder boomin' over m' head. Wolf an' I caught up with a strange feller. He was dressed all in old fashioned clothes and he was totin' a keg. I walked with him up the mountain.

Well, what do I see at the top, but a group of fellers playin' nine-pins. Every time the ball hit the pins, it made a sound like thunder, don't ya know. These fellers had long beards, an' was wearin' ol' fashioned clothes, just like the man with the keg. I hung around for a bit, watchin' their game, but after a spell, I got t' be powerful thirsty. I looked around, an' saw the keg.

The other fellers had been drinkin' from it, an' they saw me eyein' it. They give me a mug, an' I went over an' filled it, then drank it down in one go. It were powerful cold, an' refreshin'. Well, I drank down a few mugfuls, an' soon I was feelin' powerful tired. I laid m'self down under a tree, an' before I knew it, I fell fast asleep.

Greg:  Yeah, but you didn't really fall asleep for 20 years--did you?