Issue 100- Happy Anniversary!

Written, Pencilled, Inked, Lettered, Colored and Proudly Presented by:

Heath Parker "Leonard" Lail

Hey guys! Welcome to the super-sized 100th Anniversary issue of Clerk's Cafe. I am really glad that you have supported me this far, and I'm glad that some of you are still along for the ride. This issue will tell of my trip with Sam to see the Dead Sea Scrolls, the mystical manuscripts found in a cave over 50 years ago! 

The DSS were found in a cave in Qumran in 1947 by a small shepard boy who threw a stone at a goat, in an attempt to scare it away from a ridge. He heard the stone strike pottery in a cave that he was unaware was there, and after investigating, discovered ancient scrolls on which were written many of the books of the Old Testament. Some were in fragments, while others were miraculously preserved in legible condition.

Sam and I left Sunday morning to head out for Mobile, and the exhibit ahead. After seeing about 30 "houses" that Sam said we could buy and fix up for her(these consisted mainly of old sheds, shacks, abandoned houses and trailers), we stopped at Meridian to procure some grub. We stopped at Pizza Hut and ate half of a cheese pizza before getting back on the road. Also, we got stuck for a few minutes in Tupelo before finding Highway 45 South, which took us directly into Mobile, and almost to the hotel. I can't speak for Sam, but that was easily the most fun I've had on a road trip in a LONG time. She and I seemed to keep each other in stiches for most of the trip, when we weren't discussing music, our friends, or other top subjects. Though it was a long drive down there(from roughly 9 AM to 5 PM, Byhalia to Mobile), we both arrived in high spirits(although Sam's spirit was mostly just tired and sleepy, as she had been up almost 24 hours). We walked from the hotel to the exhibit hall, too late to purchase tickets for the Monday showing, so we decided to wake up early Monday to be sure we got to see the exhibit at all, as a lady outside told us that a bunch of folks had been there that day. After that we walked to Mobile Bay Park, and watched the ships sailing out towards the ocean. Sam was talking to her Mom on the cell, but I was just soaking it all in...the sun was setting by this time, and the wind was just right, without being too cold or too strong. I could have just stared at that scene forever, because the water was right there beneath us, the seagulls were a flyin', and it was inspiring. Writers need inspiration to put their feelings to paper, and if I had paper with me, I probably would have jotted down SOMETHING, whether it was a beginning to a poem, a story, or just thoughts about the scenery. So, after walking around the Park for a few minutes, we headed back to the hotel to settle down in the room, but we stopped because a train was across the tracks that ran beneath the Mobile Convention Center. After a few minutes of thinking about how to get across, we spotted a staircase and walked over the train tracks, and came out on the other side of the Convention Center.

Once we got back to the hotel, we headed up to the room after Sam found out where the elevators were located(see I told you I'd give you credit). She started charging her cell while I cut some cool air on, as the room was 1,000 degrees or so. After that, I settled in to watch the last of the George Lucas interview on 60 Minutes and she read the latest issue of the Walking Dead. After that I shut the light out, and tried to read some of the Arthur C. Clarke novel I brought along using my penlight. She fell asleep in the opposite bed two minutes after the light was out, but I tossed and turned for a few hours before falling asleep around 11. I woke up the next morning around 5, but refused to get up, as this was a vacation, and I didn't wanna wake Sam up. Around 6, her eyes popped open and she yelled "WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD" in my general direction. If I were asleep, I guarantee that would have woken me up because Sam has NEVER as long as I've known her, woken up that fast before.

We arrived at the exhibit hall around 7:30, after a brisk three block walk through drizzling rain. Upon reaching the building, the lady waiting at the door informed us that we could wait inside once the building was open, but she wasn't sure if the lady would let us buy tickets early or not. After waiting there till 8:20 or so, the ticket lady finally showed up. This was after Sam and I had said hello to various workers, who either greeted us with smiles or evil looks(like, "Who are these people and what are they doing in the building so early", to which we either responded by looking away or simply smiling) for almost an hour. Around 8:40, we were able to buy our tickets, and the lady told us to visit the "hands-on" hall. This was were kids could explore little fun science facts and activities. My favorite was a tether ballattached to a rope. If you pulled the rope and lifted the ball to its max height ands then let it go quickly, a burst of air would shoot a tennis ball into a metal ramp and drop the ball back into its hole, ready to go again. I think Sam's favorite activity was the safe-cracking machine, where she cracked the safe with 6 possibilities in three tries.

After breezing through this exhibit, we finally started our tour of the Dead Sea Scrolls. 

As you walk through the first arch of the exhibit, you are presented with a copy of TIME that shows part of the Dead Sea Scrolls on the cover. It is attached to a plaque explaining the importance of the find. On the opposite wall you'll see a picture of the boy who discovered the Scrolls taken years later after he reached man-hood. I was going to describe most of the exhibit, but I am tired and I just realized some people like Sam's Mom don't want the suprise ruined by "picturing" it all before they go. I will close this Journal by saying that if you should find time to go, it would be one of the most fufilling trips you could ever take in your life, and you will not be disappointed. I do recommend that you take as much time on the first floor of the exhibit as you need...the second floor exhibit is unrealated and just fluff compared the the 1rst floor stuff. If I find time, I will explain how the ride back from Mobile went for Sam and I. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this special issue of Clerk's Cafe, and I hope you'll stick around for another 100 issues!

HPLL