A Circular Story

Yeah, Another Blogger

One day, back when humans lived in caves and suburban housing developments were unimaginable, two brothers — Moan and Groan — began dragging, with ropes, a crude, enormous wooden box. Their destination, several miles away, was the adjacent caves in which they resided with their wives and children. One cave per family. The box, I hasten to add, was occupied by a wooly mammoth, which was no longer among the living. That was because Moan and Groan had punctured the crap out of it with their spears.

“Groan, this motherf*cker is heavier than hell,” Moan moaned in his native tongue, which I, a linguistic scholar specializing in commonly-thought-to-be lost languages, have translated into English for the benefit of anyone reading this article. “There’s got to be a better way to move large objects, don’t you think?”

“Moan, there is no better way. So, shut up and keep pulling,” replied Groan, groaning from exertion.

Six hours later, totally exhausted, Moan and Groan arrived home.

“We’re back,” they announced weakly at the caves’ entrances. At this, Tip and Top, the respective mates of Moan and Groan, rushed from the caves to greet the returnees. The ladies clapped their hands enthusiastically at the sight of the gigantic animal destined to feed the two families for months.

“Thank you, boys,” Tip said. “By the way, Top and I have been putting our heads together recently. We know how strenuous it is for you to bring your prey back home. Hard work indeed! But we’ve figured out something that will make the jobs much easier.”

Moan and Groan, looking at each other quizzically, were all ears. “Tell us,” they said.

Well, suffice it to say that Tip and Top had developed the wheel. And not only the wheel, but the axle too.  Wheels and axles, with large boxes atop them, would make the transport of wooly mammoths, and of a million other things, a relative breeze, explained Tip and Top. And, of course, they were right. Though it must be noted that axles, as important as they are, don’t mean shit when wheels aren’t in the picture. Yup, the wheel has proven to be one of humankind’s greatest inventions. It’s right up there with the Big Mac and Viagra. I believe we all should set aside time each day to give thanks to Tip and Top, as their genius made life easier and initiated a major awakening of human brain power.

Now, I bring all of this up because wheels have been pretty crucial for my blog. I mean, I’ve published ten editions of Art On Wheels, for crying out loud. It’s a series about my hunts for well-decorated trucks and other vehicles, and includes photographs of my captures. You better believe I had fun creating those stories. And I certainly have no plans to terminate the project (click here for the most recent entry).

Orleans, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

However, while examining my phone’s overflowing photo library the other day, I realized that it contains a selection of wheels-related pix that have nothing to do with Art On Wheels. Some of them, I noticed, had made their way innocently into Yeah, Another Blogger stories over the years anyway, for one reason or another. Most hadn’t, though. A softie at heart, I began to melt when I heard the unpublished ones explaining to me, between sniffles, that they felt lonely and neglected. They insisted that they wanted to be lofted into cyberspace, hoping to experience the warmth that might come from more eyes than mine gazing upon them.

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

“I truly understand,” I said to the photos, my eyes tearing up. “But I can’t place all of you on Yeah, Another Blogger. That would be overkill. So, I want each of you guys to examine one another closely and then vote for your ten favorite pix, excluding your own. The top-five vote-getters will be displayed in my next story.”

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, USA

Naturally, there was some grumbling, since none of the pictures wanted to be left out. But in the end the vote took place. And I am happy to decorate this article with the winners.

In conclusion, all I can say is that, as with many things, we take the wheel for granted. Most likely we’d still be living in frigging caves had it not been invented. Thus, before I forget, I now bow down to Tip and Top. Okay, that’s accomplished. In a few minutes, then, I’m going to head to my car, because I need to run a few errands. Wheels, here I come!

148 thoughts on “A Circular Story”

  1. Lynette d'Arty-Cross March 7, 2023 / 1:03 am

    I think my favourite is the Giant’s Table. The lighting and framing are perfect and so are the subtly detailed colours. Now, I’m not sure what or where the Giant’s Table is, but I’m sure Tip, Top, Moan, Groan, and all their relatives will enjoy it. 😉 Great post, Neil. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  2. Suzanne March 7, 2023 / 1:36 am

    Manhattan wheels it is, since I had a close encounter to a set of wheels belonging to a yellow cabbie. Luckily and wheelie happily walked away with not a scratch. Fun post, Neil.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. cindy knoke March 7, 2023 / 1:38 am

    Loved this! Smiling…. Although cave living is sounding kinda good to me now. No politicians, no world wars, no weapons of mass destruction, no school shooters, no labs altering viruses, no Putin. Maybe if we survive, we will be very grateful for the cave, but we probably wouldn’t resist the wheel…. Love your writing and thinking.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 1:09 pm

      Hi. Politicians are unavoidable, and some of them are very good. But I’m with you in re everything else you mention.

      Like

      Reply
  4. gabychops March 7, 2023 / 2:07 am

    You have missed your destiny, Neil, as a comic and writer! I am already in a much better mood thanks to your brilliant and witty writing, thank you.
    I love every word of your imaginative stories and your hilarious turn of phrase. I am sure that you must have got many girls into bed by making them helpless with laughter! A wonderful combination of the main story and the pictures of wheels! Someone in Hollywood should grab you as a scriptwriter.
    What a wonderful start to the day!

    Joanna

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 1:11 pm

      Thanks a lot, Basia. I used to publish more often than I now do. But I’m comfortable with my current publishing schedule.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  6. joylennick March 7, 2023 / 3:52 am

    I always look forward to reading your posts Neil, as you certainly have a pleasing way with words…Tip, Top congrats to….Tip and Top: what talent! On close scrutiny, I noticed how colour featured high in your photographs. Poor Scotland – what a depressing photo! Colour won, and the world needs as much colour as it can get hold of right now. Onwards and upwards. xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 1:14 pm

      Afternoon, Joy. I agree with you : “the world needs as much colour as it can get hold of right now.” Colors are powerful, and can elevate our moods and ways of thinking.

      Like

      Reply
  7. unionhomestead March 7, 2023 / 4:23 am

    And I really like the Scottish photo….the old and the new and all that. Colour is fantastic and joyous but its not always real. Wheely good post😆

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. tylerus March 7, 2023 / 5:44 am

    A great, humorous post. Speaking of wheels, I recently sold mine (truly, I can often walk faster that some wheels move, thanks to big-city congestion).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 1:18 pm

      I think that quite a few people have done what you’ve done. It makes sense. You can always take public transit or use Uber/Lyft. And you can rent a car as needed.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  9. swabby429 March 7, 2023 / 6:26 am

    I like the shopping carts’ wheels–just so long as they are oiled and free wheeling.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. Laurie Graves March 7, 2023 / 7:43 am

    So true, so true! What I was struck by, though, were the pleasing patterns that would be easy to overlook—the line of red bikes and the collection of grocery carts.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. Anonymous March 7, 2023 / 8:15 am

    Funny story and great photos as usual!!!! Keep on rolling along!!!!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. Helen Devries March 7, 2023 / 8:16 am

    That was a good photograph from Edinburgh…look, a day without rain, sleet or snow!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. Debra March 7, 2023 / 8:37 am

    Neil, you’re always a big wheel in my book.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Dave March 7, 2023 / 8:47 am

    Never know what to expect from the latest “Yeah…” post, Neil, which is a big part of the attraction. Animating the inanimate is a blast (though you could argue wheels are animate objects). I was going to vote for the Cape Cod bicycle photo for “most wheels per square inch”, but then I realized the Willow Grove market baskets photo wins in a landslide.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 2:52 pm

      Hi Dave. There’s a whole lot of shopping cart wheels in that photo, that’s for sure.

      Like

      Reply
  15. Robert Parker March 7, 2023 / 9:02 am

    Thanks for another funny round of nuttiness. Once they had wheels, I hope Tip & Top also invented suitcases for trips, although I guess they had all those woolly mammoth trunks.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. Paula B March 7, 2023 / 10:51 am

    As always, loved the juxtaposition of humor and photography. I’m partial to the New York cabs because of the unusual perspective (back end of one cab, front end of another, ground level).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. Monkey's Tale March 7, 2023 / 11:05 am

    So funny how you connected cavewomen inventing the wheel to you cell phone pictures! Great post! Maggie

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. Sam Gridley March 7, 2023 / 11:17 am

    Once the box had wheels, who then decided to live in it and call it a camper van? Was it the men or the women who had the wanderlust?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  21. JT Twissel March 7, 2023 / 11:32 am

    Wheels are a good obsession! Where would we be without the suffering of Moan and Groan?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  22. Sandy March 7, 2023 / 11:35 am

    Ha Ha! Big Wheels, Big Mac and Viagra. HuMANkind’s greatest inventions. Emphasis on the man!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  23. D. Wallace Peach March 7, 2023 / 11:51 am

    Your story was tip-top, Neil. I finally feel enlightened about the origin of wheels. 😀 I’m glad you had a discussion with your neglected photos, caved to their moaning and groaning, and shared some here. Happy road trip.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  25. Martie March 7, 2023 / 1:13 pm

    I remember Giant Supermarket. There was one on Queens Blvd, NY where I grew up. Thanks for the blast from the past.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 3:01 pm

      I grew up in Roslyn, (Nassau County), about 8 or 10 miles from the Queens border. Which section of Queens were you in?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Martie March 8, 2023 / 2:28 pm

        Not too far from the LI border. We may have crossed each other’s when we were younger. But, I’m 67, not sure if there is a big age gap.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
        • Yeah, Another Blogger March 8, 2023 / 3:53 pm

          I’m older than you, but there’s a real possibility that we were at the same place at the same time. Maybe at the World’s Fair, or at a baseball game, etc.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          • Martie March 8, 2023 / 4:39 pm

            The world’s fair. Now that’s a blast from the past.

            Liked by 1 person

  26. Rosaliene Bacchus March 7, 2023 / 1:26 pm

    Always enjoy your humor, Neil 😀 I agree that we do take the wheel for granted. Of the photos featured, the shopping cart rarely gets the attention it truly deserves. Bravo!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 7, 2023 / 3:03 pm

      I got back from a supermarket 30 minutes ago. A shopping cart there made the shopping experience MUCH better than it would have been without one!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  28. johnlmalone March 7, 2023 / 4:03 pm

    a wonderfully imagined and narrated origin story, Neil; love those caveman voices 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  29. theburningheart March 7, 2023 / 4:33 pm

    Neil you are always fun to read, your story about Moan and Groan and Tip and Top made me laugh, as always.
    Take care and best wishes!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  33. Christy B March 8, 2023 / 12:41 pm

    I am so thankful to Tip and Top for their inventions 😉 And I am glad the prize-winning photos got to escape the phone’s gallery to be seen by many! You’re so funny. No wonder I’ve been following you here for years!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  35. talebender March 8, 2023 / 5:02 pm

    Loved the pix of the red bicycles! And a rip of the topper to Tip and Top!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 8, 2023 / 8:12 pm

      Hi. That bike store is In Orleans, which is the Cape Cod town my wife and I rent a house in for our Cape vacations. Orleans is a fine town.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  36. annieasksyou March 8, 2023 / 5:48 pm

    I thought I was a champ in the anthropomorphism department, Neil, but your teary-eyed tribute to your photos topped anything I could imagine. I tip my imaginary hat to you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  38. Alyson March 8, 2023 / 6:58 pm

    Very clever and funny story and love this new selection of photos. You’ve been around a bit!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  40. selizabryangmailcom March 8, 2023 / 10:23 pm

    Who else, but you, would have Moan moaning and Groan groaning.
    Literary genius. I guffawed.
    And enjoyed the pics too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  41. George March 9, 2023 / 12:59 am

    Orleans Cycle gets my vote, although the absolute winner is the Tip and Top story. Highly entertaining as always, Neil.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  42. shoreacres March 9, 2023 / 9:36 am

    What a delightful post, Neil! I love all the photos, but those powered bikes, aka motorcycles, get my vote. And just think: if it weren’t for Tip and Top, I wouldn’t be getting ready to wheel through my day to the strains of this famous Chet Atkins version of “Wheels.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  43. roughwighting March 10, 2023 / 8:34 am

    Thanks, Tip and Top. Sure made my/our lives easier. Moan and Groan – hey, this is why a positive attitude is necessary. Otherwise, you’re left behind with a dead mammoth. Fun wheel photos. For some reason I most like the grocery carts – no clue why, since I hyperventilate every time I have to go to the grocery story.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 10, 2023 / 1:29 pm

      Hi. You know, I’ve been hundreds of times to the supermarket where I took the shopping carts photo. I never pay much attention to them, except on this particular day when the scene really caught my eye.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  44. denisebushphoto March 10, 2023 / 10:01 am

    Hooray for wheels … but why is it ‘man’ gets credit for the wheel when it was Tip and Top? I guess it was a man’s world even back then! Fun post and great photos!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 10, 2023 / 1:32 pm

      I’m going to start a campaign to have Tip and Top officially recognized, by the United Nations, for their great achievements.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  46. Anonymous March 10, 2023 / 7:37 pm

    Love this post! Where do the ideas come from???? Wheels indeed! Chuckle, Muriel

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  47. alhenry March 10, 2023 / 10:47 pm

    Well, the NYC mini-cabs (?) caught my attention–making me wonder just how tiny cabs are destined to become–but as someone who is extremely enviro-conscious, I vote for the shopping carts. No fossil fuels. No worries over finding an electric vehicle charging station. You can go anywhere in a shopping cart–and the feel of the wind whipping through your hair (especially sailing downhill!) is incomparable.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  49. brilliantviewpoint March 11, 2023 / 9:32 am

    You got me, now I will be looking at wheels wherever I go with renewed appreciation and interest. Thanks for the chuckle.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  50. Shelley@QuaintRevival.com March 12, 2023 / 3:57 pm

    As I sit here moaning and groaning about winter’s hold and the snow globe that keeps shaking outside my window, I’m spinning my wheels wondering how many tip-top things in life I take for granted. Thanks for the reminder of what we can be grateful for! Like your fun posts and the pictures that make us smile!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Yeah, Another Blogger March 12, 2023 / 6:08 pm

      Speaking of winter: oddly, here in southeast Pennsylvania we’ve had almost zero snow this winter. We commonly used to have lots of snow. Strange days.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Shelley@QuaintRevival.com March 13, 2023 / 6:12 am

        I agree, strange days indeed! I remember hearing about those heavy snow storms in PA. Hopefully you’ll get enough moisture to help plants grow, etc.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

Leave a comment