When you carve a monument as big as Rushmore, you don’t have to worry about it getting noticed. But when you are writing a web log on the internet and there are an infinite number of other web logs (I guess you call them blogs), you worry, as I have, that your work will be underappreciated.

So, I must express my appreciation for the warm reception that Gutzon Borglum Online has received. Foremost, I am appreciative of the kind comments of Mr. Todd D. Epp, who has written twice about my work on his S.D. Watch web log. (Can someone explain to me why I have to type Thunewatch.squarespace.com at the top of my computer to access a web log entitled S.D. Watch? This technology can be so confusing.)

When I learned of Mr. Epp’s identity, I furrowed my brow, for it was a name that I had seen before. Then I remembered that he had written an excellent piece 12 years ago about the filming of North By Northwest at the monument. Epp correctly reported that the curators of the site were concerned about the image Alfred Hitchcock would convey when presenting his film. Although the filmmaker used his creative license to change the surroundings of Mount Rushmore, I still found the movie quite entertaining.

I would also like to thank the South Dakota Blog Watch Man for mentioning my work on his web site. He’s a rather moody fellow, but I do enjoy his web log and I feel fortunate that he hasn’t developed a moniker for me like the ones he uses for other writers, particularly the person he calls the Hillbilly. In my day, that sort of reference wasn’t looked upon kindly, even by actual hillbillies.

Now, as to Mr. Epp’s questions concerning my longevity: My God, man, I am 137 years old, I will do as much as I care to do and as much as I my health allows, and not one bit more.