Colorado Chronicles : Honey, Can We Move Here?

I think I have died and gone to Heaven. Nope, I just pinched my self and I am definitely awake. I was questioning the state of my mental alertness because I discovered a place that is mighty close to being Heaven its own self and I ain't gonna rat the place out. Wait. That's what I do on this blog. Please disregard my previous statement. Meeker, Colorado. That's the place I was ready to keep all to myself. Can you blame me? Meeker is located in the fertile White River Valley in northwest Colorado, a little over 200 miles from Denver. Meeker's location is ideal for agriculture and that's exactly what the main industry of the area is - agriculture. I love to grow veggies, flowers and whatnot, so that's one point for Meeker. The town is situated near/on the White River. I read a piece on another site about the river in that area and people catch twenty inch trout there. Fish.Fear.Me.Especially.Twenty.Inch.Trout. That's two points for Meeker. It's also at the western end of the Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway. Score another one for Meeker. That's three. Point number four for Meeker is its proximity to the 235,000 acre Flat Tops Wilderness Area. I could go on, but the four points above about the Town of Meeker have convinced me that you don't have to be in Paradise to experience a little Heaven.

Maine Minutiae : One Remarkable Woman

I found something extra good to post about today on Maine Minutiae. Our subject is the incredible Sarah S. Sampson. Before about 10 minutes ago and a couple of Google searches, I had never heard of this woman. There's an old saying that goes : I'd rather be lucky than good. In finding Mrs. Sampson, I was very lucky and I am thrilled that I was, good be damned. My space in this post is nowhere near enough to pay homage to a woman of this calibre, so please take the time to click all the links in the article. They tell a compelling story. Sarah Smith was born in 1832 in Bath, Maine and from that day forward, she was destined for greatness and a special place in the history of Maine and her country. On Valentine's Day, 1855, Sarah married Charles Sampson of Bath. This event would change the lives of many men, women and children throughout the US. Mainememory.net notes : "When the Civil War began, Sampson joined the 3rd Maine Regiment as a captain of Company D.

Sarah Smith Sampson decided to join her husband and the 3rd Maine Regiment -- and devote her attentions to caring for sick and wounded soldiers." With no formal training, Sarah Sampson volunteered to be on the front lines of the bloodiest conflict ever on American soil. In 1862, now-Lt. Col. Charles Sampson became ill and returned to Maine with Sarah. But Sarah was not to stay in Maine for long, as in 1864, she returned to the battlefields of the Civil War to care for the sick and wounded again. Murdoconline.net continues : "After the war, Sarah returned home and worked at what would later be known as the Bath Children’s Home, caring for orphans of soldiers and sailors." Did I mention that this was an extraordinary woman? Death came to Sarah Smith Sampson on December 22, 1907 and for her lifetime of unselfish and courageous service to the United States, Sarah was laid to rest in the most fitting of places for a true servant and patriot of her country, Arlington National Cemetary. See? I told you she was a remarkable woman.

Comments Are Goofy

There seems to be something wrong with the comments at this time. The problem lies with my blog host (blogger). Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to rectify the situation from my end. My apologies for the outage.

Toby

Texas Business of the Week! KL Milam Interior Design

I do some things well. I do some things not so well. Fishin' I do well. Interior design, not so much. My wife doesn't fish, but she knows how to make a house a home. Even though she's very good at making a house look good, sometimes it's nice to have a neutral party, an interior designer, to add a different perspective into the mix. That's where my friend Kim Milam comes in. She's the head honcho (honchette?) of  KL Milam Interior Design . Kim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from a first rate college, and one of my favorites, Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. She has also been an instructor at TCU, and let me tell you, TCU does not hire just anyone off the street to be an instructor on their campus. Kim has over a decade of experience in her chosen field, and her portfolio demonstrates exactly how good she is at what she does. I have known Kim for over 30 years and I can tell you that she is a quality person. And when you click on the link to her portfolio, you'll see that she is also an amazing interior designer.

Texas Tidbits : The Grand Prairie of Texas

Every time I post some thing here on Three States Plus One I learn or am reminded of something new or something I had long forgotten about where I grew up. This morning as I was clicking through some stuff to elucidate on, I was reminded of several things forgotten and learned a few things I did not know. I like, many of my readers and most of my Facebook amigos, grew up in south Irving, so Grand Prairie was just a few minutes south on Belt Line Road. An aside : does anyone remember drag racing on Animal Safari Road? Or fishing the gravel pits on that "country" road on the extreme south side of Irving that had two names? (time passes) Hunter-Farrell! That's it! I would have had sleepless nights if I didn't recall that name. But, I digress. I remember a water park at belt Line and I-30 and a real cool go cart track in that area. (I held the record for fastest lap there for ages!. Just call me The Eliminator. :)) Today, as I understand it, there's Lone Star Park, a skate board, a Minor League ball Park (!) and lots of other "touristy" stuff nearby. Sigh. Such is progress. Grand Prairie has come a long way since Alexander Dechman (I am not making this up) "In 1863, Dechman bought 239 ½ acres of land on the eastern side of the Trinity River and 100 acres (.40 km²) of timber land on the west side of the river for a broken down wagon, oxen team and US$200 in Confederate money" (from Wikipedia). My wife has a broken down husband , two "very active" children and $200 US and I am certain she'd make the same deal today. The grand prairie between Dallas and Fort Worth is now a big small town of 154,000 people. My how times have changed and I have learned that all my fellow SIWT and Facebook amigos are gettin' old. Oh! I have a message for all GP High grads of '71-'75 : never forget 21-20 !