Plus One: Dancing Christmas Lights in Minnesota

As we get a little bit closer to Christmas each day and as I do more posts on heavy duty Christmas light displays, I am more astounded each day at what I see. Today is no exception.

Tim and Cathy Fischer live in the suburbs of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Tim and Cathy are also light gurus. Through the use of my extraordinary Google Fu, I tracked down the Fischers' web site and I just knew I had stumbled upon something very special. The Fischers have tons and tons of information on their site not just about their Christmas light display, but links to other light gurus around the country, an FAQ section, the history of their display and several more links to a lot of other information. Give the site a look when you've got a little down time. You'll thank me later.

You'll want to click this link to view photos and this link to see videos of one of the best Christmas light displays ever! One of the, if not THE best, reasons Tim and Cathy go through so much hard work on their display each year, is that they simply love Christmas and it's true meaning. And...they just plain ole like doin' it! And, believe you me, their passion for Christmas shows in the intricate detail in the light show.

Don't just take my word for it, scoot on over to plymouthlights.com and see for your self. If you're lucky enough to have children or grand children around your house, they'll LOVE spending a little bit with Mom and/or Dad watching the Fischers' passion and dedication to their Christmas light display come to life!

Maine Minutiae: A Thumbnail Sketch of Maine's History, Part 1

The history of Maine is a very interesting topic to me. I thought that it might be of some interest to you as well, so I have decided to put together a series of posts that will highlight a period of the colorful history of the state in which I live. I won't go into great detail, instead I'll present the information to you in a number of short articles. So, let's get to it!

Columbus "discovered" America in 1492, or did he? It is believed that Leif Ericson and a crew of thirty or so Vikings explored the coast of Maine a full five hundred years before Columbus landed in the West Indies. Ericson and his men may have even tried to colonize Maine at that time. A mere six years after Columbus' exploration of the New World, it is nthought that an Italian sailor, John Cabot, in service to King Henry VII of England, sailed into North American waters and possibly even the Maine coast, but concrete evidence of Cabot's possible adventure in Maine is minimal, at best. In the late 16th Century, a number of ships from Europe skirted along the coast of Maine, even putting ashore for repairs and processing of the fish catch. Maine was also the site of one of the earliest permanent European settlements in America. From maine.gov comes this: "The first settlement was established by the Plymouth Company at Popham in 1607, the same year of the settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. Because the Popham colony didn't survive the harsh Maine winters, Jamestown enjoys the distinction of being regarded as America's first permanent settlement." There were many English settlements along the coast in the 1620's, but the lovely winters of the area and Indian attacks wiped many of them out over the years. Entering the 18th Century, there were only about a half dozen settlements that survived the elements and the Indians. Maine was sparsely populated as Massachusetts bought up most of the land in Maine in the 1700's. Things stayed that way until Maine broke off from Massachusetts and became a state in 1820.

I hope you enjoyed our little foray into yesteryear and we'll delve into another aspect of the history of Maine tomorrow on Maine Minutiae!