Texas Tidbits : Hall of Fame Cowboy : Bill Pickett

On December 5, 1870 a little boy of African, Caucasian and Cherokee heritage was born near Taylor, Travis County, Texas, to a former slave named Thomas Jefferson Pickett and Mary "Janie" Gilbert. That little boy, William "Bill" Pickett would grow up to be one of the most famous cowboys of all time. Young Bill attended school through fifth grade, quit and began the epic journey from school boy to super star cowboy as a ranch hand. Pickett was so adept at things cowboy, in 1905 he joined the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. As a member of the 101 show, Bill worked along side some other fairly well-known cowboys - Will Rogers and Buffalo Bill, to name a couple. Considering the times and this man's heritage, what were the odds of him being perhaps the Greatest Cowboy of that era? Pickett thrilled audiences all over the world with his extraordinary skills and abilities. Bill Pickett died April 2, 1932 doing what he loved, being a cowboy and was honored accordingly in 1971 by being inducted to the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and, in 1989, was named to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. With credentials such as those, it's no wonder Pickett was and by many is still called, The Greatest Cowboy.

Plus One : Tennessee, The Volunteer State

The USA is made up of fifty incredible states, with each state being unique is its own magical way, so it's very difficult to say that I like one more than the other...with two exceptions. Texas and Tennessee. Texas is number one because...well, it's Texas. And home. If I weren't a Texan, I'd be honored to call Tennessee home. It's an easy call for me because the histories of Texas and Tennessee are forever intertwined (Davy Crockett and the Alamo anyone?). According to 50states.com , "Tennessee won its nickname as The Volunteer State during the War of 1812 when volunteer soldiers from Tennessee displayed marked valor in the Battle of New Orleans". Marked valor at he Battle of New Orleans and such indescribable bravery and sacrifice at the Alamo. These are my people, those Volunteers. Besides heroic soldiers and brave warriors, many, many other notable folks were born in Tennessee or made it their home. Want some names? OK...Elvis and B.B. King (and Lucille, of course) called the River City of Memphis home. We already know about Davy Crockett, but let's not forget "Old Hickory", Andrew Jackson, Daniel Boone or Sam Houston. Athletes? Sure...Peyton Manning, Reggie White, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, etc, etc, etc. Tennessee has produced Presidents (James K. Polk & Andrew Johnson) and Vice Presidents (Al Gore). Tennessee is an absolutely gorgeous state, divided geographically into three regions - East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee. After reading the information about the Volunteer State at the links, plus knowing about some the historic Tennesseans (except Al Gore, of course), now you understand why I feel such kinship to Tennessee. Like I said earlier, easy call.                                  

Colorado Chronicles : Indian Peaks

See that lake in the photo? That's Brainard Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area on the Continental Divide. They call it Indian Peaks because most of the major mountain tops are named for, you got it, Indians! Brainard is one of six lakes that stair-step up the side of the mountain as you enter the area from the trail head. I have fished them all numerous times and I must say, the trout population was severely impacted. :) When I went Indian Peaks, I entered at the trail head and then immediately listened for the sound of running water. That would be the creek that winds up/down the mountain side and acts as a connection to all six lakes and a "private" trail away from other hikers on the main trail. I came to fish, not look at someone's ass for several miles of trail walking uphill. Eventually you'll pass the last lake and reach timber line on the mountain. Even in summer time, there's a permafrost on the north side of the hill that slooooooowwwly drips like a leaky kitchen faucet, and before you know it, you have a creek, then lakes meandering down the mountain. One of the cool things I encountered was a HUGE field of boulders (at about 10,000 feet) almost as big as a small house. Remember the drip I wrote about a couple sentences ago? That drip carves a rut in the mountainside, forming a small stream and disappears under this big-ass boulder field! As the creek gets bigger, still under the boulders, you can hear it rushing by as it makes its way downhill. It's really cool! The view another 1000 feet up is clear and stunning. As you look east, I swear you can see Kansas from up there. Indian Peaks is just of the historic Peak to Peak Scenic Byway. Hell, the day trip on the Peak to Peak is another story in and of itself...absolutely beautiful.

Maine Minutiae : Maine History 1775-1820

As I was browsing the web looking for material for this post, I came across a site dealing with various periods of Maine's history. This caught my eye. It caught my eye because of the similarity of what was happening in the late 18th century and early 19th century with what our country is experiencing today. Namely, federal/British government intrusion into states' and individuals' rights. It's a rather lengthy read, so grab a cup of coffee, settle in and read the entire article and you'll see what I mean. Here is an excerpt :"After the long struggle with France and its Indian allies ended in 1763, British national debt stood at an all-time high, and its empire now included Canada, parts of the Caribbean, Florida, and a vast territory west of the Appalachians. Faced with these burdens, Britain launched a broad program of imperial reorganization, expecting the American colonies to contribute to the cost of maintaining their own defense." Another one : "The question of separation first arose during the Revolution. When Massachusetts appeared unable or unwilling to protect the eastern frontier from British occupation, towns petitioned for aid, pointing out that all governments existed to secure life, liberty, and property, and if Massachusetts failed to achieve this, eastern Maine was within its rights to secede." Regarding the second excerpt, think illegal immigration, Texas and Arizona. At least TX and AZ have the balls to do something,while Washington, D.C. has its collective thumb up its ass playing popsicle. That's my opinion. Share yours in the comment section 'cause we'd love to hear it.

Texas Tidbits : Texas Business of the Week : Linda Kay Lens Photography

I have known Linda Hudson Miller for over 40 years. Like so many of us, after we graduated from High School, we went off to seek fame and fortune in our own directions. I must say that Linda has truly found her path in life with her chosen profession. She is an entrepreneur and the owner of Linda Kay Lens Photography. Go to Linda's website and look at some of the amazing work she has done. She makes the camera an extension of her own eye to get some incredible images. Contact Linda through her Facebook page. She'll give you low down on all the services she provides, prices, etc, plus she has posted some links to articles that can help you in your own pursuit of photographic excellence.

Disclaimer; Linda, nor her company, are compensating me in any way, shape or form for posting this piece.  I did this post because I went to her site and saw a snapshot (pun intended) of the fantastic work she does. On top of that, I wanted to highlight some local (for that area) businesses for a job well done.

Maine Minutiae : Hurricanes

Inclement weather in Maine usually involves thunderstorms, high winds, heavy snow or ice storms. Oddly enough, tropical weather systems meander their way up the East Coast and occasionally affect us way up here in The Pine Tree State. According to pivot.net, "Storms also occur out of season. On February 5, 1952, a strong storm originating in the tropics, hit Maine with strong winds, rain, and snow. It is still being debated as to whether this storm was in fact a hurricane/tropical storm". The New England Hurricane of 1938,  ranks as one of the costliest (3.6 billion 1990 dollars) storms in US history and the deadliest in Maine history with eleven fatalities and over 2000 serious injuries. On average, a hurricane will strike Maine every four years with September 1- September  15 being the likeliest times for a direct hit. Since I've been in Maine, we've yet to experience a storm of this nature, though last year (I think) a hurricane was headed this way and at the last minute veered off into the Canadian Maritimes. I have now been here for over 4 years, so if we get any "tropical excitement" this summer, I'll brave it out to keep you informed...maybe. :)

Texas Tidbits : The Galveston Hurricane of 1900

The Date : September 8, 1900. The Place : Galveston, Texas. The Event : The Galveston Hurricane of 1900. The Result : At least 8000 (maybe as many as 12,000) dead. 6000 dead on Galveston Island alone, making this storm the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the USA. That photo up there ^^^? That's the aftermath of this horrific Act of Nature. This storm (hurricanes weren't formally given names until 1950), was, at first, predicted to move up the East Coast, but it didn't quite work that way. From Weather Events :  "Forecasters at the US Weather Bureau office in Washington DC examined the maps and, using their knowledge of past hurricane behavior, expected the storm would curve along a northeasterly track across Florida and then northward along the US east coast. The office telegraphed a forecast to New Orleans at midday on September 5 stating the storm "probably will be felt as far north as Norfolk [Virginia] by Thursday night [September 6] and is likely to extend over the middle Atlantic and South New England states by Friday.
The Galveston Hurricane, however, had other ideas. Rather than follow the more likely path which would recurve back toward the Atlantic, it continued on its west-northwest course. As it moved into the Gulf of Mexico, it gave gale force winds to Tampa on Florida's west coast, Key West, and Jupiter on Florida's east coast, assuring weather forecasters in Washington that it was moving over the state. But a region of high pressure located to the east blocked this path, and the storm turned into the Gulf and toward Galveston." But for a single High Pressure System, the history of Galveston and, perhaps, the East Coast would be very different from the way it turned out.