Maine Minutiae : Rockland Lobster Festival

Supper

I love BBQ and I really love Tex Mex and dammit there's precious little of either here in Maine. But that's OK. Here in Maine, we get seafood straight from the factory. That factory is the Atlantic Ocean. Rockland is about 42 miles from my house and it sits right on the ocean. For the last sixty-three years, the folks of Rockland have been throwing a shindig called the Maine Lobster Festival and it's going on again this weekend! Rockland will be abuzz with tourists from all over the world  through Sunday, Augusta 8th., scarfing down Maine's best known export - big bad ass lobsters. I tracked down a schedule of events for the festival and it's gonna be a hoot with stuff like a cod fish carry, diaper derby and costume parade for the kids and arts, crafts, lobster crate races, the BIG parade for and of course tons (literally) of lobster to be devoured by Mom and Dad. It may be too late for some of you to attend the party this year, but click here for the schedule for 2011 and 2012. Unfortunately, my weekend is full this year, having just learned of the Maine Lobster Festival a couple of days ago, but not to worry. I can go about a mile down the street and pick up a big, fat, succulent Maine lobster and savor it for supper. You're invited. RSVP.

Texas Tidbits : Amarillo

Amarillo sits at the Top of Texas in the middle of The Golden Spread. The once Helium Capital of the World is closer to the capitals of five other states than it is to its own. Check this out...
Distance from Amarillo to:

• Santa Fe, NM- 281 mi.
• Oklahoma City, OK - 260 mi.
• Denver, CO - 421 mi.
• Topeka, KS - 432 mi.
• Cheyenne, WY - 445 mi.
• Austin, TX - 491 mi. 

I don't want to say that Amarillo is in the middle of nowhere, but when the closet big town to you is Lubbock, you are Officially In The Middle of Nowhere. Honestly, it's not that bad. Amarillo is a fine town and a nice place to live. I know. I have lived there. Hell, even Oprah has been there. The first European to see what is now Amarillo was Francisco Coronado in 1541, when the area was home to the Comanches. Coronado also was the first European to set eyes on one of the most stunning vistas in Texas (and that's saying a lot)...Palo Duro Canyon. Cattle have played a major factor in the history of Amarillo and some of the ranches in the region were bigger than some New England states. As a matter of fact, the JA Ranch founded by Charles Goodnight in 1877 is still  in operation today. Other nearby attractions include the World Famous Cadillac Ranch and the magnificent Lake Meredith, where Fish.Fear.Me.I can't, in good conscience, write about Amarillo and not mention The Big Texan Steak House, home of the FREE 72 oz. steak (if eaten within 1 hour). That's over four pounds of steak! There's lots to do in and around Amarillo and on a long drive it's a great stopping off point to spend the day and see the sights. Palo Duro Canyon and Lake Meredith are must sees. I have visited every place in town mentioned in this post and I can tell you that Amarillo is a pretty damn good place to be.

Maine Minutiae : Tomah Joseph - Legendary American

"It has been said that art is the signature of a civilization. Like all signatures, it is unique and personal and binding. When a civilization vanishes, it is art that leaves an indelible imprint to tell the story of a people's existence and their eventual demise. Such is the story of Tomah Joseph, a Passamaquoddy Indian artist who lived in eastern Maine during the mid- to late 19th and early 20th centuries. Like so many other stories of Native Americans, his is one in which cultural survival and economic necessity are inextricably and tragically linked." - Yankee Magazine, May/June 2007. This quote is about an extraordinary man named Tomah Joseph, a Passamaquoddy man who during his seventy-seven years on Earth touched the lives of countless people, including a future President of the United States. Tomah Joseph was true to his Native Heritage throughout his life, keeping Passamaquoddy traditions forever alive through his amazing artwork and intricate craftsmanship on all things Native as well as the passing of Passamaquoddy oral history for untold generations after him to cherish for eternity. I urge you read the information at the links above to get a glimmer of the life and legacy that is Tomah Joseph, legendary American.

Texas Tidbits : Natural Bridge Caverns

How in the name of all that is holy during all my travels in Texas, did I not once take time to stop off and visit Natural Bridge Caverns? I plead the ignorance of youth. And "hurry up and get to Austin". But mostly the ignorance of youth. If only I had known. But, then again, if a frog had wings every time he jumped, he wouldn't whomp his ass. But, I digress. Even the underground world of Texas is stunningly beautiful. What's a bit surprising is that the caverns weren't discovered , quite unexpectedly, until 1960 by four St. Mary's U students out for their weekly spelunking trip. Reckon they were a little surprised at what they found? The temperature in the caverns is a mild 70 degrees year round and portions of this subterranean wonder are over 200 feet below ground. Recent archeological digs indicate that early Texans used the caves as a place to call home and that perhaps miles more of this underground Eden await exploration. Make a little time to read the information provided in the links above, if you can. It's some real good readin' and there are some outstanding photos as well. I can hardly wait to find out what the spelunkers of the future will discover about this place named Natural Bridge Caverns.

Colorado Chronicles : Bat Masterson

denverBat Masterson*

Bartholomew Masterson, was born November 26, 1853 in (sit down for this) Quebec, Canada! One of America's most revered lawmen was a freakin' Canadian! Sad, but true. No offense to our friends to the North. And all these years we thought he was one of us. This is almost as bad as if you hosers up there found out that Wayne Gretsky was born in Oklahoma or God forbid, Massachusetts! The blow to American ego and pride aside, Masterson did call Colorado home for twenty-three years, including stints in Leadville, Trinidad and Denver. Best-known as a US Marshal and local lawman, Masterson was also a prizefight promoter, gambler, Army Scout, buffalo hunter and newspaper writer. After his arrival in Denver in the late 1890's, Bat published a weekly sports column in Goerge's Weekly. Wikipedia tells us of more of Masterson's writing exploits : "Masterson continued his writing career in New York at the New York Morning Telegraph, (a sporting newspaper featuring race form and results whose reputation was part of what was known as 'a whore's breakfast,' which consisted of a cigarette and the Morning Telegraph) circa 1904. Hired by the younger Lewis brother, William Eugene Lewis, he reprised his role as sports writer, later becoming the paper's sports editor. The politics, sporting events, theaters, fine dining establishments, and varied night life of his adopted city became fodder for his thrice weekly column "Masterson's Views on Timely Topics" for more than 18 years. W. E. Lewis eventually became the general manager and president of the company and promoted his friend Masterson to vice president and company secretary.
While in New York City, Masterson met up again with the Lewis brothers. Alfred Henry Lewis eventually wrote several short stories and a novel "The Sunset Trail", about Masterson. Alfred Lewis encouraged Bat to write a series of sketches about his adventures which were published by Lewis in the magazine he edited, Human Life (circa 1907–1908). Masterson regaled his readers with stories about his days on the frontier and his gunfighter friends. He also explained to his audience what he felt were the best properties of a gunfighter.
It was during this time that Masterson sold his famous sixgun—"the gun that tamed the West"—because he "needed the money". Actually, Masterson bought old guns at pawnshops, carved notches into the handles and sold them at inflated prices. Each time he claimed the gun was the one he used during his career as a lawman." The great Bat Masterson, con man. He probably would have been a Mets fan, too. Heh.

Maine Minutiae : Whale Video !

Minke Whale (courtesy of NatGeo.)

No matter how hard I tried , I couldn't come up the words to accurately describe what you are about to see. So, I won't even try. I will set the video up by saying that it takes place in the Bay of Fundy at Eastport. Click here to see the wonders of the Minke Whale. Beautiful.

Texas Tidbits : The Greatest Town Name Ever in the History of Town Names

If you were in Houston and were to head North on I-45, forty miles or so later, you'd be in Conroe. The subject of today's Texas Tidbits is located six miles East of Conroe and goes by the handle of Cut and Shoot. I.Love.That.Name. Cut and Shoot. There are many stories about how Cut and Shoot got its sobriquet as there are letters in its name, but this one seems to be the one mentioned most. Hell, it doesn't make a rat's patootie how Cut and Shoot came to be called Cut and Shoot, I simply like saying that name. Cut and Shoot. That name is 110% Texan. One would think that a town with such a menacing moniker would have earned its label by virtue of being a Wild West, rough and tumble, gunfightin' kind of place and one would be wrong. Cut and Shoot didn't go by that name until 1912.Cut and Shoot was such a small community, that population stats weren't kept until the mid-1970's. However, the town garnered world-wide attention when in 1958 a local lad fought the great Floyd Patterson. From Wikipedia ; "The town of Cut and Shoot gained fame when local boxer Roy Harris, a heavyweight contender fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight title in 1958. Harris appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was featured in Life Magazine. So much mail was addressed to "Roy Harris, Cut and Shoot, Texas" that the U. S. Postal Service granted a franchise post office to the town." Cut and Shoot had arrived! Now you can impress your friends at parties and social gatherings of all sorts, with your near encyclopedic knowledge of Cut and Shoot, Texas. You can thank me later. :)


Hat tip: n2l