Maine Minutiae : York

On the southwestern coast of Maine sits Portland, the state's largest city. Part of the metro Portland area is the town of  York, one Maine's better-known summer resorts. Founded in 1638 by English settlers, York is actually the fourth name the town has gone by. According to yorkmaine.org : "York is actually the fourth name that the town has known.  The earliest records refer to the general area as Agamenticus, after the original inhabitants.  The first English settlers, having come from the region of Bristol, England, lent that name to the town until it became a chartered city under Sir Ferdinando Gorges, who renamed it Gorgeana in 1642.  The name York was appointed after the fall of the Loyalists under Cromwell in 1652, commemorating the town (York, England) in which Cromwell defeated the King's forces." York has also been host to many famous authors/writers, Mark Twain chief among them. Sandy beaches, lighthouses, golf courses, museums...find them all in York. Another cool thing in York is Mount Agamenticus, the tallest mountain on the Southern Maine coast. At the summit, 692 feet above sea level, the view of the Atlantic is spectacular, with a glimpse of Boston, about 75 miles away, not out the question! That's what I'm talkin' about! I find more to like about living in Maine with every Maine Minutiae I post. Add York to the list.

Texas Tidbits : Irving - My Hometown

I know many of my friends back in Texas will relate to this post. So many of them, like me, grew up or lived in Irving long enough to call it "my hometown". I moved to Irving the summer before my 10th birthday in 1966, and the population of Irving was, if I recall correctly, about 40,000. Now over 200,000 live in the City. Wow! My little town has grown up! Irving was founded in 1903 by J.O. "Otto" Schultz and Otis Brown (who was later mayor of Irving) and is believed to be named after author Washington Irving who was a favorite of Mrs. Brown. I haven't been to Irving in at least nine years, therefore I can only guess how much it's changed during that time. However, I do remember how Irving was when I was a little boy riding my Schwinn 5-Speed Stick Shift bike (even then the chicks dug a cool set of wheels :) ) literally all over town - from near Wakefield's Grocery and Mr. Wood's Barber Shop on Shady Grove all the way to the 183 Apartments where my Dad lived. As a kid , that was as cool as riding a Harley, pure freedom. Here are some other things that come to mind when reliving the '60's in my hometown, in no particular order...

• Cliff's Donuts (and later next door Cliff's Pizza). Mr. Shasteen was a very nice man who on occasion let a group of young men of drinking age have all night get-togethers with FREE pizza ! Almost 40 years too late...thanks, Mr. Shasteen. Oh, yeah...Cliff's Donuts were a Sunday morning tradition for Sunday School at the Baptist Church just up the street on Story Road.
• Denny's on Hwy.183...I spent many after partying hours eating chili there with Tommy Thompson and Mark Hardesty. Tommy's now dead (RIP BROTHER) and last I heard, Mark is a long-time guest of the State.
• The 183 Drive-In - Where The Duke his own self, John Wayne stood on top of the concession stand with rifles a-blazin' for the World Premier of True Grit, in which Wayne won an Oscar for his role as Rooster Cogburn.
• Texas Stadium - not only for all the Cowboys' games I attended there with Randy Randle, but for the thousands of fellow Nimitz High graduates who walked the stage passing from schoolkid to welcome-to-the real world young people.
• Dar Roedel and Linda Staggs - These two ladies were more than teachers or counselors, they were friends and second Moms to an untold number of kids, me included. I love them dearly and will never forget the impact they had on my life. 

• Friends - too many to mention, because there were/are so many of you. From waaaaaay back : Keith Story and Mark Warren. I have known those guys for over 40 years and I'll never forget them. Randy Randle, Marvin, Dee Dee, Dewayne, John and Marty. They treated me like one of their family and to this day, I consider them my family. Tommy Thompson...maybe the best friend I ever had, and that's saying something. I loved Tommy like a brother and wish I could have just one more beer with him. I hope I was half the friend to him that he was to me. Mark Hardesty... Mark was, shall we say, "rough around the edges", but he was a great friend. I would say more, but I'm not sure the Statute of Limitations has run out. All the friends I have re-connected with through Facebook. I love you guys and I can only say "It was fun" or "I'm sorry". You decide which camp you are in. :)

I could carry on for hours, but that will be for another time, perhaps. What are your memories of Irving? Or your hometown? Tell us in the comments, we'd love to know.

Colorado Chronicles : Sports Fan Edition

 When it comes to professional sports, few cities are as rabid about the home team as Coloradans. At the top of the list, without a shadow of a doubt, is the two-time Super Bowl Champs, Denver Broncos. There have been some outstanding players wear the Blue and Orange - Floyd Little, Haven Moses, Karl Mecklenberg, Terrell Davis. Only one name, however, is ever mentioned as Mr. Bronco and that is Hiram Lipschitz, I mean John Albert Elway. Number 7. The guy who sells a million new cars a year in Denver alone. Maybe I exaggerated that about the new cars, but there is no denying the man's career stats in the NFL: 51,475 yards passing, 300 TD passes, 2 Super Bowl Titles, etc. etc., etc. Elway was a beast on the gridiron. The picture above is of  Invesco Field at Mile High, the Home of the Broncos and 76,125 insane fans, not to mention the millions of other Broncos supporters throughout Colorado. On your typical autumn Sunday, it seems like the whole state shuts down for three and a half hours during Broncos games. Denver pro football fans are nuts about their Broncos.
During Major League Baseball season, the Colorado Rockies rule the roost in the Mile High City. 50,445 seat Coors Field (yes, that Coors) is home to the Rockies 81 games a summer and is one of, if not the, most beautiful ballpark in the majors. Of course, having the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop doesn't hurt things much. The Rockies inaugural season was 1993 and they have had some success having made the playoffs and even reached a World Series, but it's hard to measure up to the 50 year history and tradition of the Broncos. Still, there are worse ways to spend a summer night than at Coors Field soaking up the National Pastime. It just goes to show that Denver is a big-time city with big-time pro sports and two beautiful facilities in which to enjoy them.

NOTE : I know about the Nuggets and the Avalanche, and we'll get to them another time.

Maine Minutiae : Rangeley

I first learned of Rangeley about a week ago when my cousin by marriage, Ashley, mentioned that she and her boyfriend were going there for the weekend. I was curious, so I looked it up, and what I found is wowzers! Just look at the picture to the left. I. Want. To. Go. There. Here's some of what I learned from rangeley-maine.com : "Until 1796 the area belonged to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. That year four men – including James Rangeley Sr. of Philadelphia – purchased nearly 31,000 acres between the Kennebec River and New Hampshire for timber and mineral rights. The area was inhabited by five different Indian tribes at the time...". A more comprehensive look at the area's history can be found here . Rangeley is now a town of a few people over 1000 and is a popular vacation destination. With the chain of lakes there, I guess so! I've gotta pack up the Tribe and ease on over to Rangeley soon - and I mean soon. The trout population may never recover after I am through with them. Fish. Fear. Me. Click on the links scattered about the post for a ton of great information and photos, then leave a comment about what you think.

Texas Tidbits : The First Cattle Drive

Cattle drives are as Texan as corn bread and pinto beans. They've been a part of our heritage for hundreds of years. Did you know that the first cattle drive in Texas was a result of the American Revolution, and took place some fifty-seven years before the Alamo? Me either,un- til this morning. In 1779, Spain became a crucial ally to the American colonists fighting for their independence, by declaring war on Great Britain. King Carlos III commissioned Bernardo de Galvez, for whom Galveston is named, to attack British forces along the Mississippi. In order to continue the assault, Galvez needed food for his army. The Handbook of Texas Online picks it up from there : "In order to feed his troops, Gálvez sent an emissary, Francisco García, to Texas governor Domingo Cabello y Robles requesting the delivery of Texas cattle to Spanish forces in Louisiana. Accordingly, between 1779 and 1782, 10,000 cattle were rounded up on ranches belonging to citizens and missions of Bexar and La Bahía." There you have it. the first cattle drive in Texas history. I had never really thought about Texas' role in the American Revolution, but now that I have tasted the first morsel  of it, I am hungry for more. I'll employ my Google-Fu to see what else we can learn about the subject in a future post. Adios, y'all.

Colorado Chronicles : Idaho Springs

If I were in Denver, I'd get on I-70 and head west. Why? One reason is because my Mom lives in the mountains west of Denver. Another is that are some cool little towns on I-70 west of Denver. Georgetown comes to mind. Lake Georgetown is there. Fish.Fear.Me. Enough said. Out of Lake Georgetown flowing east is Clear Creek, which leads us to Idaho Springs. As with many mountain towns in Colorado, mining, specifically gold, has played a significant role in the history of Idaho Springs. In January, 1859, Goerge A. Jackson, Missouri native with experience in the gold mines of California, discovered gold where Chicago Creek empties into Clear Creek (present-day Idaho Springs). Boom followed by bust visited Idaho Springs, as with so many mining towns in the Rockies and elsewhere. There are, however, restored mines in the area where one can learn of the mining history of the town and its importance to the area. As a matter of fact, you can still pan for gold there. From colorado.com : "There are plenty of good little restaurants in Idaho Springs, including a brewpub. All are affordable, as is area lodging and genuinely unique shopping. After a long day of playing tourist, enjoy the hot mineral waters of the springs for which the town is named. You can stay at the hot springs lodge or just visit the geothermal springs and caves for a fitting end to your hard-working day." Get more info at the links above and make plans to visit Idaho Springs...and Lake Georgetown. Fish.Might.Fear.You.Too.

Maine Minutiae : The People of the Dawn

The People of the Dawn, or Wabanaki, consists of five tribes of eastern Indians who formed a coalition during the 19th Century to stem the tide of Iroquois aggression. The tribes - the Abenaki, Penobscot, Maliseet, Passamaquoddy and Mi'kmaq - disbanded their confederacy in 1862, but the tribes still maintain close relationships with each other. The Wabanaki are spread from the Canadian Province of Newfoundland to the Merrimac River Valley in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Wabanaki have faced many challenges throughout their history including wars and epidemics brought to the New World by European settlers and armies. The modern-day tribes of  The People of the Dawn keep many of their ancestral traditions alive while using 21st Century technology, i.e., the World Wide Web, to teach those traditions and to inform others of their culture. There is some fascinating information at the links in this post, so when you get some time, read them and learn about some of the First Americans.