Maine Minutiae: Hop Aboard the Candy Cane Train!

All Aboard the Candy Cane Train!

I am a lucky man. I have been fortunate enough to have seen this country from North to South and East to West by plane, car, bus, U-Haul and many miles by foot. But there's one way that I have not explored the United States. By train. Ever since I was a little boy, I have always wanted to ride on a train. Like Merle Haggard sang, "The first thing I remember knowin' is a lonesome whistle blowin' and a youngun's dream of growin' up to ride, On a freight train leavin' town, not knowin' where it's bound.." True poetry. The first time I heard that song, I was probably about 10 years old. It has stuck with me ever since. That's why I took an extra good look at what I am about to share with you.

Next weekend, December 11 & 12, The Candy Cane Train in Bath, Maine makes it yearly holiday run with all kinds of fun on board. There are four trips scheduled for each day at 9am, 11am, 1pm and 3pm. The Candy Cane Train will leave Bath at the scheduled times for the ninety minute round trip to Wiscasset and back to Bath. During the trip, passengers will enjoy hot chocolate, meet Santa and his elves plus listen to storytellers and sing Christmas songs! I bet my kids' father would really like to take this ride. And they might like it, too.  :) 

Proceeds from the train rides will go to Literacy Volunteers and Read With Me Family Literacy. Not only will you and the family have a hoot riding the train with Santa, you'll be doing a great service to Maine literacy programs. After all, Christmas is all about giving isn't it?

Here's the Candy Cane Train web site where you can find all the pertinent information.

Texas Tidbits: Christmas Gifts From 100 Years Ago

A Future Laptop Case?***

I was looking over a web site that I have used to research all things Texas. I have mentioned it on numerous occasions as well. While thinking of an idea for a post today, I saw something that mentioned Christmas gifts of yesteryear. Great idea for a post! So, I moseyed on over to texasescapes.com and I'll be dipped, if they didn't have an article about that very subject! I love Texas Escapes!

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that at least half the gifts you give and/or receive, will be something to do with electronics. Xbox and PS-3 games, PC games, computers, computer accessories like keyboards, thumb drives, printers, etc. We are a citizenry of gadgets and gizmos. Having said that, have you ever thought about what kind of gifts your grandparents exchanged with their families? I found an interesting column about that very subject at, you guessed it, at texasescapes.com . In the Austin Harpoon newspaper at Christmas, 1911, was this ad 

“Don’t waste money on useless Christmas presents. Give your friends or relatives something artistic, as well as valuable.” Women, he continued, often send their male relatives or friends a box of cigars “with Johnson grass wrappers and alfalfa fillers.” Such cigars, he continued, “won’t smoke, and are not even pretty.”

But what about a deer’s foot thermometer?

Yes, long before all the wares offered via toll-free 800 numbers, from knives that never need sharpening to singing bass, the Muter and Collier Taxidermy Co. of Uvalde sold preserved deer’s feet with thermometers attached, suitable for hanging.

“Beautifully polished,” Bonner waxed on, the deer-foot temperature tellers were “an article that is useful as well as an art treasure.” All cloven-hooved stocking stuffer cost was $1.50 plus a dime for postage and handling."

A deer hoof thermometer! Just what every man dreams of having! I know a lot of guys who'd rather have the deer that goes with that hoof, but the hoof alone, with or without the thermometer , not so much. But, evidently, this was an entirely acceptable gift in 1911.

Let's not forget the ladies. In the same newspaper, this attractive item would make a dandy gift to the members of the Fair Sex.

So, rather than giving any of those cliché articles, “send them an art treasure – a beautiful and useful work basket, made from the shell of an armadillo.”

Highly polished and lined with “dainty silk,” the baskets are “not only a great curiosity, but valuable and handy, and will last a life-time, and then some.” In other words, give a gal an armadillo shell and create a family heirloom.

Ain't that some great stuff? It's amazing how things have changed in this country in a hundred years. Now if I could only figure out how to modify an armadillo shell into a laptop case and the deer hoof thermometer into a USB drive....

Watch out, Bill Gates!

 ***(Photo by Monty Northrup, Austin, Texas***

Colorado Chronicles: Blossoms of Light

Blossoms of Light @ Denver Botanic Gardens

I have spent many Christmases in Colorado over the years, but there are many Christmas-related festivals and such that I have never attended. One such to-do is the Blossoms of Light festival at the Denver Botanical Gardens, and as much as I like to garden, I am, frankly, a little surprised at myself.

When go to Blossoms of Light , you'll see over one million lights draped in "elegant designs" that highlight the winter beauty of the Gardens. Now, here's something I think we could all agree on - the return of "romantic and kissing spots'. Hell, if I would have known that they had "romantic and kissing spots", I would have gone every year to the Blossoms of Light. Day late, dollar short and all that.

Also making a much-anticipated return to BoL are HoloSpex Glasses. As best as I can understand about these glasses is that they somehow bend light thus making a holographic optical illusion.  There is a good "weed" joke in there, but I figure it's better left to your imagination. 

Some other cool stuff at Blossoms of Light include intricate ice sculptures lining the paths of the Gardens as you walk through. Sculptures by Henry Moore will also be lighted for BoL. Warm drinks and tasty treats will also be available to Gardens visitors.

Now, here's something for the lovebirds reading today, an Engagement Package at the Blossoms of Light! Engagement Package includes:

  Secluded engagement area off the beaten path  
o  Draped red linen café table with two chairs in our Romantic Gardens gazebo
 
  Sparkling cider with two glasses 
 
  Two large cupcakes donated from Lovely Confections 
 
  Denver Botanic Gardens-grown potted plant 
 
  Two tickets to our Fall Wedding Showcase (Value of $30.00) 
 
  15% off booking a wedding/reception package at Denver Botanic Gardens (cannot be
combined with other discounts) 
 
  Customizable vinyl sign, measuring 30 inches wide x 10 inches tall 
o  Up to 40 characters, including spaces
o  Example: “Angela, will you marry me?”


Engagement Package pricing:

 Non-member: $68 a couple
 Member: $58 a couple
We offer only two Engagement Packages per evening and reservations will be made on a first-
come, first-served basis*. Each proposal will be allotted one hour. Payment is due at the time of
reservation and is nonrefundable. 

There you are. This sounds like a great way to not only celebrate Christmas, but to pop the question as well!


Here's the contact info for the Denver Botanic Gardens -
Phone: 720-865-3684
Fax: 720-865-3725

Maine Minutiae: A Sea Gull's Eye View of the Pine Tree State

A SeaGull's Eye View

For Maine Minutiae today I figured I might as well do a post of a different kind. Every day I write about something that I think is interesting in hopes that you'll think the same. When I post something, I do my best to paint a picture in your head so that you can "see" what I am writing about. sometimes I succeed, other times not so much. That's one of the hazards of writing, a welcomed hazard, but a hazard nonetheless. So today I want give to you a real snapshot of where I live, but this time with real pictures from web cams located around the state. They give you an up to the minute visual tour of Maine, from the moutains of the west to the shoes of the Atlantic Ocean in the east. Grab a cup of coffee, settle into your computer chair and explore Maine through the "eyes" of these web cams. I hope you enjoy the ride.  :)

I selected a few web cams from a long list of them and I'll link to the list later in the post. My choices are:

• Augusta - This is a view of the Kennebec River as it passes the east side of downtown, looking north. As the crow flies, this is about a mile from my house. Look closely and you'll see the asphalt walking/jogging path running parallel to the river.
• Bar Harbor - One of the neatest towns in Maine. This "Harbor Cam" is looking out over the edge of town directly into the harbor. You can't miss the island in the background. There literally thousands of islands just like that one along the entirety of the coast of Maine.
• Presque Isle - Presque Isle is waaaaaayyy up north on the Crown of Maine. If you burp loud enough, they'll hear you in Canada. This cam is trained on downtown PI.
• Rockport - This a fantastic shot of Glen Cove in Rockport. 

Those web cams should whet your appetite and pique your interest enough to peruse this long list of web cams showing the faces of Maine at allthingsmaine.com. See what you've only read about. It's a nice virtual tour of the Pine Tree State.

Texas Tidbits: Santa Robs Bank, MeetsTexas Justice

"Santa" spent Christmas, 1927 Here***

This is one of the most unusual Christmas-time stories you have ever heard or will hear in your entire life. It's not a feelgood, family type of story, far from it. This is the story about the hanging of Santa Claus! I ain't typin' with a stutter and your ears ain't flappin'. You read that right. The hanging of Santa Claus. Of course, we're not referring to the real St. Nick, but we are referring to a rotten, no good, egg suckin' old polecat impersonating the jolly old elf. The article I'll be quoting from is a bit long, so for brevity's sake, I'll excerpt parts of it and then insert a final link so when you have a few minutes you can scoot on over to the article's source and read it there.

The year was 1927. It was the day before Christmas Eve in Cisco, Texas.The most joyful time of the year was about to explode into a hail of gunfire, shattering the quiet of the Yuletide season. Santa Claus would be the focus of attention, but not for the reasons you'd expect. On this day, Santa was being sought as a bank robber and killer. Santa's actions resulted in one of the most bizzare and intense manhunts in Texas Hisory.

You see, on December 23, 1927, Santa was dressed in his Christmas finest, walking down the main street in Cisco, greeting and patting children on the head as he ambled down the street, until he got to the First National Bank. Santa entered the bank, soon to be followed by three armed men. "Once inside, Santa received a pleasant greeting of "Hello, Santa," from the cashier. Santa did not respond, but walked to a desk in the middle of the lobby, the one where bank customers wrote out their deposit slips. A few customers were already at the teller's window making their deposits. The cashier again called out, "Hello, Santa." Again, no response.

Right about at this point, a young man entered the Bank, pointed a pistol at the cashier, and snarled, "Hands up!!"

A second bandit entered. He was also brandishing a gun. A third armed man entered. Santa Claus pushed through the swinging door, past the cashier's desk, went into the cashier's cage, opened a drawer under the counter, and removed a pistol from that location, stuffing it under his red Santa suit. Now there were four armed men, including Santa Claus." Thanks to Texasescapes.com

What the heck? Santa Claus a bank robber? I'm afraid it's true. There's a lot more to this story, which has been described by Boyce House as "the most spectacular crime in the history of the Southwest ... surpassing any in which Billy the Kid or the James boys had ever figured." Now that's saying something.

Read the entire version of this most unlikely of Christmas tales at Texas Escapes. It's certainly worth your time, because it's the kind of story with the kind of ending that could only happen in Texas in 1927.


(image from rootsweb.com)

Plus One: A SoCal Christmas Light Festival!

Thus far in our trip around the country searching for some of the most brilliant Christmas light displays in the land. My Christmas Google Fu was strong when I found this video of a house in Southern California. Watch the video as you listen to the synchronized musical accompaniment. It's truly astounding.

The Williams family started working on this year's light show way back in January.The entire show has been reworked for Christmas, 2010. That means that they have redone nearly 100,000 lights! Rick and Laura Williams have a web page with much information like stats, the history of their display and a lot more.

Like many of their fellow Light Gurus, Rick and Laura have a low powered FM Radio Station to broadcast the music while you watch the light magic from the confines of your automobile. at the link to the radio station above, you'll also find a schedule of when the light show will be amazing the citizens of the Los Angeles area.
We have many readers in California who may live close enough to the Williamses to pay a visit to see their labor of love. If you do, please tell them that you read about their Christmas light display on our blog.

Another job well-done to a family has the Christmas Spirit living in them year round. Merry Christmas, Williams Family from Three States Plus One!

Maine Minutiae: LL Bean Northern Lights Celebration

With a little more than three weeks until Christmas, the Yuletide celebrations across Maine are definitely shifting into high gear. I just came across this info a few minutes ago, so I wanted to get it out to you ASAP.

Freeport is cranking up today through Sunday with the Sparkle Weekend! The weekend kicks off with the renown Sparkle Parade of Lights at 6:00PM, to be followed by the Freeport Historical Society's 1880's Coastal Christmas at 7:00PM. These two events are just the beginning of the fun at Sparkle Weekend. I almost forgot one of the coolest things at the Weekend Sparkle. At 6:30PM, the unveiling the famous Talking Christmas tree!!!

LL Bean continues with their incredible Northern Lights Celebration this weekend in Freeport. To get to the info, click here, then locate the LL Bean announcement near the top of the page and click on the link there that say "Schedule" and that will take you to a PDF that has all the lowdown on the LL Bean Northern Lights Celebration.

A quick check of the events slated for Saturday at Sparkle Weekend reveals visits with Santa will be held fom 9AM - 3PM, The Sparkle Weekend Craft fair from 8AM- 4PM and so much more.

On Sunday morning, one of the best things ever is scheduled for 8-10:30 AM. It's your chance to have breakfast with Santa!

The entire weekend schedule of events can be found by clicking this link  and click the middle area of that page where you see the three Christmas tree lights. I know that's a lot of work, but it's well worth you time to see some of the fantastic events taking place this weekend in Freeport. PDF ALERT!

That's a full weekend of awesomeness for you to make plans to attend. If you have other plans, you might still be able to put something like Breakfast With Santa (hint hint) on Sunday morning on your list of things to do.