Colorado Chronicles : The Healing Waters

Pagosa Springs

I haven't often been to the Western Slope of the Continental Divide, except to go fishin' a few times, so my personal knowledge of that part of Colorado is limited. I do know, however, know a cool place when I see one. Pagosa Springs is such a place. The Good Lord chose to put Pagosa Springs at 7000 feet above sea level on the Western Slope surrounded by what is now the San Juan National Forest and land owned by the Southern Ute Indians. He could have done worse. This site has several links to webcams viewing different parts of Pagosa Springs. It appears that the cameras show only still pictures, so you'll need to refresh your browser window every once in a while. The "Springs" part of the town's name comes from the Ute words "pah gosah" meaning "healing waters". "Healing waters" refers to the mineral-rich hot springs in the area. It is to these hot springs that people from all over the world come to cure various and sundry ailments. And it is these springs which provide much economic benefit to Pagosa Springs. Nearby Mesa Verde National Park offers visitors an incredible look at the lives, including magnificent cliff dwellings, of the Anasazi of hundreds of years ago. Mesa Verde isn't the only National Park in the neighborhood, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is also a short distance from Pagosa Springs. Wolf Creek Ski Area, with over 1600 acres worth of snow skiing, is yet another destination that makes Pagosa Springs a favorite of tourists (and an economic benefit to the community). After learning all this new stuff, I do believe that a trip to Colorado should include a drive over The Divide to a cool place that is the home of the "Healing Waters" - Pagosa Springs.

Maine Minutiae : The Shire City of Waldo County

Belfast Harbor*

What the heck is a "shire city"? I don't know. Read through these definitions and decide for yourself. I tend to go with the one about "a former administrative district of England." But then again, I am a knucklehead, so don't mind me. At any rate, the shire city of Waldo county is Belfast, which was of course named after the city of the same moniker in Ireland. (Note: Belfast is now in Northern Ireland). Belfast was once where the Penobscot Indians went in the summer to hunt and fish, but in 1630 the land became part of the Muscongus Patent which "granted rights for English trading posts with the Indians, especially for the lucrative fur trade. About 1720, General Samuel Waldo of Boston bought the Muscongus Patent, which had evolved into outright ownership of the land, and was thereafter known as the Waldo Patent." (Wikipedia) Incorporated in 1773, Belfast was mostly abandoned during the American Revolution and was briefly occupied by the British in the War of 1812. The city would, over time, became a center for shipbuilding, poultry production and is now home to Bank of America-owned MBNA, a large credit card services center. Belfast is one of the locations Heather and I are considering as we discuss where we are going to move to as I ease into retirement. Ever since I was a wee lad in Fort Worth, Texas, I have dreamed of living in a "shire" city, whatever the heck one is. :)

*Photo from Marinas.com

Texas Tidbits : The Greatest HS Football Game Ever

Plano East Panthers

John Tyler Lions

High School football is a big deal in Texas. Just ask a Texan. Small towns all over the Lone Star State roll up the sidewalks in anticipation of the big game on Friday night. All across the state on Friday night, stadiums smell of hot dogs and tortilla chips with  yellow Elmer's Glue-looking "pasteurized cheese product" globbed all over them pretending to be nachos amongst other not-qualified-to-be-on-the-school-lunch-menu goodies. The sounds of HS football venue on game night are familiar to anybody who has ever attended one of these contests - cheerleaders cheering, children begging Dear Old Dad for some cash flow to blow on the aforementioned nachos and the Home Team band playing (I'm being charitable here) a pretty bad version
of "Louie, Louie". Over 30,000 (not a typo, thirty thousand) people were at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas on November 26, 1994, for the playoff game between the Plano East Panthers and the Tyler John Tyler Lions in what has been called "The Greatest High School Football Game Ever". I find that assessment pretty dang accurate. The video at the link bears me out. Here's the setting : 4th Quarter, 2:42 to play and John Tyler leads 41-17. Click here for the most incredible finish to any sporting event you've ever seen. Or likely ever see again. Stay with it to the end or like many of the folks who left the game early, you'll be sorry.

Three States All-In-One (Best of)

The Way I Feel*

Well, it looks like life over for most of today and so did my new friend Arthur. You may know Arthur, his last name is Itis. Arthur Itis. We went grocery shopping today at Super Wal Mart and it took a while longer than I had anticipated. With my wife recently adopting a healthier lifestyle, it's very important to know what is in the food we buy. She read the labels on EVERY DAMN THING in the grocery department. It would have been faster to read War and Peace. I guess what I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is that I am tired and my buddy Arthur is killin' me.
I have picked out some popular posts from the past for your perusal.

• Texas Tidbits : McDonald Obsevatory
• Maine Minutiae : The Gretest Mountain 
• Colorado Chronicles : Central City

For our newer readers, it'll give you a chance to catch up on what you've and for the Old Timers, maybe you can read something you missed the first time through. Thanks to you all for visiting and we'll see you manana. Adios, y'all.

*Photo from guyhatcher.com

NOTICE : Late Posts Today

Posts will be late today a we have a full day of errands to run. Be sure to check out this popular post on World War II hero and fellow Texan, Chester W. Nimitz. This entry on legendary Native American Tomah Joseph also got a lot of attention. If you want to dig deep into the archives, used the "search box" in the top right part  of the home page, or scroll down to near the bottom of each page and click on the orange-colored "older posts" button. Until later today....adios, y'all!

Maine Minutiae : The Queen City

The Queen City

One thing different about living in New England compared to Texas is the size difference in the rivers between here and there. What we call a river back home, is called a stream up here. There are actual cities built along side the rivers - like Bangor, the third largest city in Maine. The first recorded history of Bangor dates to 1525 when Esteban Gomez of Portugal (himself a Captain on Magellan's round-the-world voyage) was commissoned by Spanish King Carlos V to find the Northwest Passage to the Orient. Bangor wasn't permanently settled by Europeans until the late 1760's as a fishing and fur trading post. Shortly after Maine became a state in 1820, the availability of huge quantities of lumber turned Bangor into one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. However, with the advent of steam powered and steel ships, sawmills and wooden ships were no longer needed in large numbers. Later, however, downtown Bangor became one of the first cities in the country to have a trolley system and the city was a retail haven for people in the area. 1911 was a tough year for the Queen City, as maineguide.com notes : "In spite of the Great Bangor Fire of 1911, which destroyed much of the downtown area, and several disastrous floods, Bangor remains the cultural center for Central and Eastern Maine.  Tourists enjoy visiting it’s many surviving historical sites, such as the early 19th century homes of  lumber barons of the past, the Isaac Farrar Mansion/Symphony House, the Bangor House, (once known as Bangor’s finest hotel) where crowds were addressed by such Presidents as Teddy Roosevelt and William Taft..." Bangor today is home to author Stephen King and also houses the Hollywood Slots Casino. (I don't know if Big Steve goes there or not...:) ). With a census count of approaching 32,000 in 2000 and large retailers and restaurants in town, Bangor has all the amenities of a big city with the pace of a small town. Plus it sits on the banks of the Penobscot River. Fish.Fear.Me. The Queen City - the Crown Jewel of Central and Eastern Maine.

Texas Tidbits : The Concho City

San Angelo

If you read more than one post on this blog, then you know that I am a trees and water kind of guy, like in East Texas. For some unknown reason, however, the rugged beauty of the desert has a bit of a mysterious hold on me. I can't explain it, other than to say it's a sort of sagebrush voodoo or something. Segue to San Angelo. San Angelo is one of those places where it's not quite desert and  it's not in the Piney Woods or Big Thicket, I could live there and be happy. It doesn't exactly hurt my feelings that there is a state park and O C Fischer Lake lies within the park and snuggles up right next to the San Angelo city limits. The city got its humble beginnings when after the Civil War, Fort Concho was established as an outpost to protect the flood of settlers heading west to find their fortunes. At one time Fort Concho was home to the Black Cavalry, which the local Native Americans called the "Buffalo Soldiers", earning great respect from the white soldiers they served with and, of course, the Indians. In those days, San Angelo was a trading center for settlers in the area, but as sanangelo.org states "The discovery of oil and gas, the influx of light manufacturing, the initial development of a communications center, the establishment and growth of Angelo State University, and the growth of the medical community provided diversification to a growing community. Today, this city of 90,000 is the trade and services hub of a 13 county area, supported by agriculture, manufacturing, education, business and health services, military, tourism, and retirement." Geographically, San Angelo is almost the bull's eye on the dartboard that is Texas and it ain't far from being a bull's eye on the dart board of places to live.