Will You Be My Daddy? (Reprise)

This was originally posted on October 17, 2010. 

Here I am all alone in the room at 6:23AM, EDT. My better half took the girls and they are all snuggled up on the bed in mine and Heather's room. We woke up at about 5:00AM to send my mother-in-law off, back to her cave where her caldron is probably at full boil. It was kind of cool when the Swamp Thing left this morning. I learned two things - 1) brooms really do fly and 2) flying brooms don't leave a contrail.

This week is gonna be hectic for us as there are some very important things happening, possibly all on the same day. Tuesday the 19th is Isabella's eighth birthday, the Wii I bought on eBay may arrive on that day and my newest fishin' buddy, Coop is due  to take a ride on The Miracle Express at any time. Even at 54, I get excited about some things like I was a kid again - I can't wait for the Wii to get here. I'm just kiddin' about that, although I do plan to play on it a lot.

I don't know why, but I have quite sentimental for the last week or so.  Much of it has to do with my oldest daughter, Isabella. When I first arrived in Maine 4 1/2 years ago, she was a blonde haired, blue eyed fireplug. Now, at age eight minus two days, I see her making the transition from little girl to something else, a teenager I guess. She's kind of in between stages, not quite a teen but no longer a little girl. Does that make sense? I think about the future when she's in high school and beyond, and the boys who'll take notice of this beautiful young woman. Does eBay sell shotguns and rock salt? Issy has grown enough that I can't pick her up and swing her around like a helicopter, and that makes me sad. She doesn't help me in the garden as much as she used to, friends are all over the place, riding bicycles and skateboards. Think about it. If you were eight years old which would you choose? Handsome boys on bikes and skateboards or an arthritic old fart talking to tomato plants? What use to be Daddy and Issy time has been reduced to Daddy teaching tomato and pepper plants simple Spanish. I'm surely the only man in New England who has bi-lingual vegetables. Next spring I'll be teaching the squash pig Latin.

Will You Be My Little Girl?

I've always heard about the special relationship that Dads and daughters share, but I was ill-prepared for what was to come when Issy became part of my life. The bond between us is something that I can't put into words other than to say, she's my little girl, and always will be. I remember a time about six months after I moved here to be with Heather and Issy. I was washing some dishes minding my own buidness when my little blonde fireplug came into the kitchen. She was four years old and said, "Toby, I have a question". "I've got an answer", I replied. I was not expecting this particular question. She asked, "Will you be my Daddy?". Wow!! Talk about being knocked over with feather. All of the sudden, I got something in my eyes that made them water. Dish water or something. (cough, cough). I told her that it would be my honor and privilege to be her Daddy. A large hug between us and more dishwater got into my eyes ensued. Damn dishwater! Now she's stuck with me! hahahahahahaha All you guys out there with little girls, I am jealous of you. I am jealous because it took me nearly fifty years to get a little girl and you guys have had them for so much longer. :) I gotta tell ya, that one little question, all five words of it, changed my life forever. I thank God for my little girl, and those five little words, everyday. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some dishwater in my eyes.

Homeless Guy Has a Fantastic Radio Voice! I Ain't Kiddin'

On the Air

I am the Administrator of this blog and by virtue of that, I personally pick and publish about 99.99999% of the content herein. On my other blog, Dumbass News, my wife finds about half of the content posted over there. A couple of days ago she came across a YouTube video of a homeless guy somewhere in Ohio who stands at the end of an exit ramp to one of the Interstate Highways up there, with a sign that says something along the lines of "God has blessed me with a great voice for radio, can you help a bruthah out?" She bugged me about this video until I finally gave in and watched it a little while ago. I am a former on-air Radio Guy of 15 years, so I have a pretty good ear when it comes to "Radio/TV Announcer Voices". Before watching the video, I was skeptical to say the least. I was wrong. Real wrong. I am being kind when I say that this man may have a golden voice, but he also has the perfect face for radio. Like me. :)

I ask a small favor of you. Please watch this video. It's only about a minute and a half long, so it won't take up much time at all. If you are a Radio/TV Person or you have connections to such people, I ask that you please hook them up with this video. The guy is amazing. I don't know how to get in touch with him, but I do know that he just got some kind of gig with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. My guess is that you can reach him through the Cavs' front office. The number is 1-800-820-CAVS (2287).
And now....The Voice...

Texas Tidbits: The "Texas Almanac" Covers Cars, Congress and More

All About Texas

The Texas Almanac has been a leading reference book for those who are in search of information on any number of topics about Texas since 1857. While there were years when the Almanac wasn't published, it has been a yearly fixture of Texas publishing since 1925. I was browsing through it when I found an article about the early days of the automobile in Texas. Published in 1911, less than fifty years after the end of the War of Northern Aggression (Yankees call it the Civil War or The War Between the States), this article paints a picture of Texas as a very different place from what we see throughout the state today.

Remember that this article was published in 1911. It states, "Ten years ago an automobile was a curiosity in the leading cities of Texas. Five years ago the people in many counties had never seen what was then known as the horseless carriage. Today it is estimated that the number of automobiles in actual service in Texas will reach nearly 30,000 and that over $40,000,000 is invested in the machines. Reports, dated August 1, 1910, from 180
counties in the State show a total of 14,276 automobiles. A canvass by the Commercial Secretaries’
Association places the number at 30,000, which, at an average value of $1,500 each, would make the investment $45,000,000. This number is constantly increasing, and counting the life of a machine at three years, the new machines purchased to take the place of old ones cost $15,000,000 annually."Thirty thousand cars in the whole state? How hard to imagine is that? On any given rush hour, you'll find more than that many cars on Loop 610 in Houston alone. In 1911, there were barely over a thousand cars in all of Harris County. Dallas County weighed in with a hefty 1390 automobiles in 1911.

To view the entire article, click here and scroll down to the last article link on the page. There are other articles from the Texas Almanac at the link that tell us about the schools in Texas in 1873, the State Legislature in 1870 and the Almanac lists the composition of the State Congress as "Democrats and Conservatives 40; Radicals, 50...." What the hell would the publishers of this story in 1870 think about politicians today? I shudder at the thought. There is also a piece on survivors of the Texas Revolution written in 1872. I think you'll find some stuff that'll trip your trigger when you follow the link to the stories. As I mentioned earlier, the Texas Almanac holds a mountain of information regarding the Lone Star State, its people and its history and it's just a mouse click away. Go ahead. Click. You know you want to. You'll thank me later.  :)

Texas Tidbits: Texas Beyond History

Granado Cave

On this very blog, I regularly write about Texas History. To me at least, it's a fascinating topic and I am always on the lookout for new sites that cover some kind of Texas History. Today, I bingo'ed when I found a site called Texas Beyond History. I have always been curious as to who lived in Texas thousands of years ago, before the Europeans and Indians from other parts of the New World made it into Texas and Prehistoric Texas filled in the blanks for me.what really got my attention about ancient peoples in general, was the discovery of human remains in Israel that are believed to be 200,000 years old. Enter my curiosity and Texas Beyond History, TBH courtesy of the University of Texas at Austin.

Yesterday, I published an article about the recent discovery of the biggest cave in the world in Viet Nam. That got me to thinking about the caves in Texas and the history associated with them,, Then, like a lightning bolt out of the blue, I found Texas Beyond History. Ask and ye shall receive! I navigated my way around the site in search of caves and I came up with a cave in the Rustler Hills of  West Texas called "Granado Cave". Following is what I learned.

For more than 1200 years, Indians in this area used Granado Cave as a seasonal or temporary home. These early inhabitants left behind a treasure trove of artifacts and evidence of the activities of their daily lives. For archeologists, "Granado Cave provides a window into the past and small glimpses of innovative and caring peoples trying to make a living in this harsh desert area. The cave's protective shelter and the region's dry climate have preserved fragile artifacts and other remains of prehistoric life that would not have survived in most other areas of the state".The early inhabitants of Granado Cave also left behind "fragments of meals, cooking "appliances," tools, mats and basketry. They also left haunting reminders of tragic events long ago—the deaths of loved ones."


Click on over and give the entire article a look-see. You'll find a wealth of information in such a short piece, but more importantly, you'll be able to visualize in your mind a movie of almost exactly what it was like to be one the Ancient Ones of West Texas. Your mental motion picture will take you through the daily lives of the Rustlers Hills people, or Castile culture, as they hunt and gather, prepare meals, weave baskets and shoes from local plants and other fascinating things that will make the movie playing in your thoughts as real as the people who performed these tasks so long ago.

This is Texas History.

The World's Biggest Cave Found in Viet Nam - Simply Astounding!

That's a man with a miner's hat on in the lower center of the photo.

The best blog on the internet, in my opinion, is Ace of Spades HQ . Ace is one of the best writers on the web and offers keen insight on matters political. But, Ace is not all about politics. There's no tellin' what you'll find at the HQ, other than politics, at any given time, but you can count on always finding something good. I paid Ace a visit a few minutes ago, and I found one of the most amazing things I have ever seen anywhere! The biggest cave in the world has been discovered in Viet Nam. I'm serious, this is absolutely out of this world. Ace has a link to National Geographic that shows a series of photos that will leave you dumbfounded. Head on over and be prepared to be left slack jawed.

Texas Tidbits: Going to the Birds - Lots of Birds

Red Tailed Hawk - Hunter Extraordinaire

I wanted to do something a little different today on Texas Tidbits, something I'd like to do more of, and that is to put out there for all to see and discover the abundant wildlife found in Texas. From hunting and fishing to birding and observing wild animals in their natural habitat. Texas is one of the premier destinations in the world for all those activities, with its nearly 270,000 square miles of God's handiwork acting as home to thousands of species of all things wild.

I want to focus today on birding. Texas is one of the must-be places for birders from around the globe eager to spot one of over 500 species of our fine feathered friends waiting to be seen and photographed. As I type out these posts for you each day, I love to look out the back windows of the living room and watch for the next species of bird to land on the bird feeder I have hanging outside. This time of year in Maine, we are limited to chickadees (the State Bird), blue jays, dove and sparrows, but the spring and summer bring dozens of bird types to us. Back when I lived on the outskirts of Tyler, I had several bird feeders set up plus I had a very wide driveway, where each morning I would toss out handfuls of bird seed and watch the parade of feathers come and go. There were literally hundreds of birds that visited me daily, not including the birds migrating through. One morning, I counted 88 dove and 67 cardinals on my feeders and in my driveway - all at the same time! It was amazing! A veritable carpet of gray and red. My knowledge of bird identification is severely limited, so I kept a notebook and jotted down descriptions of any new birds that stopped by. I think I stopped at around 40. Not too bad, considering all that bird activity took place in my driveway and front yard.

Now as far as finding a great place to do some birding in your area of Texas, look no further than the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. The page is loaded with links to all kinds of information about where and when to get some optimal bird watching in. The World Birding Center is a network of nine locations in South Texas where you can experience an outstanding trip into the world of laying your peepers on the peepers.

The Great Texas Birding Classic is an annual event that brings together birders from all over the world to compete in a week long team birding event all along the Gulf Coast during the unbelieveable spring migration in that area, in which the teams identify as many species of birds as possible during the event. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory is another outstanding resource to assist you in your birding endeavors. If you prefer a more local/hometown approach to birding, my main man Bob at Texas Tweeties has a list of over 200 indentified bird species and photographs of many of those birds in the archives of his blog.

I know that I have left you with many options in your pursuit of the legendary and elusive yellow belly sap sucker (thanks, Miss Jane!), so take your time and soak up all the information that you want. The birds will be there. And they'll be waiting for you.

Texas Tidbits: One of the Greatest Texans

Sam Rayburn

There are many legendary Texans. That fact is not in dispute. The degree of legendary status may be open to discussion, but there are certain Texas Legends where anything that open admiration and due reverence are all but expected. Men in this category include Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, Earl Campbell, Bum Phillips, Tom Landry, Darrell Royal...you get the idea. One of the most powerful Texans ever is a name that many will recognize only as the name of a lake - Sam Rayburn.

Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn represented Texas in the US House of Representatives from 1913-1961, three times serving as Speaker of the House. For perspective, he was in the House for every president from Woodrow Wilson to John F. Kennedy, a span of forty-eight years. Another way to look at Mr. Sam's length of service is that he was elected to office before World War I and served until after the United States sent Alan B. Shepard into space in May, 1961. Wow!

In doing a write-up of a man like Sam Rayburn, it would take hours for me just to look up the man's accomplishments. In lieu of that, I'll link to a couple of pretty dang good sources that detail much of Speaker Rayburn's life, private and public. I first went to famoustexans.com and came up with a nice piece. It's a long but very informative article, so make sure you have a few minutes to spare before diving in. And, of course, there's the old stand by, Wikipedia.

As you can see from those two resources, Sam Rayburn was a powerful man in American politics for almost half a century. Few, if any, men or women have had such a profound influence on the policies affecting every day Americans for such an extended period of time as Mr. Sam. I think it's safe to say that Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn earned every tribute paid to him and then some. Hit that link and scroll down to see some of the honors bestowed upon this great man.

Mr. Sam. A great American. A great Texan.