Maine Minutiae : Bar Harbor

100 miles from where I sit is Bar Harbor, Maine. Located on Mount Desert Island, Bah Hahbuh (a little Maine accent there) was originally occupied by the Wabanaki Indians. In the early 1600's, French explorer Samuel De Champlain ran aground on a rock ledge and promptly named the place Isles des Monts Deserts, meaning island of barren mountains. The island is the largest in Maine at a bit over 70 square miles. Add this to the Shoemaker Family Tour '10 as a summer destination.

Stuff I Read Additions !

In the right Sidebar, under "Stuff I Read", you'll see two new additions - Nuke Gingrich and Urban Grounds. If you enjoy reading about current events and some pithy commentary, check these guys out. And while you're there, click on one of the ads. It helps my buddy, a fellow Texan, No2Liberals pay the bills. Thanks  !

Texas Tidbits : Audie Murphy - Hero

Hero:remarkably brave person: somebody who commits an act of remarkable bravery or who has shown an admirable quality such as  great courage or strength of character . See: Audie Murphy.

Audie Leon Murphy was born in Kingston, Texas, June 20, 1925. Many of you will recognize him as an actor. Murphy starred in over 30 movies, including "To Hell and Back". Murphy was, however, was much more than an actor. He was the most decorated soldier of World War II. In short, a true American hero. Click on this link and if you read nothing else, look on the right side of the page to see the honors that this man received in service to his country. Simply amazing. As a Texan, I am honored to call this man my Brother.

Fathers' Day 2010 : A Tribute to Dad

My Dad died June 5, 2004, just before Fathers' Day that year. At age 47, I became a man. Suddenly realizing that I was the Patriarch of the Family. Talk about being hit with a clue by four! Needless to say, it was a tough Fathers' Day that first year without Dad there. Subsequent Fathers' Days have been a mixture of celebrating my role as a Dad and missing the man who was my "Dad Role Model". Cecil Earl Shoemaker, Sr. was a truck driver for over 40 years and he fit the bill perfectly - 5'10", 200+ pounds (due mainly to a watermelon-sized belly), short hair and a Country Boy from Troup, Texas. Like most, if not all, truckers of the day, Dad was not an educated man, but he damn sure wasn't stupid. He may have sucked at algebra, but the man could build a small block Chevy engine blindfolded, in his sleep with one hand tied behind his back. I've seen him do it and it was amazing - well..not the blindfolded, one hand stuff, but the man could put some serious hurt on a car motor. The Old Man loved hot rods and customized older cars, especially '57 Chevys. To this day I can not see an old car that's all gussied up without cracking a big smile and thinking of Dad. It's warm feeling. Come to think of it, the world would be a much better place if it was populated by guys like my Dad who loved old cars. I believe we'd have more warm memories and much less conflict - except on the quarter mile drag strip.
As I have mentioned in other forums, my Dad started a new family as he entered his 50's. First came Adam in 1989. Sara, the new apple of Dad's eye, followed  five years later. Think about it. Here's a man who, after literally millions of miles in an 18 wheeler, should've been thinking about buying a lake lot somewhere and fishin' til the Good Lord called him Home. Not surprisingly, Dad cherished a second family and the chance to become a better Man and Dad. And he did. The lake lot would have to wait. Sadly, it never came.
I'll never forget the morning I found out that he'd died. I was getting ready for work when I saw my sister Cheryl pull up in my driveway. At first glance that doesn't seem so odd. But. It. Was. She was coming in from Arlington. Unannounced. The alarms in my head went off like a World War II air raid siren and I instinctively knew that he was gone. Dad had been in the hospital for a few days for some routine tests. But when Cheryl pulled up and I saw the look on her face, my worst fears were confirmed...before we ever spoke a word to each other. Dad was gone. Not like we had planned just the day before he went in for the tests. The Fishin' Trip That Never Was. If the dude didn't want to go fishin', he could've just called ! (See what I did there, Dad?)
Six Fathers' Days without my Dad and I still feel like the little boy he took fishin' or showed how to precisely put head gaskets on a 300 horse 327 on this day. That, in short, is how I remember my father. I thank God every day that I carry his name, passed it on to his first Grand son and only hope to be half the man Cecil Earl Shoemaker, Sr. was. I'm tryin', Dad. I think you'd be proud. I love you.

Colorado Chronicles : Telluride

Telluride, Colorado is located in the Four Corners area (where Colorado, Utah, Arizona & New Mexico meet) in San Miguel County in the San Juan Mountains. Considering its location and 8750 ft altitude, it comes as no surprise that for much of its history, Telluride was a mining town. Gold was discovered there in 1858. Oddly enough, the ski industry didn't come to Telluride until 1972 when Joseph Zoline installed the first ski lift for the Telluride Ski Resort. The scenery around the area is stunningly beautiful. Witness Bridal Veil Falls. It just so happens that this is weekend for the 37th Telluride Bluegrass Festival as well. I don't mine for gold or ski,  and bluegrass ain't my gig, but I damn sure fish, and the Telluride area offers some pretty dang good fishin'. All in all, Telluride seems like a great place to be this or any other weekend.

Maine Minutiae : Weekend Festivities !

If anyone ever said that Mainers don't know how to put on a heavy duty weekend party, they have obviously never attended Harry's Hoedown in the town of Starks. Nor have they even thought about the Whatever Family Festival in Gardiner. But wait there's more ! A whole lot more ! Seriously now. These local get-togethers are a blast and, as you can imagine, not all that different from any other small-town celebrations throughout the country. The reason for celebration might not be the same, but the spirit and camaraderie of the attendees is no less festive than any other gatherings of the kind. the Whatever Festival is the closest one to us, as Gardiner is a "suburb" of Augusta. So all you Mainers pack up the youguns and head on out to Starks,  Old Town, Deer Isle or Whatever. It's a great New England Weekend to celebrate!

Texas Tidbits : Juneteenth

Juneteenth, ( a combination of the words "June" and "nineteenth"...go figger) is a day that celebrates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas. On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger read "General Order, No.3" at the Ashton Villa in Galveston stating that slavery was now illegal and slaves were to be treated as freedmen. That's something that I did not know. Juneteenth began in Texas. I used to know many black folks (I REFUSE to use "- American"...either you are American or you ain't) who had large family gatherings on Juneteenth to celebrate the emancipation of their ancestors. Please note that when many of us were kids in the '60s, historically speaking, 1865 was not that long ago to many black people. Older black people at that time had heard stories from their grand parents about the Civil War, slavery and such, so Juneteenth was a big deal to them. Rightfully so. Today I'd love to be at Grandma Brown's place outside Tyler, having a huge feast with my buddy Ira Isaih Brown, Jr, his sons and the rest of the Brown Family celebrating Juneteeth and being grateful for the end of that most inhumane of institutions. Hey, Ira ! Eat, drink, puff puff and pass it to the left, then eat some more! And please tell Grandma "the white kid" said hello.