This being the beginning of the 150 th anniversary of the American Civil War, there are many remembrances, reenactments, dedications and other activities planned to recognize this very important period of American History. Above is a painting of note for Connecticut residents; The battle of Wyse Fork, fought in the Carolina's March 7 to 10th 1865 when the 15th Connecticut surrendered to the forces of Commander Braxton Bragg. Yes the Union did end up winning the battle but Connecticut lost the day. Most of the Northern States are not partaking in any events with Vermont and Connecticut having the most activities in the North.
Here we are visiting the Lexington and Concord area of Massachusetts catching up a bit on our Revolutionary War Period of American history.
"In the French Culture, a glass bottle with a natural cork is engraved in our genes" says Pascal Fernandez, a wine grower in the Languedoc region of France. "Plastic bottles are difficult for me". And this being said because one of the top clients for the Pepiex Coopeerative, Hugh Kevin & Robert are forcing the growers and wine producers of the region to bottle 75,000 bottles of wine for Asda. And this should be no surprise, Asda is a subsidary of ....WalMart!
Pascal and the other sixteen members of the cooperative gathered at Les Celliers Jean d'Alibert and said that they must overcome cultural taboos and adapt to new consumer demands if they are to survive. "We've had a crisis for the last seven years, prices dropped every year until they hit 2004 prices. It is a little better now but I do not know how long it will last", Pascal says. 
Many growers in his region have given up on growing wine grapes with over 37,000 acres of vines being torn up. It appears that throughout France long time wine grape families are encourage their children not to follow in their footsteps. 
Well, we were on our way to Woodstock........ We picked up our beloved Safari last Saturday from George who repaired the two damaged panels from the falling ice chunks. Sandi spent the week cleaning and vacuuming while I got all the systems back on line; gas lines cleaned and checked for leaks, tanks filled, water lines purged, pump set, hot water heater cleaned, furnace cleaned, shopping lists put together and so ready to go camping! Surprise! It is currently snowing in Woodstock and will continue to do so through tomorrow with up to 12" of snow on the ground before it ends. So the camping season for us is now on hold for another two weeks. Next weekend - Fenway, here we come. Unless it snows. 
Groundhog Day 2011, Please. Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn to make his 125th annual weather forecast; Spring is just around the corner. Not too sure if I would base the winter season ending too soon on a rodent who is 125 years plus old! I referrer to my Farmer's Almanac for such important matters.
As we continue to get back to normal here in Connecticut after a few inches of snow my thoughts go back to the Blizzard of 1888 in New York City when there were no snow blowers. Yes that is a 26 foot snow bank in Brooklyn composed completely by snow placed there by shovels! And you thought you had it tough this week!
Along with millions of viewers across this great country and the world we sat in our comfortable homes to witness a Memorial to those who were killed and wounded in Tucson. I was prepared to listen to our President memorialize those lost and honor those who survived along with special note of individuals who stepped forward and committed acts of bravery and unselfishness in a time of danger. I was not disappointed in the very well prepared speech of Mr. Obama. He even took the extra time to prepare for this occasion by not using TelePrompTers, not too often do we ever see that. His staff did a wonderful job of preparing a non partisan conversation with his audience. The orchestration of on screen graphics of those lost was well played and it looked as if all the right people were there. Well done Mr. President. Something I very rarely say! What I found extremely disturbing was the Pep Rally atmosphere of the whole event. This was a Memorial Service or Tribute not a pregame rally for a basketball or football game. To me the only thing missing were cheerleaders running across the stage and confetti! We as a nation and a people have much to learn from these horrible events and how we react to them today will shape our future as a nation. The words and sentiments were all there and so well presented but the venue festive audience was totally out of place. Some say there is a time to celebrate the lives of those we loose and I agree, but this event was presented and planed as a memorial. Thank you Mr. Obama for a kind and caring speech.
We were able to attend the annual Crafts Fair after Earl. All the exibitors were local artists showing their goods. Everything from lots of jewlery, sew and knited crafts to wood working.
A visit to Lobsterville Beach was a great morning. Lots of small rocks and shells along the beach. It is located North West of Gays Head and we spent hours walking along the beach by ourselves.
Another wonderful view of the Atlantic. The seas were quite calm considering that a big storm had just passed the day before. The biggest concern was the rip tide which was real. We never saw anyone going in too far out, a very wise thing to do.
As with any location on the ocean, you are always seeing wonderful boats of every kind. We caught the Yawl coming into Edgertown Cove as she was getting ready for a tack. A beautiful wooden boat with canvas sails and a wonderful white bottom.
Well everyone know the story of the Black Dog and how it arrived on MV becoming the trade mark of a local tavern. And what a great spot it was, or so they say. The Black Dog is now the best model of what great marketing can do for any business. There are now several taverns, bakeries, gift shops galore and even a tall ship! No more $10 T-Shirts at the bar.
South Beach- The original that is along the southern (like I needed to mention that) shore of the island is probably the most popular beach on Martha's Vineyard. Funny thing is, not only can you collect sea shells, sea glass and rocks, but actual US military bombs!
Truly a beautiful beach with a long, long stretch of natural sand and dunes.
As seen from town dock in Edgertown is the light house. Actually not the original. It was replaced after the hurricane of 1936. Prior to be torn down, the light house keepers refused to live in the old one saying the roof leaked, the floors shifted and it was unsafe. The Coast Guard removed the light house from Ipswitch and placed it here.
South Beach
We were on the roof top of the Mansion House Hotel for the beginning of Earl. Not much was happening other than some wind (25 - 35 MPH) and spots of rain. We had a great view of town, Vineyard Haven.
This is the same view of town around 1:00 PM before anything really started happening.
We were able to secure the second to last room in the hotel. A very nice room but not big enough for the price we paid. Also, we were facing the wrong direction, inland rather than out to the bay. But it was much better than staying at the shelter.
All over town folks were boarding up their windows preparing for the worst. A few even had a few comments to leave for Earl.
This building was right on the bay shore expecting the worst.
Some folks were even having a bit of fun getting ready!
We found it very interesting that this marine shop boarded up their windows but left their boats chained outside.
We were informed this morning that MEMA had declared a state of emergency and that all businesses and road on the island were to be closed by 2:00 PM. That included the camp ground. We could leave the Airstream there or take it to the High School where there were no trees and the chance of flying objects was the least. From there we had to go the shelter at the elementary school. We opted for a hotel.
At the time of the announcement, we were under Hurricane Warnings and the National Hurricane Center had Earl heading directly towards the islands and expected to be a category 2 or 3. Of course we all know weathermen have the privilege of being correct 50% of the time.
The restaurant of the hotel was able to stay open past the 2:00 PM deadline because they had to offer food to their guests. We stopped in for lunch after dropping off the Airstream and that's how we were able to find a room for the night. The three young ladies and the full kitchen staff were to stay till they had to close.
