Happy Samhain

Happy Samhain and Halloween!

For all of those who were hoping to go out door to door this year in lower New England, sorry to hear that Halloween is postponed. Not really sure how to do that since the 31st is the only true night when the barrier is thinnest between our world and the other.

How did orange and black become the colors of Samhain? The orange represents the colors of harvest and black, the other side.

It wasn't always a good thing to be a witch.

During the Dark Times, many were accused of being witches and suffered for it. Fortunately if you were a witch you were smart and crafty enough not to get caught.So many innocent folks were drowned, burned and stoned to death. Then in New England the times caught up with the Puritans who it turned out were far from pure.

WInter Comes Early

In what experts* are calling a freak October snow storm, we received between 7 to 13 inches of snow. Not that snow is a bad thing; after all it is New England and we are heading into the winter season so mixed weather conditions should be expected.

What made this event quite serious is that the snow was a very wet heavy type. That and the fact that many, many trees still had fall foliage is the combination for a 'Perfect Storm'.

For once we were of the fortunate few that did not loose electrical power. With over 90% of Bethel without power our lights burned brightly well into the night. On the other hand we did have a tree fall. Well not exactly fall; it was more like a work in progress. Sandi had her eye on one of our cedars along the driveway for quite some time. As the heavy snow started accumulating on our trees the cedars did take on the most. While all of them did well the one of concern to Sandi did begin to lean with the weight. And then started to lean some more.Unfortunately in the wrong direction. Eventually it leaned over all the way. Or at least as far as the Airstream and truck would allow it to. Yes, as you can sort of see above, there is an Airstream and a Silverado 2500HD under all that snow and tree.

*individuals who predict local weather with the accuracy of a blind person playing horse-shoes.

Taco Bell

Every once in a while we all visit a fast food type of food establishment. Whether it is because we are on the road traveling, in a hurry to finish errands or just short of time. On an average we visit one perhaps every six to eight weeks and Taco Bell is probably on the bottom of our list even though we love good Mexican food, which of course is not available at Taco Bell. In fact we sometimes wonder exactly what it is that they serve. When we do find ourselves visiting we now park and walk in to place our order. The reason? The drive-thru never got an order correct. Well a gentleman down in Georgia finally did what we always wanted to do but would never do; he struck back at Taco Bell for lousy food. Of course is definitely going to jail for it.

It appears this customer ordered from the Drive-Thru an XL something or other. When he arrived home he was definitely not pleased with the amount of beef in the product, called the location to complain and was informed since they were closing there was nothing they could do for him. What was the solution to bad food and service, he went back and tossed a molotov cocktail at the drive-thru after explaining he was going to redecorate the place.

Lesson to be learned? You only get what you pay for.

Keene Pumpkin Festival

The Great Keene Pumpkin Festival Lives!
There was a lot of discussion last year as to whether the festival would continue.
After so many years and World Records the organizers were getting worn out, some things were getting a little out of hand and new gourds were needed.
Happy to report that this years festival was a big success and Sara was indeed a part of it.
As a freshman at Keene State College she was right in the pumpkin patch, carved a pumpkin and enjoyed the event with her friends. It was very difficult to get timely reports since was way too busy having fun, staying out late and sleeping in to text her dad.

Historial Inacuracy

During a lecture on American History at the Abram's Lecture Hall the professor asked his class if anyone could put into a one paragraph description the story of Roe vs. Wade.

Miss Thompson, a sophomore stood and explained, " As General Washington approached the Delaware River, he was unsure of whether to row or wade across with his troops".

Well we all know Miss Thompson was wrong in her answer but did you also know there are many faults with the famous painting by Emanuel Leutze? He composed his painting some sixty plus years after the event. On December 25, 1776, Washington along with over 2,400 troops and artillery pieces made the crossing in the dead of night (would have made for a boring painting) from Pennsylvania to Trenton New Jersey where they defeated British troops, mostly Hessians. By killing the commanding officer, Col. Johann Rall and the taking of over 900 prisoners and their weapons, Washington brought a great victory to the cause and a boost to moral.

There are actually many flaws in the painting that not only strain the existence of historical painting vs. history but also in composition. First the river; the Delaware in the dead of winter is covered with sheet ice. The Rhine River, as shown in the painting (did I mention Leutze was German?) is known for its large chunks of ice. As for the boat, it is impossible for a boat as shown in could possibly support the weight of the occupant. In addition, history tells us that this type of boat was never used in the region and in fact the side of the vessels were much taller. No horses were ever transported across the river on this campaign either. The battle was carried out on foot. The man standing next to Washington holding the flag is Lieutenant James Monroe, future president. The flag he is holding it totally inaccurate; the design of the flag in the painting was not specified till the Second Continental Congress and was specified on June 14, 1777 and first flew on September 3, 1777. Another interesting but often over looked issue is the other occupants of the craft. Take a close look at each and you tell me if they would have been there.

Betsy was a Fake

Do you know who designed the first approved American flag?

Well if you said Betsy Ross you would be wrong. In fact there is absolutely no historical evidence that she even sewed any flag at all for Washington. We do know that as a widowed upholster she had done some sewing for the army and maybe a few repairs of General Washington's uniforms when he was in town but the scene above never happened. There could be speculation that she was pressed into service to help make additional flags for the Continental Navy but that is about as far as we can trace back. So from where did the design of the "Betsy Ross" flag arrive?It is strongly believed that the flag with the stars in a circle were never before seen till the above painting when Chalres Weisgerber painted it in 1893. That sure is a lot of years after 1776. In fact the story of Betsy Ross did not become public till 94 years after the said event by one of her grandsons, William J. Canby. He was speaking at a historical society meeting and told of how his Grandmother with the help of Washington and an uncle developed the design for the first flag of these United States.

History actually supports the fact that Francis Hopkinson, a Congressman from New Jersey and a signer of the Declaration of Independence designed the first flag and it is so stated in the first journals of the Continental Congress. On November 6th, 1776 Francis was appointed by the Continental Navy Board to begin his work. By the year 1780 he had not only completed the design for the "flag of the United States", but also several ornaments, devices, checks and bills of exchange seals for the Admiralty and Treasury but also the Great Seal of The United States. The design of the first Stars and Stripes by Hopkinson had the thirteen stars arranged in a staggered pattern along with the thirteen stripes of red and white.

Starbucks

Oh yea ...... StarBUCKS - that is what it is all about!

To help celebrate their 40th Birthday, your local friendly hey let's rip-off some folks

STARBUCKS

is offering designer T-shirts for $85.00 each.

They asked three winners of some Vogue Award (you know one of them) to design a shirt using the logo and be creative. Oh yea, I want to pay $85 for a shirt to help advertise their coffee. Heck, I don't even buy their stuff, too expensive. If I wanted a T-shirt with a coffee stain on it all I have to do is go to my own dresser. Plenty of them in the bottom drawer.

And guess where the money is going? Nope, not to any charity......

STARBUCKS!

Good luck with that guys.

Under Garments

I need to learn more history than I have been over the past seven years of concentrated study because I have never before seen nor heard about Rust Proof ladies corsets before. It may very well be an interesting subject worth some study. Just the idea of an under garment needing to be rust proof is interesting enough. The next question would of course be why? Not to mention does one really need parts of ones underwear to contain parts that would rust? It seems as if this causes more questions than any reference to gaining answers. During this period in history, did ladies wear their corset swimming? Or perhaps there was more rain during this period and umbrellas were not yet available in the United State? Nope, the umbrella is actually over 4,000 years old and documented in artwork of Egypt, Greece and China. As for rainfall amounts, I reviewed records going back as far as 1763 for New England and it appears the rainfall amounts are fairly consistent if you use the five year model plan. Meaning, you measure the rainfall for 1763 to 1768 and create an average. Then 1764 to 1769 and create an average and so forth. This process of examination creates an very accurate curve without a bell line. The short explanation, no notable average rainfall increases. Perhaps after some more study I will be able to report back to you on the need for a rust proof corset.

Dog Days of August

When they say the Dog Days of August some people take it to heart.

Along the campground flows a nice shallow river, perfect for youngsters

and dogs to play and splash.

Sometimes it doesn't take much to entertain this crowd. A few sticks, a tennis ball, a few dogs and this crowd is ready for some excitement.

Mark and his brothers had a really fun time, fishing, floating the river, frog catching and all the fun things boys used to do before the electronic age!

Charlie Brown Campground

So how many guys does it take to flush an RV toilet?

Well first you have to take it out of the RV, fill it with water,

put it back in, use it - then..... ?

Four guys standing around a Blue Boy.

Not sure what to say so you're on your own with this one.

Jamestown, 1619

The more time I spend studying American History, the more I find how much we didn't learn in school as youngsters. In 1619 a Dutch ship arrives in Jamestown just out of a violent storm. The ship is virtually empty save for 20 some Africans the captain stole from a Spanish ship. The captain traded the individuals with the locals for food and sailed away.

It was never recorded at the time the status of these individuals but records from 1623 & 1624 list some as servants (not slaves) and later records show a few owned land. Most likely some where eventually slaves other free. Whatever the case, Africans cam to the shores of the North American Continent before even the Pilgrims of Plymouth, MA.

Medal of Honor

On this day in 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed into law a measure calling for the awarding of a U.S. Army Medal of Honor. In the name of Congress "to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldier-like qualities during the present insurrection. The previous December, President Lincoln approved a provision creating a U.S. Navy Medal of Valor.

In 1863 the Medal of Honor was made a permanent military decoration made available to all members, including commissioned officers of the U.S. military. The most medals awarded was during the Civil War and at the end of the conflict the requirements for awarding the medal were standardized and governed by a board of senior military officers.


With only some minor changes the actual Medal of Honor for each branch has changed little from the original design. Since the Civil War some 3,400 men and one woman have been awarded the Medal for heroic actions in U.S. Military conflict.

Marley House

The wonderful stone farm house with 16 acres and four additional out buildings used for the backdrop to "Marley & Me" is up for sale.
The current owners have decided it was time to down size now that their three daughters have grown and left the coup. Located in Burmingham, PA.

The current asking price is $1.25 Million.

Camping in NYC

Now here is some very exciting news from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar; the department has committed to turning Floyd Bennett Field into a camper's paradise. The total complex of over 1,300 acres will have 90 prime camping sites within the next two years with 600 more to follow. He made this great announcement from Gracie Mansion.

Currently the facility is terribly under utilized with only police helicopters using the grounds. In years past this great airfield was used by the likes of Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes. This was the very first municipal airfield for New York City and was designed by Clarence D. Chamberlin. The site alone will make for a very historic part with so much more to offer than prime camping sites with Brooklyn. Thank you Secretary Salazar!

Graduation Party Prelude

I have come to the conclusion that I am finally an Old Man.

In eleven days Sara will be graduating from Bethel High School

Class of 2011.

This coming Sunday we are all gathering at Bennett Park for her graduation party, family and friends alike to share in her celebration of being such an awesome student and graduating with honors and continuing her higher education at Keene State this fall.

It is very difficult to realize that she has so quickly grown up to be such a wonderful young woman heading off to college to follow her life's dream of becoming a teacher.

Les Paul

On this day in 1915 Lester William Polsfuss was born and a new era in Jazz and any other type of music was on the horizon. An accomplished musician, he work for Gibson in the Epiphone guitar factory in 1940. After hours he was busy creating "The Log", one of the first solid body guitars. Not the first nor the last but one to be reckoned with. Adolph Rickenbacker had marketed one in the 1930's and Leo Fender created his own in 1946.

The original Gibson Les Paul guitar regained it's popularity when Eric Clapton added it to his line-up of Gibsons and to this day is one of the most popular guitars on the market.

Happy Birthday Les wherever you are!

Titanic II

Not so long ago, Mr. Mark Wilkinson of Birmingham, England purchased a used 16 foot cabin cruiser for himself. The boat set him back about $1,600.00 USD. To me the price would have been a good indication of the ship's shape. Just to make sure things went really well off with his new boat he christened the vessel; TITANIC II. Good thinking Mr. Wilkinson!

After towing the boat from his home to West Bay in Dorest for his first fishing trip things started out pretty good. He had a successful day of fishing and started to head back into West Bay. As he made way into the harbor TITANIC II sprang a leak leaving the vessel floundering and Mr. Wilkinson clinging to the side of his new boat.

"It's all a bit embarrassing and I got pretty fed up with people asking me if I hit an iceberg".

Turns out that there had been a previous hole in the hull patched by the previous owner which just couldn't hold water.

Palin vs. Revere

The web and news are all abuzz - Seems Sarah Palin had some history facts to share while visiting Boston. She was not totally correct in her facts but by mistake was actually correct. Well sort of. What I am finding really amazing is that most of the news services are also getting it wrong including Yahoo. It appears from what I can tell from the 100's of news posting, that this was what she said.... "warned the British that they weren't gonna be takin' away our arms by ringing those bells." She continued to say after being told she got it wrong... :"I didn't mess up about Paul Revere... Part of his ride was to warn the British that were already there. That, hey, you're not going to succeed. You're not going to take American arms".

Well even after trying to fix a pot hole with water she still is far from factual in her understanding of early American history. Truth be known, Revere never announced the British are Coming, after all, everyone including Paul Revere were British! In addition, this was not his first ride nor was it really his most important of rides. Revere was constantly on the road doing Whig business making several trips to Philadelphia to the First Congress, New York City delivering documents and through out New England exchanging letters and documents. What did make this ride stand out from his other more clandestine missions are several smaller events during the long ride. His actual mission that night was to warn Hamilton and Adams that "The Regulars are Coming Out!" Both gentlemen were staying in Lexington and the Regulars were on their way to take Hancock and Adams in for questioning and possible trial in England. William Dawes who also rode that night was responsible for going door to door in the country side to warn folks of the marching troops heading their way. There was no warning ride through the streets of Boston. In fact, Paul Revere was riding a borrowed horse who he lost to the British during his capture.

Area 51

I really need to write a book. Recently Annie Jacobsen who primarily writes for the Los Angeles Times Magazine published her second book titled; Area 51. Very original title if I may say so. Her primary course of writing covers business, finance and terrorism. I list terrorism because she had reported suspicious passengers on a flight in 2004 who turned out to be an ethnic musical band traveling to their next gig. Don't miss understand me, she is well recognized as a national and international journalist with by-lines in many major publications who after reading her newest book may be changing their minds.

The point of most interest in her newest book is her coverage of the Roswell UFO event where Annie really falls off the wagon. The UFO that crashed in Roswell was actually a Russian craft, or as she explains, a Soviet Spy Plane developed under Stalin and that it came down in Roswell during a storm. She then states Joseph Stalin was hoping that the news would cause widespread panic in the United States.

Jacobsen then states that the Soviet leader was inspired for the operation by the 1938 radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds". Now how about the Aliens found on board? They were actually scientific experiments created by the Nazi Doctor Josek Mengele, aka "Angel of Death" for the USSR after the war. According to Jacobsen the flight was piloted remotely and filled with a crew of "alien-like children".

Now we can all sit around and punch all sorts of holes through each chapter and highlight of this publication but I think the real thing to learn here is that with the right editor and a few bucks, anyone can right a book of fiction derived from fact and make a pretty good living. The New York Times wrote: "although this connect-the-dots U.F.O. thesis is only a hasty-sounding addendum to an otherwise straightforward investigative book about aviation and military history, it makes an indelible impression. Area 51 is liable to become best known for sci-fi provocation". What?

COSTCO

I know, we have all heard it before...."Just when I thought I have seen it all...". Well here is another one to add to the books. You can now purchase your casket for burial at COSTCO. But there is a catch; you need to buy six at a time. We had discovered a long time ago that there is really no advantage to purchasing in bulk at COSTCO verses our shopping at BIG Y using our shoppers card and silver coins. Of course, there is just the two of us but in a national comparison survey, shoppers actually spent less at the neighborhood chain per item than at COSTCO. There are a few items called loss leaders that you will find cheaper, but not many. The only difference at COSTCO is you need to buy multiple units or larger packages of items but the per unit pricing is pretty much the same as at any other store. So between the cost of membership, driving further, cost to run the freezer, and all that time, the only advantage you may end up with is all the free food samples providing you with a free meal if you plan it right.

Now about those coffins............. does it come with a free embalmers kit?