July 10, 2024

Mom had given most of her possessions away to family when she downsized prior to moving into assisted care.  She also took care to give a special necklace from her collection to each of the great grandkids who visited in hospice care, along with the story of its acquisition.  That still left dozens of pairs of earrings, necklaces, and bracelets representing “special times” in her life.  None of us knew what to do with the remaining collection, but since Melissa was also a jewelry collector, she was given the remainder to sort through and distribute “as you will”.  When our family got together in Maine these last weeks it brought up questions about mom’s jewelry and wondering if select pieces were still available as they held a memory or attachment.  When we got home, Melissa and I perused the collection to see if we could find the cherished items.  My sister had asked about a pendant and earrings mom had purchased while on vacation in the American southwest.  The stones were from a mineral called white buffalo turquoise.

When I looked online, I found white buffalo turquoise (howlite), is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide (Ca2B5SiO9(OH)5) mineral found in water-soluble sedimentary mineral deposits (evaporite).  Howlite was first discovered near Windsor, Nova Scotia, in 1868 by the Canadian mineralogist Henry How who had been alerted to the unknown mineral by miners in a gypsum quarry.  How called the mineral silico-boro-calcite, but it was quickly renamed howlite by the American geologist James Dwight Dana.  The rare howlite crystals are small (1/3rd inch or1cm in maximum size), and are only found in a few places in the world.  The most common form is irregular nodules resembling cauliflower.  The nodules are white with fine grey or black veins in an erratic web-like pattern.  Howlite is commonly used to make decorative objects such as small carvings or jewelry components, and because of its porous nature is often dyed to imitate other minerals, especially turquoise.  In its natural state, howlite is sold under the trade names of “white turquoise” or “white buffalo turquoise” and is used to produce jewelry similar to the blue to green turquoise (CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·4H2O) associated with the jewelry of the American southwest.   

Varieties of the unrelated gemstone turquoise which are white instead of the typical blue or green color have been mined in the US states of Arizona and Nevada and are marketed as “white buffalo turquoise”.  The blue turquoise is found in only a few places on earth, and the world’s largest turquoise-producing region is the southwest United States.  Turquoise is prized for its attractive color, often an intense medium or greenish blue, and its ancient heritage.  While turquoise is used in a number of styles, it is closely associated with southwest and Native American jewelry.  Some turquoise contains a matrix of dark brown markings, providing a contrast to the gemstone’s bright blue.  Most of the white varieties of turquoise are chalk-like with a Mohs hardness of 1 and are not as hard or durable as howlite and require stabilization in order to be used in jewelry.  This has resulted in white buffalo turquoise (howlite) being more popular in jewelry than the artificially stabilized white turquoise.

THOUGHTS:  Native Americans in the Southwest used turquoise for personal adornment reflecting the cultural diversity and history of its makers.  Native American tribes and artisans continue to develop distinct aesthetics rooted in their personal artistic visions and cultural traditions of their tribes.  Adornment became an important element of Indigenous communication and conveyed many levels of information.  Later, jewelry was used as a signal for resistance to assimilation.  Today, it remains a statement of tribal and individual identity.  Indigenous peoples around the world create jewelry to stay connected with their past.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 09, 2024

When we got back from our Maine vacation, I was anxious to see how my vegetables had faired.  I was surprised to find only a few tomatoes ripe on the vine but figured my watering crew had helped themselves to the ripe fruit (I was right).  The cantaloupe I was waiting on to ripen was missing for the same reason, but four green ones had replaced it, so it was just a matter of time.  The beets (Beta vulgaris) had continued to mature, and the rutabaga (Brassica napus) was ready to harvest.  I thinned the larger beets and then went ahead and harvested the rutabagas.  I love pickled beets and enjoy the radish like taste of rutabaga in salads and on their own.  I chopped the tops off and trimmed and washed the root tubers.  Rather than throwing away the tops of the beets and rutabagas (as I had done many times) I saved them.  That left me with a large “mess o’ greens” for a Southern style meal.

When I looked online, I found a mess o’ greens are a time-honored tradition in southern kitchens.  Greens have held an important place on the southern table for well over a century and there is no other vegetable that is quite so unique to the region.  Greens can refer to any sort of cabbage in which the green leaves do not form a compact head.  They are most often made from kale, collards, turnip, spinach, mustard greens (all varieties of Brassica oleracea), and even my beets.  Collard greens are vegetables that are members of the cabbage family but are a close relative to kale.  Although collard greens are available year-round, they are at their best from January through April.  In the Southern states, a large quantity of greens to serve a family is commonly referred to as a “mess o’ greens.”  The exact quantity that constitutes a “mess” varies with the size of the family.  A traditional Southern meal may include pan-fried chicken, field peas (such as black-eyed peas; Vigna unguiculata), greens (such as collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, or poke sallet), mashed potatoes, cornbread or corn pone, sweet tea, and dessert, typically pie (sweet potato, chess, shoofly, pecan, or peach), or cobbler (peach, blackberry, or sometimes apple in Appalachia). 

Having not grown up in the South, I had never eaten anywhere near to a mess o’ greens in my life.  The closest I had ever come was when my mom (occasionally) served canned spinach (sorry popeye, not to my liking).  I decided to turn to the southern chef I had married to find out what I had been missing.  The meal we ate was meatless (as is common) with the exception to the bacon fat and bits used to sauté the greens.  Melissa made cornbread baked in an iron skillet and then served with honey.  Next came the buttery mashed potatoes served without gravy (a rarity for me).  The final treat was the mess o’ greens.  I learned that the stems were cut from the leaves, chopped, and sautéed with garlic and onion.  This mixture was later added to the leafy greens and sautéed together.  While this was not the “meat and potatoes” I had grown up with in the Midwest, it was good.

THOUGHTS:  Many of the recipes I found for a mess o’ greens suggested using several varieties of greens to create a nuisance of flavors.  I was also able to use the sauteed stems as a pasta topping and plan to use the remaining greens in lieu of spinach in a breakfast casserole.  One result of my attempt to create subsistence gardening is I am eating more vegetables (and in a wider variety of ways) than before.  That is probably a good thing.  Learning to cook with the vegetables I grow is interesting and satisfying.  It also gives me suggestions on what to grow (and how much) next year.  This is another way to decrease my carbon footprint.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 03, 2024

One of the places I visit when in Maine is the Wildlife Park located just outside of Gray.  The park is home to over 30 species of Maine wildlife that cannot be returned to their natural habitats.  Some of the animals were injured or orphaned, while others are human dependent after being raised (often illegally) in captivity.  The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife game wardens and biologists team up to bring the animals to the park where they can safely receive the specialized care they need.  My sister packed lunch and then loaded the two granddaughters (grandnieces) and I into the car for the short ride to the park.  School is out and the day camps are in full swing, so we shared the space with three large groups of campers in addition to the family groups that frequent the park.  I immediately noticed signs advising me not to feed the wildlife.  They are on a specially controlled diet and feeding could adversely affect them.  While such signs are often posted at zoos and wildlife areas, I notice another sign asking visitors to stay away from the geese.  Most of the Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in the park are afflicted by a condition called angel wing and are ornery.

When I looked online, I found angel wing, also known as airplane wing or drooping wing, is a syndrome that affects aquatic birds of the family Anatidae (geese and ducks).  The syndrome causes the last joint of the wing to twist so the feathers point out laterally instead of lying against the body.  The syndrome is acquired in young birds and develops in males more than females.  Angle wing is the result of a high-calorie diet, especially one high in proteins and/or low in vitamin D, vitamin E, and manganese, causing one or both wrist joints (carpus) to be delayed in development relative to the rest of the wing.  It is not known why but if only one wing is affected it is usually the left one.  The afflicted wrist is twisted outwards and unable to provide lift (flight).  Symptoms include stripped flight feathers (remiges) in the wrist area, or remiges protruding at odd angles.  In extreme cases the stripped feathers resemble blue straws protruding from the wings.  Angel wing is incurable in adult birds and usually leads to an early death (predators) as the birds are effectively flightless.  Young birds may recover by wrapping the wing and binding it against the bird’s flank, along with feeding the bird a nutritionally balanced diet to reverse the damage.

While the angel wing geese are more visible around the park, the main attraction is the moose (Alces alces) housed in a large and forested enclosure.  Maine’s moose population is second only to Alaska, and many Maine visitors dream of spotting a moose exploring the state (as do I).  Seeing a moose in the wild requires both patience and “being in the right place at the right time”.  Moose can be seen if you spend hours around swampy bogs or cruise remote logging roads at dusk if you are lucky.  The surefire way is to stop at the Wildlife Park.  Even here the moose was hard to detect, sitting still next to a its protective shelter at the back of the enclosure.  Many of the animals that find their way to the Wildlife Park are eventually released to their natural habitats. “We only keep those that have some sort of condition that keeps them from being viable in the wild,” Maine Wildlife Park Superintendent Curt Johnson explained.  Animals that cannot be rehabilitated educate visitors about Maine’s diverse native mammals, birds, and fishes.

THOUGHTS:  Although many associate Maine with lobster (and lobster rolls!), the Official State Animal of Maine is the moose.  Since 1992, the Maine Wildlife Park has received no state tax dollars and relies on admission fees, donations, and creative revenue sources.  Maine has 35 state parks, public reserved lands, and state historic sites.  Tourism accounts for nearly US$6.5 billion dollars in Maine and is one of the state’s largest industries, supporting more 17% of the state’s jobs (116,000).  I am not the only one wanting to see a moose.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

July 01, 2024

One of the fun things about vacationing in the summer is the food and drink festivals that happen somewhere every weekend.  When we arrived, we saw signs advertising an event in Freeport, Maine.  While Freeport is only 17 miles (27 km) from my sister’s house, that meant 40 minutes in Maine driving time.  There is no “straight shot” and the twisting roads average around 40 mph (64 kph) driving speed.  I wanted to go to Freeport anyway as this is the headquarters and outlet store of L.L. Bean.  L.L. Bean is a retail company founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean specializing in clothing and outdoor recreation equipment.  On Saturday we borrowed the car and took off on the way to the festival (including a short patch of dirt road).  We arrived around noon on the first day of the festival to find it in full swing.  Parking was hard to find, but it was hardly more than usual as the Bean outlet is surrounded by other outlets and specialty shops located in the three-square block area of town.  After finding a place to park, we made our way to the Maine Oyster festival.

When I looked online, I found the Maine Oyster Festival is celebrating its third year in Freeport.  Organizers of the event say Maine is now home to more than 150 oyster farms and dozens of these sea farms joined mobile shuckers to serve oysters harvested from up and down Maine’s coastline.  The festival is not only a celebration of the oysters, it also celebrates the people who farm them.  Adam Augulewicz, of the Spinnaker Shellfish Company said, “We love trying to get people into the industry.  It’s a good industry to be in.  It’s fun, it’s pretty laid back, we’re all just looking to make a good product for our customers.”  The L.L. Bean hosted event included live music, oyster farm tours, an oyster of the year ceremony, a professional shucking contest, and opportunities for tasting raw, broiled, and fried oysters.  Although it seemed lightly attended, “a good time was had by all.”

Oyster harvesting represents the highest-volume production of shellfish in the country, with 42 million pounds (19,050,879.5 kg) of oysters harvested in 2019 alone, according to the Fisheries of the US report.  While an oyster lover might have the palate to detect the differences between East Coast and West Coast oysters, the nuances of the varieties run deep.  In addition to the range of oysters around the country, each oyster-producing region offers different growing conditions that can impact the size, shape, texture, and flavor of the oysters.  The environmental factors that affect the oyster crop are like the terroir (French term) used to describe the environmental factors on the wine crop.  For oysters this is termed “merroir,” as it refers to the marine and not terrestrial environment.  Exploring and comparing the flavors across multiple regions is part of oyster tasting.  While the Oyster Festival featured Maine oysters, the nuances between areas were still evident.  The Freeport Oyster Festival started as the Maine clams and the Massachusetts oysters are both moving north due to warming sea water.  Prediction says the clam harvest will end up moving to Nova Scotia, Canada.

THOUGHTS:  Melissa and I arrived two hours after the start of the first day of the Oyster Festival.  We immediately bought our tasting tickets and tried out one vendor.  We toured the booths (oyster related products and art) and sat sipping a drink before deciding to taste again.  I stood in line (30 minutes) to get a noodle stir fry while Melissa went for raw oysters.  Three of the vendors were already out of oysters and she gave up.  We thought this odd as the festival still had 5 hours before it closed that night.  We stood in a fourth line and were finally able to cash in all our oyster tickets.  The second batch did not seem as good as the first, but that may have been in part because of the sour taste already in our mouths.  Many sea and land plants and animals are being forced to migrate to new locations to find environments suitable to survival.  Merely being in “the water” does not mean they are safe.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

June 29, 2024

When Melissa and I arrived in Maine we were immediately warned not to touch any furry brown caterpillars we see crawling in the brush.  While the larvae do not bite or sting, their presence can trigger a range of discomforting reactions due to the hairs (setae) they possess.  These tiny hairs contain toxins that can evoke pain, itching, and discomfort.  We were warned it is essential to quickly recognize the symptoms from such encounters, ranging from redness and swelling to itching and burning sensations.  While the reaction generally dissipates within a few hours or several days, the severity of the response varies from person to person.  My great-nieces showed us the rash left by the caterpillars and nearly everyone in the families had stories to tell of chance encounters.  It seemed even the dropping of the adult moth can cause skin irritation and bumps, commonly known as white bumps.  These brown hairy caterpillars are the larval stage of the browntail moth.

When I looked online, I found the browntail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) is a moth of the family Erebidae native to Europe, neighboring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa.  The moth’s life cycle is atypical, as it spends approximately nine months (August to April) as larvae (caterpillar), leaving about one month each for pupae, imagos, and eggs.  The larvae are covered in hairs and two red spots on the back (toward tail) distinguish the browntail from similar hairy moth larvae.  The adults have white wings and a hairy white body with a tuft of brown hair at the tip of the abdomen.  Females lay one egg cluster on the underside of a leaf of a host plant with around 200 eggs.  The species feeds on many different species of trees (polyphagous) including pear, apple, maple, and oak.  Larval feeding causes reduction in growth and occasional mortality for the host plant.  The species was accidentally introduced into Somerville, Massachusetts from Europe in 1897, and by 1913 had spread to all the New England states and northward into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in Canada.  Populations have since slowly decreased due to natural controls until the 1960’s, when the browntail moth was limited to Cape Cod and a few islands off the Maine coast in Casco Bay, but populations are again building in Maine and are found in patches along the coast and up to 60 miles inland from the western Maine border to the New Brunswick border. 

One theory for the browntail moth decline appears to come from a parasite fly (Compsilura concinnata) introduced to combat spongy moths (Lymantria dispar), or Gypsy moths, in 1906.  The introduction of this fly has created other invasive problems.  The fly can alter its life cycle based on the host it inhabits allowing it to act as a parasite on more than 150 species of moth and butterfly (Lepidoptera) in North America.  While it attacks the spongy moths (and perhaps the browntail), it also acts as a parasite on beneficial native species.  Keith Hopper at the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Beneficial Insect Introduction Research Unit emphasizes you would need to perform many kinds of tests before concluding what controls an insect population.  Hopper was adamant concerning the release of concinnata, saying no one today would introduce a parasite, “With a host range of nearly 200 species!  That wouldn’t even make the list of possibilities.”

THOUGHTS:  the use of biological control (biocontrol) against the browntail moth is one of many attempts to reduce pest populations using natural enemies such as parasitoids, predators, pathogens, antagonists, or competitors to suppress pest populations.  While this is often preferable to the use of chemicals, it can result in the introduction of another invasive species that has other negative effects.  This was particularly true early in the biocontrol process.  Introducing foreign species into a new ecosystem often has unforeseen results.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

June 28, 2024

Yesterday we decided to tour some of the lighthouses located around Portland harbor.  We started off with Two Lights (1828), a double tower lighthouse located on Cape Elizabeth.  Next it was off to Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse (1897), the only caisson-style light station in the United States that visitors can walk to.  Then it was off to the Portland Breakwater Light (also called Bug Light) first built here in 1855 as a wooden structure.  The breakwater was extended, and a new lighthouse was constructed at the end of it in 1875 made of curved cast-iron plates whose seams are disguised by six decorative Corinthian columns.  Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse south of Portland on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor.  Construction of Head Light began in 1787 at the direction of George Washington and was completed on January 10, 1791.  The final lighthouse was the Rams Island Light located just offshore of Ram Island marking the eastern entrance to Boothbay Harbor.  The lighthouse was built in 1883 and automated in 1965.

When I looked online, I found a list of lighthouses in the state of Maine as identified by the United States Coast Guard.  There are fifty-seven active lights in the state, two of which are maintained as private aids, nine are standing but inactive, three have been destroyed, and one has been replaced by a skeleton tower.  Two of the stations were originally twin towers.  In both cases both towers survive but only one of each pair is active.  The Portland Head Light is the oldest light in the state and was the first US lighthouse completed after American independence.  The second Whitlocks Mill Light is the last lighthouse in the state and was first lit in 1910.  Whitlocks Mill is also the most northerly light in the state as well as on the US Atlantic Coast.  The West Quoddy Head Light sits on the easternmost point of the continental US.  The Boon Island Light tallest tower is 137 ft (42 m), although the Seguin Light is the highest in the state at 180 ft (55 m).

Lighthouse preservation in Maine has been facilitated by the Maine Lighthouse Program (MLP).  The MPL came about in the aftermath of the Rockland-based Island Institute’s (1986) successful but protracted negotiations to acquire the keeper’s house of the Heron Neck Light Station.  A program for facilitating transfers was proposed by Peter Ralston of the institute, and legislation was introduced by George J. Mitchell.  A later bill introduced by Olympia Snowe in 1995 met with greater success and was signed into law late in 1996 as part of the coast guard authorization act.  Under the program, thirty-six light stations were offered to qualified preservation and historical groups and local governments.  Applications for transfer were reviewed by a board set up at the state level, headed by Richard I. Rybacki, a retired USCG rear admiral.  Four lights were to be transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife and twenty-eight other lights were transferred in the summer of 1998.  Prior to this program, some lights in the state had already been sold to individuals following deactivation in the 1930’s.  The most notable of these is the Tenants Harbor Light, bought by Andrew Wyeth in 1978.

THOUGHTS:  The modern era of lighthouses began at the turn of the 18th century, as lighthouse construction boomed along with increasing levels of transatlantic commerce.  The advances in structural engineering and lighting equipment allowed for the creation of more powerful lighthouses, including ones exposed to the sea.  The function of lighthouses shifted toward the provision of a visible warning against shipping hazards, such as rocks or reefs.  There is a reason for all the lighthouses in and around Portland, Maine.  The Port of Portland is the 2nd largest tonnage seaport in New England as well as one of the largest oil ports on the East Coast.  The port also docked 100 cruise ships in 2019 making it Maine’s second-largest cruise ship port behind Bar Harbor.  That is a lot of traffic guided by the many lighthouses.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

June 27, 2024

During our Sunday tour we came across another New England staple still operating today.  The Weary Club was founded in the Norway community in 1923 by Advertiser Democrat (newspaper) owner and publisher Fred Sanborn.  Sanborn rented a vacant store on Main Street where a group of like-minded friends and businessmen could meet and share pastimes, such as playing cribbage, smoking, chewing tobacco, and conversation.  By 1926 the group had christened itself the Weary Club, built a clubhouse, established a board of officers and directors, and established a set of by-laws.  Gambling and drinking were not allowed, but local gossip was permitted.  No more than 200 members were allowed, and applicants might have to wait for a member to die before they were approved to join.  A lifetime membership cost US$25 (currently US$50) and was granted to those who could whittle a “shaving light enough to float.”  The requirement was later dropped as whittling became passe.  Ben Tucker, longtime member and historian said, “The main function of our club now is that one Saturday morning a month from 8 to 9:30 we share coffee and doughnuts”, along with conversation.  The Weary Club is a continuing example of the early era social clubs established for sharing political wisdom and Yankee philosophy.

When I looked online, I found a social club is an organized group of individuals (or the place they meet) who come together to engage in shared interests, activities, or causes. The clubs serve various purposes, including fostering social interactions, providing recreational opportunities, and supporting community initiatives.  The primary objectives of social clubs are to create a sense of belonging, and members benefit from a structured environment where they can pursue their interests, develop new skills, and contribute to their communities.  The origins of social clubs can be traced back to ancient civilizations where people gathered in informal groups to discuss politics, philosophy, and social issues.  In medieval Europe, guilds and fraternities formed among tradespeople and artisans to provide mutual support and camaraderie.  Social clubs became more formalized during the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in Europe and North America.  Gentlemen’s clubs, literary societies, and scientific associations offered intellectual and social engagement for their members.  The Industrial Revolution and urbanization spurred the growth of social clubs as people sought community and connection in rapidly growing cities.  Today’s social clubs include a variety of interests and activities and often incorporate technology and virtual events to connect members.

Researching community interaction in a Utah smelter town I realized the early 20th century saloons and the town’s church both served as social clubs.  The saloon was a place to relax after work with a drink and a meal.  The saloon would cash the checks from the local smelters and hold accounts like a bank.  The workers only had access to their beds for 8 hours a day (yes, three shifts for the same bed) and the saloon was a place to socialize until your bed was available.  The church (Ward House) served a similar purpose (without alcohol) as a community gathering spot.  The farmers would gather on Sunday for day long services and events, while individual groups of men or men would come to socialize during the week.  The church provided financial support for the poor and destitute who were part of the social group. 

THOUGHTS:  I always wanted to write a paper on this obvious comparison (unless you were in one of the two social groups) to present to my own social group of historians.  I wondered if it would have been accepted by either of the two factions (or my own).  Most social clubs think of themselves as serving the “unique desires of their members”.  Social interaction is a need we all have but cannot allow it to separate the “us” and “them”.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

June 25, 2024

Sunday was a rainy afternoon in Maine and my sister decided to take us on a tour.  We climbed into the car and drove along the winding roads through lush trees and Cape Cod style cottages.  I grew up in the homesteader state of Kansas where everything is both (relatively) flat and the roads are laid out in grids that divide the 180-acre homesteads available for anyone willing to brave the Great American Desert.  That means I am used to seeing where I am going, and the miles are marked by (some sort of) road every mile telling my mind how far I have driven and how far I have yet to go.  Another Maine feature is passing through towns named for the countries or cities the initial populous had immigrated from.  We broke into a settled area and drove up the hill toward the Paris Hill Historic District, an area that encompasses the historic 19th century village of Paris Hill in Paris, Maine.  On the bluff with views of the White Mountains to the west sat the Hannibal Hamlin house.

When I looked online, I found Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 15th Vice President of the US from 1861 to 1865.  He was the first Republican Vice President during President Abraham Lincoln’s first term.  Hamlin began his political career as a Democrat in Maine’s House of Representatives and was later elected twice to the US House of Representatives, and then to the US Senate.  Hamlin had strong abolitionist views and left the Democratic Party for the newly formed Republican Party in 1856.  Hamlin was selected as Lincoln’s running mate in the 1860 general election to balance the ticket, as Hamlin was from New England while Lincoln was from the Northwest.  Although not a close friend, Hamlin supported Lincoln’s key projects like the Emancipation Proclamation.  After leaving the Vice Presidency, Hamlin was elected to two more terms in the US Senate, and finally served as US Minister to Spain before retiring in 1882.  On July 4, 1891, Hamlin collapsed while playing cards at the Tarratine Club he had founded in Bangor, Maine, and died a few hours later at the age of 81.  Hamlin was the third US Vice President to die on Independence Day.

Hamlin was replaced as vice-presidential nominee in the 1864 presidential election.  The Republicans and War Democrats joined to form the National Union Party in June 1864 and while Lincoln was renominated, War Democrat Andrew Johnson of Tennessee was named to replace Hamlin.  Lincoln was seeking to broaden his base of support and was looking ahead to Southern Reconstruction.  Johnson had proven himself an adept military governor in the Union occupied state of Tennessee.  Hamlin was an ally of the Northern “Radical Republicans” (who impeached Johnson).  Lincoln and Johnson were elected in November 1864 and Hamlin’s term expired on March 4, 1865.  Hamlin swore Johnson in as Vice President, who was drunk and proceeded to give an incoherent acceptance speech.  Hamlin narrowly missed becoming the 16th president, as Lincoln was shot on April 14, 1865, five days after the Union victory at the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse.  Hamlin’s vice presidency ushered in a half-century of sustained national influence for the Maine Republican Party in national politics that is unmatched by any subsequent Maine political delegations.

THOUGHTS:  The Hamlin estate and Paris Hill Historic District reminded me of the eight years I worked for the Division of State History documenting historic buildings and sites for the National Register of Historic Places.  While this seems a lifetime ago, I still like seeing architectural styles and researching history.   America is a young (European) nation with sites dating back to the 1600’s, but they pale compared to the ancient structures of Europe and Asia.  History gives a new perspective on one’s place in the greater world.  Much can be learned from the past, and from the descendants that still thrive amid that history.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

June 24, 2024

The first thing we did upon arrival in Maine was to go to one of the many Portland eateries for seafood.  My brother-in-law ordered clams but Melissa and I both opted for the lobster roll that we had been waiting for.  Even at “market price”, the delicacy was well worth it.  We spent the rest of the day in conversation and that evening were served my brother-in-law’s special hot dogs.  These dogs featured Nathan’s hot dogs and a bun split down the middle rather than on the side.  The buns were grilled on the flat sides to give them a toasted quality.  The secret to these dogs was the number of possible condiments that could be added to make each dog unique.  There were five different styles of mustards, two types of relish, chopped onions, and pickles.  When I put my dog together the piece de resistance was brought out, celery salt.  While I was reluctant to salt my dog, I was told you could tell how good the dogs were going to be depending on whether the vendor had celery salt as a possible garnish.  I salted my dog (it was good) and completed my Howard Johnson’s style dog.

When I looked online, I found Howard Johnson by Wyndham, or Howard Johnson International, Inc. legally, is an American hotel brand that began as a restaurant chain.  The chain began as a restaurant founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925.  With the rise of the Interstate System in the US during the 1950’s, the company expanded operations by opening hotels known as Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodges which were often located next to the restaurants.  During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Johnson’s was the largest restaurant chain in the US with more than 1,000 company-owned or franchised locations.  Howard Johnson’s restaurants were franchised separately from the hotel brand beginning in 1986 and in the years that followed dwindled in number until eventually disappearing altogether.  The last restaurant, in Lake George, New York, closed in 2022.  The Howard Johnson’s line branded supermarket frozen foods (including ice cream) are also no longer manufactured.

Johnson began his business venture as a small pharmacy in Wollaston, a neighborhood in Quincy, Massachusetts.  He soon discovered the recently installed soda fountain had become the busiest part of his drugstore.  That led Johnson to devise a new ice cream recipe.  Some say the recipe was based on his mother’s homemade ice creams and desserts, while others say that it came from a local German immigrant.  The secret for the new recipe was the flavor added by the increased butterfat.  Johnson eventually created 28 flavors of ice cream, saying “I thought I had every flavor in the world.  That ’28’ (flavors of ice cream) became my trademark.”  Throughout the late 1920’s, Johnson opened concession stands on the beachfront property along the coast of Massachusetts selling soft drinks, hot dogs, and ice cream.  The success of the stands allowed him to convinced local bankers to lend him funds to operate a family-style restaurant and by the end of the decade the first Howard Johnson’s restaurant opened in Quincy.  It featured fried clams, baked beans, chicken pot pies, frankfurters, ice cream, and soft drinks.  The clams were another of Johnson’s innovations (along with the dogs and ice cream).  While many restaurants served fried whole-body clams, Howard Johnson’s sold just the clam feet as “strips”, which took off and are now popular throughout seafood restaurants.    

THOUGHTS:  I recall the long trips my family took as a boy as my father attended the annual conventions of our denomination in big cities alternating across the country.  These included 500-mile (805 km) days mostly along the new interstate system.  While we never stayed in a Howard Johnson’s hotel or ate in one of the restaurants, the image of their gleaming orange metal roofs stands out in my mind.  The baloney sandwiches we ate could not have compared to the condiment laden hotdogs served under those magical roofs.  One day, and already lobster roll and Howard Johnson’s dogs.  I can only dream of what is next.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

June 21, 2024

Melissa and I planned a trip to Maine to escape the summer heat in Arkansas that quickly became more involved than it has been in the past.  We drop the kids at a kennel and although it has several times for drop offs, they are only 1-1/2 hour periods.  That means we work our departure schedule around the kids drop off schedule.  Melissa has been fussing over the succulents for the last two weeks making sure the active plants are watered and the dormant plants groomed during their summer sleep.  The Real problem is my garden.  We have been away for a couple of days during my summer gardens, but this garden is more extensive, and the vegetables in the raised beds are less forgiving of neglect.  When I realized we were gone at the beginning of the summer heat (and possible harvest) I contacted the neighbor girl to water in the mornings.  Just when all seemed well, we got a text from my sister saying the heat index in Maine was 103F (39.4C).  So much for cool.  Melissa responded was it was lucky this happened on the longest day of the year since the 1700’s.

When I looked online, I found the 2024 summer solstice (June 20) is the earliest in 228 years, making this the longest day and the solstice is set to get progressively earlier for the next 72 years.  Today’s solstice is the earliest since 1796 because of the variation caused by the Gregorian calendar.  The calendar divides one year into 365 equal days, but the Earth’s actual orbit around the sun takes 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds.  This difference is accounted for by adding a leap year every four years to round the calendar up one day.  This creates its own problem as four times 5 hours, 48 minutes and 45 seconds is 23 hours and 15 minutes, or 45 minutes short of a full day.  To account for this drift, the calendar is “reset” by skipping a leap day every four centuries.  The next reset is due in 2100 but until then during leap years (like 2024) the solstice will occur 18 hours earlier than the previous year and 45 minutes earlier than the previous leap year.  Every successive leap year from now until the end of the millennium the solstice will be the earliest since 1796 by 45 minutes.

Other phenomena correspond with today as the longest solstice since 1796.  The summer’s first full moon (Strawberry Moon) in 2024 is set for moon rise the day after solstice (June 21).  Since 2024’s June full moon happens near the solstice (sun’s highest point) the moon is at the very lowest point.  The moon being so low makes it appear bigger (Moon Illusion).  The solstice itself happens because of the Earth’s tilt along its axis.  The origins of tilt can be traced back more than 4 billion years to the Earth’s formation when our planet suffered an estimated 10 gigantic collisions with other planets.  The last collision was with a Mars-size planet (Theia) that hit with such force that it transformed Earth’s surface into molten rock and ejected rocks and dust into space, which later coalesced to become our moon.  The impact also created the Earth’s 23.5 degrees of axial tilt with respect to the sun.  As the Earth orbits our star (Sol), one hemisphere leans away from the sun and the other towards it.  It is this tilt that gave rise to the seasons that spurred more complex ecosystems to evolve.

THOUGHTS:  Today is the longest day due to human manipulation of the Calendar.  The earth has suffered and overcome a number of catastrophic collisions like Theia and the asteroid that caused the Chicxulub crater near the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.  The earth was able to overcome these events and evolve.  Theia gave us the moon and seasons and the asteroid brought about the rise of mammals.  While both may have been positive for human evolution, they also destroyed/changed “life as we know it”.  Unlike the dinosaurs, humans may be able to survive the next catastrophe but “life as we know it” will no longer exist.  Our planet should be treated as a gift to be cared for, not exploited.  Otherwise, we may be the cause of the next end of “life as we know it”.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.