And then there was one……… I couldn’t think of a better state than California to bring our little project to an end. It’s as diverse in its cultural influences as the entire nation. Its geography covers coastal regions to deserts, rolling hills to mountains and forests to inner cities. It contains both the lowest and the highest points in the Lower 48 and its climate ranges from tropical to close to arctic temperatures in the mountains. In other words if you had to pick one state that represents a little of all the rest of the states, I would pick the “Golden State”. Its home to Raiders, Chargers, and Dodgers, Ducks and Sharks and Giants and Kings. And it contains more “stars” than the Milky Way. It inspired the All-American sounds of “surf rock” and “psychedelic rock” and is the original home of American icons the likes of Mickey, Minnie and Donald.
Except for oranges California leads the nation in just about all other fruit production. And then we have the olives, almonds, pistachios and walnuts. The most important vegetable crops are lettuce and tomatoes, but let’s not forget the rest of the salad bowl. And with all that coastline it leads the country in commercial fishing operations with tuna bringing in the catch.
So, if you were to plan a celebration for the great state of California you could go surfing in Malibu, skiing in Tahoe, watch just about any movie or television program while munching a fruit or chopped salad. You could pan for gold or watch any sporting event because it’s bound to include at least one of the many major league or college teams. You could paint a coastal scene, a desert scene, a red bridge, a gold star or a very tall tree. You could do any or all of that but I’m going to sit down and relax with a lovely glass of wine and contemplate my options. Okay, I knew something was missing.
90% of the nation’s wine production comes out of California. Thank you, CA. Now that calls for a celebration. A wine tasting it will be! My husband, son and I visited Napa during a college exploration trip back in ’04 and I can tell you that St. Louis in November doesn’t set the same scene as Napa in August, sharing a chilled bottle of Fume Blanc overlooking the vineyards. But celebrate we will.
The day before the scheduled wine tasting I set off to my local Trader Joe’s (headquartered in Monrovia, CA). Several times previous to this I had received good advice on wine selections from their resident “wine expert” Anne. I told her I was having a wine tasting for friends (not connoisseurs) and the wines must meet 2 criteria. One, that the wines needed to be from California and two, they had to cost less than $10.00 per bottle. Being the pro that she is, these parameters didn’t stump her in the least. I was immediately treated to a California wine lesson full of “bouquets” and aromas and spices and subtleties. She spoke of aftertastes and backbones and finish and structure, spicy and smoky, rustic and round. Her descriptions were both lyrical and passionate and my visit with Anne was educational and entertaining. I left Trader Joe's with, what I was certain was, 4 good bottles of wine and the wish that I had brought a recording device, since I has forgotten most of what Anne said before I left the parking lot.
So the night of the tasting the table was set with a crisp linen cloth, an arrangement of my 13 California snow globes on wine glass pedestals and a cork screw. The whites were chilling and the reds were breathing. The bar was laden with bowls of Californian almonds and pistachios, platters of tomatoes and avocados, dishes of olives and eggplant and trays of grapes, kiwi, strawberries and melon.
We started with a Sauvignon Blanc toast to the great state of California and the presentation of everyone’s Hollywood Star for our own Walk of Fame. The Beach Boys (Hawthorne, CA) serenaded in the Chardonnay from the vineyards of Napa River. As we moved on to the bolder Syrah the music changed to the Grateful Dead (San Francisco) and the fruit was substituted with the tomatoes and olives. We finished the tasting with a lovely Merlot, a fruited dessert and the sweet tones of Colbie Caillet (Malibu).
During the evening we not only toasted our final state but also to the last 52 weeks spent in exploration and celebration of our magnificent, diverse and exciting country. It was sad for me to close out our little project where we learned so much, expanded our horizons, explored new tastes, did some major shopping and had a legitimate excuse to consume mass quantities of spirits (not that we really ever needed one).
Over the year, several ideas came to mind for the next project; would another map be filled in with the images of state gems and minerals, would a collection of local pottery from each state in the union be started (continued, actually) or would the same theme of celebration be continued to other countries and continents that are represented in my snow globe collection? The answer is yet to be determined. We’re going to take a break for the holidays and after the first of the year decide what the next undertaking will be.
We’ve had a great year and we want to thank you for following us on our escapades. Whether you joined us for a state celebration or two, contributed something to enhance the celebration or traveled along with us through my ramblings, we love that you shared our journey with us.
Color in the “Golden State” with all that makes California golden and travel to wherever the “50 plus 2” spirits lead us. 52 down, none to go.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
Week of November 8th – Texas
"You ‘all can go to hell. I am going to Texas." I’m, of course, quoting Davy Crockett, who after serving three terms as a Tennessee congressman lost his 4th run for the seat and decided to head out west.
Two things come to mind when I think of Texas, beside its size, are football and food. Although a more enlightened individual might say that cattle, oil & aerospace should be at the top of the list. But since the Rams don’t play Dallas or Houston this year and although Mizzou is in the Big 12 with the Baylor Bears, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies (W), and Texas Tech Red Raiders (L) they only played A&M and Tech this year and neither game was this week. Out goes the football celebration. Texas isn’t too shabby in the Baseball department with Texas going to the World Series this year, only to lose to the Giants. But, this too, goes back a few weeks.
So that leaves food. Too easy, search on.
The Alamo is considered the symbol of Texas liberty and the state's most popular historic attraction but short of running around the neighborhood yelling “Remember the Alamo” I don’t see a celebration here. (However don’t rule it out.)
A couple of stores that are often familiar stops on my shopping excursions, Michael’s (Irving, TX) and Pier 1 Imports (Fort Worth, TX), are headquartered in the Lone Star state, so for the sake of the project I forced myself to go shopping. “Houston, we have a problem.” Since more wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the nation I should have bought some wool at Michael’s but, alas it was too early for my winter knitting marathon. A Tex-Mex style serving bowl was purchased at Pier 1 in honor of this week’s celebration.
Back to food, are we? Not yet.
Austin is considered the “Live Music Capital of the World” so we must have music. It’s true though; there is music everywhere you turn in Austin. We visited this beautiful city back in 2004 when our son was considering U. of T. for college. Between the gate and baggage claim, I think we passed 4 or 5 live music acts. That’s also where I picked up my Texas snowman snow globe which made me LOL in the airport. Besides the scads of musicians trying to break into the music scene on the streets, in the clubs and bars and airports of Texas there are some familiar names. Buddy Holly (Lubbock, TX), Lyle Lovett (Klein, TX) and Kris Kristofferson (Brownsville, TX), to name a few. But I pretty much stopped at Kris Kristofferson, who as a teenager I thought had the sexiest voice on earth and he wasn’t too bad to look at either. So I downloaded 2 CD’s worth of music starting with Asleep at the Wheel’s version of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and continuing and ending with a collection of Kris’ classics. Who else can get away with singing “Jesus was a Capricorn”?
All this talk about music and Kris Kristofferson is making me hungry.
OK, they say that the Texas culture is a mixture of Southwestern/Mexican, Southern, and Western/Cowboy influences. And their food isn’t any exception. The St. Louis area has some pretty good Tex-Mex restaurants so during the week (we tried to spread it out a little) we sampled several of them. Of course the house was to be stocked with salsa made in Texas and Mission chips as well as Frito-Lays, headquartered in Plano, TX.
Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885 but since our tastes don’t go in that direction we opted for Margaritas (I did anyway) and Shiner Bock beer, Shiner, TX.
Also in Waco, seventy-five percent of the world's Snickers are produced at the M&M/Mars plant. Sounds like dessert to me.
We had done justice to the Tex-Mex influence but with only 1 meal left we had to choose from Texas-sized steaks, Texas-style Cajun recipes made with Texmati rice or good old fashioned, stick to your ribs, brow sweating Texas chili. And since the official dish of Texas is chili, guess what won. So with the table set with yellow roses and the Silver-Tongue Devil singing in the background, we sat down to steaming bowls of chili with avocado and Texas toast.
Color in Texas with the colors of the Southwestern sky and travel from the Lone Star state to the state where the “Stars” are anything but lonely - California. 51 down, 1 to go.
Two things come to mind when I think of Texas, beside its size, are football and food. Although a more enlightened individual might say that cattle, oil & aerospace should be at the top of the list. But since the Rams don’t play Dallas or Houston this year and although Mizzou is in the Big 12 with the Baylor Bears, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies (W), and Texas Tech Red Raiders (L) they only played A&M and Tech this year and neither game was this week. Out goes the football celebration. Texas isn’t too shabby in the Baseball department with Texas going to the World Series this year, only to lose to the Giants. But, this too, goes back a few weeks.
So that leaves food. Too easy, search on.
The Alamo is considered the symbol of Texas liberty and the state's most popular historic attraction but short of running around the neighborhood yelling “Remember the Alamo” I don’t see a celebration here. (However don’t rule it out.)
A couple of stores that are often familiar stops on my shopping excursions, Michael’s (Irving, TX) and Pier 1 Imports (Fort Worth, TX), are headquartered in the Lone Star state, so for the sake of the project I forced myself to go shopping. “Houston, we have a problem.” Since more wool comes from the state of Texas than any other state in the nation I should have bought some wool at Michael’s but, alas it was too early for my winter knitting marathon. A Tex-Mex style serving bowl was purchased at Pier 1 in honor of this week’s celebration.
Back to food, are we? Not yet.
Austin is considered the “Live Music Capital of the World” so we must have music. It’s true though; there is music everywhere you turn in Austin. We visited this beautiful city back in 2004 when our son was considering U. of T. for college. Between the gate and baggage claim, I think we passed 4 or 5 live music acts. That’s also where I picked up my Texas snowman snow globe which made me LOL in the airport. Besides the scads of musicians trying to break into the music scene on the streets, in the clubs and bars and airports of Texas there are some familiar names. Buddy Holly (Lubbock, TX), Lyle Lovett (Klein, TX) and Kris Kristofferson (Brownsville, TX), to name a few. But I pretty much stopped at Kris Kristofferson, who as a teenager I thought had the sexiest voice on earth and he wasn’t too bad to look at either. So I downloaded 2 CD’s worth of music starting with Asleep at the Wheel’s version of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and continuing and ending with a collection of Kris’ classics. Who else can get away with singing “Jesus was a Capricorn”?
All this talk about music and Kris Kristofferson is making me hungry.
OK, they say that the Texas culture is a mixture of Southwestern/Mexican, Southern, and Western/Cowboy influences. And their food isn’t any exception. The St. Louis area has some pretty good Tex-Mex restaurants so during the week (we tried to spread it out a little) we sampled several of them. Of course the house was to be stocked with salsa made in Texas and Mission chips as well as Frito-Lays, headquartered in Plano, TX.
Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885 but since our tastes don’t go in that direction we opted for Margaritas (I did anyway) and Shiner Bock beer, Shiner, TX.
Also in Waco, seventy-five percent of the world's Snickers are produced at the M&M/Mars plant. Sounds like dessert to me.
We had done justice to the Tex-Mex influence but with only 1 meal left we had to choose from Texas-sized steaks, Texas-style Cajun recipes made with Texmati rice or good old fashioned, stick to your ribs, brow sweating Texas chili. And since the official dish of Texas is chili, guess what won. So with the table set with yellow roses and the Silver-Tongue Devil singing in the background, we sat down to steaming bowls of chili with avocado and Texas toast.
Color in Texas with the colors of the Southwestern sky and travel from the Lone Star state to the state where the “Stars” are anything but lonely - California. 51 down, 1 to go.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Week of November 1st - Montana
Running late again but I can’t figure out why. Anyway, Montana didn’t get its nickname, Big Sky Country, because its landscapes are full of skyscrapers and telephone poles. In other words, Montana is another one of those states that you really should see it to properly celebrate it. We really had wanted to take a trip to Glacier National Park this past summer but that didn’t work out. My husband thinks it’s one of the most beautiful areas in the world and often visits the Glacier National Park’s webcams to experience it “first-hand”. I took a peek at the webcams today and it looks a bit cloudy with a fresh blanket of snow. As I wrote this post the clouds lifted from the Lake McDonald view to reveal the splendor of this vista. I don’t have the patience to sit and watch these webcams but I’m told, if you do, you can see wildlife all year round.
What’s the next best thing to being there (or sitting in front of a webcam for hours)? A wonderful coffee table book with photographs of the region. So off to the bookstore I go. If there’s one fringe benefit to this year round exploration of the states it’s been the expansion of our library. We are now in the procession of a fabulous photographic essay of the US National Parks and a pocket handbook to the Glacier National Park (for when we actually make the trip). We left the book opened (about a 3-foot span) to the Glacier National Park section and all week we had a view of this wonderful landscape right in our Great Room.
To add to the celebration I placed an order from BuyMT.com which specializes in all products “Made in Montana”. We tried some huckleberry cordials and huckleberry apple butter, some official Montana beef jerky and summer sausage and to top it all off we got a cheddar cheese shaped like the state of Montana. BuyMt.com was out of 1 of the items I ordered so I received a charming call from a Customer Service Rep and had a lovely conversation about Montana. She also included a magazine about Montana with our order to help with the education process.
Since a pictorial essay and a nosh didn’t seem like a fitting enough celebration I selected an adorable Appaloosa Horse necklace made by a crafter from western Montana. As if the artist sensed that we were celebrating Montana, the enchanting necklace came with photos and background about the artist’s beloved state.
Montana hosts the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48, so I offered to make a recipe for Bear Stroganoff I found but my husband opted for the Venison roast instead. (Of course, beef would be substituted in either case.) And since Montana ranks third in the nation in the number of craft breweries per capita we washed down the roast and toasted the great state of Montana with a beer from the Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, MT.
Color in Big Sky Country with a magnificent view from Glacier National Park and head south to the Lone Star State – Texas. 50 down, 2 to go.
What’s the next best thing to being there (or sitting in front of a webcam for hours)? A wonderful coffee table book with photographs of the region. So off to the bookstore I go. If there’s one fringe benefit to this year round exploration of the states it’s been the expansion of our library. We are now in the procession of a fabulous photographic essay of the US National Parks and a pocket handbook to the Glacier National Park (for when we actually make the trip). We left the book opened (about a 3-foot span) to the Glacier National Park section and all week we had a view of this wonderful landscape right in our Great Room.
To add to the celebration I placed an order from BuyMT.com which specializes in all products “Made in Montana”. We tried some huckleberry cordials and huckleberry apple butter, some official Montana beef jerky and summer sausage and to top it all off we got a cheddar cheese shaped like the state of Montana. BuyMt.com was out of 1 of the items I ordered so I received a charming call from a Customer Service Rep and had a lovely conversation about Montana. She also included a magazine about Montana with our order to help with the education process.
Since a pictorial essay and a nosh didn’t seem like a fitting enough celebration I selected an adorable Appaloosa Horse necklace made by a crafter from western Montana. As if the artist sensed that we were celebrating Montana, the enchanting necklace came with photos and background about the artist’s beloved state.
Montana hosts the largest grizzly bear population in the lower 48, so I offered to make a recipe for Bear Stroganoff I found but my husband opted for the Venison roast instead. (Of course, beef would be substituted in either case.) And since Montana ranks third in the nation in the number of craft breweries per capita we washed down the roast and toasted the great state of Montana with a beer from the Big Sky Brewing, Missoula, MT.
Color in Big Sky Country with a magnificent view from Glacier National Park and head south to the Lone Star State – Texas. 50 down, 2 to go.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Week of October 25th – Illinois
It’s Illinois and that means Road Trip! What better way to celebrate the “Land of Lincoln” then to take a trip up the road to Springfield, IL. We’ve lived in St. Louis for over 30 years now and it’s a excursion we’ve never taken. It’s not exactly a bucket list item but certainly worthy of an afternoon trip.
But first we needed a plan. There was music to select for the ride and snacks to give us sustenance along the way. All Illinois inspired, of course.
But planning needed fuel, as well, so the search began for the best Chicago-style hot dog available in St. Louis. In case it’s not common knowledge a Chicago dog is an all-beef frank topped with mustard, chopped onions, sweet pickle relish (the neon green variety), a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, pickled peppers and a dash of celery salt. They say that this completed masterpiece has been "dragged through the garden" because of all the veggies included.
Another night of planning was nourished with a Chicago deep dish pizza but I’m partial to the dogs.
So with the CD changer loaded with Illinois natives, Miles Davis, Dan Fogelberg, Allison Krauss, Herbie Hancock and the soundtrack of the movie “Chicago” and an Illinois snack bag filled with Beer Nuts, Quaker Oats granola bars, mass quantities of Tootsie Rolls and Kraft favorites Oreos and Nutter Butters, we headed northeast to Abe’s hometown of Springfield. As luck would have it, it turned out to be a beautiful fall day and we were treated to the added perk of viewing the late changing leaves along the way.
The first stop was Lincoln’s home and a walk around his neighborhood. The size of his home was underwhelming but the tour guide entertained us with Lincoln anecdotes.
After a walk around downtown Springfield and a delightful lunch at Robbie’s we moseyed down to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The buildings, attached by a skywalk, are beautiful examples of stature and grace in architecture. The holographic reenactments and the dioramas in the Museum were quite impressive and most educational. Sadly, we realized that we had missed an opportunity to take our son on an historical adventure when he was in Grade school.
On our way out of town we stop by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana Thomas House which seemed to be in the middle of the railroad tracks. Too late to see the inside though.
With violets, the Illinois state flower, gracing the table and Mike & Molly on TV we toasted Illinois, here’s to you Abe.
Color in Illinois with a salute to honest Abe, Tootsie Rolls and the Cubbies and head back west to Big Sky Country – Montana. 49 down – 3 to go.
But first we needed a plan. There was music to select for the ride and snacks to give us sustenance along the way. All Illinois inspired, of course.
But planning needed fuel, as well, so the search began for the best Chicago-style hot dog available in St. Louis. In case it’s not common knowledge a Chicago dog is an all-beef frank topped with mustard, chopped onions, sweet pickle relish (the neon green variety), a dill pickle spear, tomato slices, pickled peppers and a dash of celery salt. They say that this completed masterpiece has been "dragged through the garden" because of all the veggies included.
Another night of planning was nourished with a Chicago deep dish pizza but I’m partial to the dogs.
So with the CD changer loaded with Illinois natives, Miles Davis, Dan Fogelberg, Allison Krauss, Herbie Hancock and the soundtrack of the movie “Chicago” and an Illinois snack bag filled with Beer Nuts, Quaker Oats granola bars, mass quantities of Tootsie Rolls and Kraft favorites Oreos and Nutter Butters, we headed northeast to Abe’s hometown of Springfield. As luck would have it, it turned out to be a beautiful fall day and we were treated to the added perk of viewing the late changing leaves along the way.
The first stop was Lincoln’s home and a walk around his neighborhood. The size of his home was underwhelming but the tour guide entertained us with Lincoln anecdotes.
After a walk around downtown Springfield and a delightful lunch at Robbie’s we moseyed down to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. The buildings, attached by a skywalk, are beautiful examples of stature and grace in architecture. The holographic reenactments and the dioramas in the Museum were quite impressive and most educational. Sadly, we realized that we had missed an opportunity to take our son on an historical adventure when he was in Grade school.
On our way out of town we stop by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana Thomas House which seemed to be in the middle of the railroad tracks. Too late to see the inside though.
With violets, the Illinois state flower, gracing the table and Mike & Molly on TV we toasted Illinois, here’s to you Abe.
Color in Illinois with a salute to honest Abe, Tootsie Rolls and the Cubbies and head back west to Big Sky Country – Montana. 49 down – 3 to go.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Week of October 18th – Maryland
Well I found a whole lot of random facts about the great state of Maryland, although maybe not a whole lot of interesting facts, but I always knew that this week was going to be about the CRABS.
Last summer my entire family met in Baltimore for a weekend. Except for breakfast, I had crab cakes at every meal.
The fact is Maryland “harvests” more blue claw crabs than any other place in the world. So rightfully so this means crab cakes, crab dip, crab salad and more crab cakes.
OK, here’s a fact. Edgar Allen Poe lived as an adult and ultimately died in Baltimore. The weekend we were in Baltimore there was a Poe festival which included a sand sculpture contest. Imagine huge “Tell Tale Hearts” and “Ravens” out and around Baltimore Harbor. During this trip I finally made the connection, actually it was pointed out to me, why the Baltimore Ravens were named that way. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here, but I bet that the Ravens are the only football team named after a poem. Who knows, maybe the only sports team ever. Is that enough info, I need some crabs?
Day One – Crab cakes from Busch’s Grove while listening to the soulful sounds of Billie Holiday (childhood home in Baltimore).
Day Two – Crab dip with a bouquet of Black Eyed Susans (state flower).
Day Three – Crab cakes with the 100th viewing of The Runaway Bride (Hale, MD).
Day Four – Crab salad and Michelle Pfeiffer singing “The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs” from Hairspray. Good Mor-ning Ballllllllllllllllllltimore!
Days 5, 6 & 7 – Crab Cakes, Crab Cakes, Crab Cakes and a marathon viewing of season one of Joan of Arcadia (fictional Arcadia, MD).
Color in the birth place of John Wilkes Booth and travel to the “Land of Lincoln” - Illinois. 48 down – 4 to go.
Last summer my entire family met in Baltimore for a weekend. Except for breakfast, I had crab cakes at every meal.
The fact is Maryland “harvests” more blue claw crabs than any other place in the world. So rightfully so this means crab cakes, crab dip, crab salad and more crab cakes.
OK, here’s a fact. Edgar Allen Poe lived as an adult and ultimately died in Baltimore. The weekend we were in Baltimore there was a Poe festival which included a sand sculpture contest. Imagine huge “Tell Tale Hearts” and “Ravens” out and around Baltimore Harbor. During this trip I finally made the connection, actually it was pointed out to me, why the Baltimore Ravens were named that way. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here, but I bet that the Ravens are the only football team named after a poem. Who knows, maybe the only sports team ever. Is that enough info, I need some crabs?
Day One – Crab cakes from Busch’s Grove while listening to the soulful sounds of Billie Holiday (childhood home in Baltimore).
Day Two – Crab dip with a bouquet of Black Eyed Susans (state flower).
Day Three – Crab cakes with the 100th viewing of The Runaway Bride (Hale, MD).
Day Four – Crab salad and Michelle Pfeiffer singing “The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs” from Hairspray. Good Mor-ning Ballllllllllllllllllltimore!
Days 5, 6 & 7 – Crab Cakes, Crab Cakes, Crab Cakes and a marathon viewing of season one of Joan of Arcadia (fictional Arcadia, MD).
Color in the birth place of John Wilkes Booth and travel to the “Land of Lincoln” - Illinois. 48 down – 4 to go.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Week of October 11th – 2nd Territory – US Virgin Islands
Tourism and duty free shopping is the backbone of the VI economy. Since a vacation to the Caribbean wasn’t in the cards this week we went to Plan B. Truthfully that should be “I went to Plan B” since the celebration I explored was kind of a solitary activity. Much as I did for Puerto Rico I sought out an art form that was unique to the Virgin Island culture. What I found was the creative exploration of an endeared symbol of the territory – the Mocko Jumbie doll.
I have no intention of turning this post into a Mocko Jumbie history lesson (there are much more enlightened ones on the web) but I need to give you some background. Mocko Jumbies are stilt walkers who ward off evil spirits and protect villages from the enemy. You can see them at local festivals and parades in their brightly colored costumes and masks borrowed from West African imagery. It is said that they walk on stilts because it gives them a better view to see evil approaching. In 2009 the US Department of Tourism declared the Mocko Jumbie a symbol of the Islands.
In celebration of these revered cultural symbols, Virgin Island artisans capture the imagery in dolls. The dolls, just like their inspiration, are created with bright fabrics, beads, feathers and tribal masks.
So I spent the better part of the week gathering fabrics, feathers, structural materials and inspirational imagery. I started by cutting strips and strips of bright colored fabrics and drawing masks. I painted dowels for their stilts and chose feathers for their headdresses. One of the VI artisans puts bright colored sunglasses and straw hats on her Mocko Jumbie dolls. I found some great sunglasses to use but failed to find any little bity straw hats, so mine will all have masks.
Although I’ve never lacked for creativity I found the experience was that much better while accompanied by an island cocktail made with Cruzan Rum (St. Croix). The making of Cruzan Rum goes back to the time when sugar production was the Virgin Island’s main industry. So the cocktails were historic and cultural in nature.
Unlike our Puerto Rican celebration, where we paraded with our masks, I declined the offer to parade my dolls and opted for an exhibit of dolls, flowers and native fabrics. And of course, a rum salute to their color, power, and protective spirits.
Color in the US Virgin Islands with the essence of the Mocko Jumbie and move on to fill in the eastern seaboard with the Old Line state - Maryland. 47 down – 5 to go.
I have no intention of turning this post into a Mocko Jumbie history lesson (there are much more enlightened ones on the web) but I need to give you some background. Mocko Jumbies are stilt walkers who ward off evil spirits and protect villages from the enemy. You can see them at local festivals and parades in their brightly colored costumes and masks borrowed from West African imagery. It is said that they walk on stilts because it gives them a better view to see evil approaching. In 2009 the US Department of Tourism declared the Mocko Jumbie a symbol of the Islands.
In celebration of these revered cultural symbols, Virgin Island artisans capture the imagery in dolls. The dolls, just like their inspiration, are created with bright fabrics, beads, feathers and tribal masks.
So I spent the better part of the week gathering fabrics, feathers, structural materials and inspirational imagery. I started by cutting strips and strips of bright colored fabrics and drawing masks. I painted dowels for their stilts and chose feathers for their headdresses. One of the VI artisans puts bright colored sunglasses and straw hats on her Mocko Jumbie dolls. I found some great sunglasses to use but failed to find any little bity straw hats, so mine will all have masks.
Although I’ve never lacked for creativity I found the experience was that much better while accompanied by an island cocktail made with Cruzan Rum (St. Croix). The making of Cruzan Rum goes back to the time when sugar production was the Virgin Island’s main industry. So the cocktails were historic and cultural in nature.
Unlike our Puerto Rican celebration, where we paraded with our masks, I declined the offer to parade my dolls and opted for an exhibit of dolls, flowers and native fabrics. And of course, a rum salute to their color, power, and protective spirits.
Color in the US Virgin Islands with the essence of the Mocko Jumbie and move on to fill in the eastern seaboard with the Old Line state - Maryland. 47 down – 5 to go.
Week of October 4th – North Carolina
From Idaho potatoes to sweet potatoes, sweeeeeeeeeeeet!
NC leads the nation in tobacco, furniture and textile production. Well, I quit smoking, I’m not in the market to redecorate and everyone is stocked up on their Gold Toes, Hanes and No Nonsense. So, march on, but don’t step in the tar. Of course we all know what happened near Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903, but no one has a flight to catch. NC is home to more than 80% of NASCAR teams and paraphernalia but none of us care for the sport so we didn’t rush out to the track. Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem but we didn’t feel like going out of the way for doughnuts, no matter how good they are.
When you explore the regional cuisine of the Tar Heel state, pork barbecue keeps showing up, that with, of course, sweet potato in every form imaginable. So we started the NC celebration Friday night by enjoying pork barbecue and watching the “Andy Griffith Show”. In October of 1960 Mayberry, NC, invited America into their homes and hearts and started a 50 year love affair with Sheriff Andy, Barney Fife, Aunt Bee and Opie (so cute). What better way to honor NC!
Saturday’s activities including all day snacking on Archway Cookies, Lance Snacks and Mt. Olive Pickle Co. pickles. Dinner was highlighted with mashed sweet potatoes which, at least, some of us enjoyed and the snappy tunes of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, which everyone enjoyed.
To honor North Carolina, after football on Sunday, we put NASCAR – ESPN on but no one actually watched it.
NC seems to have more than its share of sappy movies set in the state. We have “Nights in Rodanthe” and “A Walk to Remember” to name a couple. “The Last Song” was set in NC in the book, but the movie was staged in Georgia. Since we hadn’t seen “The Last Song” we ruled that it still counted and ended NC week with its viewing. I’m not really going to elaborate but I do take exception to casting a raccoon as a villainous character in this movie.
The evening ended with the unofficial anthem of the Tar Heel state, James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind”.
Color in North Carolina with a salute to its official state sport and travel to the Caribbean and our 2nd Territory – U.S. Virgin Islands. 46 down – 6 to go.
NC leads the nation in tobacco, furniture and textile production. Well, I quit smoking, I’m not in the market to redecorate and everyone is stocked up on their Gold Toes, Hanes and No Nonsense. So, march on, but don’t step in the tar. Of course we all know what happened near Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903, but no one has a flight to catch. NC is home to more than 80% of NASCAR teams and paraphernalia but none of us care for the sport so we didn’t rush out to the track. Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem but we didn’t feel like going out of the way for doughnuts, no matter how good they are.
When you explore the regional cuisine of the Tar Heel state, pork barbecue keeps showing up, that with, of course, sweet potato in every form imaginable. So we started the NC celebration Friday night by enjoying pork barbecue and watching the “Andy Griffith Show”. In October of 1960 Mayberry, NC, invited America into their homes and hearts and started a 50 year love affair with Sheriff Andy, Barney Fife, Aunt Bee and Opie (so cute). What better way to honor NC!
Saturday’s activities including all day snacking on Archway Cookies, Lance Snacks and Mt. Olive Pickle Co. pickles. Dinner was highlighted with mashed sweet potatoes which, at least, some of us enjoyed and the snappy tunes of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, which everyone enjoyed.
To honor North Carolina, after football on Sunday, we put NASCAR – ESPN on but no one actually watched it.
NC seems to have more than its share of sappy movies set in the state. We have “Nights in Rodanthe” and “A Walk to Remember” to name a couple. “The Last Song” was set in NC in the book, but the movie was staged in Georgia. Since we hadn’t seen “The Last Song” we ruled that it still counted and ended NC week with its viewing. I’m not really going to elaborate but I do take exception to casting a raccoon as a villainous character in this movie.
The evening ended with the unofficial anthem of the Tar Heel state, James Taylor’s “Carolina in My Mind”.
Color in North Carolina with a salute to its official state sport and travel to the Caribbean and our 2nd Territory – U.S. Virgin Islands. 46 down – 6 to go.
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