Getting to Know You

10 Getting to Know You Questions from the Blogging from A to Z Challenge:

1.  What is the most daring thing you've done:

I don't really think I've done anything all that daring, I'm kind of a chicken.  A few friends said my life changes in 2011 were daring but I call that self-preservation.  I never did get to try ziplining or parasailing.  Some people have told me I was crazy to walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver, BC.  You tell me.

2.  What is your favourite article of clothing?

Any tie dye shirt and pajama bottoms.


3.  What is your favourite monster?

Bumbles from "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".  He didn't even scare me when I was little, I thought he was just too squeee to be scary!!!  

4.  If you had to dress up as your favourite literary character, who would it be?

Scout Finch.

5.  What is your favourite fairy tale, urban legend or nursery rhyme:

I had a hard time thinking of one, but then remembered that I do love the urban legend that Humphrey Bogart was the model for the Gerber baby.   I'd heard about that in the 1980s, when my cousin went through her Bogie phase, and at the time I believed it.  Humphrey's mom, a commercial artist, did sketch him as a baby, for Mellin's baby food, according to my research on snopes.com, but he wasn't the Gerber baby.  

I'd had a debate with my former mother in law in the late 80s about this rumour, which, as I said I believed at that time.  In an effort to convince her I was right, I sent her this "long lost" picture to prove I was right.  At least she got a laugh out of it.  

6.  What is a cause near and dear to your heart?

I am very much against whaling. I love whales and always have, but after seeing Puget Sound Orca L Pod off the coast of Vancouver Island, the thought of anyone slaughtering these beautiful mammals sickens me.

7.  What is the strangest item you've used as a bookmark?

Haven't a clue....I've either dog-eared the pages or used an actual bookmark, unless it was college and then I probably used a highlighter.

8.  Do you have any nicknames? What are they and how did you earn them?

Jo and JoJo for obvious reasons.  An old friend who owned a record store in Hyannis dubbed me 'Nitro' because I have a short temper.  My squeeze called me Shorty and Blondie when we were in high school, and now calls me Baby and Cindy Lou Who (he has other nicknames for me but those are all you are getting).  

9.  Name one habit you want to change in yourself?

My lack of patience.  I've gotten better about it while driving, but in stores like the Evil Empire, I want to just murderize everyone in my way.

10.  Tell us something interesting or shocking about yourself.

I wouldn't say it's interesting or shocking....weird/quirky, yes.  When it comes to music I like, I will buy the CD but rarely do I ever listen to any of the tracks other than the one or two songs for which I bought it.  When music was on vinyl albums, I rarely listened to Side 2 of any of them.  I have record albums that are worn down on Side 1, but Side 2 is as pristine as the day the album was purchased.  Unless the 'hit' was on Side 2.  While I love "Blow at High Dough" by the Tragically Hip, I have yet to listen to the rest of that CD and I've had it since around 2004.  I will listen to the entire album or CD if it's a band I'm obsessed with, like ELO or the Grateful Dead.  

Farthest Shore

The title of today's "F" themed blog post comes from the 3rd book of the Earthsea Trilogy, by Ursula LeGuin.

I have, on more than one occasion, mentioned how the west coast had always called to me when I was a child.  How I'd stare out the west-facing window at the sunset, wishing I could be in California, where it was 3 hours earlier.  My goal in life was to get to the west coast, and I achieved that goal and lived there for over two decades.  In that time, I did manage to see the westernmost point of the USA, called Cape Mendocino, in Humboldt County, CA.  It was so remote that there was no place to park, so I never even took a photo of it, we just kept driving (and truthfully, it was a bit of a harrowing ride.....I mean seriously, it took 4 hours to drive the 30 mile round trip out there and back).  I do regret not seeing Cape Flattery, the Northwesternmost point of the USA, in Washington, but someday I'll get back there.

Since moving back to the east coast, I find myself obsessed with beach combing on the westernmost beaches of Cape Cod.  I pore over street maps and Google Earth aerial views, looking for new strips of sand to explore, even if it means trespassing a little.  One would think, with my unsated need to find treasure, that I would be eager to explore the National Seashore, on the Atlantic Ocean.  Yet I find myself returning to look at the western shore of Cape Cod every time.  The other night I was researching how I can get on Cuttyhunk Island to beachcomb there too!  It's proximity at the mouths of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound probably means a beach comber's dream!

What is this farthest shore thing?  Where did it come from? 

Eye Doc

This eye doctor is in Sagamore.  Every time I pass this sign, I think of the eyes in the Dr. T.J. Eckleburg sign, from The Great Gatsby, which is one of my fave books.  I can't help but wonder if Dr. Bodrie did it on purpose, and I'd love to ask him.

This is how the eyes were portrayed in the 1974 version of "The Great Gatsby". (how young was Sam Waterson?!)  

See what I mean?

Depression Era

Are any of you drawn to certain eras in time?  When I was a kid, I felt drawn to the old west and also to Victorian England.  I still feel a pull to those times, but not as much as I do to the Great Depression.  I assume that I feel that way because of hearing all the stories from my mom and other relatives of what it was like growing up during those hard times....the bread lines, no money, no work, getting a Christmas tree on Dec. 24th when they were dirt cheap or free, etc.  Not to mention all the old photos in shoe boxes that I used to pore over when I was a kid, depicting my family as youngsters.  All in black and white of course.  And old movies as well.  I always joke w/ my mom that the world didn't become colourized till "The Wizard of Oz", and I like to tease, "What was life like in black and white?"  ;-D

It's funny how my two fave movies, Mockingbird and Paper Moon, are set in the 1930s and feature little girl protagonists, Scout Finch....

....and Addie Pray.

Another show that captivates me is Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory", based on a 1930s Christmas in his own life, when he was a boy.

I love the purses and fashions of that time as well.

I really want to own a velvet cloche hat, one of these days.  I don't normally wear hats, but I do love these.

And we can't forget the massive migration west on The Mother Road, Route 66, during the Depression either.  My honey and I have talked about driving Rte. 66 in an RV for our honeymoon.  It's been on my bucket list for 25+ years so when he suggested it, I was on board immediately.  My dad made the trip west on Rte. 66, to Southern California, in the 1940s, after WW2, to work in a shipyard, and I always wanted to do it too.  Especially before all of the old roadside attractions completely deteriorate and are lost forever, like the Cadillac Ranch, in Amarillo Texas.

I'm also a HUGE fan of the photos of Dorothea Lange, whose portraits of those courageous souls, migrants and "Okies" fleeing the dust bowl became a symbol of that era.  Can you believe the woman in this photo is only 32?  Her face is careworn and shows the hardship of life, making her look much older.  Her name is Florence Owens Thompson and she was the mother of 7 children at the time this was taken in 1936.

I realize that I am viewing the depression through romanticized eyes.....it was no picnic and certainly not a time that one should 'wish' they were around to see.  Still, it draws me like a moth to a flame.

Crescent Moon

There's nothing more celestially magical than a clear night with a beautiful crescent moon, either waxing or waning.

I incorporate the crescent into so much of my arts and crafts.

I also love the old paper moon photos that were popular in the 30's (besides it being my fave movie).

Maybe I just love working in dark blue and yellow?

Crescents are even incorporated into my Christmas decorations and needlework!

I am almost tempted to add Dubai, UAE, to my bucket list, just so I can see the Crescent Moon Tower.  I didn't even think this was a real place till I did further research!

Bucket List

My sweet baby and I were talking about how much traveling we want to do, both realistic trips and dream trips. There are a few overlapping destinations, and I think parts of my list are a little bit more unrealistic and will, more than likely, remain just dreams.  Let's face it, the odds of my getting to beachcomb on the Falkland Islands are pretty slim.  Or taking that cruise to Antarctica. Or New Zealand.  It's possible I could get to Iceland one day, and the British Isles.  I do think my Scot boyfriend should see his homeland.

We also diverge on a few trip ideas...mostly because I resist going to warm climates and he's growing weary of the raw, cold, snowy New England winters.  

So he tossed out the idea of both of us making our Travel Bucket Lists and comparing them to see what we can start planning.  

I've actually had my Bucket List, on the side of this blog for awhile now.  I really regret not doing the rest of the Pacific Northwest Stuff.  Big time.  But he wants to go back up there someday, so at least I know it's still on the table. For now, I will list things I'd like to see within the next few years:

Watkins Glen State Park, NY.  Never really occurred to me to go here till I saw a pic of it recently.  Now I have to go.  It's in the Fingerlake Region of Upstate NY, on Lake Seneca.  

Niagara Falls, NY and/or Canada.  For now I'd be happy to see the American side.  My parents took me to the Canadian side in 6th grade, and I do want to see it again too, but for now NY would be optimum.

Mount Desert Island, Maine/Acadia National Park.  And many other places in Maine as well...any coastal community, Mt. Katahdin, Lubec (the easternmost incorporated place in the 50 states), etc. Angie is eagerly awaiting my visit to see her in Bar Harbor. 

Vermont.  Except for one time when my dad got lost and accidentally drove over the border of NH into VT, I have never set foot in that state.  This trip would be preferably taken in the fall, for the foliage.

Shelling on Sanibel Island in Florida.  It should be noted that I absolutely cannot stand the State of Florida.  It's too hot, too flat, too humid, ugly and yucky.  But my desire for great beachcombing over rides my hatred of that state.  The shells here are amazing.

Walt Disney World/Universal.  My parents took me to Disney in 6th and 8th grades.  They went a 3rd time, w/o me, when I was in college.  I would very much like to see it now, and also visit Universal and the Harry Potter part. Disney also happens to be his fave place on the entire planet, and he's been here dozens of times He wants very much to take me and show me around.  

Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This would also taken in Asheville, NC. 

Rte. 66 of course.  I assumed he would want to honeymoon at Disney, but he tossed out Rte. 66 and I eagerly agreed.

The Canadian Maritimes. Pick a Province, any Province. (just not Quebec. lol)

Bermuda.  Reeeeeally need to beachcomb here.  My friend Barit told me that there is some decent glass on the beaches.  

I'm certainly not gonna turn down any suggestions for RV trips across the USA or Canada, and I'm game to see anything, like Savannah, GA or New Orleans.  But for now, this is my new Bucket List.

Aptucxet Trading Post

It's sad how I could grow up somewhere and be so woefully unaware....and uninterested....in the local history.  It's just a place I lived that was historical, and lots of buildings are really old and have some significance to the beginnings of our country, but I was only vaguely aware of the specifics of said history.  

One such place is Aptucxet Trading Post.  (Pronounced:  app-TUCKS-et).  The link leads to a page with a brief history, chronologically by year, of this part of Bourne.  As an aside, the first thing on this list is that Leif Erickson visited the Manamet River.  This is absolutely the first time I have ever heard of that particular viking making his way to this part of Cape Cod.  It just doesn't seem likely.  Newfoundland, yes, but here? That's not to say other vikings could have, and probably did, explore what is now the Massachusetts coast, but Leif Erickson?

The original trading post was founded by the Pilgrims in 1627, and is our nation's oldest store.  Who knew?!  I mean seriously, colour me shocked!!  I really had no idea Aptucxet holds that distinction.  The Manament River & Scusset Rivers were what originally separated Cape Cod from the mainland, and which were dug out and widened to become the Cape Cod Canal.  The original trading post was constructed at the portage of the 2 rivers.  The current trading post is a replica of the original.

I also found out that the Gray Gables area, where Aptucxet is located, was President Grover Cleveland's summer White House from 1888-1896.  Again, who knew?  This depot was moved here from it's original location in 1976, but served as President Cleveland's personal train station.  Additional information can be found HERE, and it's pretty fascinating stuff.

This is the gift shop, which was obviously closed for the season.  I have kicked around volunteering here when the weather gets nicer.

Here's the replica of the original trading post, built in 1927.

Looking toward the Canal and service road where people can hike and bike all the way to Sandwich.

Bourne Bridge

Railroad Bridge, and Mass Maritime on the other side.