The "A Little Bit Of This & That" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Totally ordinary!  Not much going on.  So, I did some clean-up on my desktop and found a variety of items I had been saving from the past couple of years for no particular reason.  Time to get rid of them, so I thought I would post a few of them today and put the rest in the trash can at the bottom of my MacBook Air screen.  Hope you can find something that may interest you amongst the mishmash of today's story.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

#1 - This is a postcard showing the original grave of Barbara Fritchie from Frederick, Maryland.  The postcard is marked Circa 1910.  Barbara was born Barbara Hauer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and married John Casper Fritchie, a glove maker, on May 6, 1806.  She became famous as the heroine of the 1863 poem "Barbara Frietchie" by John Greenleaf Whittier, in which she pleads with an occupying Confederate General to "Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country's flag."  There months after this alleged incident, Barbara died.  She was buried alongside her husband, who had died in 1849, in the German Reformed Cemetery in Frederick.  Then, in 1914, her remains were moved to Mount Olivet Cemetery along with a new memorial.

#2 - Above is pictured what is most likely the only polling place in the state of Pennsylvania at which a President, or former President of the United States voted.  The picture is of Engleside during the time James Buchanan was in Lancaster.  The Hotel in the center of the photograph, so far as could be determined has always been used as the polling place for the people of Lancaster County.  Search of court records shed no definitive information on the subject, but it is reasonable to believe that James Buchanan voted here before he was elected and after he had retired as President of The United States.
  

#3 - The date of this photograph in the Lancaster Newspaper was May 28, 1918.  It shows new recruits leaving for the Army.

#4 - Distinguished Visitor - Lancaster crowded around the old train depot when the Liberty Bell, mounted on a flat car, passed through Lancaster in 1915 en route to the California exposition.  Today, heavily guarded, but unprotected from air raids, the old bell is attracting unprecendented crowds to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where thousands come just to see and touch it.

#5 - The top drawing was the home of Dr.  H. B. Bowman who lived in the home in nearby Neffsville, Pennsylvania and had a store to the right side of the home.  The bottom photo is a more recent photograph of the same location and was the home of the Nissley's.  They too owned and operated an automotive shop to the left of the house.  Today is still remains an automobile shop.  

The "Exploring A Town Known As Manheim, Pennsylvania - Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Parked the car in the empty lot and told Carol I'd be right back after snapping a few photographs of what at one time was the Henry Bates Grubb Mansion right outside the small town known as Manheim, Pennsylvania.  To most people my age, the Mansion had come to be known as the Grubb Mansion, since it was in the 1800s that Henry Bates Grubb built the original sandstone dwelling which he named Mount Hope.  He and his family lived there as well as three later generations of Grubbs.

The Grubb Mansion

The mansion was designed to look like a feudal English Manor, standing tall among the surrounding out-buildings that served not only the Mansion, but the nearby iron furnace which operated on the 3,000 acre estate until 1885.  The 32 room Mansion dripped of elegance and splendor as did the additions that followed in the Federal design and architecture of the 1800s.  The Victorian Mansion was surrounded by castle walls and turrets and the 32 rooms had winding walnut staircases, hand-painted 18 foot ceilings, imported crystal chandeliers and a Grand Ballrooom.  

The Mansion as it appears today

All these amenities marked the Victorianized Mansion.  What's neat is that you can now take a tour of the Mansion if you happen to arrive at Mount Hope.  As part of the tour you will be treated to wine tasting in the Mansion Billiard Room.  Oh yeah...I forgot to mention the billiard room!  Not only that...I forgot to tell you that Mount Hope is now The Mount Hope Estate and Winery, since a group of local businessmen purchased the old mansion and 87 acre estate to both preserve it and turn it into a winery.  Hostesses provide an interesting background in wine appreciation and present visitors with sample tastings from the Mount Hope wine cellars.  The Pennsylvania Limited Winery Act allows the winery to sell to the public its wines that have been produced from Pennsylvania grown grapes.  

The estate sits behind the wine store.

Adjacent to Mount Hope Winery is the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.  In 1980 a two day jousting festival called the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire was held in the winery parking lot.  The event proved to be so successful that it was expanded and today it covers about 35 acres with 90 shows performed daily on 12 stages with hundreds of costumed characters as well as a recreation of a 16th century English village with authentic Tudor buildings.  It is open from August through November each year.  My daughter worked a summer in the 1980s at the Faire demonstrating how to work a weaver's loom.  As a student at Millersville State Teacher's College, I took a course on weaving and would often tell her about the course.  She became interested and I showed her how to weave and when a friend of her's told her of an opening at the Faire for a weaver, she applied for the job and got it.  On weekends she would demonstrate how to make different fabrics.  Well, what at one time was a successful iron industry has now turned into a successful entertainment venue at the Grubb Mansion at the Mount Hope Winery.  Make a visit sometime and be taken back in time to another era.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Exploring A Town Known As Manheim, Pennsylvania - Part I" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Beautiful fall day and I'm making my way home through the small town of Manheim, Pennsylvania after taking a few photos of the Mount Hope Winery which is located a few miles north of Manheim.  After returning home I find my way to my office and begin a search of the winery as well as the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire which is directly next to the winery.  While searching, up pops a page of old photographs that were taken in the early 1900s in Manheim.  Some very interesting places that no longer exist, but at one time were perhaps some of the favorite spots to visit while in Manheim.  Follow along with me as I tell, as well as show, about the places I have found, but don't remember them from being in the town of Manheim in my lifetime.  

#1 - The "Moving Picture Show" was opened in the Manheim Market House at what today is 21-23 West Ferdinand Street.  The building is now an apartment house.  When the theatre was first opened in the 1920s, it was for showing "nothing but clean and respectable pictures with illustrated songs and other music, with frequent changes in the program.  Special features were introduced from time to time, and the public could always rely on a good show.  Father, mother, young men, young ladies and children were all invited to come on the opening night and every evening thereafter."  Admission was only $.05.

#2. - Anyone remember the silent movie that featured Rosalind Russell and Brian Aherne?  It was released early 1944 and played at the "Auditorium" which was on the east side of S. Charlotte Street in one of the finest and most up-to-date opera/movie houses in the county.  It actually had air conditioning and all the other conveniences for a place of this nature to make it comfortable for its patrons.  Before being an opera/movie house, it was the Grace Lutheran Church.  Now it is owned by A. K. Kauffman who features  movies on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.  Then in 1926 the building was sold to James Theros of Lancaster who updated the inside so it could seat 650 patrons.  In 1930 talking pictures replaced the silent screen and were shown every night but Sunday. 

    

This black and white photograph was taken in 1930.  It is a photo of the Manheim Meat market located in the Summy Building which was located at 27 South Main Street.  This place was very progressive since they had a delivery service available.  Check out the prices on the advertisement that follows.

This sepia photograph shows the center of town in Manheim.  Known as Market Square, this photo shows what the square looked like if you were looking  West from what at the time was called Prussian Street.  Today it is known as Main Street or PA Rt. 72.  The final photograph shows what it looks like today. 

The town of Manheim is much like the town of nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania.  The one major difference is that Lititz has a very wide Main Street with many single homes along it while Manheim has a very narrow Main Street with mostly row homes.  Both towns have some very interesting features and historical stories to share about them. lt was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Dreaming Of A Far Off Island In The Caribbean" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Checking out one of the Facebook pages that I frequently visit each day.  The site is called WE ARE ST. MAARTEN ST. MARTIN and was started a few years ago by one of our friends on the island, Barbara Cannegieter as well as Barbara's friends Jadira Veen (who had suggested the page), Ronny Busby and Alita Singh.  The content on the page allows Carol and I to visit our favorite Caribbean island whenever we wish without leaving our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Barbara lived in nearby Williamsport, Pennsylvania during her younger years until she met and married the love of her life, Deiderick who lived in Sint Maarten.  While making a visit to her website today, I found quite a few beautiful photographs of the island that were taken by a variety of photographers.  Some of the photos are from years ago while some are recent photographs.  Today, I have included some of my favorites for you to also enjoy.  Names of the photographer are given with the photo provided they were posted with the photo.  May the photographs take you to a lovely island many miles from your living room and the isolation that many of you are experiencing while trying to stay safe and free of the COVID-19.  You can enlarge the photographs by clicking on them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The Simpson Bay Bridge allows water traffic to enter Simpson Bay.

The Court House in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

A beautiful view of what I believe is Simpson Bay.

Unbelievable rainbow.  Albina Matuzko photo taken Nov. 14, 2020

Another photo taken by Albina Matuzko on Simpson Bay Beach.

Alex Hubler. Top of Fort Willen overlookiing Philipsburg and Great Salt Pond.

Photo by Arun Jagtiani

Beacon Hill Road Garden

Another great rainbow photograph by Claudette Labega.

This is marked 1963 and was posted by Erwin Ferrier.

Photo taken by Dorette de Leeuw-Pfennings

Rajesh Chjintaman photo of the border monument.

Nigel Lalman taken on St. Maarten Day.

Osmond Gibson proposing to Jet Blue Attendant Khadisha Alie 
at Princess Julianna International Airport.

Boeing plane arriving at the airport.  Philippe Finkel photo

Another plane landing at the airport, posted by Ife Badejo

Ronny Busby photo of Great Bay

Roy van Zutphen beach photograph.

Taken at Seaside Nature Park

St. Martin of Tours Parish Church telling the
story of this young girl's First Communion.

Tianna & Gabriel by Souleyman Photography

The "Thanksgiving Dinner As it Was In 1621...But Perhaps Not Today!" Story

 Preface:  I wrote this story about two weeks ago in anticipation of being with friends and family today to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.  Carol and I made a final decision a few days ago to stay in our safe home and not attend our traditional Thanksgiving feast with other family members.  We made the choice hoping everyone would understand that celebrating one day might have been the beginning of the end for both of. us.  We look forward to the Christmas season and hope the COVID-19 virus will release it's grip on the world so we don't have to miss this holiday also.  Please read on...and have a safe Happy Thanksgiving Day!

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my wife about Thanksgiving Day and what we will do about attending and hosting the Thanksgiving meal.  Traditionally, we usually go to our daughter-in-law's mother's home in nearby Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.  Most years Etta would invite about ten to the dinner, but this year she told us there would be eight.  We thanked her for the invite and told her we would let her know soon.  We also celebrate Thanksgiving on the Saturday after the holiday at our niece's home in nearby Ephrata.  There are usually about 20 family members at that dinner with each family bringing a dish or two.  My wife, Carol, usually does two turkeys for that celebration.  But, my brother called the other day and said there will be no Thanksgiving dinner at his daughter's house this year.  So, we either go to dinner at our daughter-in-law's home, or don't celebrate Thanksgiving.  Tough choice to make.  We try to reason that no one is ill at present...but who knows what could happen.  We don't want to become a statistic for a turkey meal!  Tough to miss the holiday.  We tried to think...what would the Pilgrim's do?   It was back in 1621 that the Pilgrims famously shared a harvest feast with the Pokanokets.  This feast is now considered the basis for the first Thanksgiving holiday.  Do you remember about the Pilgrims and the establishment of the Plymouth Colony in 1620.  The Pilgrims were the English settlers who came to North America on the Mayflower and established the Plymouth Colony in what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts.  The colony was named after the final departure port of Plymouth, Devon.  They had fled religious persecution in England for the tolerance of 17th-century Holland in the Netherlands.  Plymouth Colony was the second successful English settlement in America, following the founding of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.  It was in September of 1620 that about 100 people set sail from England on the Mayflower.  That November the ship landed on the shores of Cape Cod.  They didn't remain there, but traveled to Plymouth harbor where they landed and created the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England.  These settlers were known as the Pilgrim Fathers, or simply the Pilgrims.  This rag-tag group consisted of 35 members of a radical Puritan faction known as the English Separatist Church.  The Mayflower was a three-masted merchant ship and originally was accompanied by a smaller vessel, the Speedwell.  This ship proved to be unseaworthy and was forced to return to port, leaving the Mayflower on its own.  Some of the most noteworthy passengers on the Mayflower were Myles Standish, a professional soldier, and William Bradford, a Separatist congregation leader who wrote his account of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony.  Rough seas prevented the Mayflower. from landing in their destination of Virginia, but after 65 days they landed on the shores of Cape Cod.  Some wanted to stay while others wanted to try and find Virginia.  The Pilgrims knew something had to be done or they would never reach their destination so they signed the Mayflower Compact in which they agreed to join together in a "Civil Body Politic."  

The Mayflower Compact being signed.

This compact was the first document to establish self-government in the New World.  An exploring party went ashore and the Mayflower finally landed at what they would call Plymouth Harbor.  More than half of the English settlers died during that first winter due to poor nutrition and housing.   Leaders such as Bradford, Standish, John Carver, William Brewster and Edward Winslow kept them together.  In April of 1621, after the death of their first governor, John Carver, Bradford became governor and would be chosen for that position 30 more times.  The Native Americans who lived in the area where they establish Plymouth Colony were the Wampanoag people who had been there for 10,000 years.  The Pilgrims built their settlement and also got to know Tisquantum, also known as Squanto, an English speaking Native American.  He was responsible for teaching the Pilgrims how to plant corn as well as where to fish and hunt.  

Thanksgiving Day dinner.

Then in the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims famously shared a harvest feast with the Pokanokets.  Since that day in history we have celebrated that special day every year...except perhaps this year...due to the COVID-19 virus.  So, even thought we may not be eating turkey, stuffing sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, we still wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "So, What Is A Handboard?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Reading an interesting column written by Jack Brubaker who is known in Lancaster, Pennsylvania as "The Scribbler."  Story he had written was titled "'The Handboards' was once a place to meet and murder!"  After reading the title I knew I was going to enjoy the story.  So, what is a handboard?  Handboards were from the 19th and early 20th century and were found at street intersections.  Handboards were signs that had a finger unfurled from a hand which was pointing in the direction of the named town on the hardboard.  Much the same as our street signs today, but with a bit more flare.  At one time there were hundreds of handboards at Lancaster County intersections, but there was only ONE handboard sign that meant anything.  The area around that particular handboard became known as "the Handboards."  The sign was on a post at the corner of Route 897; Ranck and Meetinghouse roads.  The location is in what is known as Salisbury Township and is on the edge of Welsh Moutain.  This particular Handboard was so well-known that people would base their directions on that handboard and might say "Go to the handboard and turn left."  Then in the 1940s the sign disappeared.  Recently a new handboard has been placed in the same area and directs drivers to four nearby areas; Mount Airy, Meadville, Cedar Lake and Greenbank.  The new handboard was placed at the site by Jack Hilliard.  

Jack's new handboard.

Jack lives in Greenbank and designed the sign, but not after the original one, since he could not find any photos of the old one that went missing.  He made his handboard by laying his hand with pointed fingers on a piece of paper and drawing lines around it. He cut the ends of four boards to match his pointing hand.  The handboard was made by painting four boards white with his pointing hand.  Each sign had black lettering of the place names.  All four signs were attatched to an aluminum post and placed at the crossroads.  The handboard intersection is back again!  A second part of this story deals with a section of the Welsh Mountain known as "the Handboards" where in the 1890s two murders occurred.  George Boots stabbed Amos Bill to death in 1890 and Jerry Green killed his half brother Abe Green in 1896.  The Handboards gained their notoriety due to the fact that Abe and his gang of outlaws used The Handboards section of the mountain as their headquarters.  Today, the new sign placed at The Handboards spot will hopefully bring back the many, many years of memories, both good and bad, that were once part of the Welsh Mountain.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "They Used To Be The Best Crab Cakes In Lancaster," Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I had just finished our crab cakes that we had purchased at Stauffer's of Kissel Hill which is a grocery store on our way toward Lititz, PA.  They are probably the best we have found in Lancaster County for years.  We have decided that we enjoy them more than the crab cakes that we purchase at Woody's Crab House in Northeast, Maryland.  Woody's crab cakes at one time had replaced the crab cakes that we used to buy at Hall's Cafe which was at the corner of East Ross and North Plum streets in the city of Lancaster.  For years and years we would visit the cafe on a Friday evening to eat our supper.  They had the best crab cakes in Lancaster!  Albert and his wife Marie had owned and operated the neighborhood bar since 1946 when it was given to him by his father.  Over the years very little changed.  Their crab cakes remained the same as they were when his father had made them.  The bar was a family place and a great business.  

Albert and Marie Hall

Then in 1981, Albert and Marie decided to sell the cafe and retire.  Found out that the teacher at the end of the hall of the high school where I taught, Mary Koons and her husband, had purchased it and Mary was going to retire from teaching Spanish and begin to make crab cakes.  I had a long talk with her letting her know how good the crab cakes were and hoping she wasn't going to change how they were made.  "No problem!" she told me.  Mary and Edwin ate at the cafe for years and were charmed by it's neighborly atmosphere and good food, and made dinner at the restaurant a weekly event as did Carol and I.  

Edwin and Mary Koons

Mary said she loved the food and never had a bad experience.  So, when she and Edwin heard that the Hall's were going to sell the place, they decided it was time to act and make a change in careers.  For years Carol and I continued to eat there, but we eventually drifted away from the cafe.  That was close to 40 years ago and Carol and I haven't eaten at Hall's for quite some time.  We recently talked about the crab cakes at Hall's and decided to see what was happening at "Hall's Cafe."  So, I sat in my trusty swivel chair and Googled it on my Mac.  Stories from way back when the Hall's owned the cafe popped up and there was a familiar name among the stories.  

The bar of Hall's Cafe

Guy by the name of David Hall was mentioned and before long I realized I had gone to high school with Dave.  After we had graduated together, Dave eventually ended up flying commercial planes for Eastern Airlines.  Lost track of Dave quite a few years ago, until seeing him again at our 50th class reunion.  Fun to talk about the "good 'ole times and the crab cakes were part of the conversation.  As I sat at my computer, I printed out a few stories and photographs that I used to write this story as well as show you what the interior of the place used to look like years ago.  The last story I found was dated Wednesday, May 16, 2012 and told the story about a fellow named Donroe Giffing who had purchased Hall's Cafe from Mary and her husband.  He had renamed it Rumpelbrewskins and made over $75,000 in renovations, adding a new decor and revamping the menu.  He stated in the newspaper that he will still serve the crab cakes, but only on the first Friday of every month.  Haven't checked, but hope that wasn't a mistake, since some people like their crab cakes more than once a month!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Fastest Girl Drummer In The World" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Mid-1950s and I remember watching this lady drummer perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in black and white on our small TV that sat on our living room table at 929 North Queen Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  My mom and dad just loved it, as did I.  Wasn't the first time she appeared on the show, having made several appearances which led to her signing an endorsement deal with Ludwig Drums and the Zildjian cymbal company.  I'm sure that most of you never heard of Viola Smith.

Viloa Smith as a member of her family's band.

She was born on November 29, 1912 in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin.  She had nine siblings, attended a rural schoolhouse and her father, Nicholas, ran a tavern and dance hall and played coronet professionally.  She grew up playing in a jazz band with her seven sisters which was known as the Schmitz Sisters Orchestra.  They performed at state fairs and toured the vaudeville circuit.  Eventually, most of her sisters married and left the band, but she continued on with another all-female band know as the Coquettes which rose to national fame in the 1930s.  Viola became the first female star of jazz drumming, performing at president Harry S. Truman's inauguration gala and worked with Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb.  Her showcase tune was a jazzy piece known as "Snake Charmer," in which she exhibited her virtuosity in a flashy solo.  Many called her the "female Gene Krupa" to which she would reply, "You mean he was the male Viola Smith. 

Then the bright lights of New York attracted her and she ended up studying timpani at the Julliard School and played with the snare drum virtuoso Billy Gladsone at Radio City Music Hall.  One night, a young Frank Sinatra talked about her during one of his performances which lead to more performances for her.  She eventually found a studio apartment in Midtown New York where she ended up living for 70 years.  It was during that time that she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show.  In 1966 she was a member of the Kit Kat Band that performed in the original production of "Cabaret."  After that performance ended she retired from performing and spent her time getting good at bridge.  

She later discovered that she was being hailed as a female pioneer of drumming which was a surprise to her.  "It's all amazing to me what I see now on the internet," she told "Tom Tom" drumming magazine.  In 2012 she moved to Southern California and lived there on a Christian commune in Costa Mesa, largely composed of older women, called the Piecemakers.  The origins of the group, which operates a country store that sells homemade quilts and crafts, dates to the 1960s.  Well, Viola Smith, the "fastest girl drummer in the world" died this past October 21 at her home in Costa Mesa at the age of 107.  It was said she had a drum stick in her hand when she died!  And, after reading about her, I remembered her from her performance on TV when I was a very young boy.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Why Didn't I Learn This In My History Classes?" Story

 It was an ordinary day.  Finally took a photograph of the Pennsylvania historical street sign that stands in the 100 block of North Queen Street in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I have driven and walked past the sign hundreds of times in my life, but never took the time to read it until this past week when I stopped in the same block to take a photo of another item in the block.  

Sign was a brief summary of the life of Mr. Simon Snyder who was the third Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and who happened to live in the building behind the sign at one time.  I have written many times about members of the Lancaster community, but had never known about Mr. Snyder until I recently read about him on the sign.  Typed his name on my computer and found page after page about the gentleman whom I had never known before now.  Mr. Snyder was born in Lancaster in the Province of Pennsylvania on November 5, 1759.  His parents were ethnic Germans who brought Simon up in the Lutheran church, but eventually became members of the Moravian Church in Lancaster.  His father died in 1774 when Simon was 15, so Simon became apprenticed to a tanner in nearby York, Pennsylvania.  Ten years later Simon moved to Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania where he opened a gristmill.  His home in that town still stands at 121 North Market Street and is now known as the Gov. Simon Snyder Mansion and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  So, just how did Mr. Snyder become Governor Snyder?  Well, a bit about his private life should come first.  He was married to Elizabeth Michael in 1790.  They had two children, but Elizabeth died four years after they were married.  Snyder quickly married Catherine Antes two years later in 1796.  He and his second wife had another five children and then she died in March of 1810.  Four years later he married Mary Slough Scott, a widow.  They remained married until Mr. Snyder's death in 1819.  Getting back to his political life; Snyder began his political career as a Justice of the Peace when he moved to Selinsgrove in 1784.  Five years later he was elected as a delegate and he helped revise Pennsylvania's state constitution the following year.  

Simon Snyder

He then served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving from 1797 to 1807.  During those years he was the Speaker of the House in 1804, 1805 and 1807.  During that time he sponsored the "Hundred-Dollar Act" which provided for the trial of civil cases only when the amount in question was more than $100.  In 1808 the Jefferson Democrats united behind Snyder and he became Governor of Pennsylvania.  He was re-elected in 1811 and 1814.  In 1812 Snyder suggested the capital of Pennsylvania be moved from Lancaster to Harrisburg and his proposal was approved.  Simon Snyder supported the War of 1812 and after the war Snyder was considered for the Vice-President slot, but it never happened.  Snyder moved to Union County, Pennsylvania where he was then elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1818, but died of typhoid fever before taking office.  He is buried in the Old Lutheran Cemetery in Selinsgrove.  Pretty impressive credentials for someone I had never heard of during all my classes in history in high school and college.  Of course, I never did care for history until I got older and became a part of it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Da Flamingo Is Not Eaten As Da Turkey" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I were visiting with friends Jere and Sue who live in State College, Pennsylvania.  It was Grange Fair Week and we made a trip to the fair on the final day to view the displays, check out the livestock and have a good meal.  

Carol's flamingo top!

Nothing new for us since we have done much the same thing about a half-dozen other times.  As we were wandering around the fairgrounds, a young woman walked up to Carol and told her how much she loved her top she was wearing.  Now, how many times has someone stopped you and complimented you on the attire you are wearing.  Perhaps the same amount of times as me; NONE!  And, it hasn't been the first time that someone has walked up to her and told her they loved her top, for you see, it really is neat.  She bought her flamingo top a few years ago at a department store in Lancaster, PA and ever since has been receiving comments.  

The beautiful flamingo.

If you are not familiar with the flamingo, it is a type of wading bird that is so-named due to its "flame color."  Flamingos usually stand on one leg with the other tucked beneath their bodies.  Why?  No one really knows, but it is thought that by standing on one leg, it reduces the energy expenditure for producing muscular effort to stand and balance on one leg.  

Carol dancing with the flamingos.

Carol has always enjoyed watching flamingos and a few years ago had the chance to walk around with a few when the four of us visited the zoo in the Bahamas.  During a show at the zoo, the ringmaster asked for volunteers to walk, or dance, with the flamingos.  We all pointed to Carol, so she had to walk with them as they walked around the display area.  She even had to stand on one foot as the flamingos did.  A few years later we visited the English islands known as the Turks and Caicos where we stayed on the island known as Provienciales.  One day we took a day-trip to North Caicos with the intent of seeing all the flamingos that were said to inhabit the waters around the island.  

Joshua and Douglas in North Caicos.

To our disappointment we picked the wrong end of the island and saw just a few.  But that particular day we did get to meet a pair of gentlemen named Joshua and Douglas.  The two owned an island grill which was bright lime green and yellow in color.  We stopped to grab a bite to eat, but the place was closed for the day. We stopped to talk with them and asked what happened to all the flamingos.  As we talked with Josh we found he was born on North Caicos, but moved to Bahama and then to the US to study to be a chef.  Returned to North Caicos where he opened the restaurant.  I asked him if he ever ate a flamingo.  Laughter broke out and he finally said, "Used to eat them all the time until you white boys came around and asked how we could eat our National Bird.  

The cartoon which caused all the furor!

Thought we better stop, since it may be bad for business.  After a bit more conver- sation with Joshua and Douglas, we headed down the road to "Miss B's" which was Joshua's recommen- dation.  We have never forgotten our experience on North Caicos and our visit to see the flamingoes.  But, Carol now has a new top as well as a pair of earrings that sport the flamingo and still draw stares.  

The beautiful flamingo.

Recently Sue posted a cartoon on Facebook that shows a turkey dressed as a flamingo to keep it from being Thanks- giving dinner.  In return, Carol sent a note to Sue which said, "Except in Caicos....remember!"  Sue returned the note with...A direct quote from Joshua MacIntosh: "Years ago us islanders used to eat da flamingo.  But when da white man come, dey say it shameful dat we eat da national bird.  No more do we eat da flamingo."  Yes, I remember.  To which Sue's son Tony replied: "OMG, Really!"  To which Carol replied: "IT'S IN THE BOOK! meaning that has been typed and written in Sue's scrap book from our visit to Turks and Caicos.  To which Tony replied:  "Oh crap, that's too funny!"  End of Story.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Neat photograph I got when visiting in the Bahamas.

Carol has added another flamingo top,

and a pair of sandals,

and a pair of ear rings.