Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Quilting is just another artistic medium using fabric as the tool for creating and expressing your talents. There is no limit to what you can do with fabric and your imagination.
Bookshelf quilts are a fun way to personalize quilts for anniversaries, for instance. I made these two quilts with photos printed on fabric of the individuals I made the quilts for. One was for a 50th Wedding Anniversary and the other for a friend who shares my passion for quilting.
I am enamoured with french braid quilts and have made several. These panels are ready to assemble.New Passion
We had to end our RV venture due to the exhorbitant cost of traveling in a large rig. I was sad to see it all end so soon but when we hit Michigan and the gas prices went to $3.50 a gallon we nearly choked. Floods in New Jersey (our next destination) and hurricane Katrina (another destination) made us realize that perhaps our timing was off and we should return to California to regroup and decide what to do. Ultimately we sold our rig and bought a home and settled into retirement life. Now I have my sewing room back and am quilting like a maniac so will continue the blog but change the format to include quilting. Life is good.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Kincardine's Phantom Piper legend
Donald Sinclair thought his family was doomed. The year was 1856, eight years after the first settlers arrived at what is now
from
http://www.scottish-memories.co.uk/viewissue.asp?issueID=14
Ron and Beatrice
While visiting up in Michigan, we had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with Dale's brother Ron and his wife Beatrice. They have a beautiful home on 40 acres nestled in the Pickford area where deer come out to feed off of corn kernals that Ron spreads for them every evening at dusk. Ron built the home for them when they married 54 years ago. He has since built a second home just a few miles up the hill that they have never lived in. They liked to run down to Florida every winter to escape Michigan's 200 plus inches of snow. Ron and Beatrice loved to Square Dance and had lots of friends both at home and at their winter place in Florida. Sister Gloria and her husband Dave started going down to spend time near them in Florida every winter as well.
This summer we were able to spend many weeks with Beatrice, who has been battling cancer for a couple of years, before she finally succumbed to the disease. It was difficult to be there for her last few weeks and to lose her but it was also a blessing to be there at the time she needed family around her the most. What made this time especially meaningful was getting to know Beatrice's sisters and brothers. Beatrice came from a very large family and they were all very closely knit. Although Beatrice was 74, she was a very young and active 74, so losing her to cancer was a shock for everybody. She will be greatly missed.
This summer we were able to spend many weeks with Beatrice, who has been battling cancer for a couple of years, before she finally succumbed to the disease. It was difficult to be there for her last few weeks and to lose her but it was also a blessing to be there at the time she needed family around her the most. What made this time especially meaningful was getting to know Beatrice's sisters and brothers. Beatrice came from a very large family and they were all very closely knit. Although Beatrice was 74, she was a very young and active 74, so losing her to cancer was a shock for everybody. She will be greatly missed.
Monacle Lake
We try to make it up to the upper peninsula of Michigan every year or two to visit with Dale's sister Gloria and her husband Dave. This year was particularly fun because we had more time to spend there and enjoy their beautiful spot in paradise. They parked us on a back lot where we could have our own privacy and separate electrical hookup. We even managed to get satellite reception for TV so it was a perfect location for us. Dave and Gloria have several grown kids who spend a portion of their summers at the lake as well, so it truly is like one lonnnnnng family reunion in the summertime. Aunts, Uncles, grandkids, neices and nephews, friends and old school chums are always dropping in and Dave and Gloria feed them all. They have their main house which they live in. And then a separate building / dormitory type arrangement which has a full kitchen, bathroom and large tables that will accomodate a good size crowd with an upstairs bunk room that has a half dozen or so queen and double size beds and another l/2 bath. They are truly set up to entertain guests all summer long. Since their home is right on the lake, they have a boat dock where they have their motorboat tied up and also a paddle boat and a canoe. Dave Jr., their son, takes all the kids out tubing on the lake. There is also waterskiing if someone wants to indulge.
Gloria is a retired school teacher and Dave retired from construction work. They lived in Iowa most of their married life until they retired. They sold their home and rebuilt on Monacle Lake where they intend to spend the rest of their years together. They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next summer. Dave is Mr. Nice Guy.....loved by everybody because anybody needing anything whatsoever or help building or fixing something....gets his full attention and plenty of help. I, personally, think they sometimes take advantage of him but that's not how he sees it and is very willing to answer the call. Gloria is the organizer....knows just how to set everything up for rotating visitors....skills I think she carried over from her days spent in classrooms herding kids. LOL She's good at it and we just do what she tells us to do. When she isn't cooking and cleaning, she likes to reminesce about childhood days in Michigan. Their family is huge....Dale and Gloria's mom was one of twelve kids and they all lived in upper Michigan, so there are dozens of uncles, aunts and cousins to visit with. Dave's family is large, as well, and he grew up in the same area so you can't go anywhere without running into somebody who knows Dave or Gloria.
Our daughter Tina and grandson C.J. flew out to spend a few days with us at the lake as well. Tina surprised us actually....we were expecting C.J. but Tina came unannounced and boy....that was fun. Pretty sneaky....I'd say. She had a good time and so did we.
Also up at Monacle Lake this summer was Joan....an extended family member....by marriage....who lives in California but flies out to spend summers in Michigan in the Soo (Sault Ste Marie). Joan also happens to be one of our best friends who we spent a lot of time with back in California so it was old home week when she and I got together to go to arts and craft festivals and out to lunch and shopping down by the Locks. We had even bigger plans, like a trip to Mackinac Island, but something happened to change that so maybe next year...eh Joan? Joan is fun because she's so REAL....very open minded, very easy to talk to and very compassionate with everybody. She's everybody's mom or sister....the one you wish you had been born with. We play scrabble online everyday, even as we travel, and she beats me mercilously. That's the only bad thing I can say about her. She really needs to lighten up and give me a chance to win once in awhile. ;)
Can't wait until next summer at Monacle Lake. Don't rent out our space, guys. We'll be back.
Gloria is a retired school teacher and Dave retired from construction work. They lived in Iowa most of their married life until they retired. They sold their home and rebuilt on Monacle Lake where they intend to spend the rest of their years together. They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next summer. Dave is Mr. Nice Guy.....loved by everybody because anybody needing anything whatsoever or help building or fixing something....gets his full attention and plenty of help. I, personally, think they sometimes take advantage of him but that's not how he sees it and is very willing to answer the call. Gloria is the organizer....knows just how to set everything up for rotating visitors....skills I think she carried over from her days spent in classrooms herding kids. LOL She's good at it and we just do what she tells us to do. When she isn't cooking and cleaning, she likes to reminesce about childhood days in Michigan. Their family is huge....Dale and Gloria's mom was one of twelve kids and they all lived in upper Michigan, so there are dozens of uncles, aunts and cousins to visit with. Dave's family is large, as well, and he grew up in the same area so you can't go anywhere without running into somebody who knows Dave or Gloria.
Our daughter Tina and grandson C.J. flew out to spend a few days with us at the lake as well. Tina surprised us actually....we were expecting C.J. but Tina came unannounced and boy....that was fun. Pretty sneaky....I'd say. She had a good time and so did we.
Also up at Monacle Lake this summer was Joan....an extended family member....by marriage....who lives in California but flies out to spend summers in Michigan in the Soo (Sault Ste Marie). Joan also happens to be one of our best friends who we spent a lot of time with back in California so it was old home week when she and I got together to go to arts and craft festivals and out to lunch and shopping down by the Locks. We had even bigger plans, like a trip to Mackinac Island, but something happened to change that so maybe next year...eh Joan? Joan is fun because she's so REAL....very open minded, very easy to talk to and very compassionate with everybody. She's everybody's mom or sister....the one you wish you had been born with. We play scrabble online everyday, even as we travel, and she beats me mercilously. That's the only bad thing I can say about her. She really needs to lighten up and give me a chance to win once in awhile. ;)
Can't wait until next summer at Monacle Lake. Don't rent out our space, guys. We'll be back.
Kincardine, Ontario, Canada
Due to an illness in the family, we had to change our original plans to visit with friends in Canada for a couple of weeks and, instead, be satisfied with a shorter visit of just a few days but it was a fun packed few days, I’ll grant you that. Bob and Denise are the consummate hosts…bar none. Denise is everybody’s dream gourmet cook and Bob practically rewired his whole house to accommodate our computers. Talk about fitting right in and being comfortable. It was Five Star all the way.
Denise and I go back to 1994 when we actually met online in a sewing chatroom. She and I chatted back and forth (with our keyboards) getting acquainted, when we began to notice a pattern. We had a lot in common. We were both retired secretaries, both had been married the exact number of years (in fact our anniversaries were one week apart) and both our husbands were about the same number of years older than us. Our birthdays were just a couple of days apart. We both had white hair, wore hearing aids, loved to sew and read, and had the same taste in many other areas of our lives. We both also began to get uncomfortable with the coincidences as they piled up….each of us thinking, the other one has GOT to be faking this. So I thought I had topped her in one area and told her so. “ I’ve got two dogs…a very unusual breed….and I KNOW you won’t have one as well.” She said, “ Oh I have a dog….and it’s an uncommon breed. It’s a Bichon Frise.” Well, she couldn’t see me through the puter, but I fell on the floor…..I had TWO Bichon Frise’s. When I told her this I thought for sure she would think I was lying. And so it went….we have spent the remaining dozen years finding out how much alike our lives really are. I met her in
Anyway, while we were at Bob and Denise’s house, I had a lot of fun looking at all her quilts she’s made and going through the ones she has yet to finish. (We call them UFO’s. Unfinished Objects).
Kincardine is a wonderful little town on the shores of
Read the Legend of the Bagpiper to get the whole story.
Kincardine has other quaint traditions as well, mostly steeped around it’s Scottish history. Every Saturday night during the summertime, pipers from all around the countryside meet in Kincardine with their bagpipes and march through town playing while hoards of citizens and tourists follow them in the streets. There is also a fall get together where pipers and dancers entertain in the park centered in the town. It truly is a lovely place and I can understand why Bob and Denise resist the urge to sell their home and move to someplace else in retirement. They have a lot of history here. They raised two daughters and made lifelong friends. I think they had better just stay right here in Kincardine. It would be hard to find another place quite like it.
When we weren’t eating and touring the area, we were enmeshed in serious card play….boys against the girls….playing spades. We had a 3 night tournament which, I am proud to say, the girls won. Just barely. It must be because Denise and I think alike too and our instincts when it comes to playing cards work well for us. LOL RIGHT!!!!!
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Whitelaw, Wisconsin
Linda and Tom were well prepared for us. They have 5 l/2 acres and lots of extension cords. We settled in right away and Linda has kept us busy ever since. On Friday morning we went to yard sales (here it’s called rummaging) with Linda and her youngest daughter, Kelly. We found lots of little things we couldn’t live without (mostly books). We saw Kelly’s new apartment which is a work in progress but she definitely has her mother’s talent for painting and decorating. We stopped for brats (that’s a very large sausage on a bun) which seems to be a diet staple in
I also got to meet Emily, the oldest daughter but Ben, their son was out of town so we’ll have to wait to meet him next time. Dale was amazed that Linda and her daughter Emily looked so much alike and, he was even more amazed when he found out how old Linda is because he swore she didn’t look any older than her daughter and he really really meant it. I agree. Linda has a trick up her sleeve for staying young and I want to know what it is.
Tom and Linda took us to the most fantastic little corner bar/restaurant in a tiny hamlet near here called Menchalville that served real home cooked food buffet style. They called it a fish fry (I was thinking breaded cod strips and French fries) so I was really surprised to see all kinds of seafood on the spread…including cod, scallops, crab, boiled and fried shrimp, halibut, chicken, potatos and salads galore. But the highlight was a table of real homemade desserts which included several kinds of pies, cakes, brownies and a little item called ‘kneecaps’. Yup….that’s actually something you eat. The nearest I can describe this local delicacy is that it was shaped like it would fit right over your kneecap and consisted of fried cake sprinkled with sugar with a dollop of whipped cream right in the middle of it. We were told that there actually is a little old lady who slaves over her stove all week long to produce these amazing desserts for this obscurely located little restaurant that packs them in. What a treasure find that was. To top off the evening, Tom took us all to the Oneida Casino in
On Saturday, Tom took us to a sixteen family yard sale in the high rent district and that was FUN. We found more treasures including a nice dresser for Kelly’s new apartment.
On the way home they took us to a very unique house in the country that a railroad enthusiast built. The main house is built to look like a railway terminal on the outside. There is even a vending maching on the porch, a railcart with sacks of feed for shipping, a scale for weighing freight and a sign. Off to the right of the house is an actual railroad car on a short track. In front of the yard is a small shack where mail sacks would be hung to be picked up by passing trains. It is the darndest thing I have ever seen. I was so tickled with the thought of this guy so totally committed to his hobby that he created a real life scale model of it. I would love to see the inside of his house….I can only imagine.
I almost forgot to mention Henry and Keno. They are their family pets. Henry is a rambunctious Irish Setter who, we swear, fell in love with our Maltese Molly at first sight. He had the sappiest look on his face and just would not quit trying to engage her in play but being the stand offish little imp that she is, she’d have none of it, thank you. Of course, part of the problem might have been that he looked like a shaggy haired chop licking predator who had mistaken her for a little white rabbit. (I’m trying to get into her head here.) She wasn’t the least bit put off by Keno because he was so much older than her and quite content to ignore her. He is a rare breed from
On our last night, Tom told us lots of interesting stories from the days he was a Marine recruiter. Forget all the horror stories you’ve heard about recruiters. This guy was the exception and I wish he would write his stories down sometime for everybody to read. Some of his stories were humorous while others were poignant, but all of his stories were was quite fascinating.
Tom made Brats in Beer to go with Linda’s potato salad. The Brats were grilled first until they were toasty then they were simmered in a crockpot of beer and onions for a couple of hours. DELICIOUS.
We leave tomorrow morning for
Unremarkable tourist attractions
Sometimes your travels are as notable for the places you choose NOT to visit and ours are no exception.
The Black Hills of South Dakota (which are actually BLACK) are famous for more than just
We also passed on visiting the nearby town of
The Black Hills are also famous for the town of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back while holding a full house and where Calamity Jane hung out, making a pest of herself.
There is also the town of
Yet another town, Custer, named after you know who, was the location of yet another battle between Indians and white men….one of the last battles of record, I might add but Custer wasn’t in that battle because he had already made his last stand on the Little Big Horn river in
I’ll include other uninteresting tourist traps along the route as we venture through other states so you’ll know what you’re not missing.
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Betty and Clark
Betty and Clark
We met the most interesting couple while parked in Hardin, Montana for two days. They are from northern New Jersey and are retired. They were on their way to Washington to visit their niece.
Clark discovered civil war re-enactments and has become obsessed with them. He has formed his own ‘company’ of 15 men and attends re-enactments about six times a year at various locations. He can recite history from the civil war for hours and keep you spellbound. His company chose the 44th Regiment out of Georgia (Confederates) to represent and research. He made it sound so interesting I was ready to join up with him myself. When Clark isn’t actually engaging in civil war, he’s hopping from high school to service club educating people on the subject. What a hobby.
We met the most interesting couple while parked in Hardin, Montana for two days. They are from northern New Jersey and are retired. They were on their way to Washington to visit their niece.
Clark discovered civil war re-enactments and has become obsessed with them. He has formed his own ‘company’ of 15 men and attends re-enactments about six times a year at various locations. He can recite history from the civil war for hours and keep you spellbound. His company chose the 44th Regiment out of Georgia (Confederates) to represent and research. He made it sound so interesting I was ready to join up with him myself. When Clark isn’t actually engaging in civil war, he’s hopping from high school to service club educating people on the subject. What a hobby.
Rushmore
Mt. Rushmore
Gutzon Borglum, a sculptor, was commissioned to create a carving of figures in a mountainside of noted western personalities Lewis & Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, Chief Red Cloud and others. But Gutzon preferred carving the presidents so that the sculpture would be of national significance. He chose four presidents….George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Washington represented the birth of the country since he was the first president. Jefferson symbolized expansion since he was largely responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Lincoln embodied the preservation of the union of states in confronting the challenges of the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt represented the development of our country and the preservation of our natural resources as he was a great conservationist and environmentalist. Roosevelt, between Jefferson and Lincoln in the sculpture, would have loved being in the center. His daughter once said of her dad, “ He always wanted to be the center of attention, wherever he was. He wanted to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral.”
The sculpture took 14 years, between the years 1927 and 1941 to complete and cost $989,992.32. (That’s under one million bucks, folks. A bargain!!!) The faces are approximately 60 feet from chin to the top of the head. Each eye is 11 feet across. The noses are 20 feet long except Washington’s which is 21 feet.
No major injuries resulted from the project. 400 men worked on it and most of the sculpting was done with dynamite.
We viewed the sculpture at night. There is an amphitheater there now and at 9pm every night during the season, they have a lecture and a lighting of the monument.
Gutzon Borglum, a sculptor, was commissioned to create a carving of figures in a mountainside of noted western personalities Lewis & Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, Chief Red Cloud and others. But Gutzon preferred carving the presidents so that the sculpture would be of national significance. He chose four presidents….George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Washington represented the birth of the country since he was the first president. Jefferson symbolized expansion since he was largely responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Lincoln embodied the preservation of the union of states in confronting the challenges of the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt represented the development of our country and the preservation of our natural resources as he was a great conservationist and environmentalist. Roosevelt, between Jefferson and Lincoln in the sculpture, would have loved being in the center. His daughter once said of her dad, “ He always wanted to be the center of attention, wherever he was. He wanted to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral.”
The sculpture took 14 years, between the years 1927 and 1941 to complete and cost $989,992.32. (That’s under one million bucks, folks. A bargain!!!) The faces are approximately 60 feet from chin to the top of the head. Each eye is 11 feet across. The noses are 20 feet long except Washington’s which is 21 feet.
No major injuries resulted from the project. 400 men worked on it and most of the sculpting was done with dynamite.
We viewed the sculpture at night. There is an amphitheater there now and at 9pm every night during the season, they have a lecture and a lighting of the monument.
Custer's Last Stand
Custer’s Last Stand
On the 4th of July weekend, we spent a couple of days in Hardin, Montana so we could visit the national monument depicting Custer’s Last Stand. The site actually covers an area of 5 miles. You drive your car along a path which is sprinkled with markers describing what took place at each location during the battle which occurred on June 25, 1876. How it came about is that the government made a deal with the Indians to place them all on reservations where their life would be easier, promising to provide them with plenty of food and tools. They issued a warning that all Indians had to report to reservations by January, 1876 or they would be considered hostile. But some of the tribes had feedback from others on the reservations which indicated the government had fallen short of it’s promise and they decided they didn’t want to give up their traditional way of life. They refused to go onto the reservations willingly. Even though many of the tribes fought among themselves over land and other issues, they decided to put old disputes to bed and join forces to ensure they would not be overtaken by the military and placed on reservations with other less fortunate tribes.
Chief Sitting Bull of the Lakota organized the greatest gathering of Indians in the northern plains. Among these Indian tribes were the Lakota (also known as the Sioux but they didn’t like the name which was given to them by their enemies which meant “ sneaky snake”), the Cheyenne, the Arikara the Arapaho and the Crow. There were also 5 warriors who showed up from an little known tribe but they were suspected as being troublemakers so they were arrested by Sitting Bull and held as prisoners. Once the fighting started, Sitting Bull gave them back their guns and said, “ Prove who’s side you are on.”
The estimated number of Indians in this collective tribal gathering along the Little Bighorn River were 10,000 to 15,000 men, women and children. Their encampment was 3 miles long. Each tribe circled their tents to represent the individual communities. Of those, it was estimated there were about 2,000 warriors, young men of the age to protect their tribes from the enemy. These warriors practiced from the age of 6 shooting their rifles (sold to them by white men) and hitting their targets with bows & arrows. They could hit a target with an arrow accurately at 100 yards and never miss. Horses were a symbol of wealth so they prided themselves on their ability to ride and protected their animals. Among these warriors were 20 or 30 underaged boys who called themselves the suicide boys. They were trained to give their lives to protect the entire tribe. The Indians were committed to preserving their way of life.
Women held a lot of power in their tribes. The women built the tipi’s (teepees) and owned them. They tanned the buffalo hides to construct their homes. It took a week to tan one hide and it took 16 hides to make one small sized tipi. The tipi would last about one year. When the women married, they remained owners of their tipis and the man would move in with them. If the woman no longer wanted to be married to a man, she didn’t have to worry about a divorce. She could just put his clothing and belongings outside the tent and that meant it was over. He was homeless. Young braves who had not yet married, lived out in the open under makeshift shelters they constructed with brush and tree limbs until they could move into a real tent with their chosen bride.
The Buffalo was the most important animal in the life of an Indian besides the horse. Every part of the buffalo was used, including the stomach which served as a water pouch for carrying water up from the river or made into a pouch to store meat and jerky. Sinew was woven to make rope and bow string. The Buffalo bladder made an excellent canteen. Horns carried gun powder. Hides were used for shoes, clothing and tents. Buffalo meat was a staple in their diet. The Indians claimed to have at least 60 different uses for every part of the Buffalo. When white men began shooting buffalo for sport, it distressed the Indians greatly. At one time, the nearly 10,000 buffalo roaming the plains was down to only 100 left before something was done about the terrible waste and destruction of the breed. They are protected now and plentiful.
On June 25, 1876 George Custer and 600 soldiers along with a scout from the Crow Indian tribe, sought out ‘hostile’ Indians who refused to go to the reservations. They came upon the huge gathering of Sitting Bull and decided to make examples of them. The soldiers were split up into 2 groups. Major Reno was to take his men and attack from the south. Custer planned to take 210 men and attack from the north. Bad idea. Custer ignored his own scout’s warnings that the tribe was too large for this small band of soldiers to overcome. Custer, in his arrogance, would not back down. Reno went in first but quickly retreated when 1500 warriors rode against his men, chasing them back into the hills. Then the warriors retreated and went after Custer and his men. Custer was trapped on a hill with his men and slaughtered within 40 minutes. The warriors dismounted and crawled toward Custer and the soldiers, raising up only long enough to rain arrows shot straight up into the air and curving down in a storm over the soldiers. A thousand arrows hit their targets over and over but crawling warriors were impossible to hit with rifle fire. The strategy was brilliant and deadly. The warriors overtook the soldiers who were scattering like scared rabbits. Custer and his 210 men were soon dead. The indians did unspeakable things to their bodies and took their horses and guns. I have included a photo of the gravesite as it appears today.
Major Reno and the rest of the Brigade held their own against the warriors until reinforcements showed up, saving their lives and running the tribes off.
The Sioux and Cheyenne victory at Little Bighorn in 1876 was a great achievement for Indians, but, with the exception of Sitting Bull’s band, all of the participants surrendered within a year of the battle and were forced onto reservations.
On the 4th of July weekend, we spent a couple of days in Hardin, Montana so we could visit the national monument depicting Custer’s Last Stand. The site actually covers an area of 5 miles. You drive your car along a path which is sprinkled with markers describing what took place at each location during the battle which occurred on June 25, 1876. How it came about is that the government made a deal with the Indians to place them all on reservations where their life would be easier, promising to provide them with plenty of food and tools. They issued a warning that all Indians had to report to reservations by January, 1876 or they would be considered hostile. But some of the tribes had feedback from others on the reservations which indicated the government had fallen short of it’s promise and they decided they didn’t want to give up their traditional way of life. They refused to go onto the reservations willingly. Even though many of the tribes fought among themselves over land and other issues, they decided to put old disputes to bed and join forces to ensure they would not be overtaken by the military and placed on reservations with other less fortunate tribes.
Chief Sitting Bull of the Lakota organized the greatest gathering of Indians in the northern plains. Among these Indian tribes were the Lakota (also known as the Sioux but they didn’t like the name which was given to them by their enemies which meant “ sneaky snake”), the Cheyenne, the Arikara the Arapaho and the Crow. There were also 5 warriors who showed up from an little known tribe but they were suspected as being troublemakers so they were arrested by Sitting Bull and held as prisoners. Once the fighting started, Sitting Bull gave them back their guns and said, “ Prove who’s side you are on.”
The estimated number of Indians in this collective tribal gathering along the Little Bighorn River were 10,000 to 15,000 men, women and children. Their encampment was 3 miles long. Each tribe circled their tents to represent the individual communities. Of those, it was estimated there were about 2,000 warriors, young men of the age to protect their tribes from the enemy. These warriors practiced from the age of 6 shooting their rifles (sold to them by white men) and hitting their targets with bows & arrows. They could hit a target with an arrow accurately at 100 yards and never miss. Horses were a symbol of wealth so they prided themselves on their ability to ride and protected their animals. Among these warriors were 20 or 30 underaged boys who called themselves the suicide boys. They were trained to give their lives to protect the entire tribe. The Indians were committed to preserving their way of life.
Women held a lot of power in their tribes. The women built the tipi’s (teepees) and owned them. They tanned the buffalo hides to construct their homes. It took a week to tan one hide and it took 16 hides to make one small sized tipi. The tipi would last about one year. When the women married, they remained owners of their tipis and the man would move in with them. If the woman no longer wanted to be married to a man, she didn’t have to worry about a divorce. She could just put his clothing and belongings outside the tent and that meant it was over. He was homeless. Young braves who had not yet married, lived out in the open under makeshift shelters they constructed with brush and tree limbs until they could move into a real tent with their chosen bride.
The Buffalo was the most important animal in the life of an Indian besides the horse. Every part of the buffalo was used, including the stomach which served as a water pouch for carrying water up from the river or made into a pouch to store meat and jerky. Sinew was woven to make rope and bow string. The Buffalo bladder made an excellent canteen. Horns carried gun powder. Hides were used for shoes, clothing and tents. Buffalo meat was a staple in their diet. The Indians claimed to have at least 60 different uses for every part of the Buffalo. When white men began shooting buffalo for sport, it distressed the Indians greatly. At one time, the nearly 10,000 buffalo roaming the plains was down to only 100 left before something was done about the terrible waste and destruction of the breed. They are protected now and plentiful.
On June 25, 1876 George Custer and 600 soldiers along with a scout from the Crow Indian tribe, sought out ‘hostile’ Indians who refused to go to the reservations. They came upon the huge gathering of Sitting Bull and decided to make examples of them. The soldiers were split up into 2 groups. Major Reno was to take his men and attack from the south. Custer planned to take 210 men and attack from the north. Bad idea. Custer ignored his own scout’s warnings that the tribe was too large for this small band of soldiers to overcome. Custer, in his arrogance, would not back down. Reno went in first but quickly retreated when 1500 warriors rode against his men, chasing them back into the hills. Then the warriors retreated and went after Custer and his men. Custer was trapped on a hill with his men and slaughtered within 40 minutes. The warriors dismounted and crawled toward Custer and the soldiers, raising up only long enough to rain arrows shot straight up into the air and curving down in a storm over the soldiers. A thousand arrows hit their targets over and over but crawling warriors were impossible to hit with rifle fire. The strategy was brilliant and deadly. The warriors overtook the soldiers who were scattering like scared rabbits. Custer and his 210 men were soon dead. The indians did unspeakable things to their bodies and took their horses and guns. I have included a photo of the gravesite as it appears today.
Major Reno and the rest of the Brigade held their own against the warriors until reinforcements showed up, saving their lives and running the tribes off.
The Sioux and Cheyenne victory at Little Bighorn in 1876 was a great achievement for Indians, but, with the exception of Sitting Bull’s band, all of the participants surrendered within a year of the battle and were forced onto reservations.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Port Townsend and Fort Worden, Washington
We went to Fort Worden in Port Townsend yesterday. It was particularly interesting because that's where " Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed. It's a beautiful fort that has been recycled into a resort of sorts (state park) where you can camp, stay at a bed and breakfast or hunt ghosts. Yup...there are a few ghost stories associated with Fort Wordens including one at the Guard House where a soldier accidentally shot and killed himself and has haunted the guard house ever since.
As we drove the grounds we could just visualize Lou Gossett addressing his unit of recruits, including " Mayo" played by Richard Gere. 
Trivia re: movie
Port Townsend reminds me of Sausalito, California. The downtown area is old....all buildings were built around 1880's and the names of the men who built them are engraved on each one. I guess that was a status symbol those days....you put the date and your name on your building. There were dozens of wonderful shops for tourists including quilt stores which made me very happy. It's a port town so you will see lots of boats and seafood restaurants. It was nestled in a beautiful harbor surrounded by dense green forest. Spectacular.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
A trip to the falls
Duffy took us for a nice walk up a shady lane which led to a beautiful waterfall just a mile or so from his property on the Dosewallips River. The falls don't have a name, as far as he knows, but they were spectacular and descend into a large pool where brave kids often frolic and swim. It looked very dangerous to me because of all the steep rocks around it which have fallen over time but you know kids....they know no fear. Here's a photo of Dale, Molly and Duffy walking up the shady lane and also one of Duffy on a rock just under the falls.
We are winding up our stay in Washington on Friday, July 1 and heading east towards Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. Since it's all unknown territory to us it feels a little scary, but also exciting. It'll be fun hunting for unique sites and interesting people to interact with.
We are winding up our stay in Washington on Friday, July 1 and heading east towards Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. Since it's all unknown territory to us it feels a little scary, but also exciting. It'll be fun hunting for unique sites and interesting people to interact with.
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