25 December 2010

Christmas Wishes 2010

A Christmas Wish to everyone!

For the first time in almost two decades neither Lorraine nor I, both of us with loved one's in hospital, could make it on our annual trek to watch the sun rise over the ocean.
Still intent to provide you with a warm wish from the outer reaches, a church in Ashland, Maine graces the page today.

Hope your day is warm, loving and peaceful.

interesting reads

The Hayfield Forever. "The Mystery of Poet Demod Smith and his Final Lines, Posthumously Annotated and Published by ForeverPrized.com, Inc."
     A site -and a story- that characterizes itself as providing "highly experimental writing and poetry" about the last poem of the above named poet. The site's links and narratives go on about a sleazy website owner who has stolen the thunder [and the publishing rights] of the deceased from his wife and family. Not funny, but not unheard of. By the way, I tried on Google to located anything I could about Dem Smith and came up blank. Go figure. It's an entertaining read, whatever the facts of the case.
     You might also check in on Hayfield Forever's FaceBook Page.

A is for Allagash. Born April 30, 1920, Lou Pelletier worked as a lumberman/contractor all his life. Refuses to retire. Recently built a log camp for sale. This is a link to his life's memoir, A IS FOR ALLAGASH: MEMOIR OF A LUMBERJACK, co-written with his daughter, author Cathie Pelletier.
     This is on ordinary backwoods self-publishing effort. Some well-known personalities have taken the time to endorse this small book. Janet Mills, Maine’s Attorney General, wrote the foreword. Hollywood film director Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Bourne Identity) gave an endorsement, as did country music icons Tanya Tucker and Doug Kershaw.
     So how did this memoir come about?
     “I’ve been writing down my parents’ memories for over thirty years,” says Cathie Pelletier, the author of 9 published novels, two of which became television films. “This book was done to celebrate my father’s life and share his memories with his family, friends and past business associates.”
     The book has 26 pages of text, one for each letter of the alphabet, along with illustrations or colorized photos to compliment the words. Local artist Lulu Pelletier, of Fort Kent, did most of the illustrations. She visited with Louis in Allagash and asked him questions about the log drives and particularly the workings of a ferry boat. Other illustrations range from log drive images to the flora and fauna of the Allagash region.
     You can order a copy from Northern Maine Books.

24 December 2010

Christmas Wishes


Decorations at Bill's apartment

21 December 2010

apres DADT


The President of the United States speaks at the signing of DADT Repeal into law.

IMAGE SOURCE: JoeGage.com. CAUTION: Joe Gage [dot] com is an adult oriented web page, focusing on very intimate male-to-male consensual encounters.

20 December 2010

distractions - Barbra Streisand

Thanks for the link goes to Steven

19 December 2010

hunting books for kids

It may be too late to order these books and have them by Christmas, but it's never too soon to get youngsters interested in hunting and the outdoors. I'm also glad to see that books like this are available.

My First Deer Hunt by Curtis and Michael Waguespack. A photo book where a boy goes out hunting with Dad, learns how not to scare off the deer and gets to see what it's like. Available through Amazon.com, Charting Nature and other booksellers.

Shawn Meyers' Hunt with a Kid website offers two titles, Conner's Big Hunt and Conner's Spring Gobbler. The illustration artwork, by Reed Sprunger, in both these books is superb! Also available through Amazon.com.

Also available at Amazon.com is Will's First Hunt by Kerri Busteed with illustrations by Leon Byers. It's been said that this book "...is a fabulous introduction to the world of Hunter's Safety and all that it entails...[and] that it opens the door to speak to our own children about the importance of guns, gun safety and hunting. This story is easily relatable to hunting and non-hunting families alike".

Even if you aren't certain your kids [or grandchildren, or nephews and nieces] are interested in hunting, getting them to learn about outdoor sports when they are young, is worth the effort.