Morning Lynell!! Another good reason to call it Virginia's BLUE Ridge! (Even though most of the blue voters live elsewhere.) The turnaround became clear in 2006 when Jim Webb defeated George "Macaca" Allen. It's so good to have VA back in the Union, and now Georgia too. You're next, Lone Stars and Tarheels. Resistance Is Futile.
And please don't forget about my plight here in Floriduhhhhh! Been here "preDisney". Lots of pavement on paradise, not to mention good old boy local politics, but, change is in the wind!
From your lips Lynn. Florida here too, St Petersburg in barely blue Pinellas County. Grew up on the barrier islands when our beach towns were still mostly shacks & fishing piers on the Gulfside and mangroves bayside. The smell of orange blossoms in spring waifed in from the mainland. It was full of natural wonders. Also lived in WA, TN & NJ, but, always come back to FL.
Wekiva Springs, used to outside Orlando, now swallowed up. Coldest damn water I ever swam in. Rock Springs, outside Apopka, when Apopka was a sleeply little nowhere, was the same. We had family picnics there after church in the summers, ride inner tubes down the river. Ah, yes. Florida used to be Paradise. If ever they should have closed a border...............harumph.
Diane, my mother was born in Punta Rassa. My Florida Cracker roots, sans the racism, are on her side. The other half, Keys Conchs, via Harbour Island, Bahamas. My favorite family vacation was a week on Sanibel, before the causeway. Up before dawn to go shelling for the 'good stuff', with a local woman who was the only professional sheller I ever knew. Or am likely to. ЁЯШЙ
Florida is especially endangered. If there is a place in North America where Mother Earth needs special care and doesnтАЩt get it, itтАЩs the limestone wonderland and the unique tropical jungle and at the southern end the sawgrass river that is FL. The Earth weeps.
Whoop! Resistance IS futile, TPJ! Time for Texas to stop pretending to be independent and be assimilated (in the best possible way, of course).
Austin is in the midst of the process, BTW; now that Big Tech has discovered the city, they've moved in and flattened the culture here. 'Keep Austin Weird' is no longer the motto, sadly. Now we're flooded with Teslas, BMWs, Range Rovers, Lamborghinis, and other high end vehicles, (including high end, oversized pick ups) along with the snobbish rich looking down upon the rest of us from the ugly skyscrapers that clutter the once beautiful skyline of Austin.
The artists, musicians, and the long celebrated weird folk can no longer afford to live here and are leaving; prices have shot upwards, and the overall vibe has changed.
So, yeah... I'm thinking assimilation is well underway here. I can't speak for the rest of the Lone Star, though.
I was so.lucky to live in Austin during my first husbands law school years. A magical.place then. We moved to Houston when he graduated and my theatre, music and artist friends there are bluing Harris County which had only 1 voter drop box for an area bigger than the state of. Rhode Island
I was infuriated when they removed all the voting boxes, Gailee, as were so many others. It's utterly appalling that they got away with it.
I'm sorry that I didn't know Austin when it was still a haven for musicians and artists; there are still some here, and there's always Antones and Austin City Limits, but that spirit is long gone now. I'm glad you had the opportunity to live here when you did!
Thanks, Fern. That book reinforces why I don't use Amazon unless I can't get what I'm looking for elsewhere, but it also makes me think about 'one-click' shopping in general. I've always preferred to shop in person, but this virus has put paid to that, although I do hope that we can get back to it (next year, maybe?) eventually.
Sadly, many people only see the convenience of online shopping and either overlook or are unaware of the real damage those corporations cause to communities, businesses, and people. It would be a good idea to make books like this one required reading, but I fear that most folk would just shrug it off.
You spelled it out, Laureen. One of my concerns is that so many Main Streets have been decimated by the loss of industry. Many Main Streets have a church or two, a bar and coffee shop, period.
It's so sad. This, and subsequent, generations will never know the joy of shopping at a 'mom & pop' type store. Amazon has effectively killed an entire way of living. ЁЯШХ
Sure, invoke the Borg, see if anybody notices. Naturally I agree completely with the metaphor. It matches my growing conviction that the blue team is a monolith which will grind the red team in the dust. Over time.
Hi Jennifer, Roland and the rest of y'all. I'm in Chatham County, NC the exact center of the state. My rural county has consistently the highest voter turnout in the state and consistently votes Blue!
All around the village but to see it best come in June as they are cutting earlier and earlier...and when they do the "smell" is amazing between the wagon loads trundling down the lanes and the distillaries working 24/7.
Thank you! It will be a while before I am able to visit, both because of covid and also due to personal reasons. But it is on my тАЬbucket listтАЭ! So are many other places, both in France and in the rest of Europe and also the U.K.
We are focusing on Cotes du Rone, Avignon and Arles, trying to avoid cities. We loved the hill towns we visited in Tuscany and Greek villages in the Peloponneses. That's the vibe we're looking for. We are novices but trying to see as much as we can before we age out.
City planning in the US is inextricably linked to de jure racial segregation (vid. Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law) and I have a hard time admiring anything so redolent of wrongs consistently committed across this country to keep white people's lives (particularly middle class and wealthy white people) "safe" from having to live in proximity to those who did so much of the building of this nation and those from whom so much has been and continues to be stolen. City planners such as Olmsted were fully cognizant that they were creating white environments to sustain white power.
I read Rothstein's book. I had no idea only 4% of black veterans were able to access the GI education benefits upon their return to civilian life. I have been reading many books on anti-racism since George Floyd's murder. l am planning an extended visit to Ecudaor later this year and contemplate providing access to my home during that time by a black family. My all-white neighborhood will clutch their proverbial pearls. I have a black SIL and they go bonkers when he visits. Having a black family occupy the premises while I'm away will be an interesting experiment!
Hi LynellтА╝я╕П Very brief resident of Alexandria, six months when my dad was taking a course at the state department before we drove back to California in our VW Square back.
Alexandria is a lovely town, especially Old Town near the Potomac River. A few weeks ago I watched the "Potomac By Air" documentary. The river gets it start in West Virginia and winds it's way down to Washington, DC and beyond to meet the Chesapeake Bay. As I was watching, it struck me that I have lived close to the Potomac all of my life. Here is a link that hopefully you will be able to access: https://vimeo.com/118233315
I spent a wonderful afternoon in Alexandria, protesting against Brute Kavanaugh's nomination. Connecting with VA union sisters and brothers was a delight -- numerous moments of "That is SO true!," "I know JUST what you mean!," and "Those BASTARDS!" I wish I'd gone for a drink with them rather than to another dreary family lunch.
PS, apologies for not blocking Kavanaugh for y'all. We tried, but the fix was in.
My father lived in the DC Metro (mostly in Vienna and Reston, VA) from 1975 until his death just this past March. I got to know the area very well and saw it grow from a "company" town to a behemoth.
Hi Daria! You are one of the few I didn't need help with. You, Stuart, R Dooley, Gailee, everyone outside the country is easy for me to remember once I know where they live. Distinctive and memorable homes.
Hail, Roland, from the Formerly Confederate, now Great Blue State of Virginia, Loudoun County! (Call Washington, D.C. my hometown)
Morning Lynell!! Another good reason to call it Virginia's BLUE Ridge! (Even though most of the blue voters live elsewhere.) The turnaround became clear in 2006 when Jim Webb defeated George "Macaca" Allen. It's so good to have VA back in the Union, and now Georgia too. You're next, Lone Stars and Tarheels. Resistance Is Futile.
And please don't forget about my plight here in Floriduhhhhh! Been here "preDisney". Lots of pavement on paradise, not to mention good old boy local politics, but, change is in the wind!
From your lips Lynn. Florida here too, St Petersburg in barely blue Pinellas County. Grew up on the barrier islands when our beach towns were still mostly shacks & fishing piers on the Gulfside and mangroves bayside. The smell of orange blossoms in spring waifed in from the mainland. It was full of natural wonders. Also lived in WA, TN & NJ, but, always come back to FL.
Orange groves, clear water, abundant recreational fishing and wildlife. If we could only turn back the clock on our precious environment...
Wekiva Springs, used to outside Orlando, now swallowed up. Coldest damn water I ever swam in. Rock Springs, outside Apopka, when Apopka was a sleeply little nowhere, was the same. We had family picnics there after church in the summers, ride inner tubes down the river. Ah, yes. Florida used to be Paradise. If ever they should have closed a border...............harumph.
Sandra P. Campbell: I did a guided kayak tour in Apopka State Park in 2003 (I was traveling alone and was worried about alligators-LOL!)
Rock
Rick springs was our hangout!
Diane, my mother was born in Punta Rassa. My Florida Cracker roots, sans the racism, are on her side. The other half, Keys Conchs, via Harbour Island, Bahamas. My favorite family vacation was a week on Sanibel, before the causeway. Up before dawn to go shelling for the 'good stuff', with a local woman who was the only professional sheller I ever knew. Or am likely to. ЁЯШЙ
We did that too, in the 60s. So empty, paradise.
Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope. ЁЯдЮ
Ooh, I like what you did with your name! Because I'm not going to remember where everyone is from!
Kelly inspired me. I'll probably change it again to just "Roland (CA)."
Florida is especially endangered. If there is a place in North America where Mother Earth needs special care and doesnтАЩt get it, itтАЩs the limestone wonderland and the unique tropical jungle and at the southern end the sawgrass river that is FL. The Earth weeps.
We haven't forgotten, Lynn. Floriblue doesn't look as likely for now but, yes, winds of change are blowing.
We need candidates! With kkk, oath keepers and their cult leader here, it's a little hard to have faith. As developers pave over paradise.
Whoop! Resistance IS futile, TPJ! Time for Texas to stop pretending to be independent and be assimilated (in the best possible way, of course).
Austin is in the midst of the process, BTW; now that Big Tech has discovered the city, they've moved in and flattened the culture here. 'Keep Austin Weird' is no longer the motto, sadly. Now we're flooded with Teslas, BMWs, Range Rovers, Lamborghinis, and other high end vehicles, (including high end, oversized pick ups) along with the snobbish rich looking down upon the rest of us from the ugly skyscrapers that clutter the once beautiful skyline of Austin.
The artists, musicians, and the long celebrated weird folk can no longer afford to live here and are leaving; prices have shot upwards, and the overall vibe has changed.
So, yeah... I'm thinking assimilation is well underway here. I can't speak for the rest of the Lone Star, though.
"Bob Wills is still the king!"
I was so.lucky to live in Austin during my first husbands law school years. A magical.place then. We moved to Houston when he graduated and my theatre, music and artist friends there are bluing Harris County which had only 1 voter drop box for an area bigger than the state of. Rhode Island
I was infuriated when they removed all the voting boxes, Gailee, as were so many others. It's utterly appalling that they got away with it.
I'm sorry that I didn't know Austin when it was still a haven for musicians and artists; there are still some here, and there's always Antones and Austin City Limits, but that spirit is long gone now. I'm glad you had the opportunity to live here when you did!
It was a wonderful time. I wish you could have. Is Gruene still a special place?
I've never actually been to Gruene, so I can't say, but it would be a nice day trip to take!
Laureen, I'm going to read this book and thought of you after reading your comment:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/books/review-fulfillment-alec-macgillis.html
Thanks, Fern. That book reinforces why I don't use Amazon unless I can't get what I'm looking for elsewhere, but it also makes me think about 'one-click' shopping in general. I've always preferred to shop in person, but this virus has put paid to that, although I do hope that we can get back to it (next year, maybe?) eventually.
Sadly, many people only see the convenience of online shopping and either overlook or are unaware of the real damage those corporations cause to communities, businesses, and people. It would be a good idea to make books like this one required reading, but I fear that most folk would just shrug it off.
You spelled it out, Laureen. One of my concerns is that so many Main Streets have been decimated by the loss of industry. Many Main Streets have a church or two, a bar and coffee shop, period.
That happened pre-Amazon. It was Wal Mart. I refuse to shop there for precisely this reason.
It's so sad. This, and subsequent, generations will never know the joy of shopping at a 'mom & pop' type store. Amazon has effectively killed an entire way of living. ЁЯШХ
Sure, invoke the Borg, see if anybody notices. Naturally I agree completely with the metaphor. It matches my growing conviction that the blue team is a monolith which will grind the red team in the dust. Over time.
Someone noticed ....
Good luck trying to slip that by me without me noticing
Live long and prosper \.\\ //
I suspect the percentage of Trek fans over Wars fans on this forum is hefty. Just a guess. (from WA - the state)
Don't be so sure. And then there are the dual-passport fans, the double agents under deep cover. (blowing my cover)
Formerly of CA currently in SC hating Lindsey the Graham Cracker, loving the Trek Wars.
That's a good one, David.
I love the moniker!
Lindsay the Graham Cracker. You gotta love that!
Ahem, Marvel fans, too! ЁЯЩЛЁЯП╝тАНтЩАя╕П
Morning, TPJ!! VA, NC and GA counties have many more red than blue. TX, too, obviously. Scary to look at their political maps!
Writing from NC, we are a very rural, VERY gerrymandered state with a backward legislature controlled by Republicans.
Hi Jennifer, Roland and the rest of y'all. I'm in Chatham County, NC the exact center of the state. My rural county has consistently the highest voter turnout in the state and consistently votes Blue!
Well, hey, neighbor! Are you on the poor, Republican side of the county, or the granola-eating, well-informed side of the county? Heh.
I'm in the woods halfway between Goldston and Pittsboro, so that puts me right in the middle, but I do eat granola.
Yikes, how'd that happen? But good on you!
How'd that happen? Daphne Hill has more power than we know, that's how.
Sounds just like Wisconsin. :)
A fair characterization, unfortunately. Hello from Boone.
Don't know where you are, Jennifer, but I feel your pain. I'm in Randolph.
My email: holzmandc@outlook.com
When Washington, D.C. becomes a state, it will be known as тАЬWashington, Douglass Commonwealth.тАЭ
DidnтАЩt LтАЩEnfant do a rather nice job with DC? Although I admit I am also a big fan of Olmsted.
An excellent job as did Lafayette and several other French military figures helping Washington in another theater of the operation.
I'm currently still down in Provence but don't tell my GPS.
Mais cтАЩest beau la bas
I hope some day to visit Provence when the lavender is blooming.
All around the village but to see it best come in June as they are cutting earlier and earlier...and when they do the "smell" is amazing between the wagon loads trundling down the lanes and the distillaries working 24/7.
Thank you! It will be a while before I am able to visit, both because of covid and also due to personal reasons. But it is on my тАЬbucket listтАЭ! So are many other places, both in France and in the rest of Europe and also the U.K.
Provence! My husband and I are headed there as soon as the Pandemic allows us to travel.
Anywhere in particular?
We are focusing on Cotes du Rone, Avignon and Arles, trying to avoid cities. We loved the hill towns we visited in Tuscany and Greek villages in the Peloponneses. That's the vibe we're looking for. We are novices but trying to see as much as we can before we age out.
Just wander and take your time.
Given the rise of mutant COVID beware of a third wave coming to a super sreader event on the East coast.
You so lucky!!
City planning in the US is inextricably linked to de jure racial segregation (vid. Richard Rothstein, The Color of Law) and I have a hard time admiring anything so redolent of wrongs consistently committed across this country to keep white people's lives (particularly middle class and wealthy white people) "safe" from having to live in proximity to those who did so much of the building of this nation and those from whom so much has been and continues to be stolen. City planners such as Olmsted were fully cognizant that they were creating white environments to sustain white power.
I read Rothstein's book. I had no idea only 4% of black veterans were able to access the GI education benefits upon their return to civilian life. I have been reading many books on anti-racism since George Floyd's murder. l am planning an extended visit to Ecudaor later this year and contemplate providing access to my home during that time by a black family. My all-white neighborhood will clutch their proverbial pearls. I have a black SIL and they go bonkers when he visits. Having a black family occupy the premises while I'm away will be an interesting experiment!
Hi LynellтА╝я╕П Very brief resident of Alexandria, six months when my dad was taking a course at the state department before we drove back to California in our VW Square back.
Alexandria is a lovely town, especially Old Town near the Potomac River. A few weeks ago I watched the "Potomac By Air" documentary. The river gets it start in West Virginia and winds it's way down to Washington, DC and beyond to meet the Chesapeake Bay. As I was watching, it struck me that I have lived close to the Potomac all of my life. Here is a link that hopefully you will be able to access: https://vimeo.com/118233315
I spent a wonderful afternoon in Alexandria, protesting against Brute Kavanaugh's nomination. Connecting with VA union sisters and brothers was a delight -- numerous moments of "That is SO true!," "I know JUST what you mean!," and "Those BASTARDS!" I wish I'd gone for a drink with them rather than to another dreary family lunch.
PS, apologies for not blocking Kavanaugh for y'all. We tried, but the fix was in.
My wife would call you a hero. I'm not an expert. Greg Olear is.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/who-owns-kavanaugh-index
You're Deep Throat, aren't you, TPJ...
If you mean baritone, yes.
Me only for a relatively short time living in Potomac itself
Me, too, right before I hopped the river over to VA
My father lived in the DC Metro (mostly in Vienna and Reston, VA) from 1975 until his death just this past March. I got to know the area very well and saw it grow from a "company" town to a behemoth.
Very good morning, Lynell!
Morning, Daria!! Although, here it just turned noon. You are just past 10:00 am, right?
Yes, until our clocks turn in April then we'll be 1 hour behind again. (We're Central Time)
So that explains it! I do think, though, because Dr. R has changed her time to publish her Letters, it's been more of a challenge to "find" you!
Hi Daria! You are one of the few I didn't need help with. You, Stuart, R Dooley, Gailee, everyone outside the country is easy for me to remember once I know where they live. Distinctive and memorable homes.