Blog Archives
Roanoke Colony
For Larry, since we had a lovely discussion in the car, in which neither of us could remember the state of the abandoned “Lost Colony”—were the dwellings disheveled, or did they appear normal, as if their occupants had simply vanished?
The settlers landed on Roanoke Island on July 22 1587. On 18 August, White’s daughter delivered the first English child born in the Americas: Virginia Dare. Before her birth, White reestablished relations with the neighboring Croatans and tried to reestablish relations with the tribes that Ralph Lane had attacked a year previously. The aggrieved tribes refused to meet with the new colonists. Shortly thereafter, George Howe was killed by natives while searching for crabs alone in Albemarle Sound. Knowing what had happened during Ralph Lane’s tenure in the area and fearing for their lives, the colonists convinced Governor White to return to England to explain the colony’s situation and ask for help. There were approximately 116 colonists—115 men and women who made the trans-Atlantic passage and a newborn baby, Virginia Dare, when White returned to England….
White landed on 18 August 1590, on his granddaughter’s third birthday, but found the settlement deserted. He organized a search, but his men could not find any trace of the colonists. Some ninety men, seventeen women, and eleven children had disappeared; there was no sign of a struggle or battle of any kind. The only clue was the word “Croatoan” carved into a post of the fort and “Cro” carved into a nearby tree. In addition, there were two skeletons buried. All the houses and fortifications were dismantled. Before the colony disappeared, White established that if anything happened to them they would carve a maltese cross on a tree near their location indicating that their disappearance could have been forced. White took this to mean that they had moved to Croatoan Island, but he was unable to conduct a search; a massive storm was brewing and his men refused to go any further. The next day, White stood on the deck of his ship and watched, helplessly, as they left Roanoke Island.
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Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
More alarming baby names
Larry and I, along with our friend, Troy, casually collect words that sound like proper names. We do it for amusement, and for the joy of wordplay alone. We would never subject an actual human being to the trials of carrying one of those names as their identity.
Some people would.
Recent New Zealand court rulings have allowed people—some under-age—to change their name because their given name might subject them to taunting and harassment. Other names were not deemed as damaging.
Change allowed:
- Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
- Yeah Detroit
- Stallion
- Twisty Poi
- Keenan Got Lucy
- Sex Fruit
- Fat Boy
- Cinderella Beauty Blossom
- Fish and Chips (twins)
“Keenan Got Lucy” sounds like a racehorse’s name.
Change denied:
- Violence
- Number 16 Bus Shelter
- Midnight Chardonnay
- Benson and Hedges (twins)
That entire list reads like a conception-story list. I really don’t think a person’s name should remind one of when, where, or how that person was conceived.
(BBC)
Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
Thank you, Grandma.
Thank you for being my grandmother, and for being so good to me—and to Larry. We will miss you very, very much.
Lattie Rochelle Pike Pettigrew
June 15, 1910-July 2, 2008
photograph removed by demand of mutual relative
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Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
Duckman ahoy!
Seasons 1 and 2 will be released as one set on September 16! (Larry is so very pleased.)
Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
How our minds work: Library books
Larry and I hit the main library branch today; the list of checked-out books give a nice illustration of our mindspace, methinks:
- The Museum of Hoaxes * Alex Roese
- The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics * R. P. T. Davenport-Hines
- Electric Motors * Rex Miller
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid * Bill Bryson
- Gonzo Gizmos: Projects and Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek and Return of Gonzo Gizmos: More Projects and Devices to Channel Your Inner Geek * Simon Quellen Field
- The Complete Book of Glass Beadmaking * Kimberley Adams
- Glass Blowing: A Technical Manual * Ed Burke
- Killer Kids: Shocking True Stories of Children Who Kill Their Parents * Clifford L. Linedecker
- The Mothman Prophecies * John A. Keel (re-read for me)
- Mothman and Other Curious Encounters * Loren Coleman
- The Daughters of Juárez: A True Story of Serial Murder South of the Border * Teresa Rodriguez and Lisa Pulitzer
- Sins of the Son * Carlton Stowers
- Amigurumi: Super Happy Crochet Cute * Elisabeth A. Doherty
- Folk Bags: 30 Knitting Patterns and Tales From Around the World * Vicki Square
- Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church * John L. Allen
- American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty * Michael Cuneo (re-read for me)
- Relics * Joan Carroll Cruz
- Evil Among Us: The Texas Mormon Missionary Murders * Ken Driggs
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Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
Boxes and tape and organization, o my
Packing for the move is a really overwhelming process for me. I actually joked with Larry (joke, honestly, we’d never do this) that I wanted to take the pets, scrapbooks, and my great-grandmother’s quilts, and leave or torch the rest.
But my wonderful husband reminded me that we would never have to do this again. Ever. He’s right. Margaret, Larry and I are creating a family homestead. We don’t ever plan on leaving the mountain.
That helps a lot. But I’m still having unpleasant dreams laced with packing materials.
Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
Nelson and Amherst Counties, Virginia
These two counties will soon be our home/stomping ground. Larry’s mom, Margaret, lives on Little Piney Mountain. It’s an isolated location (her nearest neighbor is a usually-empty vacation cabin), which is its grace, and its problem, since she is aging. We love it there, we love her. Therefore, we’re moving. We should be the mountain’s two newest residents by spring’s end.
To maintain her privacy and independence—and ours—she’s designed and is building an addition to her house. The original house was designed and built twenty years ago by both she and Larry’s dad, Bob. The addition will keep her favorite parts of the original, improve upon the original’s details, and be only one story. The two-story original structure will be our home, and we’ll be connected to Margaret’s wing by way of a bookshelf-and-windowseat-lined passage.
Flickr photo albums:
- Virginia: Nelson & Amherst Counties
- Virginia: Piney River, Piney Mountain
- Virginia, Schuyler: Walton’s Mountain
(Flickr collection: Virginia)
Nelson County
Amherst County
Originally published at The Haunted Palace. Please leave any comments there.
