#flatboats

[uniqueartisanconnoisseur]

The Black Farmstead, 200 Years and counting!

How many families can claim to have a Bicentennial Farm listed on the National Register of Historic Places? Steve Black’s family does. He shared his beautiful family Farmstead with me and my husband Keith. Steve is a 5th generation descendent. He along with other family members, own the home and some of the surrounding farmland from 200 years ago. The Black Farmstead is located outside of…

[blue-and-gilt]

17th Century Shell Guard Broadsword

There's something unique about holding a piece of history that dates back four hundred years. They have a presence, a gravitas that, more recent swords lack.

So, what is this sword? The Royal Armouries simply describes the examples in their collection as an early 17th-century broadsword with shell guard (Object IX.172). While Ewart Oakeshott in his book "European Weapons and Armour - From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution" describes two types of swords with related characteristics: the German sabre, circa 1540s, with forward and rear quillons, a knuckle bow, and a distinctive shell guard covering the outside of the hand. Plus, the second type of Sinclair hilt, with its one-piece S-shaped crossguard forming the rear quillon and knuckle guard.

At the same time, the Dutch sword historian J.P. Puype describes these as a Solingen horseman's sword of the classical type: "The problem with this type of sword is that so far there has never been written a proper monography on them and that opinions on them are practically always unsubstantiated by evidence. The other problem is that they are often seen as naval but there is more evidence to tell us that they were army swords.

I think that I may be the first arms historian who identified these swords as cavalry swords, but I have to admit that in publications prior to 1998 I (too) identified them exclusively as shipboard cutlasses.

In the 1990s I became increasingly involved in writing publications and doing museum exhibitions on Prince Maurice and the new Dutch so-called  States Army of the 1590s. In the course of this involvement I analysed the pictures by Jacob de Gheyn made during the 1590s of the infantry drill and cavalry drills. These infantry pictures were published in a book in 1607, although we know that its manuscript was already in existence c. 1595-c.1597, but was withheld by Prince Maurice for reasons of security.

Simultaneously, a book on the cavalry exercise was conceived, but its publication was permanently withheld by Maurice, partly for security reasons, partly also because Prince Maurice in 1597 or 1598 abolished the lancers.

Among the cavalry prints the heavy cavalry has as its chief weapon the lance (it was abolished in 1597 or 1598 in favor of the wheel-lock pistol, and the lancers became 'pistoliers'). However, the light cavalry is armed with swords with shell-guard hilts.

So we can only prove that the seashell-hilted sword apparently originated in the cavalry. The earliest proof that I have of its maritime use is after 1700. I do not know how to explain the picture of the French privateer Lolonois of 1684 (the year of appearance of the original Dutch edition) who is armed with a seashell-hilted cutlass with a curved blade with clipped point.

One other of the very few other 17th C pictures I know in which appear  what seem to be shell-hilted cutlasses is on the title-page of a book published in 1673 (see the attachment). There is a heap of apparently seashell-hilted cutlasses in the foreground but it is clear that the hilts are rendered in a wrong version. The blades, however, are curved and with clipped point.

In or before 1978 the wreck of a flatboat was found in the lake what once was the Zuyderzee. This boat was full of arms and military equipment, destined for what were army outposts on islands against a possible French invasion in 1672. Among the cargo were four swords with seashell guards and straight blades. In the attachment are two archaeological drawings.

All this does not bring us definitive answers to the problem when we view the portrait of the French privateer l'Olonnais (spelled as Lolonois) in which he is holding a seashell-hilted cutlass with curved blade with clipped point. I do not know of the actual existence of such a sword - nowhere in the world. I dare not go so far as to suggest that swords of this type may be artists' impressions only but somehow it does feel that way!"

Jan Piet Puype.

In short, these are another variation of military broadsword that would have been common amongst the military armies of the first half of the 17th-century. While it is appealing to look at the portrait of the French privateer Lolonois as evidence that these swords have a naval connection, the unfortunate reality is that the artist likely never met his subject. Furthermore, he made a notable error in the sword's detailing; with the quillon and knucklebow reversed, the sword becomes impractical to wield. In conclusion, we see an artist's impression, not a historical representation.

In German and Dutch references, these swords are called houdegen or houwdegen, which translates to 'hewing sword'. Although short, their weight and broad, double-edged lenticular blades give these swords a no-nonsense functionality. A single fuller runs for the first 20% starting at the guard. The ricasso is a square block with two smaller side fullers running along its length. On both sides of the ricasso is a maker mark of a crown above an O and T. According to the Royal Armouries, this is the mark of a Spanish smith. However, I have seen one text attribute this to a Solingen swordsmith. Given that the blade has ME FECIT and SOLINGEN (Solingen Made Me) stamped into the fuller, it seems more likely that the stamp is either a copy of the Spanish maker mark or one unique to a Solingen blade maker.

The grip retains its' original wire and Turks head knots at each end. It has a pear-shaped pommel with a tang button on the top for the peen. Although I can't be sure, I expect the pommel is hollow, like we see on the Amsterdam Walloon swords.

The S-shaped crossguard and shell guard are two separate pieces that appear to have been forge-welded together. While the hilt and pommel on my sword are solid, the guard is loose. There probably used to be a fabric or leather washer between the blade shoulder and guard to hold them tight. On the inside of the guard, it continues to cover the thumb, curling around on itself to form a thumb ring. This combination of knuckle bow and shell guard offers the wielder a lot of hand protection.

Stats: Overall Length - 870 mm Blade Length - 725 mm Point of Balance - 90 mm Grip Length - 140 mm Inside Grip Length - 80 mm Weight - 900 grams

[natalieironside]

In pre-industrial America, a common form of north-south (or, on the Atlantic seaboard, west-east) transportation was the flatboat. North America is full of navigable waterways, the biggest being the Mississippi River, and people often got from place to place relatively quickly and cheaply using these keelless (that is, flat-bottomed) flatboats. Trouble is, rowing or pulling a flat-bottomed vessel upriver is a hell of a task, so the trip was usually one-way, with the boat being disassembled and sold along with its cargo. This has gone on for several lines by now, but if you think about it, you might say the flatboats were one-liners.

[nicklloydnow]

“See the child. He is pale and thin, he wears a thin and ragged linen shirt. He stokes the scullery fire. Outside lie dark turned fields with rags of snow and darker woods beyond that harbor yet a few last wolves. His folk are known for hewers of wood and drawers of water but in truth his father has been a schoolmaster. He lies in drink, he quotes from poets whose names are now lost. The boy crouches by the fire and watches him.

Night of your birth. Thirty-three. The Leonids they were called. God how the stars did fall. I looked for blackness, holes in the heavens. The Dipper stove.

The mother dead these fourteen years did incubate in her own bosom the creature who would carry her off. The father never speaks her name, the child does not know it. He has a sister in this world that he will not see again. He watches, pale and unwashed. He can neither read nor write and in him broods already a taste for mindless violence. All history present in that visage, the child the father of the man.

At fourteen he runs away. He will not see again the freezing kitchenhouse in the predawn dark. The firewood, the washpots. He wanders west as far as Memphis, a solitary migrant upon that flat and pastoral landscape. Blacks in the fields, lank and stooped, their fingers spiderlike among the bolls of cotton. A shadowed agony in the garden. Against the sun's declining figures moving in the slower dusk across a paper skyline. A lone dark husbandman pursuing mule and harow down the rainblown bottomland toward night.

A year later he is in Saint Louis. He is taken on for New Orleans aboard a flatboat. Forty-two days on the river. At night the steamboats hoot and trudge past through the black waters all alight like cities adrift. They break up the float and sell the lumber and he walks in the streets and hears tongues he has not heard before. He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with the sailors. He is not big but he has big wrists, big hands. His shoulders are set close. The child's face is curiously untouched behind the scars, the eyes oddly innocent. They fight with fists, with feet, with bottles or knives. All races, all breeds. Men whose speech sounds like the grunting of apes. Men from lands so far and queer that standing over them where they lie bleeding in the mud he feels mankind itself vindicated.”

[hollywoodfamerp]

WELCOME TO THE NASHVILLE OPRYLAND HOTEL! 

Experience the energy and excitement of Nashville, Tennessee – the Music City. On the banks of the Cumberland River, this landmark hotel is just a short drive or riverboat cruise from downtown Nashville’s historic attractions and nightlife. 2 of the city’s most popular attractions - the world-famous Grand Ole Opry and General Jackson Showboat – are conveniently located next door to the resort. Inside lies an extraordinary selection of dining, shopping, live entertainment and recreation options that provide the perfect destination. You'll be amazed at the 9-acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and indoor river with its very own Delta River flatboats. Discover Gaylord Opryland and make memories. You won't believe what they have under one roof!

UNDER THE CUT, YOU’LL FIND THE LIST OF ROOMMATES!

Due to an issue with the booking system at the hotel, it seems the roommates have all been mixed up. Was it the hotel? Or those pesky gossip blog hosts looking for drama? Guess we will never know... enjoy your stay, partners! 

PLEASE LIKE THIS NOTICE WHEN YOU HAVE READ IT AND SO THAT YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF THE LIST UPDATES!

Pamela Martinez (Bayley) - Kelsea Ballerini Joshua Hong - Lili Reinhart Ariana Grande - Bill Skarsgård Mark Lee - Sabrina Carpenter Tom Holland - Zendaya Coleman Wong Yukhei (Lucas Wong) - Margot Robbie Timothée Chalamet - Lupita Nyong'o Kim Hongjoong - Beyonce Knowles Austin Butler - Vanessa Hudgens Chace Crawford - Elizabeth Olsen Alex Torres (Quackity) - Maia Mitchell Jung Wooyoung - Sarah Drew Tyler Hoechlin - Lucy Hale Louis Tomlinson - Jenna Ortega Natalia Dyer - Joe Keery Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (Ten) - Maika Monroe Kim Mingyu - Sarah Paulson Jeon Jungkook - Blake Lively Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) -  Kim Jongin (Kai) Harry Styles - Taylor Swift Anya Taylor-Joy - Elizabeth Gillies Selena Gomez - Gigi Hadid Chris Evans - Tessa Thompson Choi San - Kim Ahyoung (Yura) Min Yoongi - Samantha Gibb Stephen Amell - Emily Bett Rickards Lee Sunmi - Kang Seulgi Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins) - Emily Osment Zoey Deutch - Florence Pugh Christian Yu - Brittany Baker (Britt Baker) Pedro Pascal - Jennifer Morrison Byun Baekhyun - Shay Mitchell Demi Lovato - Dua Lipa Hwang Hyunjin - Diamanté Quiava Valentin Harper (Saweetie) Nick Robinson - Maya Hawke Bruno Mars - Maura Higgins Leati Joseph Anoa'i (Roman Reigns) - Madelaine Petsch Brett Tucker - Demi Bennett (Rhea Ripley) Kim Namjoon - Camila Morrone Lee Taeyong - Camila Mendes Andy Biersack - Mazz Murray Dylan O'Brien - Adelaide Kane Harry Kane - Meghann Fahy Renee Paquette (Renee Young) - Sarah Hyland Jackson Wang - Emma Stone Geoff Wigington - Sana Minatozaki Otto Wood - Anna Kendrick Sebastian Stan - Jessica Chastain Sam Claflin - Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) Gareth Southgate - Jessica Lange Tyler Alvarez - Cate Blanchett Lee Felix - Kim Minjeong (Winter) Zac Efron - Perrie Edwards Ross Lynch - Yoo Jimin (Karina) Carrie Underwood - Lee Taemin Jonathan Good (Jon Moxley) - Zoe Kravitz Gong Jichul (Gong Yoo) - Dylan Sprouse Myoi Mina - Molly-Mae Hauge Choi Soobin - Sydney Sweeney Mason Mount - Brittany Snow Joe Burrow - Julianna Margulies Kim Jungwoo - Kim Jisoo Choi Minho - Rachel Weisz Akanishi Jin -  Colin O’Donoghue Lee Minho (Lee Know) - Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (Megan Thee Stallion) Xiao Dejun (Xiaojun) - Kaia Gerber Awsten Knight - Madelyn Cline Park Seonghwa - Hailee Steinfeld Miley Cyrus - Chris Hemsworth Mercedes Justine Varnado (Sasha Banks) -   Rebecca Quin (Becky Lynch)   Bella Poarch - Ana De Armas Yoo Siah (YooA) - Lauren Jauregui Jensen Ackles - Katherine McNamara Grace Van Dien - Christopher Bang (Bang Chan) Lily James - Jung Yoonoh (Jaehyun) Wong Kunhang (Hendery) - James Lafferty Kim Taehyung - Halle Bailey

[racefortheironthrone]

How does Greywater Watch move? I get the reference (Howland’s Moving Castle) but what’s the in universe reality; a shallow draught vessel, just frequently moving camp?

So it could be a flatboat, it could be a portable dwelling, I'm personally a fan of the idea of it being a crannog built on a floating island.

[shes-homeward-bound]

Visions of Burning Skies | Chapter 4: The Rattlesnake

Pairing: Finnick Odair x Reader

Chapters: 4/?

Warnings: violence, depictions of death, swearing

People protect who they love, even if it means dying for them. This is one of the many things Y/n Dovecote thinks about when her little brother gets called up to the stage with her. She's fierce and determined. She'll do anything to protect him, but sometimes, the odds are never in your favor.

Read in A03 (I have more chapters updated in ao3)

Masterlist

Chapter 4

It’s the 5th day of the games and tension was high in the Career pack. Jade organized hunting parties and your group manages to track down 2 more tributes and eliminate them. Your goal is to reduce the number of tributes but the way Jade would go overboard with the kill is horrifyingly disturbing. At one point, even Maximus got disgusted and helped you pull her away from mutilating the already dead tribute. You yell at her and she would surprisingly shrink back before spitting insults at you. Alon and Maximus would constantly have to intervene in your fights but you couldn’t help it. Everything she did was deeply disturbing and made you constantly watch her just in case she decided to do something insane. You knew she was bloodthirsty the moment you met her, but this was different. The Games made her feral. You are no angel yourself but you disapprove of her methods and how she approaches a kill. She hunts for sport and you hunt to survive. 

With the Career pack getting rid of 2 tributes, that means there are only 8 tributes left in the arena. With the numbers dwindling, it’s time to split up. Alon agrees and makes a plan to leave when he and Maximus are on guard duty. With the help of Capitol biomedical technology, your wound is almost healed which means you could cover a larger distance on foot. You weren’t going to tell Maximus about your plan to leave but it seems cruel to leave him alone with someone like Jade. The moment Jade was fast asleep, you, Alon, and Maximus took all your belongings and left her at the campsite. You contemplate killing her in her sleep but it seems like something she would do so you didn’t. You reach the edge of the spring and refill your water bottles, with one last look and a somber head nod, Maximus goes westward, and you and your brother head east. You look back and see his strong figure get smaller and smaller, you hope something else would get to him first. 

Even if you had horrible experiences in the canyons, it seems like the best option for you and Alon to hide, find shelter, and hopefully use the terrain to your advantage. Going through the narrow canyon walls at night wasn’t the safest but it had to be done, thankfully the moonlight is strong enough to help you walk comfortably in the dark. You spot a shelf-like formation and climb up to it, it’s perfect for avoiding flash floods and is high enough so you could see if people or animals were approaching you. When your shift to keep watch is over you try to sleep but it is useless. The end is so close and all you want is for Alon to win so you could finally rest, you were tired of being in survival mode at all hours of the day. You detest these canyons and hate the idea you were going to die in this hellhole. You think about the traditional District 4 funeral you would have where your family and friends would place your casket on a flatboat and light it on fire as you float out to sea. 

You wake up in the morning to Alon chewing through his ration of nutrition bars while taking in the view of the particularly wide canyon crevasse. 

“The end is coming, I can feel it,” says Alon. “There are 8 tributes left and there hasn’t been much violence. I think the gamemakers might do a feast to speed up the end.”

You nod. “I think you’re right, it’s been too quiet. Unless the other tributes are doing something entertaining, they’ll want to add more chaos.”

“What do you want to do? Find other tributes and get rid of them ourselves?”

You hum as you decide what’s best. “Let’s keep walking through this part of the canyon and if we come across anyone else, we attack before they get to us.”

Leaving the safety of your campsite, you make your way deeper into the canyon hoping to find someone hiding. You and Alon discuss which tributes were alive, both of you agreeing you were surprised the tributes from Districts 5 and 8 were still alive. Thinking back to the training days, they didn’t seem that impressive, either they were masters at hiding or were extremely lethal and kept that from the other tributes. You walk for another thirty minutes when you and Alon hear some shuffling around the corner. Before you had time to react, the boy from 8 came at you with a dagger in his hand. You shove Alon away and position yourself just in time to deflect the boy’s dagger and kick him straight on the sternum. With a grunt, he falls back, and just as he stands up, Alon’s spear hits him right in the abdomen. He falls and you wait for the cannon to boom before you retrieve it and hand the spear back to Alon. 

“7 tributes left,” mumbles Alon.

You spend the rest of the day wandering the canyons but you don’t run into anyone else. Deciding you were done for the day, you set off to go back to the same campsite you slept on last night. In an area with lots of bushes and little trees, you stop to pick up some edible herbs when you hear your brother loudly swear.

“Alon?!” you say as you run to him.

“A snake bit me!” he says as he clutches his calf in pain. “It’s over there!”

You go over to the direction Alon was pointing at and sure enough, there was a large snake with spots on its back coiled and ready to attack. You slowly back away and when you hear a rattle coming from the tail, dread instantly fills you.

“It’s a rattlesnake,” you say shakily. “You got bit by a rattlesnake.”

His face pales in color and he starts to hyperventilate.

“Breath slowly. In and out,” you order. “Freaking out will only make it worse.” 

You rack your brain trying to remember what you learned about snake bites during training. You knew not to apply a tourniquet and to keep the bite in a neutral position. Walking back to camp is out of the question because you would risk the rapid spread of the venom in his bloodstream. You pull him towards the canyon wall and prop him up. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Other than the bite burning, I feel fine. Maybe the snake isn’t venomous or my body is good at fighting it,” says Alon enthusiastically.

You appreciate him looking at the bright side of things but this is the Hunger Games, that snake is poisonous and it is only a matter of time before the venom is going to affect him. You use the leftover antibiotic ointment from your wound on his bite marks, it wasn’t going to do much but there was nothing else you could do but hope your mentors would send anti-venom. An hour passes when the sound of a cannon goes off, and shortly after the projection of today’s dead tributes illuminates the sky. 6 more tributes left. At this point you were panicking, you didn’t want to worry Alon but you felt so defeated. You and Alon didn’t get this far into the games just for him to die from a rattlesnake. You want to scream and curse and make the entire world see how furious and bitter you were.

The venom is finally taking effect in Alon, he starts to sweat while you were wrapped up in an emergency blanket trying to keep warm. The sound of bells ascending from the sky makes you jump up, that has to be the anti-venom for Alon. The parachute floats down onto your palm and you quickly open it. You arch an eyebrow when you see a singular pill and a note.

This only lasts a day and will keep his symptoms mild.

-Nyle

You show the note to Alon and he takes the pill and swallows it. “I don’t understand why they couldn’t just give me antivenom,” says Alon.

You give him an expectant look. “You’re a smart kid, I thought you would’ve figured it out by now. They’re going to offer a feast and I bet the anti-venom will be there.”

Not long after you said that a rich baritone voice booms over the entire arena inviting all tributes to a feast with items you all desperately need at the cornucopia at sunrise. You tell him that he should stay here and you would go to the cornucopia to get the medicine he needs. 

Alon leans his head on the sandstone patiently waiting for his symptoms to subside. He was biting the inside of his cheek, something that he does when he’s deep in thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

“You should win the games, you deserve it more than I do,” says Alon. “You’re the only reason why I’m alive, you're smarter and stronger. We don’t even know if they’ll give us anti-venom.”

You shake your head at him. “Stop saying things like that, you are fully capable of winning the Games. And we talked about this, it will always be you over me. End of discussion.”

Alon huffs and crosses his arms. “Fine, but I’m going to the cornucopia with you. We work better as a team and that way I can take the antivenom immediately.”

“Fine. Only if you feel better by the morning then can we go together.”

Alon offers to take the first shift telling you that the pain would only keep him up until the medicine kicks in. Right before you drift to sleep, Alon taps you on the shoulder.

“I’m sorry I never said thank you. It doesn’t feel right saying thank you because you’re sacrificing yourself for me, it’s so sick and twisted. How do I even begin? Do I say ‘thank you for your sacrifice’?” says Alon with his head hanging low. “I’m so sorry these games made you choose, you deserve a victory.”

Before you could respond, Alon shifts himself so he’s facing away from you. You lay back down and cried as silently as you could with tears streaming down, wetting the bag you were laying on. You didn’t want to die but it was him or you, and you are always going to prioritize him. 

 —

The next morning you wake up Alon early in the morning. You ask him how he was feeling and he tells you he feels much better and you believe him. He was still sweaty but at least he didn’t look like he was on the verge of fainting and the swelling on his calf subsided. He gets up and sees that he can walk perfectly fine, you are nervous about the venom circulating in his system but you had to trust your mentors. This is the best of the best Capitol medicine and you tell yourself he was going to take the anti-venom soon. With some adrenaline coursing through your veins, you were able to make it near the cornucopia. The sun is just about rising and you and Alon duck behind some bushes as you observe the cornucopia. The sound of bells fills the air and 6 parachutes holding different-shaped items land gracefully on a table. You squint and see that each bag is labeled with District numbers. You tell Alon to hang back and provide backup only when you need it and he agrees knowing he wasn’t able to run as fast as you.

With your Kukri unsheathed, you sprint towards the table. As you’re running you see someone in the corner of your eye run in the same direction. You make it to the table first and grab the bag labeled “4” and attach it to your belt as you brace yourself to meet with the other tributes. A short and muscular boy charges toward you with a sword and you clash as the blades make contact. You recognize him as the boy from 11. He brings down the sword and you manage to dodge him and catch him not defending his side. As quickly as you could, you jab your weapon at his torso. He roars in pain before swinging the sword at you but you block it and grab his arm to bring his body close and slash his throat. He drops to the ground and you make your way toward your brother when you see that he’s busy in an intense battle with Jade. You start running toward him when someone suddenly grabs your hair from behind and jerks you backward. Completely taken by surprise you land hard on the ground, you scramble to get up but you’re stopped when the huge boy from 10 gets on top of you and punches you square in the jaw. Blinding pain overwhelms you and you try swiping at him but he knocks the kukri out of your hands. He moves fast and suddenly he’s using both of his hands and pushing down on your throat, his eyes are wild and he wants to kill you so bad. You’re choking and struggling to breathe, with the last of your strength, your hand comes up and you jab him as hard as you can on his Adam's apple. His eyes go wide as he chokes and lets your throat go. You maneuver and get him off of you as he struggles to breathe, you must have hit him hard enough to dislodge the cartilage and make him choke. You grab a knife from your belt and swiftly bring it down onto his chest, twisting the blade for good measure. 

You're still coughing and choking on your spit when you realize that Alon was battling with Jade. Grabbing your Kukri from the ground, you run as fast as you can but it’s too late. You scream Alon’s name in horror as you watch Jade continuously stab your brother. She hears you and turns to see you sprinting toward her. She drops the knife and runs away. It doesn’t even cross your mind to chase after Jade, all you could think about is why your little brother was hunched over and clutching his stomach. 

“No no no no no,” you mumble as you kneel and examine the wounds. You stare at the bleeding wounds in horror. They’re too extensive and it wasn’t going to take long before death would take him. “Alon, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t there for you. I should have made you stay at the campsite. I’m so sorry.”

Alon looks slowly at you and manages to let out a small laugh which turns into a coughing fit with blood coming out of his mouth. Alon clutches his stomach and slowly moves to your side so he could lean on you. You’re quick to accommodate him and wrap your arm around his shoulder. 

“Now you can win,” he says quietly. “You have to win. Make her pay for what she did to me.”

“I’m going to win for you. I promise,” You’re whimpering with tears streaming down your face but you try to keep your voice steady for him. “I’ll make sure she pays.”

Alon was going fast, you can tell because you were practically holding him up. You carefully lay him on your lap and he blinks up at you, it was almost childlike and it reminds you of when he was younger.

“Tell me a story of back home,” asks Alon.

“Okay,” you say soothingly, stroking his hair. “One of the best days we’ve had as a family was on your 12th birthday. You requested to have a fun day out at sea. We played in the water and we would take turns jumping from the side boat, and you would do all these elaborate flips. Do you remember that? The water was light blue and it was so warm, we played and looked at all the colorful fish for hours. You dove down and got me the prettiest conch shell I’ve ever seen. You were so proud you found it.”

You stop and see that he’s still looking up at you with a small smile on his face.

“Later that day, we docked by the beach, and Marlo, Mariana, and the whole family showed up to surprise you with a party and a birthday cake. You were so happy, you gorged yourself on clams and chocolate cake. Later that day-” 

The sound of a cannon startles you as you realize you were now gazing into the lifeless eyes of your brother. With shaking hands, you close his eyelids and that’s when you break. The wails you emit would have brought strangers to tears. Sobs wrack your body as you clutch him to your chest, and after a while, you whisper your goodbyes to him. You detach the bag of antivenom and throw it in an act of fury. If District 10 hadn’t been there to distract you, Jade would’ve been dead by now and Alon would be the Victor. You stay there with him for a few more minutes when you remember that the hovercrafts need to pick up his body to send him home. You lay him uniformly so the claw could neatly pick him up. You move away from his body and scan the field around you. There lay the boys from 10 and 11 and you gasp as you see Maximus on the ground not too far from you.

 You look at your brother’s peaceful body and something in you snaps. You are going to make Jade pay and you know where you could find her. With one last look at Alon, you start running to the spring not even breaking a sweat as rage and adrenaline-fueled you. As you approach the spring, you see drops of blood. You smile knowing that Alon had hurt her.

“Come out of hiding you fucking coward!” you yell. “The minute you saw me you ran away like a pathetic little animal. Admit it, you didn’t want to ally with us because you knew I would be the one to kill you. You’re scared of me.” 

You must have poked at her ego because she appears from her campsite fuming and clutching her bleeding side. 

“You can call me a coward all you want but we all know the real failure is you. I knew you were going to protect your brother and yet, you failed because I killed him,” she yells maniacally. “Miss Y/n Dovecote is the only female who has scored an 11. Blah, blah, blah,” says Jade mockingly. “Well guess what, she failed at the one thing she wanted to protect.”

Your eyes grow dark as you examine the person in front of you. She was taunting you and you weren’t going to listen to her nonsense any longer. You charge at her but she manages to dodge your attack. You go for it again and manage to knick her in the arm, furious, she swings her medieval-looking ax and plunges it into your thigh. You roar in pain but it just fuels you. You lunge at her and use your Kukri to slice her throat, she backs away as she clutches her neck. Her eyes stare at you in shock as she drops her ax surprised that you got her. You are sure you nicked an artery but it isn’t enough, you need to make her pay. Picking up her ax, you go over to Jade, and with a mighty swing, the blade cuts through her neck and effectively beheads her. 

The boom of the cannon is deafening as you watch her head fall to the ground. You drop the ax and you scream. You weren’t sure if it was from joy, outrage, or anguish. Maybe all of them. You turn around and numbly walk away from her body. You think you’re in shock because one moment you’re listening to the man with the nice voice announce that you were the winner of the 69th Hunger Games and now you’re in a hovercraft with medical staff hovering over you. 

 You question whether you fainted or blacked out. The shock of your new environment completely overwhelms you and you start to thrash and freak out. A doctor in a white coat puts her hand on your shoulder and you squirm and try to move away. More hands try to keep you still and you start screaming. They tell you to stop because you were bleeding out but you don’t listen. Someone finally sticks a syringe in your arm and you instantly relax as the strong sedative spreads through the bloodstream.

—

You feel a cool breeze waft over you and instinctively snuggle into the soft mattress below you. The smell of lavender and lemon fills your senses, realizing this wasn’t a sensation you’ve had in weeks, you bolt up and find yourself in a pristine hospital room. You look down and you're wearing a hospital gown, you look at your arms and it appears someone had scrubbed the dirt you thought was going to be embedded in your skin forever. They must have bathed you when you were sedated, the thought makes you uncomfortable but you get distracted when you notice the plush seating and abstract art on the walls. There were no windows but the level of luxury could only mean one thing.

“Back in the Capitol,” you say to yourself. 

The spike in your heart rate must have informed your clinicians because a peacekeeper and a doctor with bright yellow hair enter the room. She introduces herself as Dr. Plink and congratulates you on your victory. She tells you that you’ve been asleep for almost a day and that you are ready to be discharged and will bring in your stylist to help you get dressed. She leaves but the peacekeeper stays and just stands by the door in silence. 

The moment Daimon enters the room, relief floods over you, and you sit up in excitement to see a familiar face. He holds his hand out and gives you a sad smile, you grasp his hand and squeeze it. He didn’t have to tell you in words how sorry he is, his actions tell you everything you need to know. 

“Let’s get my beautiful victor out of this hospital gown,” says Daimon. “We’ve got an interview to prepare for.”

You nod in confirmation. The moment his fingers brush the back of your neck so he can untie the gown, you immediately see red. Your mind flashes to the moment the District 10 boy almost chokes you to death. You grab his arm, twist it, and shove him away. Daimon looks at you in shock and moves forward to comfort you but the peacekeeper intervenes and tries to restrain you. Because you’re already in fighting mode, all hell breaks loose. You scream and manage to knock out the peacekeeper. You run to the opposite side of the room as he slumps to the floor. You keep your back flush against the wall, Daimon looks bewildered but he thinks he understands why you reacted like that. He tries to verbally reassure you but you just scream and tell him to stay away from you. The commotion brings more peacekeepers into the room and you freak out when they surround you. 

“No! Don’t touch me! Get away from me!” you shriek as you shrink back into the corner of the room. 

The Peacekeepers in their white bulky outfits stand menacingly over you and you could hear Daimon yelling at them to stay away. The door slams open and you brace yourself for more peacekeepers but then you see it’s Finnick and Nyle. Nyle ushers the peacekeepers to give you space while Finnick slowly approaches you with his hands out to show you he means no harm. At the sight of your mentors, you burst into tears and point an accusatory finger at Nyle. 

“You! You could’ve sent that anti-venom the same night! Alon should be here, not me,” you say through sobs. “You both promised me!” 

Finnick bows his head and Nyle gets down on the ground with you and Finnick. “I’m so sorry, Y/n. They wouldn’t let me send it early, they were adamant that the anti-venom was for the feast. I was able to buy you some time but in the end…” 

“In the end, I failed to save my brother,” you say, finishing his sentence. 

Your mentors watched you talk to your brother as he died in your arms. Nyle has been doing this mentoring for longer than Finnick and he’s usually able to contain his feelings but this broke him. He saw your dedication and desperation to keep him alive so he put in the same effort to do everything he could on his end to save Alon. Your wails echoed through the giant room that held both mentors and sponsors. No one dared to move or speak, it was as if they were hypnotized by the young lady on the screen. They watched you move swiftly to Jade’s hiding spot and when the two tributes started to fight, everyone held their breath. There was an unspoken support for you in that room, everyone wanted you to win. The moment you swung the ax onto Jade, the entire room erupted into applause but not Nyle and Finnick. They look at each other and they just know you might come back entirely broken. 

Finnick sighs heavily as he looks at the television screen. While everyone in the room celebrates, he watches you walk away from Jade’s body and slowly sit on the ground as you stare blankly ahead. Finnick promised to look after Alon if he won but what you didn’t know was on the morning of the Games, Alon had approached Finnick with a request. He asked Finnick to take care of you if you won. He didn’t even wait for Finnick’s response, he said what he needed to say and left immediately. 

Wholly distraught and exhausted, you stay sitting on the hospital floor and take in your surroundings one more time. Daimon was in the corner watching you sympathetically, the peacekeeper that you knocked out woke up and was being helped by a fellow soldier. You look at the abstract art that blankly stares back at you. Lastly, you look at your two mentors who were watching you with great concern. Finnick holds his arms out to you and something within tells you to seek comfort. You get on your knees and reach out to Finnick, wrapping your arms around him. He tenses first but then slowly wraps his arms around your waist, being careful his hands were nowhere near your neck. You sag into him feeling better that you were with someone from District 4. 

Finnick gently pats your back and whispers in an almost inaudible voice. 

“I promise.”

[rabbitcruiser]

Audubon Day

We greatly admire people working towards conservation activities and this factors into our celebrations of Audubon Day on April 26 each year. Held to commemorate the birth of John James Audubon, a brilliant illustrator, conservationist, ornithologist, and naturalist, this day also recognizes the crucial work done by The National Audubon Society.

WHEN IS AUDUBON DAY 2024?

John James Audubon’s brilliant work and legacy are celebrated on Audubon Day on April 26.

HISTORY OF AUDUBON DAY

This day is celebrated in honor of (and marks the birth of) John James Audubon, a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter who was well-known for his extensive studies on American birds and their habitats. Born in Saint Domingue (now Haiti), Audubon was raised in France by his father and stepmother. He began studying and drawing birds after moving to America, continuing to do so even as he moved to Kentucky with his wife, Lucy. He began delving deeper into his hobby of bird illustrations after the store that he owned went bankrupt, even sailing down the Mississippi River on a flatboat to find new birds to paint. He was so successful that he took his work to England and published it there. This work, Audubon’s greatest work, “The Birds of America,” is now widely considered as one of the most noteworthy examples of wildlife illustration. It set the tone for future wildlife illustrations; even today, artists are measured against this book’s standards.

Years after Audubon’s death on January 27, 1851, one of Audubon’s wife’s students, George Bird Grinnell, went on to co-found the National Audubon Society in John Audubon’s memory. This society promotes and protects the habitats that support the world’s birds, and also sponsors National Audubon Day. Located in the United States, this society is one of the oldest such organizations in the world. Today, there are many branches of the National Audubon Society all over the U.S., connecting John Audubon’s name to bird conservation forever.

AUDUBON DAY TIMELINE

1803

John Audubon Arrives in America

Audubon arrives at his family estate in Pennsylvania, America, where he studies and draws birds.

1820

Illustration Glory

Audubon floats down the Mississippi River on a flatboat so he can paint new species of birds.

1827–1838

“The Birds Of America” is Published

Audubon's exceptional work is published during this period, containing more than 700 North American bird species with 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species.

1905

The National Audubon Society is Born

A student of Audubon's wife, Lucy, establishes the first Audubon Society to protect birds and their habitats.

AUDUBON DAY FAQS

Is Audubon reliable?

The National Audubon Society emphasizes science as their basis for sound policy and action, which shows they are reliable and effective.

What is the bird society called?

National Audubon Society. Their official website states, “The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. We protect birds and the places they need.”

Who helped found the Audubon Society?

John Muir, George Bird Grinnell, T. Gilbert Pearson, are the founders of the National Audubon Society.

HOW TO CELEBRATE AUDUBON DAY

Go bird watching: Bird watching is a very fun pastime enjoyed by around 45 million people, as per data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Step outside for a quick (and safe) walk and observe the birds around you. You can look up details of birds you don’t recognize on the Audubon website. You can even take the fun one step further by learning about their names, habitats, and migration patterns.

Create your own bird-friendly space: Have some space in your backyard? Go ahead and design your own bird-friendly locale with native shrubs, trees, pedestal birdbaths, and more. You can hang bird feeders that you've created from plastic bottles, coffee cans, or even milk jugs for a better environmental impact. If you want to try your hand at more professional-type bird feeders, there are various woodworking tutorials online for making such feeders.

Draw, paint, and sketch birds; By all accounts, John Audubon loved illustrating birds. Take a feather out of his book and immortalize your neighborhood birds too. Grab a pencil and notebook and head to your bird-friendly backyard to draw the birds you see. Add in pops of color using paint or colored crayons.

FUN FACTS ABOUT AUDUBON DAY

Audubon introduced the concept of bird banding to Americas: The process of attaching a small tag to the wing of wild birds to make identification easier was first introduced by Audubon in North America.

His book is worth A LOT! In 2010, the first edition of Audubon's book, “The Birds of America,” sold in London for a whopping $11 million.

Audubon was an exceptional taxidermist. So he could sketch birds, then, if they died, prepare, stuff, and mount them too.

You might recognize a particular student of his: Famous naturalist, geologist, and biologist Charles Darwin sat in on one of Audubon's demonstrations of his methods, as a student.

Audubon made his money selling animal skins. A noted hunter, Audubon's practice of selling animal skins was his primary source of income for much of his life and even funded the printing of his book, “The Birds of America.”

WHY WE LOVE AUDUBON DAY

It brings us closer to nature: Many of us live in concrete jungles where the only brush of nature is a faraway tree, a kitchen garden, or a small shrub. Observing Audubon day brings us closer to nature and to what it means to be human in this world.

We can give back to the environment: The climate crisis reminds us that most of us aren't that mindful when it comes to nature or conservation. Perhaps learning about Audubon's conservation attempts and the Audubon Society's efforts to study and help birds and their habitat will inspire us to make more hands-on contributions, starting by simply being more bird-friendly.

We make some feathered friends: Who says no to making more friends? Only this time, we're making friends with some feathered buddies. All our conservation attempts, creating bird-friendly spaces, and even simply increasing our awareness bring us one step closer to making birdie friends and embracing Mother Nature.

Source

[nicolefrystudios]

From the Archives: New Orleans (2015, no audio).

I recently found an old external drive from grad school with all my old raw footage from that time (2014-2016). The first part was taken from a paddleboat excursion past cargo ships in the Mississippi, second part was from a flatboat alligator tour in the swamps nearby, and the final section is from riding the Amtrak down to Louisiana (I think this section is through southern Illinois, but I'm not entirely sure). Very little of this footage was ever used in projects, as I had begun moving back in to painting and audio work in late 2015. Shot mostly with a GoPro and a point-and-shoot camera (forgot the model). Put up here for archival purposes. Please note - there is no audio component!

Youtube / Instagram / DeviantART / Ko-fi

[slowturning]

I’m With Her - Crossing Muddy Waters

My baby's gone and I don't know why She let out this morning Like a rusty shot in a hollow sky Left me without warning Sooner than the dogs could bark And faster than the sun rose Down to the banks in an old mule car She took a flatboat across the shallow

Friday Tunes

[nidhi-writes]

Nigazh (Chapter -8)

Umaiyal POV

I have been done with my morning routine and just had breakfast. Which I would say is just awesome but I do miss spicy Korean noodles which I normally like to have at least twice a week. If only I brought some ingredients with me.

I am trying to find my so-called brother 'Vandiyathevan' as I know he must be somewhere here sleeping beside a balcony. I am excited about the next part as this is where we would be going to Kudanthai Jothidar's home. But what if someone else finds my identity by then? I shook my head and went hurriedly to check up on Dev.

I round the corner and saw a figure who is still sleeping, this idiot! I looked around and found a jug with water in it. I took that and went near him, for a sec I thought I shouldn't pour it in his face as he looks so peaceful and cute when he sleeps, if only he looks like this every time. But I want to meet Kundavai soon so here we go, I said to myself and pour the water on his face.

'Who is there!' He shouted and stood up, I laughed loudly looking at his so-called scared face.

'Aw! The mighty warrior is scared! ' I said and laughed again. His serious face turned to a smile which I love.

'Ok, now get ready we should be going!' I said and started to pack his stuff which was laying around.

I had my things packed which is not that much and also Manimegalai gave me a necklace that she thought would go great with my skin tone, and I am currently wearing it and also she packed extra sweets, for the road.

But I stopped and turned to meet Dev's eyes and remembered last night's events and what would have happened.

'So seeing you well today says you are careful enough to hide properly yesterday night?' I asked with my eyebrows raised.

He gaped at me but soon realized that I know the stuff and chuckled.

'Well, I did what I do best after all I am the man who my prince Aditha Karikalan trusts! aren't I?' His words just contain so much pride but fun hidden in it.

As he got ready Kanthamaran came and greeted me with a shy smile, what's with these people? didn't they have seen girls around here?

And then Dev started to flow along with lies to leave the place sooner as it's not good to be here for long. And later he went to have his breakfast to start the trip.

As we are about to leave Dev made me hide my face by covering my head as its morning and told me to stay away from unwanted attention. I rolled my eyes but went with whatever he said cause he knows more about the people here than me.

I am currently walking slightly before the two people who were talking nonsense and Dev is trying to get any more info about the chieftains but acting innocent. I am having my time with Nila my beautiful horse who is just my baby here. As we both reached the river which we have to cross by boat I suddenly remembered that Nambi will be there too. Ohh I am so wanted to meet him again. I love him.

Our horses were been locked in another flatboat to carry them and we went on to a separate boat.

'Could you please wait, I think there is someone who is coming' I said to the boatman. Dev looked at me as if saying "What the hell I am planning" but his expression changed once he saw Nambi who comes in out of breath to catch the boat.

'Oh no! Oy please start rowing don't have to wait for that man' Dev shouted and also some Saivites started to protest about the wait. But with one look from me, the boatman didn't move not sure why but it worked.

Nambi smiled at me which caused me to smile widely not caring about others, this man really does the work so respect. 'So Nambi seems you didn't about me after all'  I asked him teasingly. 'How would I ever forget someone who sang a beautiful song to my Vishnu? Seems like you are the avatar of Aandal herself' He said and sat next to Dev who currently throwing a dagger at me through his eyes.

Before I could ask other questions I saw a boat that is rowing quite a distance from us and my eyes widen at the outlook of one figure in that. Is that the guy from yesterday's night, my blue eyeball literally would have been in the water if not for the disturbance that is happening beside me, I sighed and turned around to find Nambi's head being dunked in the water.

'Oh Anna leave the poor fellow!' I said and went to rescue the smart Vaisnavite from Dev. I wipe the water out of his hair.

'Now Now Vaishnavare, please answer my Anna's question properly cause I don't want you to see your Perumal soon, ok' I said and smiled sweetly to which Nambi looked at me curiously like he is trying to find out who I am really.

And I also noted that another guy is currently in our boat and looking at us, no mainly looking at me. I slouched my shoulder and diverted my eyes to the other side. I couldn't help but want to reach Kundanthai Josiyar's house soon, I also want to ask Josiyar regarding my stay here if he knew anything at all.

'Amma, here eat this seems like you are very thin' An elderly woman who is sitting next to me offered me some Sooru(rice). Wow being thin here is not seen as beauty at all, I started gulping the cooked rice and some neer mooru(buttermilk) following up, and thanked her.

'Uma, we have to go to-' I interrupted him by nodding my head indicating I know.  I said goodbye to Nambi and went our way.  But I can feel eyes on me and I can't shake it off. After multiple attempts, I finally started to ignore it and just went with the flow.

Kundhavai! We are coming to Kudanthai Josiyar!

Check out full story on Wattpad!!

https://www.wattpad.com/story/322685901-nigazh-event-that-changes-present-past-future

[rockislandadultreads]

NoveList: Best Adult Nonfiction 2022

Here are a handful of books that made NoveList's best adult nonfiction list for 2022! Did you know NoveList is a database you can access with your library card to find reading recommendations? Check it out on our website here!

Solito by Javier Zamora 

Trip. My parents started using that word about a year ago - "one day, you'll take a trip to be with us. Like an adventure."

Javier's adventure is a three-thousand-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador, through Guatemala and Mexico, and across the U.S. border. He will leave behind his beloved aunt and grandparents to reunite with a mother who left four years ago and a father he barely remembers. Traveling alone except for a group of strangers and a coyote hired to lead them to safety, Javier's trip is supposed to last two short weeks.

At nine years old, all Javier can imagine is rushing into his parents' arms, snuggling in bed between them, living under the same roof again. He does not see the perilous boat trips, relentless desert treks, pointed guns, arrests and deceptions that await him; nor can he know that those two weeks will expand into two life-altering months alongside a group of strangers who will come to encircle him like an unexpected family.

A memoir by an acclaimed poet that reads like a novel, Solito not only provides an immediate and intimate account of a treacherous and near-impossible journey, but also the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most unexpected moments. Solito is Javier's story, but it's also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home.

Life on the Mississippi by Rinker Buck

Seven years ago, readers around the country fell in love with a singular American voice: Rinker Buck, whose infectious curiosity about history launched him across the West in a covered wagon pulled by mules.

Now, Buck returns to chronicle his latest incredible adventure: building a wooden flatboat from the bygone era of the early 1800s and journeying down the Mississippi River to New Orleans.

A modern-day Huck Finn, Buck casts off down the river on the flatboat Patience accompanied by an eccentric crew of daring shipmates. Over the course of his voyage, Buck steers his fragile wooden craft through narrow channels dominated by massive cargo barges, rescues his first mate gone overboard, sails blindly through fog, breaks his ribs not once but twice, and camps every night on sandbars, remote islands, and steep levees. As he charts his own journey, he also delivers a richly satisfying work of history that brings to life a lost era.

The role of the flatboat in our country’s evolution is far more significant than most Americans realize. Between 1800 and 1840, millions of farmers, merchants, and teenage adventurers embarked from states like Pennsylvania and Virginia on flatboats headed beyond the Appalachians to Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Settler families repurposed the wood from their boats to build their first cabins in the wilderness; cargo boats were broken apart and sold to build the boomtowns along the water route. Joining the river traffic were floating brothels, called “gun boats”; “smithy boats” for blacksmiths; even “whiskey boats” for alcohol. In the present day, America’s inland rivers are a superhighway dominated by leviathan barges - carrying $80 billion of cargo annually - all descended from flatboats like the ramshackle Patience.

As a historian, Buck resurrects the era’s adventurous spirit, but he also challenges familiar myths about American expansion, confronting the bloody truth behind settlers’ push for land and wealth. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced more than 125,000 members of the Cherokee, Choctaw, and several other tribes to travel the Mississippi on a brutal journey en route to the barrens of Oklahoma. Simultaneously, almost a million enslaved African Americans were carried in flatboats and marched by foot 1,000 miles over the Appalachians to the cotton and cane fields of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, birthing the term “sold down the river.” Buck portrays this watershed era of American expansion as it was really lived.

Rise by Jeff Yang

The first generation of U.S.-born Asian Americans raised after 1965’s Hart-Cellar Act passed would have found it difficult to imagine that sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all, that a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world, that one of the biggest movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians, or that a Facebook group for Asian American identity memes would be 2 million members strong. And that’s not mentioning the execs working behind the scenes at major companies; the activists and representatives fighting for equity; and the singers, rappers, dance crews, and social media pioneers making their mark on pop culture. And still: Asian America is just getting started.

In this intimate, eye-opening, and frequently hilarious guided tour through the pop-cultural touchstones and sociopolitical shifts of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and beyond, Jeff Yang, Phil Yu, and Phil Wang chronicle how we’ve arrived at today’s unprecedented diversity of Asian American cultural representation through engaging, interactive graphics (like a step-by-step walk-through of a typical night out in Koreatown...for those who probably won't remember it the day after), charts (how much has yellowface fluctuated decade over decade?), graphic essays from major AAPI artists, exclusive roundtables with Asian American cultural icons, and more, framed by extended insider narratives of each decade by the three co-authors. Rise is an informative, lively, and inclusive celebration of community, and will remain a cultural touchstone for years to come.

All the Living and the Dead by Hayley Campbell

We are surrounded by death. It is in our news, our nursery rhymes, our true-crime podcasts. Yet from a young age, we are told that death is something to be feared. How are we supposed to know what we’re so afraid of, when we are never given the chance to look?

Fueled by a childhood fascination with death, journalist Hayley Campbell searches for answers in the people who make a living by working with the dead. Along the way, she encounters mass fatality investigators, embalmers, and a former executioner who is responsible for ending sixty-two lives. She meets gravediggers who have already dug their own graves, visits a cryonics facility in Michigan, goes for late-night Chinese with a homicide detective, and questions a man whose job it is to make crime scenes disappear.

Through Campbell’s incisive and candid interviews with these people who see death every day, she asks: Why would someone choose this kind of life? Does it change you as a person? And are we missing something vital by letting death remain hidden? A dazzling work of cultural criticism, All the Living and the Dead weaves together reportage with memoir, history, and philosophy, to offer readers a fascinating look into the psychology of Western death.

Tell Me Everything by Erika Krouse

Erika Krouse has one of those faces. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” people say, spilling confessions. In fall 2002, Krouse accepts a new contract job investigating lawsuits as a private investigator. The role seems perfect for her, but she quickly realizes she has no idea what she’s doing. Then a lawyer named Grayson assigns her to investigate a sexual assault, a college student who was attacked by football players and recruits at a party a year earlier. Krouse knows she should turn the assignment down; her own history with sexual violence makes it all too personal. But she takes the job anyway, inspired by Grayson’s conviction that he could help change things forever - and maybe she could, too.

Over the next five years, Krouse learns everything she can about P. I. technique, tracking down witnesses and investigating a culture of sexual assault and harassment ingrained in the university’s football program. But as the investigation grows into a national scandal and a historic civil rights case, she finds herself increasingly consumed. When the case and her life both implode at the same time, she must figure out how to help win the case without losing herself.

[charring58]

Waiting for the slave ship United States near the New Orleans wharves in October 1828, Isaac Franklin may have paused to consider how the city had changed since he had first seen it from a flatboat deck 20 years earlier.

[perigrinator]

We are heading home now, today we crossed the continental divide, following Lewis and Clark west and tracing the route of the Nez Pierce as they tried to escape to Canada. In their honor a few more CM Russell paintings. The one on the left is titled Indians discovering Lewis and Clark. If you double click on the picture you can enlarge it enough so that you can almost see the flatboats on the river to the left.

[ledenews]

Original ‘Gateway to the West’ Soon to Be Celebrated

Whether or not vehicular traffic returns this summer to the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the historic span soon will be celebrated as the original pathway for pioneers who dared to spread the American dream westward more than a century ago. Raze International Inc. of Shadyside, Ohio has been hired to demolish the former Wheeling Inn at the corner of 10th and Main streets in downtown Wheeling, and once dilapidated, four-story structure is cleared, the bridge’s northeast corner will be exposed for the first time in more than 150 years. The hotel property was purchased for $1.7 million in January 2023 by the Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau, and since the non-profit has partnered with several entities to develop the corner into a heritage and welcome center for local residents, tourists, and travelers of Interstate 70. “We’re going to feature the Suspension Bridge like it’s never been featured before in the history of Wheeling,” insisted Frank O’Brien, the executive director of the Wheeling CVB. “It’s such an important part of the American story. This historic bridge played such an important role in the development of our great country, and it’s never been showcased in 150 years. The property at the corner of 10th and Main streets was purchased by the Wheeling Convention & Visitors Bureau for $1.7 million in January 2023. “There’s always been a structure that’s blocked the bridge’s northeast corner from clear view, but there will be several observation areas included in this heritage center project,” he explained. “When we’re finished with this property, it will be something that will let you appreciate what we have here because it’s going to be a visitor-slash-welcome-slash-culture center.” The nation’s first federally funded highway – the National Pike – was cut and cleared to reach Wheeling, Va. in 1817, but too often travelers had to wait until the Ohio River was passable aboard flatboats to continue their venture into the state of Ohio River. The 1,010-foot Suspension Bridge, in its original form, initially opened in 1849, but a wind storm in 1854 caused severe damage, reconstruction, and a re-opening a few years later. Its west side on Wheeling Island has been fully visible, but the span’s east-side towers have been hidden from sight for as long as anyone alive today can recall. That will change this summer. Raze International has agreed to clear the property for $500,000, and the project must secure the bridge during the demolition process. The company, according to O’Brien, now has a four-month window to complete the demo. For more than 150 years, the northeast corner of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge has been hidden by buildings. “We have worked non-stop to get to this point where we have a contractor to demolish the former hotel,” O’Brien said. “Thanks to the City of Wheeling and the coordination with the W.Va. EPA so they could help with the asbestos removal, we’re ready to go and I know there’s a lot of people who are anxious to see this property cleared of the blight. “The abatement has to happen first, and then the former hotel will come down, and we’re hoping they can get started as early the month of June. They have a four-month window, but we’re hoping the work will be done sooner than later,” he said. “After that, it’s going to be a green site while we develop what’s next for the property.” O’Brien confirmed the corner at 10th and Main will go green once the debris is cleared, and that the property will be utilized until new structures are designed and constructed on the parcels. The Wheeling CVB has partnered with the City of Wheeling, Ohio County, the state of West Virginia, Wheeling Heritage, and development firm Tipping Point. “Everything on the property – the hotel and the two parking lots – will be cleared to make way for what we’re discussing right now. Those conversations are very active,” O’Brien said. “I’m sure we’ll figure out how to use the property for the community before then, and we’re also talking about how we can celebrate the Wheeling Suspension Bridge more than we have in the past. “The Suspension Bridge is the original ‘Gateway to the West’ and history proves it, so that’s the history we need to remind ourselves of so we can promote it more for the people who visit the Wheeling area,” he said. “Our visitors love the history of this area and they are always asking us new questions, so highlighting the ‘Gateway of the West’ is something they will love.” https://ledenews.com/an-open-letter-to-wheelings-gateway-keepers https://ledenews.com/wheeling-ohio-county-cvb-buys-former-wheeling-inn-property-for-1-7-million Read the full article

[almackey]

How the Union Capture of Brown’s Ferry Changed the War in the West

Union troops packed on flatboats arrive and disembark at Brown’s Ferry during the critical October 1863 attack outside Chattanooga. (Harper’s Weekly) This article is from the Winter 2022 issue of America’s Civil War magazine. “After the devastating Union defeat at Chickamauga, Ga., on September 19-20, 1863, roughly 41,000 Army of the Cumberland troops retreated frantically into nearby…