No Boys Allowed

Yam was just home on her final college spring break. She will graduate in early May (where have these four years gone...didn't I just bring her home from the hospital?)

While she was home, she and I had a lovely Mother-Daughter day.

Yam has a record player and she is always on the lookout for inexpensive records to add to her music library. I had seen a room full of records at an antique shop in a quaint little town north of our house the last time The Colonel and I were there.

In this quaint little town there is a lovely restaurant called Mary Margaret's Tea and Biscuit.

The restaurant is owned and operated by two gentlemen who named it after their mothers. Yam and I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after it opened and were fortunate to have a table to sit at right away. The place is very popular and it does not seat many (part of the quaintness of it all).

This is what welcomes you as you come through the door; the Front Parlor.

Our friendly waiter sat us at our table. We looked over the menu and decided on the soup and half a sandwich offering. We both had chicken salad sandwiches but Yam had lobster bisque and I had butternut squash soup.

Lunch was delicious and it was a visual treat dining at Mary Margaret's.

In the picture above you can see our waiter clearing the table that Yam and I sat at for lunch. Notice the elderly couple seated at the table next to our vacated one. They were chatty Iowans.

Before leaving the restaurant, I purchased three cranberry scones to take home. There was some homemade cream and strawberry jam tucked in beside the scones. Yam, The Colonel and I very much enjoyed the delicious scones.

Fortified by our lovely lunch, I proceeded to take Yam straight to the room full of records. The room is inside The Old Opera House. Its fourteen rooms are full of antiques. The Old Opera House (1906) is reportedly haunted, especially the room full of records. It is from this room that a child reportedly fell from the third story window and died. While rummaging through records, neither Yam nor I encountered anything paranormal. 

This was just one corner of the room full of records. Yam was able to find a couple of albums she wanted (the right artist for the right price). 

After checking out the other thirteen rooms of the Old Opera House, we visited other antique shops along the main street.

Yam said she felt like she was transported back in time as we walked down the street. I agreed. It felt like we were back in a time when many towns in America were small towns with main streets as their heart (think Mayberry).

The day spent with my daughter was perfect in every way. 

Becoming Fierce People

2013 marks 500 years of history and diverse cultural heritage in Florida. This is a claim no other state in America can make.

Viva Florida 500 is a statewide initiative led by the Florida Department of State, under the leadership of Governor Rick Scott, to highlight the 500 years of historic people, places and events in present-day Florida since the arrival of Juan Ponce de Leon to the land he named La Florida in 1513. While Florida's Native American heritage dates back more than 12,000 years, Spain's claim in 1513 began a new era.

The Viva Florida 500 commemoration is ongoing throughout 2013, and includes more than 200 events statewide.

The Colonel and I participated in one of the events on Saturday, February 16th. The event was entitled, At First Contact: A Fierce People. The 'Fierce People' are also known as the Calusa Indians.

The interactive living history event featured a re-created Calusa village on the shores of Charlotte Harbor and was a Charlotte County Historical Center event.

The Calusa Indians had a complex culture based on estuarine fisheries rather than agriculture and their territory encompassed most of southwest Florida and may have included the Keys. It is believed that there were nearly 20,000 Calusa at time of contact with the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon.

The Calusa were mound builders. Their mounds were made of shell or sand. There are still mounds in the area today. Their diet consisted of all kinds of fish, shellfish, turtles, alligator, deer, gathered fruits, nuts, wild plants and berries.

The Calusa lived in large communal houses and the chief's (the Spanish called him King Carlos) house was built on a large earthwork or shell mound.

As recorded by the Spanish, the Calusa wore very little clothing. Men would wear a loin cloth of woven palm fronds or sometimes deer skin. Women were topless and wore skirts of woven moss or palm fronds. Any jewelry was made of shells or seeds. The chief's wife may have worn precious stones or pearls.

Both men and women painted their bodies. No evidence of tattooing was recorded. Often the painting was not used as decoration but rather as insect repellent. The paint was made of mud and different ground plants.

The Calusa believed that three supernatural beings ruled the world. The most powerful ruler governed the physical world. The second ruled human governments and the third helped in wars; choosing who would win. They also believed that people had three souls: a person's eye, shadow and reflection.

In 1521 Juan Ponce de Leon organized a colonizing expedition to La Florida with two ships (he had been to La Florida before in 1513 looking for the Fountain of Youth). He had 200 men with him as well as 50 horses and other domesticated animals (cows and pigs whose descendants are still here). The expedition landed in the Calusa territory which the Calusa did not take to kindly. The Indians attacked and wounded Ponce de Leon in the thigh with a poison arrow. After the attack the Spanish sailed to Havana, Cuba where Ponce de Leon later died from his wound.

What eventually happened to the Calusas? They died out in the late 1700's. Enemy tribes from Georgia and South Carolina began raiding the Calusa territory. Some Calusa were captured and sold as slaves. In addition diseases such as smallpox and measles brought by the Spanish explorers wiped out entire villages. It is believed that remaining Calusas went to Cuba when the Spanish gave Florida to the British in 1763.

Back to the Viva Florida 500 interactive living history event featuring the re-created Calusa Village...

The Colonel played the part of the Calusa chief, King Carlos and I played the part of his queen. The Spanish did not record a name for her. They did say that she was beautiful (I could do beautiful).

We had guidance from an archaeologist about what our costumes should generally look like (we also looked at pictures). The grass skirts, palm fronds and shell necklaces were supplied by the historical center, the rest was up to us.

The Colonel and I knew our costumes had to be well done and similar, as we were portraying the king and queen (but still not cost too much). Our shirts had to be a tan color to simulate skin. We, especially I, could not go topless like the real Calusa. We were glad we had long sleeves on as it was windy and a bit cool at times.

I went to Beall's Outlet and found our shirts for $7 each. We took our shirts out to the garage and taped off a design that was similar to the ones we saw in pictures of Calusa body painting and then we spray painted the shirts. They turned out nicely.

The Colonel found a black wig to wear from the local party shop and I had him color my hair black with a temporary color that washes out in 28 shampooings (so the box says). I have a long black wig but did not want to wear it and have all that hair blowing in my face (and it would have). I have gotten many reactions from family and friends about this new, darker hair color. Most agree that it just isn't me, that it is too dark. The Colonel likes it.

We had to cut our grass skirts down to size and length. Our living room floor looked like Big Bird's nest.

My mother-in-law had given me a pair of earrings the week before the event and I glued a shell on each one to wear as part of my queenly costume. We had some face paint stashed in our Halloween items and used it to finish off our Calusa look.

The event began at 10:00 a.m. and ended at 2:00 p.m. There were about four newspaper reporters there taking pictures and asking questions. Our picture made the front cover of the Tampa Tribune (below).

 The reporters and visitors to our Calusa village were treated to the Black Drink Ceremony. In this ceremony only men from the tribe could drink the Black Drink. The Calusa drink was made from a type of holly berry that was fermented. It would cause vomiting and hallucinations. The ceremony would be performed for special reasons like the burial of a warrior or getting ready for war. As queen, I would pour the Black Drink (we used cold coffee) into a smaller shell and offer it to the king and then the other men of the tribe.

We also re-enacted the welcoming of a man from the Tocobago Tribe. The Tocobago Indians lived in the Tampa area. Our visiting Tocobago presented himself first to The Colonel and then to me. He got down on one knee and held his hands cupped upwards. The Colonel and I cupped our hands downwards into the visitor's hands. We welcomed those who came to the event in that manner too.

Our visiting Tocobago demonstrated how to knap arrowheads. The Calusa Indians did not make tools out of stone, they used shells. They would often trade with other tribes for stone tools.

In our Calusa Village we also had a charnel house. The Calusa put their dead on platforms until the flesh fell away from the bones and then they would bury the skeleton in a sand or shell mound. The body would be guarded by a boy or man until it could be buried.

We also had a barbacoa in our village. It is what the Calusa used to cook their food on and where the word Bar-B-Que comes from. The barbacoa and the charnel house platform looked similar and when the Spanish first saw the Calusa they thought they were cannibals which they were not.

One of our warriors hunted for fish with an atlatl. An atlatl is a device for throwing a projectile. It is a rod or board that has a hook at the end that keeps the projectile in place until it is released. The atlatl increases the power and distance of a throw.

In addition to our inter-active village, the event also had craft items that children could make. The children could make small pinch pots and decorate them with shells and sharks teeth. They could make shell necklaces and color Calusa masks made out of paper.

The Colonel's parents came to our Calusa village. My Favorite Father-In-Law took some of these pictures for me (had to stay in character didn't I). We welcomed The Colonel's mother in the Calusa tradition.

My Mother-In-Law tried her hand at the atlatl. The Colonel couldn't believe it. She did well.

The Colonel and I were very happy to help the historical center with its Viva Florida 500 event. We had fun getting our costumes together, portraying the Calusa king and queen and being part of something that is a statewide initiative....that is pretty cool.



My Newest Attempt at Creativity or Meet Shelley

There is a new Hobby Lobby near my house (O.K...two towns away but under an hour's drive). It is huge! Immediate sensory overload upon crossing the store's threshold! Any kind of craft project you can imagine the supplies are there to help you make it come true.

The Colonel and I visited Hobby Lobby about a month ago and in one of their endless isles I came across a one-page project booklet about decorating with shells. The booklet was free for the taking. The store has several project booklets in each isle that support the craft items found in that isle. This shell project in the booklet (shown below) got me to thinking I wanted to do something like it.

About two weeks ago The Colonel and I made a day trip to a little town north of us that is known for its antiques. I had my eyes peeled for a bust. I found her at one of the first shops we entered. She was up on a top shelf but not too high for me to reach and when I got her down I saw she was marked at $20...about the price I had in mind when I started shopping for a bust. She was the right size too. She was perfect for what I had in mind.

Shelley, as I now call my creation (yeah, I know, not so creative), is made of ceramic and her previous owner had painted her dress a rusty red color with highlights of gold. They had also painted the band around the base the same color.

I wanted Shelley to be a flat white color (I think it makes her look like she is made of marble), so The Colonel obliged me and spray painted her.

I had purchased some shells from Hobby Lobby and Michael's to supplement those I already had at home and some craft cement. I was ready to begin my shell project. 

As you can see, the first thing I glued to Shelley was a starfish. The directions on the craft cement said to apply some on both surfaces (Shelley and the starfish) and wait two minutes before attaching. Of course I got impatient and tried to stick the starfish on before the time was up...when they say wait two minutes there is a reason for it...the glue was not ready and the starfish began to slip. I then followed the directions (more or less) with the rest of the sea related items I attached to Shelley later.

For every item I glued onto the bust I had to wait two minutes (again, more or less). When I first saw the Hobby Lobby shell project's bust I had every intention of making mine look similar...all those pretty and fantastic shells piled high on top to form the shell-hair but after gluing the first few shells on and seeing how long (and messy) it was going to be I opted to go with fewer, more strategically placed shells. Less is more right? K.I.S.S....Keep It Simple Stupid...right?

Shelley's hair was tied up with a band and I decided to cover that band with the shells.

There was a little chip on Shelley's lacy collar so I covered it with shells...a corsage of sorts.

I am pleased with how Shelley turned out. She adds a little je ne sais quoi to the place.

What Makes Us, Us

In a past post I blogged about the many catalogs I get in the mail. I usually look through them, rarely order anything and then recycle them.

In September of last year I got a National Geographic catalog in the mail and I saw something that sounded interesting so I bought it (and two days later, talked The Colonel into getting one too).

We bought two National Geographic Geno 2.0-Genographic Project Participation and DNA Ancestry Kits.

More than half a million people have participated in the project. The project tests nearly 150,000 DNA markers that have been specifically selected to provide unprecedented ancestry-related information. The project is an ambitious attempt to help answer fundamental questions about where humankind originated and how we came to populate the earth.

As participants, The Colonel and I contributed our data (DNA) to the Genographic Project's database and are helping their scientists and researchers to chart a comprehensive map of the early stages of human history.

Through our participation we would discover the migration paths of our ancient ancestors. We would also learn what percentage of our genome is affiliated with specific regions of the world and if we have Neanderthal (Western Eurasian Caveman) or Denisovan (Eastern Eurasian Caveman; first bone found in a cave in Siberia and the bone was that of a young female) ancestry.

We were excited when the kits finally arrived in the mail.

We opened our kits, thoroughly read the instructions and began to gather our DNA samples. With clean hands we opened the cheek swabs and began to vigorously (yet painlessly) scrape the inside of one cheek for about 45 seconds. We then ejected the swab tip into one of the little vials by using the plunger on the other end of the swab. We repeated the sequence with the second swab but scraped the opposite cheek.

Now we were ready to package our DNA samples and send them in the mail.

The Colonel and I were alerted, via an email, as to where in the project's process our DNA samples were. My DNA sample was isolated on November 7th and finally completed on December 3rd. The Colonel's sample took roughly a week to ten days longer to be completed. Males have a Y chromosome so the patriarchal line needs to be traced as well as their matriarchal X chromosome. Females have two X chromosomes so only the matriarchal line can be traced.

My DNA results showed that I am 42% Northern European, 39% Mediterranean and 16% Southwest Asian. This means that my first reference population is British (United Kingdom) and my second reference population is German. My hominid ancestry is 1.4% Neanderthal and 1.7% Denisovan.

Remember, The Colonel got his results later than I did and when he found out that I had Neanderthal DNA he laughed and called me a "knuckle-dragger". When his results came in they showed he had more Neanderthal DNA than I did at 3.0% (more than twice mine. Who is the "knuckle-dragger" now hmmm?). His Denisovan ancestry is 3.2% (again, more than mine). Most non-Africans are about 2% Neanderthal. 

The Colonel's DNA result percentages were very similar to mine. He is 44% Northern European, 36% Mediterranean and 18% Southwest Asian so his first reference population is British (United Kingdom) and his second reference population is German like mine.

By looking at the genetic markers I carry, the Geno 2.0 Project traced my lineage, ancestor by ancestor (female ancestors only via the Mitochondrial DNA I carry) and revealed a path they traveled as they moved out of Africa. My earliest ancestors lived in East Africa about 70,000 years ago and were the first modern humans to leave Africa and move northward.

As my ancestors moved north they lived in the eastern Mediterranean region and western Asia for a while, and this is where they coexisted for a time with the Neanderthals (and when the Neanderthal DNA was introduced into my lineage).

My maternal ancestors would eventually migrate to southeastern Europe and then expand north into Europe. They survived by hunting and finding wild food sources. In Europe, they met with those who were already there and formed new cultures that are reflected in the archaeological record. Thus, my cousins played an important role in the history of Europe.

The Colonel and I are interested in our genealogy and learning where we fit on the "Genetic Family Tree of Humankind" is right up our alleys. Knowing our genetic ancestry is a gift we passed down to our children. Now they know that they have British (United Kingdom) and German ancestry on both sides of the family.

I am glad I decided to purchase something from one of the myriad of catalogs that pass through my mailbox. It has been interesting and exciting to learn about The Colonel's and my genetic ancestors and help the National Geographic's Geno Project.

Note: The Geno Project is an on-going process. The DNA I supplied to them is being constantly reviewed as they have more information to compare it to and as more people join the project. In August 2013 I was informed that my reference populations changed. My first reference population is now German and my second reference population is Greek. I have a younger brother joining the project soon. I am curious to see what my paternal side of the family will show through his DNA.

Note: My youngest brother's DNA showed that our paternal side of the family is Danish. So, as of July 12, 2014, our DNA makeup is: Danish, German and Greek.