Fort Michilimackinac - Mackinac, MI

Anyone who knows me knows that I am something of a history buff, and that when I go to new places I am always interested to know what sort of cool stuff has happened there in the past. Admittedly, I am more inclined to think some historical facts are cooler than others. For example, I could really care less about where the first locomotive was built, or if I am standing at the Wright Brother’s home, while I am enthusiastic about Colonial forts, castles, and battlefields. 

Me with a Chippewa War Club

This past week I took a trip to northern Michigan with my girlfriend and her family. Mackinaw City, and Mackinac Island (Pronounced the same way as the city, with an “AW” at the end.) are about as far north as you can get in that state without getting to the UP (Upper Peninsula) The highlight of the trip, for me at least, was Colonial Michilimackinac. This is an excellent recreation of the 1775 era fort that sat at the convergence of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Founded in 1715 by the French to support the thriving fur trade on the northern great lakes, Michilimackinac (from where the city Mackinac got its name) fell into British hands in 1761 at the conclusion of the French and Indian War. The fort has been recreated in its entirety, something worthy of Colonial Williamsburg and some of the other world famous historical sites. The homes and shops inside the fort are as authentic as they can be, even showing the difference between French built and English made buildings. (The French made their homes with vertical posts sunk directly into the ground, while the British built theirs using dovetail corners and horizontal planks on top of a foundation.) It is worth mentioning that the site is a complete fort – not simply a rebuilt tower or battlement with a few buildings around it. Once you enter Colonial Michilimackinac, you are surrounded by timer walls, rustic cabins, and detailed portrayals of life. There are no highways or neon signs or snack bars to break the scene, and it is quite easy to become engulfed in it.

The site is also still an active archeological dig. There has been a constant archeological presence in the area since it was first excavated in the 60’s, and part of the tour was a briefing by the archeologists, and allowed guests to ask questions about either the process, or colonial life in Northern Michigan.



Archeologists explaining their dig site

Fur Trading Post at MichiliMackinac

Despite the impressive reconstruction and the ongoing archeological excavations, what really stood out with this site were the reenacters, or interpreters. Where many historical sites are manned by either bored college students looking for a grade/summer work, or retired historians/professors looking to fill the hours, the interpreters at Colonial Michilimackinac were energetic, knowledgeable, and passionate about the history they were portraying.

Standouts included the British 8^th Regiment of Foot, and the French Voyagers (apparently pronounced with an accent, as in all the literature it appears in italics.)

British Grenadier



The girl portraying the voyager was the first interpreter that we spoke to. She clearly knew her subject matter, and explained how the (mainly French) trappers, shippers, and river folk would make the seasonal trips around the great lakes, to and from Montreal and New York, stopping off at Fort Michilimackinac. She was outside the fort, complete with 30 foot canoe rigged up as a tent, and trade goods spread out ready for purchase or barter. She was incredibly knowledgeable, very in character, and set the tone for the entire experience.

French Canadian Voyager at her camp outside the fort



The British 8th Regiment of Foot - Firing 3 rounds a minute

The redcoats were represented by two companies of the 8^th: A Battalion, or line company, and the Grenadier company. The uniforms were spot on, down to the last detail, without the comical red felt that typically accompanies a more costume style British soldier. This was the first time I had seen a British Grenadier represented so faithfully, and I was very impressed. More than just their physical appearance, the interpreters took pride in their work. They knew what they were doing, knew the manual of arms for their musketry demonstrations (even demonstrating the “tap load” that was faster, but not always reliable) and some (when asked) confirmed that they could, indeed, fire the three rounds a minute that was the mark of a good soldier in the ranks of an 18^th Century army. After the demonstrations, the troopers escorted groups around the fort on tours, or were seen maintaining their gear at the guard house – a discipline and authenticity seldom seen at other historical sites.



Interpreters representing Battalion Companies of the 8th

Cleaning the Brown Bess

Overall, I could have spent all day here. This would normally be a very boring prospect unless you are a history geek like me, but the passion and knowledge of the interpreters, and the attention to detail throughout the entire location and site made this an experience that could genuinely be enjoyed by all.

Room 101 La Serie C – Connecticut Shade Torpedo

Room 101 La Serie C – Connecticut Shade Torpedo

This was my Memorial Day cigar.  Room 101 is a brand that I have grown to enjoy quite a bit. Blended and rolled by Comacho, I chose a Room 101 Serie C for Memorial Day because it is owned by Matt Booth, a former Marine machine gunner, and currently a jewelry designer. I lit it up at Beach Cigar Lounge – a Veteran owned business here in Newport Beach, so all in all, it was quite appropriate for the occasion.

I want to preface this by saying that I have really enjoyed Room 101 cigars in the past. They are edgy, and full of flavor, with a bit of spice to the full, rich smoke. That being said, this was my first of the Serie C, and I was a bit disappointed. This Connecticut shade torpedo lit up well, and very quickly, but went out just as fast. This is not a damning characteristic right off the draw, as a wise man once told me “If your cigar goes out, it means you’re talking too much” However, this happened multiple times on the Serie C, despite near constant attention.

On the positive side, the Room 101 had a good draw with a high volume of rich smoke. It was light to medium bodied – not what I am used to with the 101’s – but with a kick there on the finish. The flavor was rather neutral, without much to speak of except a bit of soft wood. Overall, unremarkable.

I don’t make it a habit of judging a cigar off of just one smoke, but with so many other excellent choices out there, many even from Room 101, I may not want to spend money on this one again.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Mural

Found this mural while wandering around on my lunch break. It is on the back end of the Legacy Oceangate Towers and it caught my attention. I just thought it was pretty cool. Pictures were taken on my phone, so forgive the quality, but the Oliver Wendell Holmes quote was also quite appropriate - especially in the Business District of Long Beach.

Enjoy!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.4

Wild Geese Irish Soldiers & Heroes - Rare Irish Whiskey

 The Wild Geese Irish Soldiers and Heroes – Rare Irish - Long name, with an even longer taste. This malted blend from the famed Cooley’s distillery in County Louth, Ireland is brand new to the market, and hard to find just about anywhere. If you can though, it is worth it.

A very light gold color, this oak aged spirit is a sharp turn from the dark, heavy, and chewy bourbons that I typically enjoy. It is crisp, light, and fresh, but warming, with a soft, round mouth feel.

This whiskey is smooth and sweet, with a distinct floral bouquet on the nose. The more it breaths and the longer you sip, the aroma and taste of citrus and sweet fruits comes out, but not without a kick. The Rare Irish is one of the sweeter whiskies I have had. The smooth flavors of honey and caramel are what many Irish whiskies are known for, and the Wild Geese stays true to its heritage. An excellent flavor, with notes of cedar, soft woods, and spice, finishing with the tastes of cinnamon and spices instead of the burn associated with more common whiskies.

The Rare Irish is my favorite of the Wild Geese line, but their Limited Edition and Single Malt each have their own qualities and place in your cellar.

Ramon Allones Robusto

Ramon Allones Robusto

Due to the efforts of a good friend, I had the privilege of smoking a Ramon Allones Robusto last week. I am familiar with Cuban Cigars, but this will be the first review I have posted of a Cuban. I tend to stay away from these types of posts (unlike Cigar Aficionado) because I often feel it is rude to show off wares and products that are inaccessible to most. Something of a “Look what I have that you can't get” type of situation. That being said, these particular cigars were a gift, and out of professional courtesy, and due to requests for more reviews, I bring you: The Ramon Allones Robusto, Hecho a Mano en Habana, Cuba

Pre-light aroma of fine leather and spice. It has a good firm feel and slightly oily texture – which I like, though some may not. It lit easily, with a smooth, easy draw. There was a good volume of soft, velvety smoke right as it opened up. The first third of this puro was excellent, with floral notes and a sweet flavor of honey. This led to a more robust middle section where the stronger tastes of leather, oak, and bourbon. These flavors finished off the cigar, but became ever more pronounced as I continued to draw. The construction, as to be expected from a Cuban masterpiece, was excellent, while the burn was even and clean. The ash was stiff, white, and firm. Even the winds of Newport Harbor had a hard time blowing the cherry off this cigar.

The Ramon Allones was a real treat to smoke, and I am glad to have a few resting in my humidor for future consumption. I am most impressed, however, at the similarities and confidence in construction and flavor that have been exhibited by many of my favorite Honduran and Dominican brands. There are still subtle differences, of course, and half of the pleasure of partaking in a Cuban cigar is knowing that it is, indeed a Cuban, crafted by the undisputed master tobacconists of the world. The cigar industry, though, has evolved to the level that craftsmen, many of then trained in Cuba or from the Cuban tradition, are rising to the times, and the gap in quality and flavor between Cuban cigars, and those of the free world, is shrinking with every crop of tobacco grown.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day:

I don’t want to be the typical, token, disgruntled veteran complaining about how Memorial Day is too much about BBQ’s, the beginning of summer, and having Monday off from work. Judging by the two wars we have been fighting the last decade, and if your Facebook newsfeed is anything like mine, then you have noticed that the true meaning of Memorial Day is at the forefront of the minds of much of the country.

Even here in Newport Beach – a haven for both the out of touch bourgeois rich and the naïve, left leaning hipster culture, there are flags proudly displayed, and lunch specials at corner coffee shops offering a free cup of Joe to service-members (shout out to My Galley Café at 5^th street and Balboa – Thanks for the Coffee!) The meaning of the holiday has not been forgotten, it is pounded into us through social media and peer pressure, and many times it feels forced. It’s like saying thank you to Grandma for that hideous sweater on Christmas, or sending a halfhearted gift for that wedding invitation you got from a guy you haven’t seen since high school, and barely knew back then. It is an obligation. It is something we don’t really want to do, but feel bad if we don’t. Those serving in the military make up less than 1% of the population, and true enough, to actually meet a soldier outside of a military town is something of a surprise to many. The wars are half a world away: something you hear about on the news, but that rarely comes into casual conversation (as opposed to say, WWII, where for four years the entire country was tirelessly devoted to the defeat of the Axis Powers.) Everyone has a cousin in the navy (they think…) or has an uncle who fought in Vietnam, or knows a guy from high school who joined the Army when he didn’t get that football scholarship he wanted, but how many of your average citizens actually know someone who was killed in action? The answer is precious few – make no mistake, I hold nothing against the community at large for being kept away from the horrors of war. For the most part, those affected by the cost of American freedom are a warrior caste. We are set apart from the population, willingly confined to military posts and duty stations, occasionally venturing out for Christmas leave or a long weekend. We associate almost exclusively with other soldiers. Many were born to military families, and knew from an early age that they were destined for the profession of arms. It is a point of pride that we bear the burden of our society’s comfort. But even then there is a lot that gets lost in the actual application of that concept.

The men that I served beside did not fight for oil, or land, or riches, or even for freedom, or to keep the country safe. We all have personal reasons for joining up, but no matter what those are; we do what we do for those beside us. We do it for personal pride, for honor – in whatever personal definition that word holds for the individual. We don’t strap on body armor and seek out the enemy for barbeques or shopping malls or the free market or apple pie. Those are some pretty awesome byproducts of our actions, but we do it because it is expected of us. I did it because I didn’t want men like Tony DePetris, Matt Hermanson, Nate Henry, or Brian Knapp to have to face whatever lay outside the wire without me.

The men I know who fell in battle are too many to name. That is what comes with spending most of your adult life as a soldier. It is a small Army out there, and there is never a time when I am not scanning the news after some tragic story, searching for the name of a comrade. There are times when I hate myself for being stateside while I have friends that are still fighting. These are things that I don’t expect the average American to understand – no service member expects them to. We are a warrior caste so that they do not have to understand them. There is more of a burden to defending the nation than physical scars, but we don’t need pity. There is pride that comes with the job, and when you live a Spartan lifestyle of service to the nation, then pride is often all that you have. Don’t take that away with some abstract sense of guilt or false gratitude. Enjoy your Barbeque. Have fun at the beach on your day off. Our freedom to do so is through of the efforts of the military, so why waste this gift paid for by blood and sweat, toil and chaos! We make these sacrifices specifically so the people of the United States can remain blissfully ignorant of the costs of war. The only thanks that we really crave is from those beside us: a nod of approval from a brother in arms, a pat on the back (literal, not figurative) after a rough day, or a shared drink after a shared hardship.

It is important to remember Memorial Day for the somber day that it is, but do not let guilt or sadness or even gratitude erase the freedoms that their sacrifices bought. Have your moment of silence, fly your flag, and raise your glass to the memory of the men and women you never knew, but also honor them with smiles, laughter, and time with your loved ones.

Dedicated to: Matthew Hermanson, Benjamin Britt, Tom Martin, Nick Dewhirst, Neale Shank, Tim Cunningham, Emily Perez, Jacob Harrelson, Brian Mack, and a host of others who stood beside me and were carried home on their shields.

Facebook IPO

Facebook IPO

So if you pay attention to financial news – or really the news at all – there has been one major theme that has dominated the headlines this last week: the Facebook IPO. The already fabulously wealthy founders of the wildly popular social media site are set to become multi-billionaires. And why shouldn't they? Mark Zuckerberg and crew have quite literally changed the world as we know it. Where Myspace and Friendster came before, Facebook has united what was once a fringe, hipster culture, into not only the mainstream, but into everyday life. I don't know anyone who doesn't check their Facebook page at least a few times a day. Most do it on their phone when they have 30 seconds of downtime. It has millions of users, and is probably the single most visited website on the internet. Think about it. Everyone has their own preference for news sites, movie sites, professional sites, etc. and this divides the audience. Facebook, however, is a global hegemon and not just in the social media field, but in the world.

And as of today, you can own a piece of this hegemon. Facebook is having it's Initial Public Offering (or IPO) as I write this, and you too can capitalize on the all encompassing powerhouse that is the social network. This question is, though, would you want to? There is no question as to the brilliance of Zuckerberg's creation, and getting in on the ground level would have been a life changing experience. But has the media giant run its course? They were asking $38 a share for their IPO, and last I checked, they were selling for right at $41. This is an excellent margin for their first day of trading, and Zuckerberg should rightly be excited about this successful IPO, but honestly, I am not sure where Facebook will go from here.

Facebook is not Apple – who has stunned the world with constant innovation and new invention, shaping society with their ever changing line of products. Their stock price went from somewhere in the $30's to over $300 in just a few years. Facebook, for all the changes that they make to their layout, does not produce... well, anything. Yes, they provide an audience to market to, and have done an excellent job tailoring their ads to what their readers want to see, but have you ever clicked on a link? Sure, I read shares, and go through articles, and get really involved in my social networking from time to time, but I don't think I have ever bought something because I saw an ad on Facebook. Company's are starting to realize this. Earlier this week GM pulled all of its ads, saying that it just wasn't seeing results. I see facebook as being an excellent tool for niche brands and specific products – using their trageting dynamic to tailor the market that sees their ads to exactly the people they want to sell to, but national brands and general products? Not so much. Everyone knows about the Chevy Cruze... and sure, maybe someone who has pictures of trees and birds on their page would like to hear about the eco properties that the car offers, but they might not base a $30,000 decision on an ad in a margin.

Do Zuckerberg and the team at facebook have the knowledge and skill to change this? To morph into a marketing scheme with Pintrest level devotion to products? Yes, they certainly do! Will they do it? I don't know. I anticipate Facebook having an excellent IPO, maybe topping out as high as $45, but hitting a plateau almost immediately afterward. There will be a lucky few – typically the high end mutual funds and market managers who are invited to such high profile bids – who will make a killing off of Facebook, and with a shift in their innovation (not, by any means, a given) I could see it being a decent long term investment (5-10 years) and probably beating inflation in terms of appreciation, but if you can't buy it now, I wouldn't buy it next week. It's not going anywhere for a while, and there are better opportunities out there.