Last week we drove along the Sunrise Coast on the very same road that rumbles near us, US-23. If Shanna had moved to West Virginia (which they were prepared to do until they got their last second reprieve) we could have taken it to see her. I was amazed at how many little towns featured statues of Paul Bunyan. Paul Bunyan wasn't even a real person yet there he was. A few places included Babe, the Blue Ox, his faithful companion. He dug out the Great Lakes so she would have some suitable watering holes. So what natural resources did the northeast part of the state have going for it? Trees and trees and more trees. Lumbering drove the economy so I guess it is fitting that a mythical lumberman gets his statues. Oscoda claims to be the birthplace of Paul Bunyan. Michigan is not the only state that has Paul Bunyan statues. Minnesota has even more.
In Italy, many towns had statues of Dante, not of fake lumbermen. Some also had statues of those three guys responsible for the unification of Italy (of which I can remember the names of only two). Previous to Dante, all literature was written in Latin. But he published his poems in the Tuscan dialect of Italian thus spreading and codifying the Italian language. It is strange the heros we choose.
Today promises to be nice. First Brunch with Shanna, then maybe a visit from Josh, if the friends have left, then a bike ride, then a visit to a friend. I've already finished my extreme killer sudoku in record time.
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