Tag: ABC Wednesday

“South” states: Carolina, Dakota

God, guns, and fireworks

Saskatchewan.South DakotaI’ve been to South Carolina a few times because it’s less than 20 miles from Charlotte, NC, where part of my family lives and the SC border. I went there a few times with my late father, perhaps to Rock Hill, when he was buying and selling goods.

He used to note that the geographic relationship between Charlotte and its southern neighbor was like Binghamton, NY and ITS southern neighbor, Pennsylvania. I think the quasi-familiar somehow made him comfortable after the move by him, my mother and sister Marcia in 1974.

Last time I recall being in South Carolina, there were tons of billboards about God, guns, and fireworks, as soon as one crossed the border, in numbers far greater than its northern neighbor.

SC, South Carolina, a state in the southeast US. Capital: Columbia; largest city: Charleston.

The Dakotas

The 1996 Olin International Family Reunion was in Fargo, ND. My future wife went with her parents. Then they traveled down to South Dakota. Naturally, they went to Mount Rushmore.

I have never been to either of the Dakotas. Here’s something I had wondered about: Why Are There Two Dakotas? Mostly because the folks didn’t like each other.

“The northern part of Dakota territory became more closely tied to Minneapolis-St. Paul, via Fargo and Bismarck. In contrast, the southern counties… were more closely tied by trade to Sioux City… Omaha or… Chicago. These diverging economic ties left residents of different parts of the territory less connected to each other…

“On Nov. 2, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed the papers to admit North and South Dakota as two separate states… Though North Dakota is generally considered the 39th state to South Dakota’s 40th state, it’s actually unclear which one was admitted first…”

SD, South Dakota, a state in the upper Midwest region. Capital: Pierre, which is pronounced PEER. Largest city: Sioux Falls.

Saskatchewan, in French, is Saskatchewan

I did not know this: “Saskatchewan receives more hours of sunshine than any other Canadian province… The hottest temperature ever recorded anywhere in Canada happened in Saskatchewan. The temperature rose to 45 °C (113 °F) in Midale and Yellow Grass.”

Or this: “In the early 20th century the province became known as a stronghold for Canadian social democracy.”

SK Saskatchewan, a prairie province in western Canada. Capital: Regina. Largest city: Saskatoon. I love saying “Saskatoon”.

Southerly ABC Wednesday

Rhode Island: longest name

What’s not to like?

Rhode IslandRhode Island I always favored conceptually because it was founded by Roger Williams in the 17th century. As a kid, I was a sucker for people named Roger: Bannister, Daltrey, Maris, Miller, e.g., but not Taney.

Williams was “a Puritan minister, theologian, and author… He was a staunch advocate for religious freedom, separation of church and state, and fair dealings with American Indians, and he was one of the first abolitionists.” What’s not to like?

Ironically, the smallest state in the United States bears the longest official name. It is the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The state is the seventh least populous, but the second-most densely populated.

The Ocean State is also the 13th state, the last of the original colonies to ratify the Constitution, on May 29, 1790. In fact, it was “the only state not to send a representative to the Constitutional Convention,” which had approved the document on September 17, 1787. The First Congress subsequently “passed 12 proposed amendments to the Constitution” without RI, most of which became the Bill of Rights.

I have visited Providence a few times. Its view of the Atlantic Ocean was spectacular. My daughter particularly enjoyed it. But back in 2007 or so, a friend of mine tried to wean her from her fear of dogs with his very tame canine; it did not work at the time.

In 2012, many of my in-laws were staying in Newport at a couple of timeshares. We spent a good chunk of time visiting the mansions of the Gilded Age. Very Upstairs/Downstairs, or I suppose now, Downton Abbey.

Some of us also visited the Tennis Hall of Fame. I STILL get emails from the organization, where I give my opinions on who should next be enshrined. I’m a sucker for a good Hall of Fame, and that one definitely qualified.

RI Rhode Island, a US state in New England. Capital and largest city: Providence. I recommend the New England Clam Chowder.

Little Rhody for ABC Wednesday

Q is for the Province of Quebec

sinfully delicious

Montreal.Quebec CityI have been to Quebec twice in my life, in 1991 and 1992. Both times I took the train with Z from Albany to Montreal.

I loved Montreal, especially in the old city. One of these decades, I need to scan photos we took of the Notre-Dame Basilica. They were, in my mind’s eye, gorgeous. In fact, looking for those old photos sent me on a wholly metaphysical trip back through time…

What do I remember? Walking up to Mont-Royal and its splendid view of the city. There was a wide variety of activities that took place, and the weather was astonishingly beautiful in the early fall.

Poutine – what IS that? “A dish that includes french fries and cheese curds topped with a brown gravy. It originated in the Canadian province of Quebec and emerged in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec area. It has long been associated with Quebec cuisine.” I don’t recall LOVING it, but I ate it. I don’t believe I’ve had it since.

Crepes. We had them at least twice. The first time was an OMG moment. They were sinfully delicious.

Smoking. I recall a LOT of it, even in the halls of the inn we stayed in one time. I understand the laws are far more restrictive now, which, for me, is a good thing.

One Sunday. There was a nearby Lutheran church that had two services, one in German and one in English. We opted to attend the latter. After the service, the congregants were very friendly. One asked if I’d like to sing in the choir. I indicated that the commute would be too long.

My daughter went on a one-day trip to Montreal in 2019. She loved it, but between the transportation and the necessarily very long day – leave at 5:30 a.m., return at midnight – it was difficult for me to get meaningful details from her.

Obviously, I need to go back to Montreal, and maybe visit Quebec City for the first time as well.

QC Quebec, a province in Canada, abbreviated Que or Qc. Also P.Q. is unofficially used, short for Province du Québec. Oddly, New York State and New York City use QB to identify Québec Vehicle Licence Plates. Capital: Quebec City. Largest city: Montreal, the second-largest city in Canada.

Cue for ABC Wednesday

Pennsylvania, clutch

grits

Pennsylvania.mapBinghamton, my hometown on the Southern Tier of New York, is less than 20 miles from the northern border of Pennsylvania. I have a lot of connection to the Keystone State.

My maternal grandmother has family from the state. My paternal grandfather was born there. For all I know, my father may have been born there as well; it remains a mystery.

When I was growing up, the parents of my friend Carol, who I’ve now known only about six decades, had a cottage on a lake just across the border. Our whole class went there a few times.

I have this fuzzy recollection of taking a bus, possibly with one or both sisters, to someone’s house in Philadelphia, where my parents already were located. First time I ever tried grits; didn’t like ’em. I have an ex, and a brother-in-law and his family who live in the eastern part of the state.

Yet my sports rooting interests, beyond the New York teams, tend to be for the teams in Pittsburgh, western Pennsylvania, the Pirates (baseball) and Steelers (football). Two all-time greats on the Steelers share my birthday, running back Franco Harris and wide receiver Lynn Swann.

My father liked to drive down to Intercourse, PA, in Amish country so we could all have some shoefly pie.

I once saw a Rand-McNally map of Pennsylvania that spelled Binghamton as Binghampton.

PA Pennsylvania, a mid-Atlantic state (commonwealth) in the US. Usual historic abbreviations were Penn., Penna. Capital: Harrisburg. Largest city: Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell.

PE Prince Edward Island, a maritime province in Canada. French: Île-du-Prince-Édouard. Historically, P.E.I./Î.-P.-É. It’s the smallest province of Canada in both land area and population, but the most densely populated. Capital and largest city: Charlottetown.

PR Puerto Rico, an Insular area, a different sense of commonwealth, in the Caribbean Sea. My sister and her family lived there for about seven years, and I regret never having visited.

PW Palau, a freely associated state in the Pacific Ocean.

For ABC Wednesday

O for either Ontario or Ohio

neither Cleveland or Cincinnati is the largest city in Ohio

Ontario“O. was not uncommon in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for either Ontario or Ohio. An assumption of intranational context was often the only disambiguating factor in that era.”

OH Ohio, a state in the Midwest US, often not abbreviated at all. Capital and largest city: Columbus. The dominance of Columbus is relatively recent, which is why there are major league baseball and football teams in Cleveland and Cincinnati. Ohio has the only state flag that is not rectangular.

I’ve been to Cleveland twice, in 1998 and 2016, both times visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

During the 2016 trip, we also went to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton and the Olin International Family Reunion in Ashtabula. On our way back from Indiana in the summer of 2019, we stopped to eat in Ashtabula County.

The previous reunion

ON Ontario, a province in Canada, sometimes abbreviated Ont. Capital and largest city: Toronto, which is the largest city in the country. The capital of Canada, Ottawa, is also in Ontario.

I have been to Niagara Falls several times. The family made a loop around Lake Ontario in 2011 and visited Toronto for a few days. Our ultimate destination was the Olin International Family Reunion in Petersborough.

in 1998, my friend Sarah and I got gasoline in Windsor, right across from Detroit, MI, because it was cheaper in Canada at the time.

OK Oklahoma, a state in South Central US, historically abbreviated Okla. Capital and largest city: Oklahoma City. I wrote about the state in 2013. as I noted, I’ve only been to Oklahoma once and it was brief.

I had been to a Texas Small Business Development Center conference in Galveston in 1996. Then I took a short trip by plane from Houston, TX to Norman, OK and had a meeting with statewide representatives. It was in a non-descript hotel, which could have been ANYWHERE.

Of course, Oklahoma was the home of the late, great blogger Dustbury.

OR Oregon, a state in the Pacific Northwest of the US, traditionally abbreviated Ore. or Oreg. Capital: Salem. Largest city: Portland. I have a vague recollection of the Oregon Treaty of 1846.

O is for ABC Wednesday

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