Yosemite

We hear the names of these famous places all of the time all of the time, but seldom know the history behind them. Yosemite is the name of one of the most famous National Parks in the country that features famous sites such as Half-dome, Yosemite Falls (tallest waterfall on the continent), and various other amazing sites. Anyways, has anyone ever heard of what the word Yosemite means? I grew up in California and have never heard this story. For hundreds of years, the Ahwahneechee had inhabited the Yosemite Valley (though they weren't the first indigenous to inhabit the area). When the gold rush hit California, there was obviously a huge population rush to the area. Major Jim Savage (fitting name) led the Mariposa Battalion into the valley in search of Native Americans to eliminate them from the land. Elimination included burning settlements and murdering without a cause.

One member of the battalion was particularly taken with the scenery and the people settled there, and along with a few others refused to fight. This man commented that he heard the Natives saying the word "yohhe'meti" and assumed they were referring to the name of their people. Turns out, thats what they were calling the battalion and literally means "they are killers".

The name Yosemite is our scar from a very regretful chapter in U.S. history that forever labels what we did to the Natives in Yosemite Valley.

Rejuvination

Balance Rock Inn, Bar Harbor, ME

General George Washington: True Patriot

Lately I have been reading the book WASHINGTON The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner. Great book by the way, I'm about half-way through it. I just wanted to share a tidbit from the book. There are so many stories in history that we never hear about unless we really dig and want to learn. I have found this to be the case with reading this book. I have always had great respect for George Washington and what he has accomplished for our country. I have a general idea of what he did, but don't exactly know much about him besides him being a revolutionary war general, was the first president of the United States, and had wooden teeth.

Flexner does a good job at demonstrating Washington's character throughout the book through stories and experiences. You feel as though you are at Washington's side the entire time watching him rise to greatness. Anyways, on with the gem. At this point, of the book Washington has just defeated Cornwallis, the British General in Yorktown. A very pivotal victory for the colonials, which pretty much put the defining dagger to Great Britain's relentless will. Leading up to this event, Washington was seen by many as THE rising leader. Many even insisted that he become king once independence was reached!

Washington, being modest as usual didn't really want to lead to begin with. He was a man who had everything he wanted. He had acres of land on Mount Vernon and a farm that was in good working order. He was basically volunteered and voted in to be General of the Continental Army. He really had no desire to lead, due to his limited military expertise. Though he did it, because he was willing to give all for an independent nation from the British. Later, He quickly declined the notions of him becoming king saying "No occurence in the course of the war has given me more painful sensations than your information of there being such ideas existing in the army. . . . I must view with abhorrence and reprehend with severity."

After Cornwallis was defeated, many soldiers in the continental army were rightfully seeking payment for their efforts in the war. Many had left their families for years and had not been able to assist in farming related chores to sustaining life at the time. When they heard that the government was stalling on making payments, they were enraged. It's not that congress didn't want to pay them, it's that they didn't have anything to pay them with! The financial situation was a wreck, and there weren't any signs of payment coming in the near future.

Washington was very influential to the men he served with in the military, so congress wished to convey to him the situation in congress, then relay that to his soldiers to prevent anarchy of any sort. The army was on the verge of marching into Philadelphia for a revolution, with or without Washington's help. They were actually pretty peeved at Washington for not jumping to take action on the matter, since they had been so loyal to him. It's not that Washington was caught in the middle and didn't know what to do. He had just led the Continental Army to deliver a devastating blow to the British, and an independent nation was in their grasp!

A ceremony was to be held to make the British surrender official. Towards the end of the ceremony Washington got up to give a speech. His army made their opinions known of him, showing him their distaste for his lack of action in their financial situation. Washington's remarks were aimed at his army, trying every argument possible to soften them to see the vision he had of an independent nation. The army didn't seem to be moved at all by the speech, and still displayed apprehensive stone faces. Washington announced he would read a letter from a congressmen to give the current status of their payments.

". . . . something seemed to go wrong. The General seemed confused; he stared at the paper helplessly. The officers leaned forward, their hearts contracting with anxiety. Washington pulled from his pocked something only his intimates had seen him wear: a pair of eyeglasses: 'Gentleman,' he said, 'you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country."

"This homely act and simply statement did what all Washington's arguments had failed to do. The hardened soldiers wept. Washington had saved the United States from tyrrany and civil discord. As Jefferson was later to comment 'The modernization and virtue of a single character probably prevented this Revolution from being closed, as most others have been, by a subversion of that liberty was intended to establish."

Adventure

Grand Targhee Resort backcountry snowboarding. Hiking Mary's Nipple (Feb. 2008).

Book Review: The Lost Symbol

I have been excited for this book since I heard it was being written. Does that make my bias already? Probably, but I think that makes the book even more successful because it exceeded all the expectations that I anticipated upon purchasing it. There were a few things that were similar to previous Dan Brown novels. There is of course Robert Langdon, the main character who is going about his normal life in Cambridge, MA when he is suddenly summoned somewhere by someone who requires his expertise in Symbology and Cryptology. When he arrives, he is taken on a whirlwind of an adventure into unseen worlds. Along the way there is a female that becomes a companion for the journey, and a sinister villain with an agenda and a countdown.

Pretty much the same idea for all three books, right? Well it's not so much how the story goes and if it was repetitious in it's format that makes it successful. The impressive thing to me is how much research Dan Brown does in order to write these books. He ties in renaissance art, history, and facts into one story full of suspense, drama, and triumphs that will not let you put the book down.And despite what I said earlier about the stories generally following the same patterns, there are enough differences that you don't even consider that as a main factor in rating the book.

I loved reading about Freemasonry and how it was tied into the story. We all love to read about the seldom told and somewhat mysterious groups of secret societies and how they are tied into today's world. I know that there were a few things that weren't entirely accurate with the Freemasons either, but what it did was get me interested in studying about the Freemasons myself to sort through and play the 'Fact or Fiction' game. It's difficult to know one from the other because there are a few types of Freemasons that all slightly differ from each other. I think Dan Brown did a great job with the subject, and gave it as much respect as possible. He realizes how delicate the subject is, and I finished the book with a very positive feeling about Freemasons and what they stand for.

It was interesting to connect a few points of the book with Mormons. There are various parts of the book that I connected with spiritually, but I will share this one in particular to give an example. The rotunda of the Capital Building features a piece of art called "Apotheosis of Washington". Apotheosis comes from the Greek word "apotheoun" which means "to deify", not to be mixed up with the word "defy". Deify literally comes from the word "deity", which means God. The painting was of George Washington's literal transformation from Man to God. Mormons one of the only christian sects that believes that doctrine (except for a few Mormon break-offs). There are many more points from the book that stand out in-mind with similar significance.

Overall, I would give it Five Stars. It intrigued and inspired me to dig deeper about the subject. I was fascinated with both it's sstory and content.