This is the world's first Internet-dominated political campaign - and it is exciting to see the ways in which the candidates are using the medium for their message.
John Edwards introduces "Kick Bush Back to Texas" - a game animation in which one may choose to be one of assorted unemployed Americans who will then give Bush a hearty kick from Washington, landing him ignobly back in Texas. http://www.johnedwards2004.com/bootbush.asp
Bob Graham sends out anti-Bush cartoons and asks us to become "Bushwhackers" while Dennis Kuncinch is sending out electronic postcards which deliver a lengthy speech about peace in our times.
Dean, of course, is a vast network of very active blogs - and the campaign keeps one in frequent touch with email bulletins.
The others have newsletters, urging donations, of course. But they are yet to show signs of innovation. There is plenty of time and I am sure they won't want to be left behind.
Saturday, September 27, 2003
Friday, September 26, 2003
The Wes Wind redux
On the Dems debate today we got to have a good look at the new Wes - and he looked good. Absolute silver-haired eye candy. What a handsome man. What superb eyes. What an open face. Oh dear. Methinks he has it all. He's the new thinking woman's crumpet!!!
That damned Recall
Well, Arnold Schwartzenegger showed his colors at the California Recall Debate. And the color was red. Redneck. He showed that he is a hothead. He showed himself as patronising, shallow, sexist and boorish. And the media found it delightful. The /actor/bodybuilder/businessman now is being heralded for his wonderful, triumphant, clever performance.
How did the media leap to this conclusion?
Easy. It has dumbed itself down to the lowest common denominator. Arnold, of course, markets to the lowest common denominator. So now the media is marketing Arnold.
And one can only despair.
How did the media leap to this conclusion?
Easy. It has dumbed itself down to the lowest common denominator. Arnold, of course, markets to the lowest common denominator. So now the media is marketing Arnold.
And one can only despair.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
The Wes wind
My friend Janet has a Draft Wesley Clark sticker on her car and she has been waiting anxiously for Clark to get into the primaries. She is one of the "the people" who call him to service. Not an ordinary "people" since she is distinctly better informed than most. She has been watching Clark for a couple of years with quite some degree of interest and admiration. So it was good to sit down and hear her views. She's not the sort to favor a military person but she finds Clark exceptional and traces the nature of his career, one which blends philosophy and military logistics, authority and political analysis.
The issue, as we boiled it down, was not who we like or who we think may make the best president for this country but who is the most "electable".
And, in the psycho-political climate of these times, the General has immense advantage simply in being a general. That he also is an intellectual is a bonus, one which would mean little to the rank and file of an electorate. In fact, to many in the dumbed down world, intellectual prowess is a disadvantage. It certainly did not help Gore.
The average American voter, the few of them (56 per cent of the population does not bother to vote), will be looking for someone who can lead them softly and gradually away from the "if you're not with us, you're the enemy/dissent is unpatriotic" brainwash of the Bush regime. They cannot let go too easily because they are a people quelled by fear. They can relate to a General, however, for he symbolises leadership and authority, power and uniform. The time is very ripe for a General.
Thus does Clark offer something with which the other candidates cannot compete, even if they are better equipped for the task of national leadership.
The perfect set-up would have been Dean with Clark as his Vice-Presidential candidate. For I still consider Dean has the best political nous of the ten.
But, I suspect we will see unfolding a campaign which brings Clark swiftly to a lead - and I mean where it counts in NH and Iowa, not in magazine name-recognition polls, which presently put him in an outrageous lead. He has to get the respect in States which are leading the voting.
And we may well see him in the Whitehouse in the end of the day. Perhaps. For the bottom line is "electability" and the ability to beat Bush.
But if there is one thing I really like with Clark, it is that he will bring in his wife, a First Lady of America called Gert!
The issue, as we boiled it down, was not who we like or who we think may make the best president for this country but who is the most "electable".
And, in the psycho-political climate of these times, the General has immense advantage simply in being a general. That he also is an intellectual is a bonus, one which would mean little to the rank and file of an electorate. In fact, to many in the dumbed down world, intellectual prowess is a disadvantage. It certainly did not help Gore.
The average American voter, the few of them (56 per cent of the population does not bother to vote), will be looking for someone who can lead them softly and gradually away from the "if you're not with us, you're the enemy/dissent is unpatriotic" brainwash of the Bush regime. They cannot let go too easily because they are a people quelled by fear. They can relate to a General, however, for he symbolises leadership and authority, power and uniform. The time is very ripe for a General.
Thus does Clark offer something with which the other candidates cannot compete, even if they are better equipped for the task of national leadership.
The perfect set-up would have been Dean with Clark as his Vice-Presidential candidate. For I still consider Dean has the best political nous of the ten.
But, I suspect we will see unfolding a campaign which brings Clark swiftly to a lead - and I mean where it counts in NH and Iowa, not in magazine name-recognition polls, which presently put him in an outrageous lead. He has to get the respect in States which are leading the voting.
And we may well see him in the Whitehouse in the end of the day. Perhaps. For the bottom line is "electability" and the ability to beat Bush.
But if there is one thing I really like with Clark, it is that he will bring in his wife, a First Lady of America called Gert!
Wednesday, September 24, 2003
The elements
Bruce always says that Australia does not have "weather", it has "climate". America has "weather".
Isn't that the truth!
We had a lot of rain as we caught the edge of Hurrricane Isabel last week - but nothing compared to the rain which fell today. It started out as a calm and warmish day and when they forecast rain, I thought of showers. So walking back from the supermarket in my rainjacket was no problem. It was very pleasant, despite the weight of shopping on my back. It is steady rain but not cold. In fact, I was pretty steamy inside the rain jacket. The world seemed lush and abundant and altogether lovely.
A short while later I realised that it was very dark indeed. One does not notice when glued to a computer screen - at first. But then I felt rather spooked. It was early afternoon - and dark as night. Then came the rains. Oh, and how they came. For more than an hour water sheeted from the sky - and the lawns turned to lakes.
I darted out to the balcony to pull the gorgeous blooming New Guinea impatiens back from battering torrent - and I was drenched, even under the canopy of the balcony. My hair was sodden. This was not a bad thing, really, since I had just pony-tailed it after washing this morning - and I was prompted to go and blow dry it to some sort of style.
And the rain rained and rained and rained. Long and hard and loud.
And I had to turn the lights on in the apartment, which made it feel all the more like night.
But I buried myself in cooking and challenged the drenched air with scents of fragrant spices...
Now the rain has stopped. Just a few drips from the trees. The late day's sun is fighting its way out - spreading lavish light rays through the moist trees.
Sweet reward.
Isn't that the truth!
We had a lot of rain as we caught the edge of Hurrricane Isabel last week - but nothing compared to the rain which fell today. It started out as a calm and warmish day and when they forecast rain, I thought of showers. So walking back from the supermarket in my rainjacket was no problem. It was very pleasant, despite the weight of shopping on my back. It is steady rain but not cold. In fact, I was pretty steamy inside the rain jacket. The world seemed lush and abundant and altogether lovely.
A short while later I realised that it was very dark indeed. One does not notice when glued to a computer screen - at first. But then I felt rather spooked. It was early afternoon - and dark as night. Then came the rains. Oh, and how they came. For more than an hour water sheeted from the sky - and the lawns turned to lakes.
I darted out to the balcony to pull the gorgeous blooming New Guinea impatiens back from battering torrent - and I was drenched, even under the canopy of the balcony. My hair was sodden. This was not a bad thing, really, since I had just pony-tailed it after washing this morning - and I was prompted to go and blow dry it to some sort of style.
And the rain rained and rained and rained. Long and hard and loud.
And I had to turn the lights on in the apartment, which made it feel all the more like night.
But I buried myself in cooking and challenged the drenched air with scents of fragrant spices...
Now the rain has stopped. Just a few drips from the trees. The late day's sun is fighting its way out - spreading lavish light rays through the moist trees.
Sweet reward.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
And in comes Wes
The people's choice. Wes Clark. Five star General.
It is an interesting reflection on the mood of America that it craves a military head of state. Then again, it is a smart strategy if one is to hope for defections from a Right which must be feeling a bit sheepish about the Bush performance and the country's terrible loss of kudos in the eyes of the world. A man of war would cut the mustard with them.
However, seniority within the disciplinarian ranks of the armed forces is a far cry from politics, let alone the subtleties of diplomacy and the broad spectrum of ecomony. I gather from the effusive media that Clark is a brilliant man, a Rhodes scholar, no less.
If he is so brilliant, it is disappointing to discover that his grammar is not too hot. I noted a terrible howler in his quotes in The Globe. "Laid" not "lain", as I recall. It made me wonder at his scholarship.
It is an interesting reflection on the mood of America that it craves a military head of state. Then again, it is a smart strategy if one is to hope for defections from a Right which must be feeling a bit sheepish about the Bush performance and the country's terrible loss of kudos in the eyes of the world. A man of war would cut the mustard with them.
However, seniority within the disciplinarian ranks of the armed forces is a far cry from politics, let alone the subtleties of diplomacy and the broad spectrum of ecomony. I gather from the effusive media that Clark is a brilliant man, a Rhodes scholar, no less.
If he is so brilliant, it is disappointing to discover that his grammar is not too hot. I noted a terrible howler in his quotes in The Globe. "Laid" not "lain", as I recall. It made me wonder at his scholarship.
Monday, September 22, 2003
Democrats Rolling Thunder Down Home Tour
Whisked up to Manchester for the big Dems event - stopping along the way for the total cultural contrast of the Nashua Police Expo which was held in the grounds of the Bud brewery. Guns, choppers, bomb squad, marines, brawn, tattoos and a lot of obese women wearing shorts. The American "right" at play. I talked to some very sincere young servicemen, felt the weight of a machine gun, was shown assorted bombs and had a good look at an army rescue helicopter. Everyone was eating hotdogs - but, hungry as I was, I could not come at the country's favorite snack.
We schussed on to Manchester where we happened on a sweet Hungarian restaurant with street tables. A stuffed pepper, coffee and a delicious Dobos cake later we meandered to the park where they attempted to charge us $20 each to enter the Rolling Thunder. I've never been charged to hear a politician before! I was in shock. They explained that they had spent $50,000 to hire everything and fly in the people etc - and finding that Michael Moore has suddenly the headliner, well, I negotiated, forked out $10 a head and in we went. There was no way in the world I was going to miss Mike Moore - even though we had attended principally to hear Dennis Kucinich. Moore was standing in for Jim Hightower who had to cancel all the 11th hour due to a family death. I had never heard of Hightower. But Moore!! Well, he is one of my few pinups in this world. What a treat. How lucky was I. Preen preen!
What an odd event was the Rolling Thunder. A lot of stands - all the Dem candidates represented, of course, with an emphasis on Kucinich who has only recently opened a NH office and was coming along to speak. There were also peace activist stands and all sorts of environmental issues along with The Greens, some performance artists and a sound stage with a schedule of activities - music and speeches. Oddly, Kucinich was not on the schedule and were were a little confused. But it was such a perfect day. We set our chairs in the shade, listened to assorted fairly dull provincial speeches and watched the world go by. Wonderful, interesting people.
I sensed Kucinich activity and saw people carrying his placards through the park, so I followed and was told he was about to speak in one of the tents. I rallied Bruce, grabbed the chairs and found a good place on the side where I could watch both Kucinich and his supporters. He spoke passionately, a firebrand. He spoke sense, although I could feel my scientist husband flinching on the subject of Genetic Engineering. Kucinich will not be his man. And I don't think Kucinich will be "the" man. But he is a wonderful man of rare integrity - and I liked him immensely. I also liked the people he attracted - a sea of sensibility, civilized, educated, gentle people.
We returned to the lawns and set our chairs close to the stage to hear the divine Mike Moore.
He is a liberal hellraiser - and he fulfilled all my expectations, witty, fearless, provocative, astute. He is one of the great American heroes - for one has to be incredibly brave to take his stance beneath the aggressive dominance of the country's religious right. He has done the country immense good overseas, to some extent rescuing its damaged post-Bush reputation. "Bowling for Columbine" was a hit and had record runs in cinemas across Australia. It made Aussies love Americans again - because they had found an American who was not aligned with the cultural brutality being projected by Bush and Fox.
Of course Moore received a standing ovation. Rightly so.
I would have loved to hang around as a groupie and shake hands with him, but apparently he was flown in and out on a tight schedule and had to be driven straight back to the airport.
Nonethless, I left the park deleriously happy at the way in which the day had unfolded, feeling blessed to be in New Hampshire where the political process has a peerless energy and vibrancy.
We schussed on to Manchester where we happened on a sweet Hungarian restaurant with street tables. A stuffed pepper, coffee and a delicious Dobos cake later we meandered to the park where they attempted to charge us $20 each to enter the Rolling Thunder. I've never been charged to hear a politician before! I was in shock. They explained that they had spent $50,000 to hire everything and fly in the people etc - and finding that Michael Moore has suddenly the headliner, well, I negotiated, forked out $10 a head and in we went. There was no way in the world I was going to miss Mike Moore - even though we had attended principally to hear Dennis Kucinich. Moore was standing in for Jim Hightower who had to cancel all the 11th hour due to a family death. I had never heard of Hightower. But Moore!! Well, he is one of my few pinups in this world. What a treat. How lucky was I. Preen preen!
What an odd event was the Rolling Thunder. A lot of stands - all the Dem candidates represented, of course, with an emphasis on Kucinich who has only recently opened a NH office and was coming along to speak. There were also peace activist stands and all sorts of environmental issues along with The Greens, some performance artists and a sound stage with a schedule of activities - music and speeches. Oddly, Kucinich was not on the schedule and were were a little confused. But it was such a perfect day. We set our chairs in the shade, listened to assorted fairly dull provincial speeches and watched the world go by. Wonderful, interesting people.
I sensed Kucinich activity and saw people carrying his placards through the park, so I followed and was told he was about to speak in one of the tents. I rallied Bruce, grabbed the chairs and found a good place on the side where I could watch both Kucinich and his supporters. He spoke passionately, a firebrand. He spoke sense, although I could feel my scientist husband flinching on the subject of Genetic Engineering. Kucinich will not be his man. And I don't think Kucinich will be "the" man. But he is a wonderful man of rare integrity - and I liked him immensely. I also liked the people he attracted - a sea of sensibility, civilized, educated, gentle people.
We returned to the lawns and set our chairs close to the stage to hear the divine Mike Moore.
He is a liberal hellraiser - and he fulfilled all my expectations, witty, fearless, provocative, astute. He is one of the great American heroes - for one has to be incredibly brave to take his stance beneath the aggressive dominance of the country's religious right. He has done the country immense good overseas, to some extent rescuing its damaged post-Bush reputation. "Bowling for Columbine" was a hit and had record runs in cinemas across Australia. It made Aussies love Americans again - because they had found an American who was not aligned with the cultural brutality being projected by Bush and Fox.
Of course Moore received a standing ovation. Rightly so.
I would have loved to hang around as a groupie and shake hands with him, but apparently he was flown in and out on a tight schedule and had to be driven straight back to the airport.
Nonethless, I left the park deleriously happy at the way in which the day had unfolded, feeling blessed to be in New Hampshire where the political process has a peerless energy and vibrancy.
Do, doing done...
Blissikins.
There is nothing like a bit of a spit to put one back into balance.
All the outstanding work is done. Now I can do some of the work I want to do. Whooppee.
There is nothing like a bit of a spit to put one back into balance.
All the outstanding work is done. Now I can do some of the work I want to do. Whooppee.
Saturday, September 20, 2003
Getting everything done - not
Daily I thank the Balinese for teaching me that everything gets done sooner or later - not to rush at everything in stress factor. It will happen. Everything has its time.
It is hard for a Westerner to adopt this thinking. We are used to immediate gratification. And we are used to pressuring ourselves with lists of responsibilities.
I have a pile of work to do.
I always have a pile of work to do.
The more I do, the more it arrives.
Sometimes it frightens me.
But then I think of Bali - and I think that it will get done, calmly, in its time.
Nonetheless I can get annoyed with myself. Yesterday I was determined to do two projects - the net column and an update for the ernmalley.com website
The column was difficult, as sometimes it is. It took hours of dreary surfing. And by the time it was filed, I had to cook dinner. I had not done the other project.
I would do it today.
Today I wrote book reviews - because their time to be written had come.
And I did the washing.
But the website work is not yet done - and it weighs heavily.
I know it is not the end of the earth if it is not done today. But I will feel happier if it is.
Because I have masses of other work I want to do.
And I need to have it all done before .....
...before I go back to work.
It is hard for a Westerner to adopt this thinking. We are used to immediate gratification. And we are used to pressuring ourselves with lists of responsibilities.
I have a pile of work to do.
I always have a pile of work to do.
The more I do, the more it arrives.
Sometimes it frightens me.
But then I think of Bali - and I think that it will get done, calmly, in its time.
Nonetheless I can get annoyed with myself. Yesterday I was determined to do two projects - the net column and an update for the ernmalley.com website
The column was difficult, as sometimes it is. It took hours of dreary surfing. And by the time it was filed, I had to cook dinner. I had not done the other project.
I would do it today.
Today I wrote book reviews - because their time to be written had come.
And I did the washing.
But the website work is not yet done - and it weighs heavily.
I know it is not the end of the earth if it is not done today. But I will feel happier if it is.
Because I have masses of other work I want to do.
And I need to have it all done before .....
...before I go back to work.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
The Dean Machine
Made a sortie to a private house outside Milford to meet Howard Dean on the campaign trail - my second close scrutiny of Dean. And, as it turned out, my second personal greeting and handshake from him. A good handshake he has, too.
Despite the fact that the house of hosts Paul and Nancy Amato was out along dark country roads, there was a massive turnout. Fortunately, the large and gracious house also had lots of land - all of which was needed for parking. And they had floodlights, a sound system and, of course, hospitality in the form of tea, coffee, punch and fancy cakes.
Dean was 15 minutes late - not bad for a man on the campaign trail. He was profusely apologetic. His message may have been familiar, but his speech seemed fresh - and passionate and punctuated with ironic humor. He opened himself to questioning and did not dodge the issues when answering.
The more I see of him, the more I feel that America would be well served by him. I hope the people feel the same.
Of course, now Wesley Clark has thrown his hat into the ring, the dynamics may change. Clark has some very impressive credentials and is a Southerner, to boot. However, he has only had authority over a highly-disciplined bureacracy. He is a political ingenue. Dean, on the other hand, has had extensive hands-on experience as a Governor - a very successful one at that.
And so far as hands-on is concerned, I was contemplating this and the brags of Kucinich, Gephardt and Edwards about their humble, grass-roots origins. Dean may not have come from the wrong side of the tracks, but he has lived with the grass roots and been very literally hands-on with the people in his role as a doctor. You just don't get closer to the people than that.
A doctor in the Whitehouse? Some healing for the nation? Sounds good.
Despite the fact that the house of hosts Paul and Nancy Amato was out along dark country roads, there was a massive turnout. Fortunately, the large and gracious house also had lots of land - all of which was needed for parking. And they had floodlights, a sound system and, of course, hospitality in the form of tea, coffee, punch and fancy cakes.
Dean was 15 minutes late - not bad for a man on the campaign trail. He was profusely apologetic. His message may have been familiar, but his speech seemed fresh - and passionate and punctuated with ironic humor. He opened himself to questioning and did not dodge the issues when answering.
The more I see of him, the more I feel that America would be well served by him. I hope the people feel the same.
Of course, now Wesley Clark has thrown his hat into the ring, the dynamics may change. Clark has some very impressive credentials and is a Southerner, to boot. However, he has only had authority over a highly-disciplined bureacracy. He is a political ingenue. Dean, on the other hand, has had extensive hands-on experience as a Governor - a very successful one at that.
And so far as hands-on is concerned, I was contemplating this and the brags of Kucinich, Gephardt and Edwards about their humble, grass-roots origins. Dean may not have come from the wrong side of the tracks, but he has lived with the grass roots and been very literally hands-on with the people in his role as a doctor. You just don't get closer to the people than that.
A doctor in the Whitehouse? Some healing for the nation? Sounds good.
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Goodbye Senator Edwards
Charming and disarming as is Senator John Edwards - and as strongly as he may hold sway over the South, he has lost me.
Today's Boston Globe reveals exactly how he was "defending the rights of children against the giant corporations" in his illustrious and lucrative legal career. Of course when he said "giant corporations", I thought of giant corporations. I did not think of hospitals as giant corporations and certainly not doctors. But this seems to have been the thrust of the Edwards legal career, if the Globe is to be believed. And this cuts sharply across my moral grain. It is not that doctors don't owe a responsibility of due care to their patients - but, however much we may wish it otherwise, medicine is an approximate art. Mistakes are made, especially in the perilously stressful business of childbirth.
It is these very litigations and the claims for outrageous damages which have so damaged the medical system. It has made doctors shy away from obstetrics. It is creating a shortage of obsetricians. It has made hospitals wary of obstetrics - and it has made medical insurances leap through the roof. It has added to the costs we must pay for medicine. It threatens the very future of medicine and the healthcare of society - ironically, issues which Edwards promotes on his campaign platform. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too!
I think the lawyers behind these squillion-dollar claims, claims for more money than any mortal ever would need, should, in turn, pay damages - retribution to the system and to the rest of society.
Of course they take a hearty cut, up to 40 per cent says the Globe, of the damages awarded. Which explains how the millworker's son is now a millionaire.
Oh no - I could never support such a predator. However handsome and earnest he seems.
Today's Boston Globe reveals exactly how he was "defending the rights of children against the giant corporations" in his illustrious and lucrative legal career. Of course when he said "giant corporations", I thought of giant corporations. I did not think of hospitals as giant corporations and certainly not doctors. But this seems to have been the thrust of the Edwards legal career, if the Globe is to be believed. And this cuts sharply across my moral grain. It is not that doctors don't owe a responsibility of due care to their patients - but, however much we may wish it otherwise, medicine is an approximate art. Mistakes are made, especially in the perilously stressful business of childbirth.
It is these very litigations and the claims for outrageous damages which have so damaged the medical system. It has made doctors shy away from obstetrics. It is creating a shortage of obsetricians. It has made hospitals wary of obstetrics - and it has made medical insurances leap through the roof. It has added to the costs we must pay for medicine. It threatens the very future of medicine and the healthcare of society - ironically, issues which Edwards promotes on his campaign platform. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too!
I think the lawyers behind these squillion-dollar claims, claims for more money than any mortal ever would need, should, in turn, pay damages - retribution to the system and to the rest of society.
Of course they take a hearty cut, up to 40 per cent says the Globe, of the damages awarded. Which explains how the millworker's son is now a millionaire.
Oh no - I could never support such a predator. However handsome and earnest he seems.
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Of course the hustings go on
Much frustration at not being able to hook up with any of the Democrat candidates in the last week or so. Well, Edwards has been around the traps, but we could not co-ordinate getting to his events - but we are closely familiar with his campaign and are keen to hook up with those we have yet to explore such as Kucinich, Graham and Gephardt. The latter has been holding events but, insultingly, sending his son along as a substitute. I have not the faintest wish in the world to meet a politician's offspring and I can't imagine any committed American voter wanting to do so. I think it is a tawdry piece of strategy. But, then again, Gephardt has failed dismisally to impress me and my interest in seeing him in the flesh is token.
The campaign fascination of the moment is the new wave of bitching at Dean. Everyone is gunning for him and one starts to see the political self-interest swamping anything akin to altruism in the name of the country.
The more the candidates attack Dean, the smaller they seem - and the larger Dean looms as the figure of power and influence.
The campaign fascination of the moment is the new wave of bitching at Dean. Everyone is gunning for him and one starts to see the political self-interest swamping anything akin to altruism in the name of the country.
The more the candidates attack Dean, the smaller they seem - and the larger Dean looms as the figure of power and influence.
Only in America
It was the Quilt Museum and an exhibition of black American quilt designs which lured me to Lowell, Mass, this weekend. But it was something else which blew me away.
A BBQ Festival!!! Complete with competition BBQ teams from all over the country. They came with campervans and trailers, tents and simple sleeping bags - and they created a canalside encampment around their marquees, cutting tables and cooking equipment. Huge black smokers, masses of hickory wood, little barbies, Webers of assorted sizes, vast myserious metal boxes with gas cylinders attached...
The cooking scents were just too delicious and one drooled one's way past their competitive ventures, fortunately, able to sample bits now and then if one was lucky enough to pass the judge's marquee when they were putting out the leftovers.
Commercial enterprises were there to fill the bellies properly - and I sampled those famous American ribs and declared them divine. Also braved Fried Dough for the first time - having long been curious. It was strange. Not like a doughnut at all. Pleasant, although way to oily...and not something I would crave again. Once is enough.
But so far as Lowell is concerned, it can never be enough. That is a wonderful town with a vital community spirit and every visit there has been a vibrant delight.
A BBQ Festival!!! Complete with competition BBQ teams from all over the country. They came with campervans and trailers, tents and simple sleeping bags - and they created a canalside encampment around their marquees, cutting tables and cooking equipment. Huge black smokers, masses of hickory wood, little barbies, Webers of assorted sizes, vast myserious metal boxes with gas cylinders attached...
The cooking scents were just too delicious and one drooled one's way past their competitive ventures, fortunately, able to sample bits now and then if one was lucky enough to pass the judge's marquee when they were putting out the leftovers.
Commercial enterprises were there to fill the bellies properly - and I sampled those famous American ribs and declared them divine. Also braved Fried Dough for the first time - having long been curious. It was strange. Not like a doughnut at all. Pleasant, although way to oily...and not something I would crave again. Once is enough.
But so far as Lowell is concerned, it can never be enough. That is a wonderful town with a vital community spirit and every visit there has been a vibrant delight.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)