Columbus Day: Little Known Facts

Columbus Day history and little known facts!
© 2011 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles™
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

Once again, a cheery hello to all my friends!

I received an interesting email this morning, with several little known facts about Christopher Columbus, that I thought I might share with you.

I also added a few comments as a means of explanation, and elucidation.

Did You Know:

Columbus landed on October 12, 1492? Just to point out the obvious, that's why we celebrate it on that day.


His real name is Christoffa Corombo, but we call him Christopher Columbus. That's because we can't leave well enough alone.

Columbus Day is called Fiesta Nacional in Spain. That's because even if Chris was Italian, they (the Spaniards) funded the whole shebang.

Some of the Spanish Conquistador soldiers used a harquebus, which was an early musket. That's shouldn't even be a surprise to you. But did you know they carried some of the first known biological agents used against others? Yeah, the flu, scarlet fever, measles, small pox, and a little known but really big one, swine flu!

Columbus never set foot in U.S. soil, having first landed in the Bahamas. And here I thought it was the Dominican Republic, or better said, the island of Hispaniola.

It was his brother Bartholomew's idea, not Columbus’, to sail across the ocean. And did he ever get any credit?If it's any consolation, he didn't end up in prison either...

There are 22 states that don't celebrate Columbus Day. Politics, just politics...

Both the Nina and the Santa Maria were nicknames for the Santa Clara (Nina) and the Gallega (Santa Maria). And word is that there were women on all the boats!

We don't know what Columbus looked like since the paintings of him are not based on his actual looks. Certainly a man of steely gaze, steadfast determination, and a gambler's luck!

There you have it folks, some tidbits of information that you can share with your friends and family to entertain and delight!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member:  Qalat City Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Though he spends most of his time writing and keeping the world safe for democracy, Albert was actually a student of biology. Really. But after a stint as a lab tech performing repetitious and mind-numbing processes that a trained capuchin monkey could do better, he never returned to the field. Rather he became a bartender. As he once said, "Hell, I was feeding mice all sorts of concoctions. At the club I did the same thing; except I got paid a lot better, and the rats where bigger." He has followed the science of QDM for many years, and fancies himself an aficionado. If you have any questions, or just want to get more information, reach him via TheRaschOutdoorChronicles(at)MSN(dot)com.

George Washington, Fisherman

© 2010 Albert A Rasch and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
$g&m f9bd 45kd q!?5.

George Washington, General of the Continental Army,

President of the United States...

and Fisherman

“Fishing Case for the Pocket—

properly furnished with Line & ca.”

As it turns out, our Founding Father and first President of the United States, George Washington, was an avid fisherman. From childhood, Washington loved to go fishing and bring his catch home to be prepared and eaten. Well into his latter years he fished not only from shore, for any number of freshwater fish, but offshore as well as his documented catches of cod attest..

We are fortunate to have one of Washington's original tackle boxes! As you can see above in the picture of George Washington's fishing kit, he traveled light. His fishing equipment fit in his pocket, where he would be prepared to fish at a moments notice.As I mentioned earlier, Washington was a fisherman throughout his life, including during his Presidency; and the Potomac was full of fish with regular runs of shad and herring, according to accounts of that time.

Interestingly, it is said that Washington's favorite food was actually fish, and shad was his favorite among fish.

There are some that insist that General Washington was a fly fisherman. Unfortunately, there is no proof that he ever flyfished. (Sorry Troutragous.) He was meticulous in his record keeping, annotating every expense he incured. While there is mention of nets, fish hooks, and line, no mention is made of any flyfishing gear.

Washington was also involved in a commercial fishing enterprise, and this is also noted in his ledgers from Mount Vernon.  He actually made quite a bit of money in the business selling fish locally in Alexandria and other Virginia towns, but his best markets were the British colonies of the Carribean, where he sold barrels of his salted catch. An interesting aside which relates to the abuses ofthe English Parliment against the Colonies, is that of the salt tarriffs. The best salt came from the Mediterranean. Parliment levied such a high tariff on this salt, that the colonies were forced to buy the poor quality salt available from the British. Washington was greatly vexed by this and remembered it well.

It is both fascinating and gratifying to know that our First President was a sportsman of highest caliber.

This post is a direct result of my new found interest in the pre-Revolutionary and Revolutionary era of the United States. As I search for the core values of America, those values that brought us to preemminence in the world, I will share with you what I find, both serious, and not so serious!  It is my belief that before I can understand where we are going, I MUST understand where we have been, what we were, how we became what we are. It will be a long journey, one that I hope you will share with me.

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Member: Shindand Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

Search terms:
Washington, General George Wshington, George Washington, Washington as a fisherman, Mt Vernon fishing, Fishing in the Potomac, Washington fishing, George Washington's fishing gear,

They'll Never Learn, If You Don't Teach Them

05/18/07 Friday
Weather: Morning: Scattered clouds and warm. Afternoon: Partly cloudy and very warm. Evening: Clearing
0600 hrs Temp: 67.0F Humidity: --% Barometric Pressure: --.--
1432 hrs Temp: 93.4F Humidity: 38% Barometric Pressure: 29.91
1152 hrs Temp: 70.9F Humidity: 80% Barometric Pressure: 30.00

Really tired today.
So I took a nap. First voluntary one in 40 years. Still didn’t make me feel much better though.

Anyway, we went out with our good friends tonight. We headed out to the Italian Kitchen in Riverview, and once again the food and service was spectacular. (Ask for Larry, he is a very attentive and knowledgeable waiter.) If you are ever passing by Riverview Florida make sure you stop by. The canolies are fantastic; reminds me of the ones in Little Italy back in NYC.

The conversation revolved around the state of education in the United States. What passes for education, quite frankly, is pathetic. The classics are nonexistent, basic skills are poorly taught, citizenship and American history are virtually ignored. The complete solution to this travesty escaped us. There is a definate need to raise salaries and hire to better standards. Accountability needs to be ingrained in the system. Parents too, need to be held to higher standards and held accountable.

In our home the classics have been read, American history is a subject of conversation almost daily, and both my boys can read well above their grade level. Make of that what you will.

No planting today, not enough time. Fortunately I have tomorrow off and I’ll be able to get caught up. But I did find the time to check the hives again and found them as busy as yesterday. The pollen coming in is a light yellow color.

There’s a cold front heading this way, and they are saying that there may be a frost. Unbelievable at this late date.

Regards,
Albert A Rasch