by What an odd title……
Hello everyone! Yeah, so why the hell do I have those four words mashed up together for the title of this thing? “Forts? Cannon? Rum? Is this guy some sort of wannabe pirate?” or “What the hell is marmot anyways?” you may ask. Well, they are four words that guide my adventures and four things that sum up what I want to talk about on this blog…thing.
Forts
This is the Castillo de San Marcos. It is an old Spanish fortress in St. Augustine, Florida that my grandfather took me to when I was six years old. I have been back pretty much every year of my life since. It inspired a love of history, travel, and seacoast fortifications in me. The word “Forts” in the title of this page is to represent the places and history I wish to share with you…..which will certainly include a lot of fortifications. Also, brace yourself for some ballparks, museums, and pinball arcades.
Marmots
MARMOT! For those of you that are unfamiliar, marmots are a group of large ground squirrels that live all over the northern hemisphere. This one is a groundhog which is found all over North America. I work with marmots. There are dozens of them wandering around my job. I think they are cute and funny, and I don’t care if they ate your garden. I find them irresistably charming and if I was to have a spirit animal, it would be a groundhog . For this site, they will represent my feelings and opinions as I wander about the world.
Cannon
Cannons usually go well with forts but that is not why I included them in the title. I have been shooting cannons for over 15 years and at times actually getting paid for it. I like my cannons like the rest of my material culture, sturdy, reliable, easy to use, and preferably American or European made. I’ll talk about that stuff here, as well as have a lot of pictures of artillery.
Rum
So finally the rum. Yeah rum, forts, and cannons, do I want to be a pirate…….not really. I actually don’t drink THAT much. However, my affinity for rum came from my first ever Scotch tasting. Learning about the origins and process of single malt Scotch was fascinating, however the most interesting thing I learned there…….was that I don’t really like Scotch! So I picked a signature liquor. Given my New England and Floridian origins, enjoyment of tropical themes, and, well, the piratical forts and cannons association, rum made a lot of sense. I include it here as representative of my love of quality food and drink.
So…..there’s the title and a explanation of what I hope to share with all of you here. Thanks for reading and joining me on this adventure!
-Adam
