RAMANAM
In the Name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.

Countrymen,

I rather like the UP and her inhabitants, have suspected for years that I would.  May not like the long winters/snows.  But I doubt I’ll ever be in position to discover whether one way or another.  Anyhow, visually and talking with the locals, I really like the place, content that suspicion I would was accurate. Though their winters are hard, locals do not have the bad skin and aura of menace I saw in Minot.  This tells me drugs are not a major presence.  ND is full of the stuff.  Not a few are handsome, and they seem content in general, at least with their choice of habitation.  And they are personable and love to talk and share their stories, as we Mid-Westerners are wont to do.  They are generally neat, though not Swedish-prissy as in MN.  Not prejudiced against out-of-towners, at least not this one, and are watchful, which is a good thing.

This is Chippewa and Ojibwa country.  And Jesuit.  Whatever these tribes were, they were not Blackfeet, Navajo or Sioux.  I see no signs of Indian degradation/dissolution.  Nor do I see huge federal constructions used for nothing intended such as in Navajo land.  Whatever is going on in re Indians hereabouts, it is not visible to me and is not depleting the cultural vitality of the area.

The number and sometimes size, such as at Sault Ste. Marie, of Episcopal Churches up here, in Jesuit country, has surprised me.  One does not usually associate Anglicans with the strength of character, will and physique required of this clime.  But here they are in no small nor impecunious number.

This was a side-waddle up to the famous Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, MI to lend my considerable engineering wisdom to help the boys improve the locks and their operations thereof.  My remonstrances fell on deaf ears.  In fact, they fell on no ears at all.  The boys have things well in hand.  Quite an impressive operation in fact.  Think Seattle’s Ballard Locks larger by at least a factor of ten and more than that length-wise:

The locks bypass the 21 foot drop (falls = sault in French) via the St. Mary’s River from the higher Lake Superior to the lower Lake Huron and other Great Lakes.  They enable ocean-going vessels to reach Duluth, MN on Lake Superior and other ports at Superior’s elevation.

The USACR HQ building there had the following words over its portal:  War Department, United States Corps of Engineers, United States Army.

As mentioned, the whole UP is very French in background.  I really fell in love with the UP and liked her people’s ways about them.  And I arrived at the right time for me.  A week earlier temps were in the mid 80s.  Mid 40s while I was there and rain.

By the way, all over these parts people are devoted to halloween, with extensive decorations to include especially small sheets hanging from either side of their front porch steps to simulate ghosts.  See the steps on the house above.  These decorations are mild in comparison to many.  And the people’s native inventiveness in these and other matters is very, very impressive.  They are artistic craftsmen and craft-worthy artists.  I really am impressed with them.  I seem to recall New Orleans also “does” halloween.  Perhaps the mutual French influence.  I don’t know.  But it is pronounced.  There is no prissy moralism about halloween here such as one sees/hears in WA and other non-churched, socialist/caliphist states.

Update 1: Paul A. Rahe: Political theater and coordinated disinformation are the order of the day.

AMDG – VICTORY