West Virginia State Animal: Black Bear

The American black bear, more commonly known simply as the black bear, is the smallest of the 3 bear species found in America. The brown or grizzly bear and the polar bear are larger in size; however, the black bear is still a huge mammal.

They can measure up to 2 meters in length and males can weigh over 400kg. When standing on their hind legs, they can reach a height of around 7 feet, although females are usually smaller and shorter than males.

Black bears can be distinguished from brown bears by their smaller size, longer ears and lack of a shoulder hump. Black bears also have shorter, more curved claws and are generally more timid animals. Typically they are black in color but depending on their location, their fur can be dark or light brown.

Black bears are found throughout North America but are more abundant in the northern states. Unlike brown bears, they prefer more densely forested habitats and rarely venture into open areas for long periods of time.

Interesting American Black Bear Facts

1. They are not always black in color

Some black bears can be a very light brown (or cinnamon) color and very rarely, completely white.

2. Black bears are shy and timid

Black bears will usually run away or climb up a tree rather than confront humans. This is mostly true but some individual black bears can be very aggressive, especially when threatened. They are however much less likely to attack compared to the brown or grizzly bears, which tend to be less weary and less approachable. Both these species, as well as the polar bear, will usually move on when left alone and black bears especially tend to flee when confronted by people.

3. They can eat over 10,000 berries in a day

When food is abundant, black bears will eat as much food as they possibly can, sometimes over 8kg of fruit and berries in a day. When berries and fruits are abundant, black bears will move to these areas and feed almost exclusively on these. They have an excellent sense of smell and this helps them locate ripping berries, nuts and fruits as well as bee hives, where they feed on the honey and bee larvae.

4. Black bears are skilled climbers

Black bears are excellent climbers and can easily access nuts and fruits before they fall to the ground. They have sharp, curved claws and this not only helps them when climbing but also makes ripping into trees logs or upturning boulders when searching for insects much easier. As well as being expert climbers, black bears are great swimmers and will cross fast flowing rivers to reach food on the other side.

5. They are incredibly strong animals

Black bears are up to 5 times stronger than the average human being.

6. American black bears are highly dexterous

They are capable of opening screw-top jars and manipulating door latches.

7. Their diet is predominantly vegetarian

Although they do eat meat, almost 70% of their diet is made up of plant matter.

8. Their sense of smell is 7 times more sensitive than a domestic dog

While American black bears have extremely sensitive noses, their eyesight and hearing is more comparable to that of a human.

9. Black bears are fast runners

Sprinting at around 40-50km/h, black bears can easily outrun humans.

10 They are mostly quiet animals

Although they tongue-click and grunt to communicate with one another, black bears do not growl or roar.

11. They den in spots that are well hidden

Black bear dens are usually made in caves, under tree roots or are dug into hillsides.

12. Females usually give birth during the hibernation period

During the breeding season, a male and female will remain together until just before the cubs are born. Females usually give birth in their den while in torpor; a similar state to hibernation. The cubs will then feed off their mother’s milk while she hibernates until spring arrives. Usually two cubs are born and they leave the den for the first time when their mother comes out of hibernation. Female black bears teach their cubs how to find food and survive in the wild until the cubs are around 17 months old and become fully independent. The father of the cubs does not actively help in raising his offspring but does protect the territory from other males, who may attack the cubs.

13. Black bear cubs are playful animals

Cubs will regularly wrestle and play with each other as well as their mother. This helps them develop essential skills to survive in the wild.

14. Black bears are very intelligent

Black bears can memorize their whole territory, they can make scratching sticks out of twigs and can easily break into locked food storage containers.

15. There are black bear hybrids

American black bears can reproduce with other bear species and produce hybrid offspring. Black bear and grizzly bear hybrids have been reported in the wild.

16. They are a key contributor to the ecosystem

Black bears are important contributors to the ecosystems in which they inhabit. Due to their large size, they create micro-ecosystems where they leave deep footprints or break small trees and plants. They are also key in controlling insect populations as well as important seed disbursers, encouraging new plant growth wherever the seeds in their stools germinate. Black bears also have very large home ranges which means they can increase plant diversity by traveling long distances and disbursing seeds which otherwise may not have reached or germinated in that area.

SOURCE: FACTANIMAL.COM

DIY: Air Fresheners

These sweet little air fresheners couldn’t be easier to make!

From Country Living:

One of these DIY Christmas tree-shaped air fresheners will keep a car, closet, or office smelling fresh. Added bonus—they are made with essential oils, so no nasty chemicals involved.

To make: Trace the shape of a wooden Christmas tree ornament on a scrap of fabric twice. Cut out and glue to the front and back of the ornament. Once dry, soak the fabric with an essential oil of your choice (we used cedar). Thread twine through the ornament loop for hanging.

Depending on which ornaments you can find at the dollar store, you can match your essential oil to the shape. For example, a gingerbread man ornament? Use ginger. Buy a candy cane? Use peppermint essential oil. And another nice oil for trees would be pine!

SOURCE: COUNTRYLIVING.COM

The Mary Celeste

From: All That’s Interesting:

The Mary Celeste was discovered abandoned near the Azores Islands on December 5, 1872 — and to this day, experts are unsure about what happened to its crew.

On December 5, 1872, while sailing through rough weather, the Canadian brig Dei Gratia sighted a seemingly abandoned ship drifting through the Atlantic between Portugal and the Azores Islands. It was the Mary Celeste, an American brigantine that had left New York nearly a month prior.

When the crew of the Dei Gratia boarded the Mary Celeste, they found everything in perfect order. The crew’s clothes were even neatly packed away. Yet there was not a living soul to be found aboard the ship. The only possible clues that could explain the crew’s whereabouts were a disassembled pump in the hold and a missing lifeboat. And so began one of the most enduring mysteries of the sea.

The Crew Of The Dei Gratia Finds The Mary Celeste Abandoned At Sea

On Nov. 7, 1872, a merchant ship with a cargo of denatured alcohol left New York Harbor for Genoa, Italy. The Mary Celeste sailed forth, helmed by Captain Benjamin Briggs and his handpicked crew of seven men. Accompanying the sailors were Briggs’ wife and two-year-old daughter.

The ship and its crew spent two weeks at sea fighting against raging storms and treacherous seas before reaching the Azores. Captain Briggs chronicled the rough journey in his journal, but curiously, his log ended abruptly on Nov. 25, 1872, at 5 a.m.

The night prior, his log recalled, the ship and its crew had continued to face rough seas and winds of more than 35 knots, but by the morning they had come out on the other side unscathed with the island of Santa Maria in sight. All, it seemed, was well. But when the crew of the Dei Gratia came across the Mary Celeste just over one week later, on December 5th, they found it abandoned, drifting in the seas 400 miles east of the Azores.

Celeste and found the ship in near-perfect condition. Aside from a few feet of water in the ship’s bilge — the lowest point of the ship, which rests beneath the waterline — things seemed to be mostly in order. A few charts had been tossed about below deck, but the crew’s belongings were neatly tucked away, and the ship was stocked with enough food and water to last six months. The only thing missing was its crew.

Theories About The Disappearance Of The Crew Of The Mary Celeste

It made no sense that Briggs, an experienced seaman, would abandon a perfectly seaworthy ship. In fact, Daily Nautica reports, Morehouse had dined with Briggs in New York just before each of the men and their respective crews set sail, and he considered the man to be a friend. He knew just how capable of a captain Briggs was.

Morehouse and his crew towed the merchant ship with them to Gibraltar, where authorities conducted an investigation that ultimately yielded no conclusive results. At this point, several theories began to surface. English inspector Frederick Flood was the first to hypothesize about the disappearance of the crew. With the knowledge that Morehouse and Briggs were friends, the inspector suspected that the two captains may have concocted a scheme to defraud the insurance company and split the profit earned from the eventual sale of the Mary Celeste. Per the laws of the sea, the abandoned ship did now belong to Morehouse, after all. The inspector then theorized that Briggs had killed his crew and hidden himself away in the cargo hold of the Dei Gratia.

Flood’s theory, however, was full of holes. Briggs had in fact held property shares in the ship, so he would have gained nothing from the scheme. The theory also failed to account for Briggs’ wife and daughter.

The crew of the Dei Gratia eventually received payment. However, it was only one-sixth of the total $46,000 value of the Mary Celeste. Apparently, the authorities weren’t totally convinced of their innocence. Additional theories suggested that the crew had gotten drunk off the ship’s alcohol cargo and mutinied — but there were no signs of violence. Others said the ship must have been raided by pirates, yet no valuables were missing.

The mystery may very well have been left alone had author Arthur Conan Doyle not written the 1884 short story “J. Habakuk Jephson’s Statement,” a fictitious account of an ex-slave who captures a ship called the Marie Celeste. The story reignited interest in the ship, but as a theory, the story is entirely baseless.

Naturally, stories of sea monsters became associated with the missing crew, as did explanations of water spouts and, much later, extraterrestrial abduction. Yet for all of these theories, none of the evidence ever matched. Perhaps the most plausible theory was that vapors from the alcohol had blown the hatch cover off. Then, fearing fire, the crew abandoned the ship. However, the hatch cover was securely fastened, once again leaving no feasible explanation.

How A Documentarian May Have Solved The Mystery Of The ‘Mary Celeste’

In 2002, documentarian Anne MacGregor sought to investigate the story of the now-infamous ghost ship. “There are obvious limitations for historic cases,” she said. “But using the latest technology, you can come to a different conclusion.”

Per Smithsonian magazine, MacGregor enlisted the help of a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts named Phil Richardson, and together they reconstructed the drift of the ghost ship and deduced that Briggs’ chronometer — which helps determine a vessel’s position at sea — had been faulty.

The Mary Celeste was hopelessly off course — 120 miles west of where it should have been. The captain thus expected to spot land three days earlier than he did. MacGregor also analyzed Flood’s notes from the time to determine that all had indeed been going as planned with the course of the Mary Celeste — until about five days before Briggs’ final log.

Significantly, Briggs’ logs and Flood’s notes show that the ship had changed course the day before it reached the Azores — Briggs was now sailing directly north towards Santa Maria Island. It’s possible the crew was seeking haven from the foul weather.

But even all of this wouldn’t make a captain abandon ship.

However, MacGregor also discovered that the ship had carried a load of coal on a previous voyage. Coal dust and debris from a recent refitting had potentially clogged the ship’s pumps, meaning any water that made it onto the ship’s lower decks didn’t have a way back out.

It’s possible that Briggs then decided that, with the ship off course, the crew’s best bet was to cut their losses and simply try to save themselves by abandoning ship and heading for the nearest piece of land. In this case, it was Santa Maria Island. Their lifeboat may have then tipped over, causing all ten of them to drown.

MacGregor’s theory is by no means universally accepted or even provable, but it at least lines up with the evidence (the disassembled pump, for example) in a way that other theories do not. Finally, some 130 years after the crew eerily vanished, the mystery of the Mary Celeste may finally have an answer.

SOURCE: ALLTHATSINTERESTING.COM AUTHOR: AUSTIN HARVEY

West Virginia State Flower: Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of more than 1,000 deciduous or evergreen flowering shrub species, with more than 25,000 cultivars and hybrids. They come in a wide range of sizes, flower colors and shapes, and many are North American natives. The bloom time is usually spring into summer, but some cultivars bloom in late winter or late summer. The growth rate and preferred conditions of rhododendron species vary widely. However, most prefer moist, well-draining soils, partial shade, and conservative fertilization. All rhododendrons are toxic to people and pets.

Rhododendron Plant Care

While rhododendron species vary in their care preferences, and many grow in a wide range of conditions, the typical main rhododendron requirements are:

Plant in fertile, well-draining, acidic soil.

Position in partial or dappled shaded.

Water to maintain even moisture, but avoid soggy soils.

Fertilize with a rhododendron formula annually only when soils are poor.

Light

In their native habitats, rhododendron grows in dappled woodland shade and under trees. Choose a location in partial shade where the plant isn’t exposed to the hot afternoon sun, which is especially important in a warmer climate.

Soil

Rhododendrons need moist, well-draining soils rich in organic matter. They’re sensitive to soggy, heavy clay, or compacted soil with poor drainage, which can lead to root rot. These shrubs prefer acidic soils with a pH between 4.5 and 6.0.

Water

Rhododendrons have shallow roots and require even moisture to thrive, especially during the first year after planting. Water the plant slowly and deeply around twice a week during the first growing season, not leaving the roots in standing water.

Even if the plant doesn’t show signs of drought stress, water established rhododendron every two to three weeks during dry spells. Adding a layer of mulch helps with water retention.

Temperature and Humidity

Temperature ranges vary depending on the rhododendron variety. Some tolerate heat and humidity, and others are cold-hardy. Most varieties don’t like strong winds and are sensitive to temperature extremes.

Fertilizer

If you plant your rhododendron in rich soil with plenty of organic matter, there’s usually no need to fertilize. In less fertile soil, use a formula for acid-loving rhododendron in late winter or early spring, following the label instructions.

What Shall We Bake Today?

It’s December! December is normally COOKIE month in my house, but I thought I’d start the month with an EASY holiday treat…Snowman Cupcakes! You can go through all the fuss of using homemade cake and frosting recipes or you can use box mixes and canned frosting and get right to the fun!

Ingredients

24 cupcakes (mixed and baked according to box directions—any flavor)

1 tub prepared WHITE frosting

Shredded coconut

Black food coloring

Orange food coloring

Directions

Frost cupcakes. Press shredded coconut into frosting.

Stir together 1 cup frosting and black food coloring in a bowl until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip or a zip-top bag with a small hole cut in one corner.

Stir together ½ cup frosting and orange food coloring in a second bowl until desired shade is reached. Transfer to a second piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip or a zip-top bag with a small hole cut in one corner.

Pipe a carrot-shaped nose in the center of each cupcake. With the black frosting, pipe two eyes and five or six smaller dots for the mouth. Store cupcakes, covered, at room temperature up to 2 days.

Enjoy!

Rosa Parks Arrested

From: National Archives:

An Act of Courage, The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks

On December 1, 1955, during a typical evening rush hour in Montgomery, Alabama, a 42-year-old woman took a seat on the bus on her way home from the Montgomery Fair department store where she worked as a seamstress. Before she reached her destination, she quietly set off a social revolution when the bus driver instructed her to move back, and she refused. Rosa Parks, an African American, was arrested that day for violating a city law requiring racial segregation of public buses.

On the city buses of Montgomery, Alabama, the front 10 seats were permanently reserved for white passengers. The diagram shows that Mrs. Parks was seated in the first row behind those 10 seats. When the bus became crowded, the bus driver instructed Mrs. Parks and the other three passengers seated in that row, all African Americans, to vacate their seats for the white passengers boarding. Eventually, three of the passengers moved, while Mrs. Parks remained seated, arguing that she was not in a seat reserved for whites. James Blake, the driver, believed he had the discretion to move the line separating black and white passengers. The law was actually somewhat murky on that point, but when Mrs. Parks defied his order, he called the police. Officers Day and Mixon came and promptly arrested her.

In police custody, Mrs. Parks was booked, fingerprinted, and briefly incarcerated. The police report shows that she was charged with “refusing to obey orders of bus driver.” For openly challenging the racial laws of her city, she remained at great physical risk while held by the police, and her family was terrified for her. When she called home, she spoke to her mother, whose first question was “Did they beat you?”

Mrs. Parks was not the first person to be prosecuted for violating the segregation laws on the city buses in Montgomery. She was, however, a woman of unchallenged character who was held in high esteem by all those who knew her. At the time of her arrest, Mrs. Parks was active in the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), serving as secretary to E.D. Nixon, president of the Montgomery chapter. Her arrest became a rallying point around which the African American community organized a bus boycott in protest of the discrimination they had endured for years. Martin Luther King, Jr., the 26-year-old minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, emerged as a leader during the well-coordinated, peaceful boycott that lasted 381 days and captured the world’s attention. It was during the boycott that Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., first achieved national fame as the public became acquainted with his powerful oratory.

After Mrs. Parks was convicted under city law, her lawyer filed a notice of appeal. While her appeal was tied up in the state court of appeals, a panel of three judges in the U.S. District Court for the region ruled in another case that racial segregation of public buses was unconstitutional. That case, called Browder v. Gayle, was decided on June 4, 1956. The ruling was made by a three-judge panel that included Frank M. Johnson, Jr., and upheld by the United States Supreme court on November 13, 1956.

For a quiet act of defiance that resonated throughout the world, Rosa Parks is known and revered as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement.”

The documents shown here relating to Mrs. Parks’s arrest are copies that were submitted as evidence in the Browder v. Gayle case. They are preserved by the National Archives at Atlanta in Morrow, Georgia, in Record Group 21, Records District Courts of the United States, U.S. District Court for Middle District of Alabama, Northern (Montgomery) Division. Civil Case 1147, Browder, et al v. Gayle, et al.

SOURCE: NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Happy National Mississippi Day!

Set in the Deep South of the United States, Mississippi is a fascinating state to visit. It is known as much for its literature and music as its rich and at times raw history and heritage. While traveling around, visitors will come across everything from beautiful beaches and verdant fields and hills to glitzy casinos, college towns, and Civil War Battlefields.

Dominating the state and defining its western border is the mighty Mississippi River that flows to the glittering Gulf of Mexico. In its delightful delta region, the beautiful music style known as the blues was developed.

Vicksburg

Perched atop a prominent bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the small city of Vicksburg is set in a scenic spot. Located in the west of the state on the border with Louisiana, it is famed around the country for being the site of a long siege and battle that swung the American Civil War in favor of the North. While General Ulysses S. Grant’s infamous victory is still commemorated in its artworks, museums and traditions, there is much more to Vicksburg for visitors to enjoy. Besides this unique history and heritage, it also has a wonderfully well-preserved center full of beautiful old buildings and attractive streetscapes, as well as a handful of magnificent museums. Visitors to Vicksburg can also take a romantic carriage ride around its historical center or a delightful boat ride down the river, while some quality hiking can be had in the surrounding forests and hills.

Tunica

Long one of the most impoverished places in the whole of the US, the town of Tunica is nestled in the northwest of the state, just an hour’s drive to the south of Memphis, Tennessee. Following the introduction of gambling in the 1990s, its fortunes dramatically changed. People now flock to what is the third-largest gaming market after Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The popular resort town now boasts a wealth of grand and glamorous casinos, home to a myriad of slot machines, table games, and poker rooms. Each has an extensive array of rooms and suites for visitors to stay in, with everything from swimming pools and spas to gourmet restaurants and golf courses on offer. While most if not all people who visit Tunica come for its glitzy casinos and Las Vegas-style shows, the nearby Tunica RiverPark is home to some superb scenery, nature, and hiking trails. In addition, Memphis isn’t far away should you want a change of scene.

Oxford

As picture-perfect as they come, the pretty and pleasant city of Oxford lies amid the dense forests of Mississippi’s North Central Hills region. Named after the prestigious seat of learning in the UK, life in the town is dominated by the University of Mississippi and its large, lively student body.While the state’s most famous college town certainly has a wild side, it is also noted for its scenic and sophisticated central square and sweet Southern charm. As well as being home to lovely oak-shaded neighborhoods, the city showcases some astounding old architecture and historical sights, with many treasures found on its sprawling university campus. Due to its sizeable student population, Oxford also hosts a staggering array of concerts, conferences and cultural events, with new shows and performances taking place all the time. On top of this, The Square has plenty of great restaurants and bars where you can sample the town’s famous nightlife.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Set just to the south of both Mississippi and Florida, the Gulf Islands National Seashore are a series of beautiful barrier islands. Home to lots of wonderful white sand beaches and wilderness, the breathtaking scenery offers untold outdoor recreation opportunities. Due to their serene and secluded settings, the islands are delightfully undeveloped and unspoiled, with stunning sands lying next to wild wetlands and intriguing forests. While the islands of Horn, Sand, Petit Bois, and East Ship boast the loveliest landscapes, they are also the toughest to get to: guests need to charter a boat to them before camping overnight amid the dunes. Thanks to the park’s pristine and protected nature, there are loads of excellent outdoor activities to enjoy, with hiking, cycling, and swimming particularly popular. Besides this, visitors can go snorkeling in the glittering Gulf of Mexico or snap photos of the diverse bird species inhabiting the barrier island.

Natchez Trace Parkway

Encompassing everything from steamy swamps and boggy bayous to epic overlooks, Indian burial mounds, and lots of exceptional scenery, the Natchez Trace Parkway is one of the most popular places to visit in Mississippi. Stretching from Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi, the 715 kilometer-long national parkway is fabulous to hike, cycle, or drive along, with lots of spectacular sights to stop off at on the way. Winding through wonderful woods and wilderness and past roaring rivers and reflective lakes, the scenic route follows what was once a Native American footpath. Later used by explorers and Ohio Valley farmers, it has been in use since pre-Colonial times. As such, numerous historic sights dot the route, with age-old battlegrounds and burial mounds found alongside marvelous monuments and museums. Besides its rich history, heritage, and culture, the Natchez Trace Parkway has sublime scenery, with sparkling waterfalls, phenomenal views, and dramatic landscapes all on show. Along the route in Mississippi, there are also some great towns and cities for visitors to stop off at, such as Tupelo, Jackson, and Natchez.

Tupelo

Lying in the northeast of the state, the small, sleepy city of Tupelo is primarily known for being the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous pop icons – Elvis Presley. While most of its main sights relate to ‘the King’, the town is a perfectly pleasant and peaceful place to visit, particularly if you’re traveling along the Natchez Trace Parkway. In the center of the city, visitors will find a thriving restaurant scene to delve into, as well as some magnificent murals that have added some much-needed color and life to the downtown area. Besides the Birthplace of Elvis Presley, there is also the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo to check out, while a fun and festive flea market takes places the second weekend of every month. Just outside the city are a couple of American Civil War battlefields well worth visiting, as well as the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center, which can point you towards all of the route’s most scenic tourist attractions.

Natchez

Set in the southwest corner of the state, Natchez lies perched atop a prominent bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Lying on the border with Louisiana, the small city boasts a beautiful historic center full of astounding old antebellum homes that evoke images of the Old South. Before the Civil War, the small settlement was an important center of trade. As such, wealth and riches poured into its scenic streets. Nowadays, its charming center is a delight to visit, with horse-drawn carriage rides one of the most memorable ways to take in its grand collection of elegant homes and historical landmarks. While history and heritage are on show wherever you go, Natchez is very much a living city with a fun party atmosphere on the weekends. Besides stopping by its numerous bars and live music venues, the final stop of the Natchez Trace Parkway also has lovely nature and scenery for visitors to enjoy nearby.

Biloxi

Situated along the state’s scenic and sun-kissed shoreline, Biloxi is a popular place to visit due to its beautiful beaches and oceanfront casinos. While it can appear brash and blingy at first sight, the city has numerous sides to it, with a delightful historic center for visitors to explore. Most people, however, come for its glut of glitzy casinos, which look out over the glittering Gulf of Mexico and are home to innumerable slot machines and table games. Many of them have cowboy, tropical, or live music themes, with plenty of restaurants and entertainment also on offer. Besides gambling, gaming, and reveling in the city’s lively nightlife, visitors can also relax on the golden sands or enjoy sailing and watersports along the seafront. In addition, New Orleans is just an hour away should you want to combine your trip to Biloxi with a visit to ‘The Big Easy.’

Jackson

Although tourists often overlook it, Mississippi’s capital and largest city, Jackson certainly has enough going for it to warrant a visit. Set on the banks of the Pearl River, it boasts a brilliant live music scene and a handful of excellent museums and historic buildings. Its two main tourist attractions are the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. While the former offers a fascinating look at the state’s history and culture, the latter highlights the fight for racial equality in Mississippi. Besides the magnificent museums, there is also the artsy Fondren District with all its boutiques and coffee shops to explore. As ‘The City with Soul’ is Jackson’s slogan, it should come as no surprise to learn that there’s a load of great live music to discover in its numerous bars and venues. Weekends are a particularly good time to visit: this is when blues, folk, and jazz can be heard on every street corner.

Clarksdale

Set on the banks of the Sunflower River, the small and slightly dilapidated city of Clarksdale has long been popular with tourists as it lies at the heart of the Delta blues scene. In the early 20th century, many African-American musicians developed the blues here before migrating north and performing in cities such as Chicago and New York. This captivating past is now explored in depth at the delightful Delta Blues Museum, while markers and monuments relating to the mesmerizing music and its most-distinguished musicians can be found around town. In addition, big-name blues acts regularly perform in the scattering of bars and clubs, while a handful of cultural events and festivals take place during the year. As it lies just a couple of hours’ drive from most of the main blues sights, Clarksdale also makes for a great base if you want to explore the Mississippi Blues Trail. On top of this, both the lively college town of Oxford and the major city of Memphis aren’t far away if you want to explore the rest of what the region has to offer up.

SOURCE: TOUROPIA.COM

Natalie Wood

Today is the anniversary of Natalie Wood’s terrible death. Was it an accident or something else? We may never know. This article from All That’s Interesting explores the story in greater detail.

From All That’s Interesting:

Natalie Wood died off the coast of California’s Catalina Island on November 29, 1981 — but some say her drowning may not have been an accident.

Before Natalie Wood’s death brought her life to a tragic end, she was an Academy Award-nominated actress who was in some of the most famous films of all time. She co-starred in Miracle on 34th Street when she was only eight years old. When she was a teenager, she earned her first Oscar nomination, for 1955’s Rebel Without A Cause. Natalie Wood was so talented and widely beloved that she was nominated for three Oscars before she turned 25. And her larger-than-life presence on camera was only matched by her glamorous offscreen life.

While the San Francisco-born star took Hollywood by storm, working with legendary directors such as John Ford and Elia Kazan, her romantic conquests included the likes of Elvis Presley before she tied the knot with actor Robert Wagner in 1957. Indeed, for decades before Natalie Wood’s death, she lived the American Dream, but one that would tragically devolve into a Hollywood nightmare. It all came crashing down during a fateful yacht trip around California’s Catalina Island in November 1981.

On November 28, 1981, Wood set off aboard her yacht Splendour with Wagner, co-star Christopher Walken, and boat captain Dennis Davern. But in the early morning hours of November 29, Natalie Wood disappeared from the boat, only to be found dead in the water due to drowning at age 43 the next morning.

The discovery of her body only yielded more questions than answers. Though Natalie Wood’s death was initially classified as an accident and “probable drowning in the ocean,” Wood’s death certificate would later be updated to “drowning and other undetermined factors.” And her widowed husband has since been officially labeled a person of interest. What really happened aboard the Splendour that night in 1981 remains a mystery. However, to this day, some suspect foul play in the death of Natalie Wood. This is the haunting story of how Natalie Wood died and what the true cause may have been.

A Young Natalie Wood’s Meteoric Rise In Hollywood

Natalie Wood was born Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko on July 20, 1938, in San Francisco, California to an alcoholic father and stage mother. Studio executives changed the young starlet’s name shortly after she started acting. Her mother Maria was highly eager to make Wood the breadwinner and regularly pushed her to audition for roles despite her young age.

Maria’s encounter with a fortune teller when she herself was a child yielded an ominous premonition. The gypsy said her second child “would be a great beauty” and famous, but that she should “beware of dark water.” Wood quickly grew into a professional, memorizing not only her lines but also everyone else’s. Dubbed “One Take Natalie,” she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Rebel Without a Cause when she was just a teen.

But behind the scenes, her love life was rocky. Wood had affairs with both the director, Nicholas Ray, and co-star Dennis Hopper. She also dated stars like Elvis Presley before she met Robert Wagner at age 18. The two married in 1957 but divorced five years later. They found their way back to each other in 1972, remarried, and had a daughter.

Though Wood’s career began to wane, she did act opposite Oscar winner Christopher Walken in her last picture, Brainstorm. The two became fast friends — with some suspicion that they were dating. “It wasn’t like they were lovey-dovey on the set or anything like that, but they just had a current about them, an electricity,” said the film’s first assistant director, David McGiffert.

It was Thanksgiving weekend of 1981 when their alleged relationship became a problem. Wood and Wagner invited Walken to join their sailing trip around Catalina Island — and that’s when everything went wrong. The scene was set for the tragic death of Natalie Wood.

The Story Behind The Death Of Natalie Wood

What happened on the evening of November 28, 1981, the night Natalie Wood died, is unclear. What is clear is that authorities recovered Wood’s body the following morning, floating a mile away from the Splendour. A small dinghy was found beached nearby.

The investigator’s report chronicled the events as follows: Wood went to bed first. Wagner, having stayed up chatting with Walken, later went to join her, but noticed that both she and the dinghy were gone. Wood’s body was found around 8 a.m. the next morning in a flannel nightgown, down jacket, and socks. The chief medical examiner in the L.A. County Coroner’s Office announced that Natalie Wood’s death was an “accidental drowning” on November 30.

The autopsy showed Natalie Wood had multiple bruises on her arms and an abrasion on her left cheek. The coroner explained Wood’s bruises as “superficial” and “probably sustained at the time of drowning.” But in 2011, Captain Dennis Davern admitted that he left out key details about the night Natalie Wood died. And as the years went on, Wood’s loved ones only had more questions.

How Did Natalie Wood Die? Inside The Haunting Evidence

Davern said the weekend of Natalie Wood’s death was filled with arguments — and that the main issue was the glaring flirtation between Walken and Wood. “The argument started the day before,” said Davern. “The tension was going through the whole weekend. Robert Wagner was jealous of Christopher Walken.”

Davern said Wood and Walken spent hours at a Catalina Island bar before Wagner showed up, furious. All four then went to dinner at Doug’s Harbor Reef Restaurant, where they shared champagne, two bottles of wine, and cocktails. Employees couldn’t recall whether it was Wagner or Walken, but one of them threw a glass at the wall at some point. At around 10 p.m., they used their dinghy to get back to the Splendour.

Accounts of the night of Natalie Wood’s death have changed over the years. Walken did admit to investigators that he and Wagner had a “small beef,” but that it regarded the couple’s prolonged film shoot-related absences from their child.

Though reports initially stated that the fight died down, Davern claimed otherwise in 2011. He said everyone continued drinking when back on board and that Wagner was enraged. He allegedly broke a wine bottle over a table and screamed at Walken, “Are you trying to f–k my wife?” Davern remembered Walken retreating to his cabin at this point, “and that was the last I saw of him.” Wagner and Wood returned to their room, too, when a shouting match ensued. Most ominously, Davern said he later heard the fight continue on deck — before “everything went silent.” When Davern checked on them, he saw only Wagner, who said, “Natalie is missing.”

Robert Wagner’s Suspicious Behavior After His Wife’s Death

For many to this day, it’s Robert Wagner’s behavior just after Natalie Wood’s death that is strangest and perhaps most suspicious. At first, Wagner told Davern to go look for her, and then said “the dinghy is missing too.” The captain knew Natalie was “deathly afraid of water,” and doubted she’d taken the dinghy out alone. But then Davern said that Wagner didn’t want to turn the boat’s floodlights on nor call for help — because he didn’t want to draw any attention to the situation.

Key witness Marilyn Wayne, who was in a boat 80 feet away that night, told Sheriff’s investigators she and her boyfriend heard a woman screaming around 11 p.m. “Somebody please help me, I’m drowning,” the cries implored, until 11:30 p.m.

Their call to the harbormaster went unanswered, and with a party on another boat nearby, the pair concluded it may have been a joke. As for Wagner’s hesitance to call anyone, he did eventually did — at 1:30 a.m.

This, among other things, left Wood’s sibling Lana confused. “She would have never left the boat like that, undressed, in just a nightgown,” she said. But that’s exactly how her body was found, mere hours later. With that, Natalie Wood was dead at age 43. The investigation into Natalie Wood’s death continued throughout the decades, however, with new details, questions, and suspicions arising as recently as 2018.

Changing Stories About Natalie Wood’s Cause Of Death

The case was reopened in November 2011 after Davern admitted he lied during the initial investigation and alleged that Wagner was “responsible” for Natalie Wood’s death. Since the bombshell report, Wagner has refused to talk to authorities. However, Walken has cooperated fully with investigators. According to the BBC, Wood’s death certificate was later amended from accidental drowning to “drowning and undetermined factors.”

In 2018, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Sheriff confirmed that Natalie Wood’s case was now undeniably a “suspicious” death. And Robert Wagner was officially named a person of interest. “As we’ve investigated the case over the last six years, I think he’s more of a person of interest now,” said L.A. County Sheriffs Department Lieutenant John Corina. “I mean, we know now that he was the last person to be with Natalie before she disappeared.”

“I haven’t seen him tell the details that match… all the other witnesses in this case,” he added. “I think he’s constantly… he’s changed the — his story a little bit… and his version of events just don’t add up.” Investigators digging into Natalie Wood’s death made multiple attempts to speak with him, to no avail. “We would love to talk to Robert Wagner,” said Corina. “He’s refused to talk to us… We can never force him to talk to us. He has rights and he can not talk to us if he doesn’t want to.”

What Really Happened The Night Natalie Wood Died?

Walken hasn’t publicly spoken much on the events of the night that Natalie Wood died, but he did appear to believe that it was an unfortunate accident. “Anybody there saw the logistics — of the boat, the night, where we were, that it was raining — and would know exactly what happened,” said Walken in a 1997 interview. “You hear about things happening to people — they slip in the bathtub, fall down the stairs, step off the curb in London because they think that the cars come the other way — and they die.”

Meanwhile, Corina maintains that Natalie Wood’s death was likely no accident. He said, “She got in the water somehow, and I don’t think she got in the water by herself.” In the end, Robert Wagner’s refusal to cooperate is legal and may simply stem from a desire not to revisit the tragedy. Natalie Wood’s death may have been the result of foul play, but the truth is, we may never know for sure.

SOURCE: ALLTHATSINTERESTING.COM

Washington State Animal: Olympic Marmot

Nuzzling, playing, chirping, feeding together; the Olympic marmot is quite possibly one of the most social and gregarious mammals on the peninsula. Marmots are rodents; they belong to the squirrel family and evolved during the Pleistocene Epoch. Some folks call them “rock chucks” or “whistle pigs”. There are 15 recognized species of marmot worldwide, all in the northern hemisphere, with six species in North America. The Olympic marmot however, is only found in the Olympic mountains and nowhere else (it’s endemic).

Identification:

Marmots are a housecat-sized rodent with a long, bushy tail. Adults can weigh 15 pounds or more before they enter hibernation in September or early October. Olympic marmots have widely varying coat colors, unlike their other American counterparts. The young are usually dark gray but the adults are often brownish in color, but may be yellow or tan colored with a variety of patch colors when they emerge from hibernation in the spring, and almost black in the fall.

Family groups of one adult male, one or more adult females, and several cohorts of young share a home range of 1/2-acre to five acres. In any given year, about 30 percent of adult females produce litters of 1-6 pups. Pups initially stay close to their burrows when they emerge in late July, but by mid-August, they can be seen wrestling and chasing each other in enthusiastic play. Marmots have a sharp, piercing whistle that warns others of intruders or potential predators, and notifies hikers that they are in marmot territory.

Habitat:

Marmots occupy mountain meadows above 4,000 feet. Although they are found throughout the Olympic Mountains, they are rare in the wetter southwest areas of the park. About 90 percent of Olympic marmot habitat is protected within Olympic National Park.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, Olympic marmot numbers declined, at least partly due to predation by non-native coyotes. Marmots and their habitat are also expected to be sensitive to climate change. In recent years, marmots have also disappeared from some of the driest meadows in the northeast Olympic Mountains. In response to these concerns, in 2010 the park initiated a volunteer monitoring program to record the presence or absence of marmots in many meadows throughout the park.

Diet:

Olympic marmots prefer fresh, tender, flowering plants such as lupine and glacier lilies. In May and June, they will eat roots and may even gnaw on trees. They can double their body weight in the summer and use stored fat during a seven to eight month hibernation.

Fun Facts

In 2009 the Olympic Marmot became the official endemic mammal of Washington state!
The groundhog, or woodchuck, is a lowland species of marmot.

Marmots are supremely adapted to living on cold, windswept grasslands and exposed mountain slopes where snow covers the ground for all but a few short months. They forage on grasses, sedges, and herbacsous plants. They dig burrows in which they shelter from predators and weather, bear and nurse their young, and hibernate for up to 8 months a year. The body temperature of a hibernating marmot drops to <40F and the heart rate may drop to 3 beats per minute. Marmots do warm themselves up briefly every 10 days or so but do not eat or drink during hibernation.

Marmots have an unusually “slow” life history for rodents. Olympic marmots can live into their teens and do not reach reproductive maturity until age 3 or older. The average age of first reproduction for females is 4.5 years. Among reproductive-age Olympic marmots, about 35% of females wean young in an average year. Litters of 1-6 pups first come above ground in late July or early August, and about half of these young die before the following spring. The long maturation period, low rate of reproduction, and relatively high rate of juvenile mortality combine to make adult females particularly valuable to a marmot population – it can take years to replace one that is killed. The death of several breeding-age females can have serious long-term effects on the population.