It is a matter of general agreement that the two most influential themes in the shaping of the American ethos have been the wholesale conquest of the frontier and, following shortly thereafter, roadside attractions. And no more perfect synthesis of these themes exist than in the figure of the gargantuan axe wielding folk legend Paul Bunyan and Babe, his trusty blue ox. Amusingly sculpted tributes to this lumbering lumberjack can be found all across the highways and byways of the lower 48 (but mostly in Minnesota). Visit roadsideamerica.com for an impressive but surely not exhaustive list or amuse yourself with some of my favorites below.
Bemidji, Minnesota
Brainerd, Minnesota
Minocqua, Wisconsin
Storyland Park Grill & Giftshop, Lake George, New York
Klamath, California
Note the balls.
Paul's girlfriend. Yes, his axe swung straight ... we are told.
Summer road trip project: visit as many Bunyan statues as possible. For extra credit, take photos of yourself riding Babe. It’s the American way.
Don’t let that jolly grin fool you, this giant is no benevolent symbol of American agricultural posperity but rather Mother’s chief enforcer. Do you think those dinner plate sized hands were made for shelling peas? Ha! More likely for ringing the necks of stubborn little brats who refuse to swallow their greens. So finish those Niblets son or you can expect a visit from the giant.
Happy 75th birthday Donald Duck, you old fowl. Member of the Greatest Generation, you were drafted to fight for Uncle Sam at the age of eight. Though your time in the service was not without controversy, you made it through the war and, by your 15th birthday, you were living the American dream with a house in the suburbs and a flock of three young nephews to whom you imparted valuable lessons about hard work, saving, and substance abuse. So let’s celebrate your career by replaying your 50th birthday tribute (though, admittedly, this little film says more about the year it was made than about your life and times). Happy birthday, Donald and mazel tov!
Financial troubles got you down? Just pawn your fender to make rent? Is your mule off to greener pastures? Well, for the price of an old cigar box, a two by four, a couple of screws, and some wire you can still sing the blues the old fashioned way with your very own diddley bow.
… a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Twilight Zone Day blog post! And a charmingly kitsch clip from this classic mind bending, premise stretching show.
At the risk of further usurping Martin’s special day, I feel obligated – nay, compelled to honor lost socks in my own way by shamelessly promoting the tee shirt I recently designed titled The Land Of Lost Socks (available for a limited time through shirt.woot.com). Buy one now and you’ll be prepared for Lost Sock Memorial Day 2010!
All hail the hoagie! Or the submarine sandwich. Or the grinder or the hero or the wedge or the zep or, if you prefer, the torpedo. It’s a menu item of many names but only one day – today! So what are you waiting for? Get off your ass and go eat a giant sandwich!
Where else to go for National Look Alike Day than totallylookslike.com! Like DND, these brilliant fellows post a new look alike pair every day and the resemblances are, well, just look for yourself. Here are a few of my favs.
This pretty well sums up the difference between Sweden and the U.S. of A.
... no words ...
This one's for Christina.
The future is now.
And when you’re through browsing look alikes why not use the Nintendo DS to calculate the resemblance by percentage. Thanks to Catherine for the link!
