Part Two: Honoring Native Americans

As you savor spoonfuls of turkey soup and the last nibbles of pumpkin pie, The Map Geek would like to bring to your attention some of the highlights of Native American culture located within our Discovery Map destinations.

With all that has been happening in the world these past months, we could do as the ancients did and look to the night skies for answers. Many cultures, in fact, continue traditions, founded in millennia, of turning to the heavens for guidance.

“Early studies of the sky provided stability and structure to social and political organizations,” Dr. Edwin C. Krupp, a preeminent “archaeoastronomer,” was quoted as saying in a Nautilus magazine article. “A perfect example of this is the emperor in ancient China, who was regarded as the primary intermediary between Earth and the divine force in heaven. The emperor is sacred, and that stabilized and protected the way that the Chinese culture allowed itself to be governed, he continued.” The Map Geek has recently become hooked on the Netflix series “The Crown,” which infers a similar connection between the sovereign and the divine. If you were to look at pretty much every culture throughout the ages, you’ll find some measure of desire to link themselves with heaven.

Have you figured out what you’re doing this year for Halloween? The Map Geek predicts that all is aligned to create a spooky good time. First of all, October 31st lands on a Saturday, which always means a celebration of sorts. Plus, there will be a full moon and a blue moon; the latter means that it’s the second full moon in a calendar month. Both rank as rare occurrences. (How many full moons do you recall on Halloween, let alone a blue one, which typically appears extra large and casts a ghoulish blue glow?) It’s also the night when we “fall back” the clocks. To top that off, 2020 has been so bizarre that who isn’t looking to have fun? We’ve already had the heck scared out of us!

Whether you’re young or old, there are plenty of ways to cut loose and express your creativity on this All Hallow’s Eve. And since many already packed on some COVID pounds, a little more extra candy will likely go unnoticed. The Map Geek has unearthed (uh-oh, doesn’t that already make you think of a graveyard?) a cauldron-sized collection of maps that will help you celebrate this popular holiday in a safe and unique manner.

Part One: Honoring African American Culture

Discovery Map International salutes the great diversity of our more than 130 destinations within the United States, Canada and Mexico. In view of all that has been happening in our world these past months, the Map Geek thought it would be a good idea to create a series of posts that highlight some of the Black and Brown art, heritage and culture offerings within many of our Discovery Map destinations.

Here at Discovery Map International, we love the Library of Congress. Why wouldn’t we? It is one of the world’s greatest repositories of books and maps, including our entire collection of Discovery Maps. Yep, that’s right! I think I even heard a drumroll that preceded that last disclosure.

So inevitably the Map Geek strives to tout the Library of Congress at every turn. Check out these two previous posts on the Library of Congress entitled Loving the Library of Congress and Loving the Library of Congress Online.

When you think about back to school for you or your children (or other kids in general) what kind of images pop into your head? Maybe you remember wearing a crisp new outfit the first day of school. Or maybe you’re thinking about

how it felt to lift your leg high and take that first big step back onto the school bus. Perhaps you recall the excitement of seeing friends again or the flip side of that when you felt butterflies in your stomach as you ventured out into a whole different world after enjoying the long break of a summer vacation. This year is different for most – for parents and children – although many of these same images are conjured up. Maybe some are thinking about sitting at their newly-acquired desk at home with their freshly-cleaned computer ready to lead them into the world of virtual learning. Either way, back to school is still an important time, a mile marker that allows one and all to hit the reset button and embark upon new adventures.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of a mask is as follows: a covering used to hide or disguise your face. A covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth.

That’s just Entry 1 of 2. The others go on to include such definitions as a grotesque false face worn at carnivals or in rituals, a sculptured face or a copy of a face made by means of a mold and an area (such as the one around the eyes) of an animal’s face that is distinguished by usually darker coloring; and that’s just to name a few.

What a summer it has been! Back in the spring when the shutdown first began many people in the hospitality business were panicked about the prospects of a slim summer season. And now, look at how it has panned out. Our mountain and beach towns are booming, our national parks are overflowing with visitors, there’s nary an RV or camper available to rent, many choose to bike, kayak, SUP and other outfitters for fun outdoor toys have sold out and our scenic byways are packed with road trippers. Thank goodness the country has not run out of ice cream!

Have you been to the drive-ins yet this summer? I’m not just talking about a regular drive-in where you sit in your car and watch a classic showing of “ET” or “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” No, the trend these days during these COVID-19 times is to go and be a part of the show. You can go to a country music concert as in the case of one of the many listed in this Billboard story (which also includes rock and other genres), groove to an electronic music and light show by Mark Rebillet or hear some good stand up comedy like some folks recently did when they attended Jim Gaffigan’s first drive-in stand up show. With your car or flatbed pickup, you have more opportunities than ever to show your enthusiasm–think flashing lights, gyrating windshield wipers and a cacophony of horn tooting. Of course you can also shout, clap, sway and sing along to your heart’s delight whether sitting within the comfy interior of your vehicle or lounging on the hood of your rig. It sounds like a blast and it’s not just happening at old drive-ins; all kinds of parking lots and fields are being converted into showplaces all over the country, allowing for lots of social-distancing fun on these warm summer nights. In Paris, they’ve even created a movie theater where you can watch a film on a boat floating on the river Seine. Not surprisingly, it’s called a float-in instead of a drive-in. Mais oui!

Some regular movie theaters have even started offering drive-in movie experiences. Big Picture Café Theatre in Mad River Valley, Vermont, is one such example. Isn’t it nice to be able to choose two different ways to watch a good flick?

Have you noticed how maps have taken on new significance during COVID-19? Just think of how many times you’ve consulted a map to see which continents, countries, states and cities are affected by this novel coronavirus? Maybe you’ve even looked at a map of your county to check its numbers. You can easily zoom in on one on your handheld device or trace its parameters with your finger in your local newspaper. No matter how you do your map reading, the Map Geek bets that you’ve consulted more maps in recent months than you did in the period leading up to the onslaught of this outbreak. Yes, indeed– the Map Geek is not happy to see how this virus has shaken our world to its core but she is delighted that maps have become such a valuable tool in helping people to better chart and understand this disease.

Whether you’re an ordinary citizen, a nurse, an infectious disease expert, an epidemiologist or just another Map Geek, there are all kinds of COVID-19 maps out there that can serve to better inform you. Many are often accompanied by graphs and statistics much to the delight of numbers people that share a geekiness similar to the Map Geek. It’s all cool stuff despite the fact that much of the information reflects very scary and unfortunate happenings such as loss of life and economic hardship, all a result of this worldwide scourge. But still, these maps have been and will remain essential to all. The Map Geek would go so far as to say that this pandemic will forever change how people look at maps.