A Civilized Savage

When I was a child the "Museum of the Five Civilized Tribes" opened in Muskogee, OK. My Father's side of the family are all mostly "Okies from Muskogee".

"... A place where even squares can have a ball".

This was drummed into my poor skull - the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickashaws and the Seminoles, all five were the Five Civilized Tribes.

Whether this meant we either had good table manners or adopted slave-holding like da White Folks - well, jury's out.

Sadly, my money is on the latter.

It didn't help of course - we were all packed up in the middle of winter and frog marched to Oklahoma. All except the Seminoles, who high-tailed it into the Everglades and have never signed a peace treaty with the U.S. even to this day.

Good for them.

Still, this meant we have a standard to live up to and I'm trying to do my part by having a coffee and mixed-berry cobbler at David's in Monument Square.

It's a lovely warm night, I could have worn shorts but that's not really the style for David's.

It was supposed to be an Irish Coffee - which their bartender tried to fake by pouring Glenfiddich into a glass with the house Columbian brew. The coffee is actually pretty good but just having half-and-half on the side isn't an Irish Coffee. I think I did write a post about the worst Irish Coffee in Portland, at the Empire Dine and Dance - the best is at the Bar of Chocolate down on Wharf Street in the Old Port - but you couldn't pay me enough to go down there on a Friday night like tonight.

So, it was sitting grandly in the Square watching an interesting parade of people pass by.

This is Gay Pride weekend and a lot of unmixed couples were parading through the Square by Our Lady of Victories. The band "They Might Be Giants" is playing at the Port City Music Hall, there's a palaver outside my windows in the dooryard, fueled by cheap beer and good friends.

I have to be at work tomorrow at 8 - I hope they don't get rowdy.

This is the first time in several years I've missed the Gay Pride Parade - I love the favors they throw from the crowd and there's always a great party in Deering Oaks afterwards.

So with the needs of tribal honor met I'm going to listen to Countdown and thence to bed.