Appreciating all that makes America special

Currently browsing: Americana
Americana means different things to different folks. Here at Great American Things, it means cool stuff that doesn’t fit into any other category. I guess we could have called it Miscellaneous, but “Great Miscellaneous Things” doesn’t tell you much, does it?


Kid Stuff: Monopoly

Posted by on May 31, 2009 in Kids Stuff | Comments Off on Kid Stuff: Monopoly

I love Monopoly. I don’t always have the patience to play a game that can go on for a couple of hours. But when I do, like on a rainy...

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Americana: The Greatest Generation

Posted by on May 24, 2009 in Americana | 2 comments

My father was one of millions of American men and women who fought in World War II. He served in North Africa, then advanced through...

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Americana: The Blue Angels

Posted by on May 23, 2009 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: The Blue Angels

What they do is impossible. You see it, and you’re thrilled and scared to death at the same time. They can’t fly that close...

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Americana: Ford Mustang

Posted by on May 18, 2009 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: Ford Mustang

There are lots of cars that could be included in a list of Great American Things. (Uh, not you, Pacer.) But occasionally one rises to the...

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Americana: The Prom

Posted by on May 15, 2009 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: The Prom

Such a big night in the life of the teenager. For us, it was a senior prom, so we had to wait till the very end of our high school...

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Food: Whitman’s Sampler

Posted by on May 10, 2009 in Americana, Food | Comments Off on Food: Whitman’s Sampler

I know, I know…someone already took the great dark chocolate ones , and you never get the chocolate-covered cherry (the “cherry...

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Americana: Harley-Davidson

Posted by on Apr 29, 2009 in Americana | 2 comments

Occasionally, these posts are hard for me to write. Like this one. Because not only am I not a motorcycle guy, a motorcycle is about the...

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Americana: High School Reunions

Posted by on Apr 26, 2009 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: High School Reunions

They’re loved. And they’re hated. But the temptation to go back and see what’s happened to the people with whom you spent...

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Americana: Fender Guitars

Posted by on Apr 24, 2009 in Americana | Comments Off on Americana: Fender Guitars

Picture Leo Fender in his California electronics workshop in the late 1930s. Fixing phonographs, radios, and public address systems....

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Food: Mrs. Rowe's Pies

Posted by on Apr 23, 2009 in Americana, Food | 5 comments

Okay, I realize this is way off the radar for most of you. It could go under the heading of “Roadside Food,” because Mrs....

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