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Day 19 – The 2009 Obama Inauguration Spoon

This is President Barack Obama’s last day in the White House. He and First Lady Michelle Obama have led by example, with grace, humility, patience, and understanding.

So here’s the obvious choice for today’s post: The 2009 Obama Inauguration spoon. Made by the Watson Company (and really, what souvenir spoon isn’t made by them these days?), this silver plated spoon was produced for the 56th Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, which took place on January 20, 2009.

And now I’m going to go make a strong cocktail.

Thank you, Barack and Michelle, for your 8 years of service.

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Day 18 – The Jimmy Carter Spoon

Since this is an inauguration week, I guess I should pull out the spoon from the first presidential inauguration I remember. Jimmy Carter.

Not a great president, but a genuinely wonderful human being. He and his wife, Rosalynn, have given their post-political lives to the people, working extensively with Habitat for Humanity and establishing the Carter Center, the mission of which is “Wage Peace, Fight Disease, Build Hope.”

I salute you, Jimmy Carter. Thank you for caring.

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Day 15 – The Ugly Boston Spoon

Today, January 15, 2017, marks the 98th anniversary of the Great Molasses Flood in Boston, Massachusetts. 21 people were killed and many injured when a tank containing 2.5 million gallons of crude molasses broken open and sent a “tidal wave of death and destruction stalking through the North End,” as The Boston Globe reported at the time. 

Newspaper articles about the incident put the height of the wave at anywhere from 8 to 40 feet tall and the surge was clocked at an estimated 35 miles per hour. On hot summer days, local residents will swear to you that they can still smell molasses.

Great Molasses Flood, Boston, 1909
The aftermath of the Great Molasses Flood of 1909

I’ve already posted a picture of my really nice looking Boston spoon, so this crappy spoon made out of god-knows-what will have to do. 

It’s like the manufacturer said “Hey, what’s Boston known for?” and people in the office just threw out ideas until they landed on this hideous amalgamation of Paul Revere and the U.S.S. Constitution.

They can’t all be winners.