“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived that distinguish one man from another.”distinguish one man from another.”
If Ernest Hemingway were still alive today, the sportsman, soldier, Nobel Prize-winning writer and man of adventure would turn 111 this month. To pay homage to the legend, and to help distinguish your own life, take on one of these Hemingway-themed experiences:
Read: A Farewell to Arms
One of our most revered American writers, Hemingway is known for his straightforward prose and terse dialogue. Loosely based on his own experience in World War I, this classic novel is a journey through courage, manhood and the crushing weight of the world.
Run: With the Bulls
Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises put this thrill-seeking tradition in Spain on the map. We’ve experienced this mythical adventure first-hand, but nothing we tell you can replace the raw adrenaline you feel when a 1,000 pound bull barrels towards you on the streets of Pamplona.
Wear: Thomas Raymond & Co’s Hemingway Footwear
When he won the Nobel Prize in 1954, Time magazine called Hemingway “a globe-trotting expert on bullfights, booze, women, wars, big game hunting, deep sea fishing, and courage.” If you want to follow in his footsteps, you’ll need a good pair of shoes to pull all that off.
Watch: To Have and Have Not
Hemingway’s novel of the same name was adapted for film in 1945 featuring a sultry on-screen (and off-screen) romance between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The classic film noir follows a tough expat fishing boat captain who becomes a smuggler in the Caribbean.
Head: To Hemingway Days Festival in Key West
In the 1930s Hemingway lived, sailed, fished and wrote in Key West. The remote Southern island is proud of its one-time resident and celebrates his birthday with a festival July 20-25 that includes a $50,000 marlin tournament, a white beard look-alike contest, and a short story competition led by his granddaughter.
We aren’t sure if the term lawn “sport” is really accurate since you’re practically required to have one hand on a cold beverage for the duration of the competition. Regardless of what you call it, these games are precisely what the backyard was created for.
Kubb
Have some Brannvin and sing a round of “Helan Gar” while you play this Swedish lawn game that claims to date back to the Vikings. Use your Battle Axes to knock over all of your opponent’s Shields and you’re a conqueror. Probably the most addicting game you’ve never played.
Cornhole
The name still prompts some scoffing, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from knowing the sweet feeling of winning a game by your bag going straight through the hole without touching the board.
Bocce
The Italian bowling game for old men is having quite a renaissance these days. The eight balls and a pallino can really be played on any type of surface (sand, dirt, grass), allowing you to mix up the speed and approach to the game.
Croquet
The decidedly English pastime of hitting balls with a mallet through hoops staked in the grass. Your form is always better with a Pimms in hand.
More: check out these videos by Tretorn on how to play Bocce and Croquet.
© 2008 Jessica Horwitz
If fighting for a small spot of pavement on Lenox Rd to watch fireworks is your nightmare, consider heading to Athens for The Classic City July 4th American Music Festival.
It’s actually a two day (July 3 & 4) event at The Melting Point featuring 14 bands performing American folk and bluegrass. Doors open at 2 p.m. A single day general admission pass is $17 and a two day pass is $27.
The festival will gather some quality acts, but if you can’t make it out, here are a few of the artists to check out:
The Packway Handle Band, The Great Atomic Power
Cherryholmes, You Don’t Know What Love Is
The Whiskey Gentry, Clarkesville
Art Rosenbaum, Cacklin’ Hen
Shannon Whitworth, No Expectations
Atlanta Botanical Gardens
During a recent visit to the Atlanta Botanical Garden, we were reminded that this is one of those unique elements of the city that should be taken advantage of more often. Now with a $55 million improvement that doubled its size and added the much hyped Canopy Walk, it’s time to discover (or rediscover) this natural marvel in the middle of our urban jungle. There are a variety of events you can check out on their website, but we recommend two for date options:
Cocktails in the Garden
Every Thursday night (6 – 10 p.m.) from May to Sept. the garden stays open for a chance to have a few drinks and stroll through the new additions. Walk through the tree tops along the 600 foot long Canopy Walk while enjoying the tranquility of nature against the backdrop of the Atlanta skyline. Sit beside the water at the new Cascades Garden or sample food at a chef demonstration in the Edible Garden and outdoor kitchen. Entry is $15 and a cash bar.
Concerts in the Garden
This summer concert series takes place at the Garden’s Great Lawn, which makes for a relatively small outdoor music experience. The flat grass area is surrounded by trees and the rest of the garden, never putting you too far away from the stage. Food and wine can be purchased onsite from notable Atlanta restaurants. Just bring a blanket and your date. Tickets for this summer’s series go on sale May 31 and feature Emmylou Harris, She & Him, John Hiatt, Joan Baez, Delbert McClinton, and Johnny Lang.
Our city lives are filled with so much technology and comfort that we’ve lost much of what was once common knowledge about nature and survival. To remedy this, we visited Medicine Bow, a “primitive school of earthlore in the North Georgia mountains,” which gave us a chance to rediscover our connection to the natural world.
Mark Warren, the eclectic Georgia man behind these courses, brings decades of experience, knowledge and passion to each of his classes. He’s won national competitions in whitewater racing and archery, and the National Wildlife Federation honored him as Georgia’s Conservation Educator of the Year. His approach is to teach primitive skills that Native Americans had, but brings the benefit of modern science and natural research into each of his lessons.
In these practical courses you can learn about tracking, natural medicine, wild foods, survival skills, fire making, botany and conservation. More than just being prepared for an emergency, you’ll know how to look at a forest and see it as a tool kit, a grocery store and a medicine cabinet. Located on 45 acres next to a national forest, most workshops are limited to about 13 people and range between $35 and $75. Check his website for upcoming classes.
