International Spotlight

I realize that I haven't been posting as often. I will try to change that. It takes a little more time and effort to research for posts about "Fallen Heroes" or music than it does for posts about places we have visited, because, for the stuff we have visited, I have done most of the research beforehand. We are working on plans for a little Big Stuff trip in March, so stay tuned folks. I also would like some more variety than Fallen Heroes, music, music, Fallen Heroes, and the occasional map in my posts between visits. That brings me to my newest addition, International Spotlight.

I will be featuring various big stuffs from outside of the U.S. We aren't the only ones that love big stuff. Just look to our north. Canadians are quite big stuff crazy. While a lot of these posts may come from Canada, there are other nations as well that enjoy their big stuff like Australia, New Zealand, and Germany. So let's get it started.

Chuck the Channel Cat
Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada


Photo by ehmeelu

Chuck is a catfish, is 25 feet tall, and was built in 1986 out of fiberglass. Chuck was built in an attempt to promote tourism to the town. Selkirk is located just north of Winnipeg on the Red River. Selkirk is also home to a large ox cart. Crookston, MN claims to have the World's Largest Ox Cart. The World's Largest Catfish is also on the Red River in Whapeton, ND.



Time for a perfect cross-over post. I am going to add a song to the soundtrack list. I had meant to include it in the fish theme post, but forgot to, and it ties in perfectly with this post.

Please Come Back - by Catfish Haven

The band name alone warrants a spot on the soundtrack. Plus, they are pretty good, so I couldn't deny them. I chose this song because I'm sure the towns that build big stuff would like you to come back again for another visit. I also considered Crazy for Leaving. This is the perfect cross-over post because of the fish theme of the last music post, the catfish thing, and the fact that Catfish Haven are signed to the Simply Canadian record label (even though they are from Chicago).

You can hear both of these songs at Catfish Haven's MySpace page.

The P-38 Fighter Jets have Moved

I drove past Owatonna this weekend and I nearly freaked out when I didn't see the jets where they belonged. The jets were gone and the place had been turned into an RV lot. Luckily, the jets had been moved only about a half mile south to the Owatonna airport. They are still visible from the highway and are on the same frontage road that runs past Cabela's and the former location of the jets.

More on the Jets

The Soundtrack: Fish Tales

There are a lot of oversized fish on the dockett for The Big Stuff Project. We have not been to any yet, but they are out there and they are numerous. Here are some fish themed songs/bands for your Big Stuff mix.

Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - by Radiohead

Radiohead just released a new album, In Rainbows, in October, you may have heard of it, where you could buy the download for whatever price you wanted. The CD is now available in stores. I really like this album. "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" is one of the songs off of it.



You can listen to the song on Radiohead's MySpace page.

Big Fish - by 3 Minute Hero

3 Minute Hero was/is a ska band out of Moorhead, MN. It's unclear to me whether or not they are actually still playing together. You can hear some of their other songs at their MySpace page.

Spin the Globe - by Reel Big Fish

No fish theme is complete without Reel Big Fish. Reel Big Fish is another ska band. Their biggest hit was the song "Sell Out". They have also written such classics as "Everything Sucks", "Beer", "I Want Your Girlfriend to Be My Girlfriend Too", and "Why Do All Girls Think They're Fat". "Spin The Globe" is their most appropriate song for this compilation. They have a lot of music and videos on their MySpace page.

The playlist so far:
Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota - Weird Al Yankovic
Stevie Nix - The Hold Steady
Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight (or Heavy D & the Boyz)
Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
An Ear For Baby - The Thermals
Minneapolis - That Dog
Minnesota - The Push Stars
Minnesota - The Mountain Goats
Say Shh... - Atmosphere
We Got as Far as Minnesota - Kind of Like Spitting
Minnesota Moon - The Big Wu
Minnesota - Northern Light
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi - Radiohead
Big Fish - 3 Minute Hero
Spin The Globe - Reel Big Fish