Bouv, I have to agree that there’s some good cheese in Vermont. There are some good varieties (such as cob smoked, which I had never tried before), but just give me some of that well aged white cheddar. Yum.
IDBB, I don’t want to burst your Texas bubble, but flag ettiquite allows any state to fly its flag at the same height as the US flag, just not higher (and there’s a few other rules as well).
My state is Arizona. Best known for the Grand Canyon, of course.
The State bird is the cactus wren.
The state flower is the blossom of the Saguaro cactus. This famous cactus, which only grows in the Sonoran Desert , is the tallest cactus in the United States. Speaking of cactus, the fruit of the prickly pear makes darn good margaritas.
We have a state fossil! It’s petrified wood. Which makes sense becasue Arizona is the home of Petrified Forrest National Park.
The official state neckware is the bola tie. You’ll occasionally find it made with the official state gemstone, turquoise.
There’s a state reptile - the Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake (of course it’s a rattlesnake). Although rattlesnakes are pretty intimidating (and are shown biting people at the drop of a hat in the movies), they try to avoid people and only attack when threatened. Speaking of snakes, Arizona is home to the western coral snake, whose venom is a deadly neurotoxin related to that of the cobra! :eek: But don’t worry: you have to work very hard to get them to bite you as they are fairly docile by nature and their mouths are too small to bite unless they get you between the fingers.
Let’s see, what else…
Meteor Crater - the first impact crater on Earth positively identified as such. It was also used by astronauts training for the moon landing.
The worlds largest ponderosa pine forest is in northern Arizona.
That’s enough for now, I think.
