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TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT VAN GOGH

6/17/2015

One does not have to be Dutch (or tortured soul) to appreciate Vincent van Gogh’s tremendous contribution to humanity. The fact his life story was as colorful as his paintings seems to have simply added to his popularity. One-hundred-fifty-one years after his birth few would disagree that the mental instability that fueled his leaps of creativity only served to cast him as noble, at least in a romantic sort of eccentric-artist way.

However, not even a biographical film starring Kirk Douglas, obscene records sales by Don McLean, or a proliferation of Starry Night coffee mugs, shower curtains and umbrellas could dilute the wonder of seeing van Gogh’s art in the flesh.

Was there more to the man than the myth?

Of course there was; just as there’s more to a painting than a starry night blanketing a village punctuated by a lone, cypress tree reaching for the stars.

This is what I learned about the man.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT: TOP TEN PHOTOS

3/16/2015

Maybe it was the altitude making me dizzy with delight. Or perhaps it was the mountains in the distance, majestic and timeless, serene and wise that touched my soul. Wide open spaces set against the bluest of skies swallowed us whole as Jimmy and I were lost and then found in the Land of Enchantment.

I could continue to wax eloquent about the beauty of New Mexico’s luminous landscapes, charming Spanish churches and proud Native American history; but pictures will undoubtedly offer much more than my feeble attempts to capture the magic of her charms. And so, as an introduction to New Mexico, I give you my Top Ten Photos.

A DOZEN DIVERSIONS TO NURTURE YOUR WANDERLUST WHEN TRAVEL IS NOT AN OPTION

1/12/2015

When the budget gets tapped or travel is out of the question (no question about it, I’m happy to be spending time with my recently widowed sister), rather than succumb to the inevitable funk reminiscent of the infamous airport fiascos shared by most seasoned travelers, I often assuage my thwarted wanderlust with a handful of alternatives that serve to nurture my restless soul.

VIRGINIA CITY: NEVADA'S HISTORIC SILVER QUEEN

8/28/2014

I kept hoping Ben, Hoss, Little Joe and Adam would come riding into town and truly bring this picturesque Victorian era Wild West relic back to its glory days. After all, Virginia City and the Cartwrights obviously had a lot in common when it came to bonanzas.

I grew up on NBC's Bonanza; Little Joe was such a heartthrob.

Nevada’s glory days helped finance the Civil War courtesy of the richest silver deposits in American history. Who knew?

There’s a lot I didn’t know when it came to Virginia City. Hence today’s enlightening post, Seven Things You Might Not Know About Virginia City. I love history when it involves a field trip! This particular field trip was all about the largest federally designated Historical District in America! Beats a lecture any day!

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF HARMONIOUS ROAD TRIPS

2/6/2014

I am so bummed! Jimmy and I began the long drive home today after spending a few weeks with my father in honor of his 89th birthday.    To add insult to injury, we’re leaving sunny Florida to return to single digit temps and a very snowy Chicago. What the . . . ?!

Yes, according to my father, I’ve lost all my marbles! Snow birds are the retirees headed south during the dead of winter. Looney birds are the ones returning north.

Personally, I think insanity is exactly what I need to successfully manage fifteen hours confined, with my beloved at the very least, to a space not much bigger than my hall bathroom. It does take a certain mindset to achieve harmony in the aforementioned scenario, particularly as the number of people involved in said scenario increases.

Suffice it to say, when confined to small, vehicular spaces avoid really sticky discussions (politics, religion, and ongoing, unresolved marital issues) that generally result in the need to walk away, pout in privacy, and/or suddenly begin furiously cleaning, furious being the operative word.   There’s only so much to clean given the size of a glove box.

While my Ten Commandments of Harmonious Road Trips  was written from the perspective of a charming couple (that would be Jimmy and me sans small, vehicular space), they will work for any number of people and relationships; of course, sanity is optional.

7 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT RENO, NEVADA

1/15/2014

I’d have to admit, before Jimmy and I had family settle in Reno, the only thing I could tell you about the fourth most populous city in Nevada was it’s an hour’s drive from the airport to that beautiful alpine body of water, Lake Tahoe. Oh, and there are slot machines all over Reno airport.

This fertile valley, informally called Truckee Meadows, is tucked between two stunning mountain ranges, the Sierra Nevada and the Virginia Range. Reno has always been a great place to gamble, from mining for gold in the mountains or in the casinos.

To provide a convenient connection between Virginia City (as in Nevada) and the California Trail, Charles W. Fuller gambled on striking it rich when he erected his log toll bridge in 1859 over the Truckee River and then waited for the '49ers to come to him.

Fuller undoubtedly lost a fortune when he sold his bridge to Myron C. Lake two years later. Myron ran with the hand he’d been dealt and came up with a full house, adding a grist mill, kiln and livery stable to the existing hotel and eating house. Lake earned the title, “Founder of Reno” to go along with his good fortune.

Ya gotta know when to hold ‘em, and know when to fold ‘em.

Ya gotta know, too, there’s more to Reno than gambling. Here’s what I know when it comes to Reno.

VALLEY FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA: TOP TEN PHOTOS

11/21/2013

Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?

Apparently I’m not, at least when it comes to US History, according to the results of a few online quizzes while preparing for this post. But I still like Jeff Foxworthy. He’s my all-time favorite redneck.

Even after a field trip to Valley Forge several months ago, which included a very entertaining synopsis of this famous Revolutionary War site courtesy of a very knowledgeable National Park Service guide who just happened to be a US History teacher in his former life, my recall of the pertinent Valley Forge facts via a few online quizzes was not what I’d hoped.

Okay, if you really must know, my average score was . . .

TOP TEN THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT MINING

9/3/2013

Wow, I’m exhausted after the Labor Day weekend.  Who knew Labor could be so much work; or take so much time (yes, this post is later than usual; go easy on me, please)!

Duh! I did give birth to three children, but the real labor, aptly called a labor of love, involved raising my three for the better part of thirty years (fourteen years separate my youngest and oldest).

Really, I don’t have rocks in my head, but there are a few ground-up in my toothpaste, shampoo, lipstick and eye shadow, not to mention the laundry list of minerals used in the production of my computer, car, and house. I ingest quite a few minerals, too, among them salt, zinc, magnesium, boron, copper, molybdenum, and calcium.  Who knew?

Yep, one visit to the National Mining Hall of Fame in Leadville, Colorado, and I’m a font of wisdom in all things mined and manufactured for the benefit of mankind. Rock on!

I took all those mining milestones I discovered at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum and then threw in a few of my own culled from that mine of information, the Internet, to come up with my Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About Mining & Minerals. No moss growing under this rock.

DUBLIN, IRELAND: 2 DAYS, 6 FUN FACTS, 10 PICTURES

7/1/2013

What comes to mind when you think of Ireland? Jimmy talked of little else but leprechauns in the days leading up to our departure for the Emerald Isle last Friday. St. Patrick’s Day, Maureen O’Hara (with John Wayne, in the movie the Quiet Man), castles, shamrocks, Catholics, protestants, Riverdance and the Blarney Stone (and those blarney accents) were just a few of the bits and pieces that were grist for the thoughts milling around in my head for weeks prior to our trip. Jimmy keeps things simply; I obviously obsess.

I wasn't sure how to sort through all that obsessing. I was still fighting jet lag. The Irish are not fighting anybody anymore, which was a first for this island country for close to a thousand years. I give these lads and lassies credit; they’d put up with more than their fair share from the Vikings and the Normans and the Scots and the Brits.

But that is a post for another day. Today, like my scattered thoughts, I’m all over the board. After all, me thinks there was a wee bit of blarney that went into my first two days in Dublin, Ireland.

ARTSTETTEN CASTLE, LOWER AUSTRIA: TOP TEN PHOTOS

1/7/2013

It’s a shame we don’t have true royalty in the United States. Instead of Kings and Queens, Archdukes and Duchesses to give our wealthy upper class the aura of polish that comes with gentrified lineage, we have know-nothing movie stars and politicians getting all the press.

I rather like the fairy-tale image of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge preparing to welcome a new heir to the throne.   Yes, Uncle Harry has some ‘issues’, along with some less than loyal party pals, but what family tree doesn’t have a few gnarled branches. A few more war-torn assignments should keep his youthful indiscretions out of the press while he sows a few wild oats.

In addition to the dukedom, Prince William is also the Earl of Stratheam and Barron Carrickfergus, which in some circles makes up for having no surname (somewhat anticlimactic after the string of titles) that I can recall and no real job.  And while I have no idea what a Carrickfergus is, it can’t be any worse than a Kardashian.

Europe is all about royal families, most with some rather interesting family histories shared somewhere along the line with almost every other noble family; it should come as no surprise that during our recent trip to Europe, Jimmy and I did some hobnobbing with a member of Austria’s Hapsburg-Lorraine royal family. I wisely chose not to wear my jeans that day.

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