In the southwest corner of South Dakota resides the Black Hills, a cool, beautiful site of respite. It is best known for Mt. Rushmore’s gleaming carvings of four presidents as well it should be. But down the road is another monument, much slower in the making, that recognizes a Native American icon – Crazy Horse… Read more »
My sister-in-law recently asked if I wanted to travel to the Galapagos Islands. A presentation about conservations efforts to protect its animals inspired her. I love to travel with Jan, but I hesitated. I was there fifty years ago in 1973 with my mother and four brothers and felt a later experience may not compare… Read more »
While most of my stories are of places distant from Paris, a recent outing closer to home to Dallas provided an experience worth telling. One of the greatest ambassadors that Paris, Texas has is DJ Pierce, a graduate of Paris High School, who never fails to mention his hometown in his shows and interactions with… Read more »
I don’t know why Finland has always beckoned. Its location between Russia, that looming communist country to the east and the very liberal Scandinavian presence on the west was intriguing. Both sides have claimed its territory – Sweden for 700 years between 1150 and 1809 and Russia from 1809 to 1917. Even as an independent… Read more »
Churches are constantly repurposed. In Istanbul, Turkey, St. Sophia’s began as a Christian Church, morphed into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453, became an historical structure in 1934 and is once again a mosque as of 2020. Even in Paris, we’ve seen churches change their allegiance from one denomination to another and commercial… Read more »
In the spring and fall in Paris, I like to sleep with windows open, with an occasional owl’s hoot accompanying my dreams. Only dogs barking interrupt the night’s peace. Morning sounds expand with greetings from the local birds – cardinals, wrens, and robins. Migrating birds announce their arrivals on schedule. And cars and trucks from… Read more »
When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, passenger trains in the U.S. were numerous and popular. One even transported my kindergarten class between my hometown of Plainview, Tx. to Lubbock, 45 miles away. But with the advent of good roads and increased income, cars dominated and train routes dwindled. In other countries… Read more »
I don’t remember the first time I heard the word, “funicular.” Inclined Railroad or an Incline are more widely used words for the steeply tilted contraption that lifts passengers quickly up to a much higher destination – a kind of mountain side elevator. The oldest funicular in the world continues to operate in Hohensalzburg Castle… Read more »
I’ve always wanted to go to the Christmas markets in Europe. The promotional photos look appropriately cheery with rows of booths filled with handmade toys, clothes, Christmas cake, and hot mulled wine. Light snow may be falling. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose are available experiences. With travel… Read more »
I am not my family’s historian and have yet to joined Ancestry. Unlike many genealogists, I have never traveled to research past connections. Two brothers had their saliva analyzed for past relations which confirmed we are strongly connected to the British Isle and Ireland. For the rest of my background, I have relied on family… Read more »
Mary with statue of John Lennon in Havana, Cuba park
Mary riding camel in Jordan desert
Mary Surrounded by Hmong women selling their wares in Sapa, Vietnam
Mary on glacier in southern New Zealand