I Am a Motorcoach, Discovering the USA by Tread Winshield and Mirror…
. . . Bringing you a three-day western blog adventure through Albuquerque, New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. So keep an eye out the next two days for parts two and three.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
I was glad to find a place to park my 45-foot self in this popular town. The name of the candy establishment I parked in front of comes from some close association with the cast and crew of a phenomenon called “Breaking Bad”, which was filmed in Albuquerque. Consequently, many people visiting Old Town stop by to take nostalgic selfies here. I was ignorant of the phenomenon, but took one anyway.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
ZIA NEWS: Originating with the people of the Zia Pueblo before being adopted as New Mexico’s state symbol, the Zia symbol is culturally sacred and regionally iconic. Uplied to the state flag in 1925, the symbol dresses New Mexico licence plates, is utilized in organizational logos, and is one of the most tatooed symbols in the state. The four sides of the four-line design represent
1 – The four winds/directions (north, south, east, west)
2 – The seasons of the year (spring, summer, fall, winter)
3 – The four stages of the day (morning, noon, evening, night)
4 – The four stages of life (childhood, youth, adulthood, elderly)
The center circle, symbolic of the constancy of love and life, binds them all together.
FOUNDING NEWS: From the province of Asturias, Spain, Francisco Cuervo Y Valdes founded Albuquerque in April of 1706. He sits immortalized in bronze upon his mighty steed at the southwest entry to Old Town Albuquerque.
ARCHITECTURAL NEWS: Spanish Mission, Pueblo, and Navajo are the primary architectural infuences resposible for the charm of Old Town Albuquerque. Banks, grocers, restaurants, retail outlets, and homes alike display the flat-roofed adobe cubistic motif, while Spanish detailing is ubiquitous as well.
While Spanish Mission influence can be seen in the town’s ornamentations, passageways, and layout, the only surviving building from the Spanish Colonial period is San Felipe de Neri Church. Built in 1793, it spans the north side of the town square.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
Located at 615 Rio Grande Blvd (Historic Route 66), Camino 66 offers a treasury of Southwest decor items and the largest collection of Talavera (authentic Mexican pottery) outside of Mexico. Route 66 traveled through Albuquerque from 1926 to 1985, and the present 18-mile urban section of the route running through Albuquerque is the longest in the nation.
Quote Of The Day samples
“My purpose in performing is to communicate the joy I experience in living.” – John Denver
“You need to stop focusing on the darkness behind you. The past is the past. Nothing can change what we’ve done.”— Walter White, Breaking Bad
. . . back in Washington DC. I’m a huge fan of this place – a complex but learnable system of highways and bridges and tunnels and roads, and everywhere something interesting to see. Since one or another of my garage-mates have blogged at you about DC in the past, I (Two Eight One) thought I’d follow up on the last blog theme, creativity, and give you the art side of DC.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
I have never posed with a curiosity before, so I thought I’d take the opportunity. I think it might be a praying mantis, but I’m not sure. That is just the closest thing I could find in my databank to this sculptural curiosity in front of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
Paused (not to be mistaken with being idle or idling – idling is strictly prohibited in DC) for just a bit in the Smithsonian complex did not transform me from a big red brute machine into an artsy machine, but reflecting some of the Smithsonian Institution Building does seem to suggest cultured machine.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
SMITHSONIAN NEWS: Kiepenkerl – a traveling peddler carrying his goods on his back. This sculpture by Jeff Koons – reminds me of myself, so I thought I’d share it with you. Maybe it’s the shiny chrome finish – kinda machine-like. Maybe it’s the idea of traveling around carrying valuables – mine being passengers. Anyway, it resonated with me. It stands outside the Hirshhorn Museum, part of the museum’s Sculpture Garden in the Smithsonian complex at the National Mall in Washington D.C. Seventeen of the nineteen Smithsonian Museums are located in D.C and eleven are on D.C.’s National Mall. Only two are outside of D.C. – one being nearby in Chantilly, Virginia and the other in New York City.
“HUGE!” WASHINGTON ART NEWS: OK, this isn’t Washington D.C. “Huge!” news. This is art news about the Washington of Mid-American Coaches fame, the Washington I call home: Washington, Missouri. Most of you know that one of my assistants (who helps me get around the country with you all), Russell Irwin, is a bit of an artist. Well, this month – Friday the 29th from 5:00 to 9:00 to be exact – he is having the Grand Opening to his studio-gallery in downtown Washington (313 Elm Street). I’ve heard there will be major eats to go with the delicious eye-candy at the gallery. (You can also check out the preparations and some of the art in advance at: www.facebook.com/artistrussellstuartirwin)
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
The Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, DC War Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are all within walking distance from one another on the National Mall in Washington D.C. All are spectacular creative masterpieces – elegant art. All are thought provoking and built upon rich historical significance. And there is one more you simply MUST SEE when in DC. The Iwo Jima Memorial (History of the Marine Corps War Memorial) is located on George Washington Parkway, across the Potomac River from those other Must See memorials. (You can see here the appropriate commitment of my Borgia passengers returning from the memorial. They endured heavy rainfall along their night tour of the DC memorials.)
Quote Of The Day samples
“Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it’s produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” – Ken Robinson
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath
(Video run time: 2 minutes 10 seconds)
Musical accompaniment: Patriotic March by Max Surla, Media Right Productions
. . .at a welcome road sign: 2019! But first, I, Two Eight One, want to celebrate with one last blog from 2018 (my first full year in action). It has been my privilege to report to you from the road this past year. I do not take for granted your regard for the limited point of view of a machine. Which brings me to the subject of our 61st blog – creativity. Yes, my glaring limitation. I can go a lot of places, but I can’t go there. Creativity, by design, is absent from my nature. It is not a skill I can attempt to develop. I can observe it, and marvel at you all – my passengers – for being so rich in this capacity. But I, like all motorcoaches, am bound to the strict observance of my factory authorized manual and the rules of the road. So, with you in mind, I saved a special tour from a few months back to close out the year. And with this final sample of 2018 travels, I applaud you and champion every resolute stride into a creative 2019 . . . especially where touring the the USA is concerned!
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
I picked up some Californians at the airport. Quilters. We went to a store, then another, then another . . . and at each location they returned to my lighted spiral staircase with bags of fabric. Lots of chatter about quilting, about stitches and patterns and prints and the latest skill-assisting paraphernalia. Nothing to which I could relate. And not the most dynamic beginning to a tour. That all changed when we got to Paducah Kentucky. I only have one example of this quilting thing they were all so jazzed about. But the one example was enough to change every dull impression I had of their invested obsession. OK, it’s not actually a quilt. I found it on a concrete wall, a painted replication of one of the more celebrated quilts created by one of their more celebrated colleagues. I captured it for you in my mirror (sorry, it’s the best I could do).
Motorcoaches were not allowed in the National Quilt Museum, or the convention the Californians traveled all this distance to participate in – both apparently loaded with these dazzling creations.
So I set out to find more exterior wall ornamentation, which led me to all sorts of creative nooks in Paducah.
Then . . . wow, jackpot! I am pretty sure this guy is among your superstars of mural art. His name is Robert Dafford (here with fellow artist Herb Roe).
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
MURAL NEWS: History on a wall – a floodwall to be exact. Colorado, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, Great Britain, Canada, France . . . Robert Dafford has been commissioned to transform architectural facades of various kinds in many places with his artistic skills. But his transformation of a long concrete barrier into a historical gallery and public attraction along the Ohio River in Paducah might be the most dramatic transformation of all.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
The 1857 Hotel event space is architectural repurposing at its best. The exposed brick interior of the 1857 Hotel (not just a name, but truly dating back to the 1800s) is a uniquely classy/informal private dinner venue. And my passengers gushed about the quality and variety of the buffet offerings.
And Must See #2: Motorcoachblog 27 for more on Robert Dafford’s artistry. (You can also see more of his art and learn more about him and his mural projects at robertdaffordmurals.com.)
Quote Of The Day samples
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein
“Solitude is creativity’s best friend; and solitude is refreshment for our souls.” – Naomi Judd
(Video run time: 2 minutes 2 seconds)
Musical accompaniment: River Meditation by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/”>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
. . . serving up some holiday cheer, San Antonio style. Christmas in San Antonio, the tour was called, and it was a colorful introduction to this season of merriment. Back in Missouri temperatures were in the teens (single digits with wind chill factored in). But our Southwestern travels took us to where sunny days were in the sixties and evenings were comfortably fiftyish. That’s a good range when the main attraction for many of my passengers was strolling along the city’s famous River Walk.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
From sword-like fauna, to modern adobe streetscapes, to the ubiquitous “Lone Star” motif, and even western-wear, I fit right in way down south.
Certain decorative Christmas traditions prevail no matter where you go in this great country. There were plenty of those to be found in San Antonio, like this, in the historic King Williams district.
And what would Christmas be without a bit of snowfall? The red sculpture is titled La Antorcha de la Amistad, and was a gift from Mexico to the city of San Antonio. According to the Mexican sculptor, Sebastian, the blending of torch-like forms in upward movement symbolizes complexity of friendship and shared culture between the US and Mexico. (OK, so it’s not snow, but actually just sunshine showing how dirty my mirror is . . . Christmas is partly about imagination, right?)
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
MISSION NEWS: San Antonio de Valero Mission – now famously known as the Alamo – is one of five Spanish frontier missions established in Texas by Spanish missionaries between 1690 and 1720. Due to the non-missional part of its history, The Alamo is an essential part of any San Antonio tour.
We also fit in a visit to Mission San Jose and Mission Concepcion (an active perish church that happens to be the oldest unrestored church in the US).
The other two of the five missions are Mission San Juan Capistrano, and Mission Espada. Together these five missions have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From what I gathered, this is a pretty big deal. Other examples of World Heritage Sites are the Taj Mahal, Great Himalayan National Park, the Great Wall of China, Serengeti National Park, and the Statue of Liberty, to name just a few.
ELF NEWS: The International Center of San Antonio has an enviable position along the River Walk where it intersects St. Mary’s Street. It was there I observed a couple of elves at work, delivering presents along with the top third of a large pre-onrnamented Christmas tree. The discovery I made could be disillusioning to little ones: a big red sleigh is not a Christmas necessity. At this location, Christmas arrived in a box truck!
RIVER WALK NEWS: The first thing to note about the 17-mile-long San Antonio River Walk is that it follows the banks of a natural river. The man-made part – consisting of buildings, walkways, bridges, and landscaping – got its start in the first half of the 20th Century, in an effort to create jobs in the wake of the Great Depression.
Unique features abound, like a section of fence-bound lover’s locks, where countless couples have pledged their love by attaching a lock to the fence and tossing the key in the river. And, of course, all of the unique features along the River Walk can be enjoyed from a seat on one of the very popular boat tours. My passengers enjoyed a fine meal with their boat tour.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
El Mercado (Farmers Market Square) is the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico. The fun and festive environment presents a Christmas challenge for Christmas season decorators, whose efforts may get lost amid the every-day, year-round color and ornamentation throughout the mall.
Quote Of The Day samples
“A holiday is not a holiday without plenty of freedom and fun.” – Louisa May Alcott
“Blessed is the season that engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.” – Hamilton Wright Mabie
(Video run time: 2 minutes 11 seconds)
Musical accompaniment: Yard Sale by Silent Partner
. . . with our third in a three-blog series on westward travels. This blog: South Dakota. But before getting to the SD content, there is something I just must share with you from a recent road trip. In Blog 56 (Wyoming) I educated you a little on one of my ancestors, the stagecoach. Well, I have a piece of follow-up ancestral education for you, an unexpected discovery with a much further reach into history than the stagecoach. The discovery happened like this:
While entering a parking lot at a scheduled lunch location . . .
“O look, the Flintstone Mobile!”
“The what-mobile?”
“The Flintstone Mobile! You don’t remember the Flintstones? Fred and Wilma, Barney and Betty . . . neighbors, best friends, long ago in the town of Bedrock?”
“O, can you pull over? I want to get a selfie!”
“Me too!”
“Me three!” (and so on, with abundant “yaba-daba-doo-oo-oo” enthusiasm)
“This is our mobile beginnings, the Stone Age predecessor to the automobile. Before horse power it was foot power.”
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
So here it is, nothing to do with South Dakota or the West, but according to my passengers, a classic as far as selfies go. (Funny Pages Café, 1714 N Morley St., Moberly, MO)
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
STURGIS NEWS: No, we did not go to the famous motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, but we were in the state at the same time the event was taking place. And everywhere we went we saw some of the rally’s half-a-million attendees on their way to or from the super-size shindig. “Sturgis” got its start in 1938, a modest beginning with a few Indian Motorcycle enthusiasts going by the club name Jackpine Gypsies. Today, the town of around 6,600 residents hosts an annual ten-day motorcycle culture that draws cyclists from all over the world and brings in $800 million in revenues. The Badlands, the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial, and many other popular destinations in the state contribute to the location’s appeal.
BLACK HILLS GOLD NEWS: If your assumption is that Black Hills Gold is a special type of gold mined in the Black Hills, let me educate you. Originating from the Black Hills in story first, secondly by design, and thirdly by craft, the actual gold used in fashioning Black Hills Gold creations is mined elsewhere. The story is important. In the 1870’s a French dreamer, Henri LeBeau, who happened also to be a goldsmith, passed out somewhere in the Black Hills for lack of sustenance and dreamt of vines with golden grape clusters and leaves. That’s the essential beginning. So all Black Hills Gold must be based upon the grape clusters and leaves design of LeBeau origin. The design elements are typically a mixture of yellow gold, greenish gold (yellow gold alloyed with silver), and pink gold (yellow gold alloyed with copper). And finally, to be recognized officially as Black Hills Gold, the product must have been crafted in the Black Hills.
REASONS NEWS: Sculptor Gutzon Borglum designed and oversaw construction of Mount Rushmore, the internationally celebrated sculpture in Keystone, South Dakota. He had reasons for what he chose as location and subject. The project was originally the brain-child of South Dakota historian Doane Robinson, who envisioned heroic figures of the West – Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, or John C. Freemont – carved high into weathered rock formations in the Black Hills known as the Needles. After paying them a visit, Borglum rejected the Needles as too weathered and unstable for something truly grand. He rejected Robinson’s heroes as too regional. Born to Danish immigrant-pioneers, Borglum was deeply patriotic. He wanted to carve a bigger national celebration into the South Dakota hills. He chose a monolithic peak known by the name Mount Rushmore. It was of solid granite constitution worthy of monumental art. It was high above and separated from other peaks, making it inaccessible to potential vandals. And it faced southeast, assuring it would receive full sunlight during viewing hours of the day. Viewed with awe and admiration by nearly three million visitors a year, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln (from left to right), were chosen by Borglum as iconic leaders worthy of representing four distinct phases of US history: foundation (Washington), expansion (Jefferson), unification (Roosevelt), and preservation (Lincoln).
FLAG NEWS: Continuing the symbolism of the development of the United States at Mount Rushmore is the Avenue of Flags. In alphabetical order as guests approach Mount Rushmore are the flags of fifty states, one district, three territories, and two commonwealths – 56 in all.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
Wall DRUG. It’s a passenger thing. Can’t say I have much ability for its appreciation from the outside, but presumably, all things South Dakota and beyond are in there, including (and maybe most importantly) the 5-cent coffee.
Quote Of The Day samples
“Hence, let us place there carved high, as close to the heavens as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces, to show posterity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until wind and rain alone shall wear them away.” – Gutzon Borglum
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
. . . And we’re on a 3-blog trip westward. This week, part 1: Denver, Colorado. To get there, I carried my passengers and their luggage up nearly 5,000 feet of elevation. Now, because of Kansas, it didn’t feel like you might expect such a climb to feel. It was as gradual as the growth of Kansas crops from planting to harvest. Over the 422 miles of I-70 pavement from Kansas City (on the eastern border of Kansas) to Kanorado (on its western border) we climbed 3000 feet without noticing any change.
And some say Kansas is flat! Hmm . . .
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
There’s that harvest I mentioned. I-70 is a high-traffic thread through a vast sea of Kansas raised commodities. Boring passage to some, but to anyone with an appreciation for farming or economics, this is where the world gets its bread. One year’s Kansas wheat crop alone could fill a line of train cars from western Kansas to the East Coast (a sample of the kind of thing you can learn from a Tour Director).
It’s called a Tuk Tuk (pr: Took Took). It dreams of being like me when it grows up (one of them told me so as we shared curb space near Union Station). It’s a kind of mini-coach. They are made in Denver and it appears that they Tuk-Tuk much of the business from the taxis in this city, because we saw lots of them and only a few taxis.
Stopped in for a tour of the state capital building at 200 E Colfax Avenue. Built in the 1890’s, the dome was plated in gold in 1908 to commemorate Colorado’s Gold Rush days. And, by the way, did you know the sky is actually bluer in Colorado because there is less water vapor in the air?
Union Station is located in the heart of the LoDo neighborhood, Denver’s downtown historic district. Effective and stylish architectural repurposing, a vibrant urban nightlife, and the busyness of Tuk Tuks shuttling folks around the area disguise the fact that this is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Denver.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
PREHISTORIC NEWS: Denver is old, really old! Dinger, the mascot for the city’s baseball team, the Colorado Rockies, is a dinosaur – a purple triceratops to be exact. Excavation prep for construction of the ball team’s stadium, Coors Field, unearthed a dinosaur rib. There it was, right in the Colorado dirt, the natural birth of inspiration for a team mascot. On April 16th, 1994, the embodied mascot, Dinger, emerged (less naturally) from its dinosaur “egg” on Coors Field.
ELEVATION NEWS: You’re probably wondering what it’s like for a Missouri based motorcoach to haul around more than 10,000lbs of passengers and luggage in the “Mile-High City.” Does the high altitude present any special challenges? Thanks for your concern, but no it doesn’t. True, at our garage in Washington, MO, where we are parked at 551 feet above sea level, the atmospheric pressure is 14.4 pounds per square inch (psi); and in the mile high city the psi is 12.3. Now that’s a big difference when it comes to getting enough air, whether into an engine like mine or lungs like yours. And in the old days, motorcoaches did lose power at higher elevations due to reduced air getting through their engine’s combustion chamber. But that was several generations ago. Those conditions don’t faze me for two reasons: I am turbocharged and I am a modern electronic machine. My electronic engine controls perform what you might call spontaneous acclimation. A barometric pressure sensor registers the amount of atmospheric pressure and adjusts to the conditions, making sure my engine is fed enough fuel and air at all times. My turbo, I’m sure you know, converts exhaust product into compressed air for the engine, creating additional power and efficiency. More oxygen = more fuel burning. Well, my turbo happens to be a Variable Geometric Turbo (VGT), which means it is equipped with multiple sensors that alter the turbos performance as conditions change.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
Stopping for a night in Abilene, Kansas (boyhood hometown of Dwight D. Eisenhower) on the way to Denver was an opportunity to dine at the historic Brookville Hotel Restaurant. Winner of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award, the restaurant’s famous family style chicken dinner lived up to its legacy.
Quote Of The Day samples
“A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Everything comes from an understanding that you are a gift in my life – whoever you are, whatever our differences.” – John Denver
” . . . with tidings from Christmas-itinerary-travels. Christmas is not an easy thing for a motorcoach to wrap its programmed digital consciousness around. The salvation focus seems a passenger thing not directly applicable to the purely material motorcoach experience. When systems go awry a motorcoach needs a mechanic, not a savior (and often several of them). In the case of wreckage, a motorcoach needs a body-shop, not a miracle. The concept of restoration is probably as close as we can come together on this one, though even that highlights the relative nature of “close.”
“Holiday” is much easier for a motorcoach to embrace. There are festive aspects of the holiday season for which big-shiny-mechanical-transport is ideally suited. Reflectivity, mobile celebration, and big wrap-around windows for panoramic viewing of lights and decorations top the list. Oh, and the Jingle-Bell-Rock’n sound system! An essential at this time of year. So, a few of us garage-mates thought we would make an effort in this blog to present a holiday story from the motorcoach perspective. We appeal to you in advance for Christmas charity if we don’t get THE story completely right.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
One thing we all agreed on is that a star is essential. Not stars, but a star. Whether a topping star or a guiding star, a star is ever-present in our holiday travels.
One guy named Dickens appears to have been the super-star among experts on caroling, which is also an important part of the season. He wrote a story about A Christmas Carol nearly a hundred and seventy-five years ago. Oceans away from his Christmas context, it continues to guide folks to theaters by the thousands.
After picking up our “carolers” from the theaters, the next stop on the longer travels is often an inn of some sort. There they can get some rest before resuming their holiday journey the next morning. But our passengers received some inn-convenient news at this particular establishment in Hermann, Missouri.
The innkeeper, Mr. A. C. Leisner (a contemporary of that Dickens fellow), informed us of the sad fact he had no rooms available. This, as it turned out, was because White House Hotel is (in these times) used only as a living history museum, complete with live period actors. So, everyone being of good holiday cheer, we decided to take a tour before heading elsewhere to stop for the night.
Late one night, a highly-out-of-the-ordinary special request resulted in a detour to a prominent medical center. A baby was born. Itineraries simply do not include such things. But they can accommodate them. Adjustments can be made (even by steely machines) for a wondrous occasion not to be missed.
And here we come to a seemingly random, though ubiquitous, part of this holiday story: indoor trees . . . dead, temporary, disposable, dressed-up, indoor trees! (Admittedly, motorcoaches are not designed to be imaginative, but even when we pooled our collective memory files this narrative development stumped us.)
So, making the most of the bizarre but beautiful . . . here, not under but on the Christmas tree, among trinkets and tinsel and striped treats and ribbon and . . . well, every kind of shiny adorning ornamentation, look closely and you will find four reflections of a jolly-red-ride (the “RADIO FLYER” for grown-ups) waiting outside to transport its caroling passengers to the next location. (Yes, you got it, like whispered suggestions for your wish-list.)
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
TANNENBAUM NEWS: “O Tannenbaum,” the well-known Christmas song sung by carolers around the world, was originally penned as a folk song about the beautiful qualities of a fir tree. Christmas oriented lyrics were added in the early 19th Century as the Christmas tree ascended in seasonal popularity.
LIGHTING NEWS: The lighting of Christmas trees began in Germany in the 16th Century, candles being added to trees and wreaths with melted wax. In parts of Europe, Christmas lights also became known as “fairy lights.” The tradition was electrified in the late 19th Century and since then has grown to electrifying proportions. Magnificent Christmas light sculptures, parades, yard and neighborhood displays and choreographed light shows continue to grow in popularity throughout the world.
NEWS OF WISE MEN: These look to be from the north. Wise in what way? On a trip to Branson these guys laughed splendidly, and generally exemplified “light as a feather . . . happy as an angel . . . merry as a school boy” and “A merry Christmas to everybody!”
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
Few cities celebrate cultural diversity on par with Omaha, Nebraska. Well-known for its “Ten Countries Without a Passport” tours, Omaha is a great Christmas destination. And when you are in Omaha you will want to prioritize attendance at a Dave Marsh performance. Like a master ventriloquist, Dave Marsh’s art is dialogue, animating an impressive array of instruments to tell compelling stories and histories.
Gerald Charles Dickens is a great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens and, according to the rave reviews of Omaha tour passengers, a remarkable story teller and entertainer. An accomplished actor, director, and producer, he annually tours the UK and the US performing one-man shows inspired by the life and works of his famous ancestor. The 2017 tour took Dickens to twenty-one cities in thirteen states. (For more information, including future tour dates and locations: www.geralddickens.com. To follow Gerald Dickens’ tour blog: geralddickens.wordpess.com)
Quote Of The Day samples
“The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.” – Charles Dickens
(Video run time: 1 minutes 17 seconds)
Musical accompaniment – Jingle Bells 7 by Kevin MacLeod
. . . as red on the inside as on the out on this trip. I’m transporting members of Cardinal Nation to Jupiter . . . Florida that is, baseball Mecca at this time of year.
Have you heard of a thing called a “bucket list”? Well, a couple of my passengers mentioned it when talking about our journey to Jupiter. Best I can tell this is some kind of game. It’s played with an invisible kind of bucket full of favorite wishes. The goal is to see them come true before someone “kicks the bucket” . . . presumably hard enough to knock all the wishes out of it. It seems as though, for some, fulfillment of a Spring Training pilgrimage is a wish item removed from the bucket and converted into treasured memory. I think that’s how the game is won, one fulfilled wish at a time. (If my interpretation is off, feel free to contact me with any clarifying insights into the game).
Now let me tell you, it’s not easy for me to appreciate this bucket thing being referenced with such sacred pleasure. To a motorcoach, buckets in the context of diminishing contents mean one thing: spare parts kept around for servicing other motorcoaches of the same make and generation but still in action. It’s a subject to navigate away from for as long as possible.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
Florida . . . where the sunlight is brighter, shade is cooler, shadows are deeper, palm trees are ubiquitous, and flowers bloom all year. I was thinking I look especially good in this colorful place, but someone said everyone feels that way.
And I thought the point was to be on the beach . . .
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
NEWS OF BASEBALLFICTION: In the heyday of the Negro League spectators turned out early to be entertained by mimed baseball action so convincing it was said to be difficult to decipher if it was fiction or if the real game had already begun. They called it Shadow Ball.
THE PRESIDENTIAL NEWS: In April of 1910 President William Howard Taft was the first President to throw out the ceremonial “first pitch,” which he did in Washington to open the season. Later that same year, while taking in a ballgame President Taft stood to stretch his legs in the middle of the seventh inning. When fans followed by standing in honor of the President the “seventh inning stretch” was instituted.
NEWS OF LOGO SERENDIPITY: In 1921, Branch Rickey attended a Men’s Fellowship Club meeting at Ferguson Presbyterian Church. Ladies of the church had decorated the tables with painted cardboard cardinals perched upon equally artistic representations of tree branches. Rickey was so struck by the appearance that he turned it into the iconic ‘Birds on the Bat’ Cardinal logo, which was introduced on the team uniform the following year. Prior to that, the Cardinal uniform (though noted for its bright cardinal-red trim) was logoless.
GATOR NEWS: Once hunted to near extinction, alligators now number more than 5 million throughout the Southeastern United States, and around one and a quarter million in Florida. They apparently cannot even be kept out of the lake at the Washington Nationals brand new baseball stadium complex.
NEWS OF BEGINNINGS: Florida is home to the oldest continuously occupied city established by Europeans in the continental United States. A couple hundred miles up the coast from our tour focus – Jupiter and West Palm Beach – St. Augustine, Florida was founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles.
NEWS OF TWO STORMS: On Thanksgiving day 1984 a hurricane washed away part of a beach in Jupiter, Florida. A year later recreational divers made the discovery of two cannon and an anchor exposed by the storm’s removal of a portion of beach previously supporting a lifeguard tower. An official team of archeologists and experienced treasure hunters would later expand the discovery to four anchors, ten cannon, and numerous other artifacts. Among the finds was an abundance of Spanish coins dated primarily from 1658 and 1659. Historical discoveries followed. It was a Spanish Colonial Shipwreck. The ship had set sail from the Terra Firme (South America) port city of Cartegena on Columbia’s Carribean coast on September 18, 1659. The ship’s master was Juan de Ortacala and it carried an agent of the Viceroy of Peru, Juan Ramirez de Miranda. The name of the ship was the San Miguel de Archangel, and like its discovery in 1985, a storm was responsible for its 1659 demise in Gega (the present Jupiter inlet).
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
If you’re a Cardinal fan, Roger Dean Stadium isn’t just where the games are played in the spring, It’s where Cardinal Nation flocks together before migrating north every year.
Shipwreck Bar and Grill (1511 N Old Dixie Hwy, Jupiter, FL) – definitely a “10” on the Yum! scale of passenger praise in word and emoting. The grouper, the stuffed shrimp, the prime rib, the cheese cake. . . . But implied in the name of this restaurant are treasures beyond the culinary sort. In fact, there is a room of them, treasures from the sunken Spanish ship, San Miguel de Archangel. Owner Scott Thompson is one of the divers involved in recovery of the artifacts and a partner in Jupiter Wreck Inc., owners of all rights to the wreck site. When in Jupiter, this is a Must destination on two counts: delicious food and history at its touchable best!
Major League umpire Al Clark was not easily persuaded he had no authority to eject someone from our tour. Spending time onboard the tour, Al entertained everyone with his good humor and great stories. Clark was there behind the plate when Nolan Ryan won his 300th game and when Randy Johnson pitched his first no hitter, and was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco when the 1989 World Series was suspended for ten days due to earthquake. Al Clark Is now an inspiring and engaging public speaker; and his book, Called Out But Safe, A Baseball Umpire’s Journey, has received high praise.
Quote Of The Day samples
“There are three types of ballplayers: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened.” ― Tommy Lasorda
“Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer .” – Ted Williams
. . . Two Seven Six, passing on to you some of my education on the wheres and whats of a great city: Washington DC. Navigating the unique layout of the streets of DC is a bonus education not so easily shared – but I will try. The mission is transport of participants in the annual march to save the lives of human babies. As great of a city as this is, I will not attempt to represent it in one blog. This will be part one of two DC editions.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
DC is one of those cities in which a view in any direction from just about any intersection is layered with sights of historic and current societal significance. Let me demonstrate. Do you recognize any fame in this location: the southeast corner of 6th and C Street SE? Of course not. You likely have never heard its mention. Let’s take a look.
The building in the foreground of our view eastward down C Street houses the United States Department of Education. Follow the top of that building, and about two-thirds of the way down we get a peek at none other than the fine lady, Freedom, topping the dome of the US Capitol. To her right is another dome, that belonging to the Thomas Jefferson Building, the oldest of the Library of Congress Buildings, completed in 1897 – a Renaissance Revival masterpiece! Just below it, in this view, is the home of the Department of Health and Human Services and The Voice of America.
Across the street from the US Department of Education, our position can be viewed through the FEMA Federal Center Plaza – FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) being an agency of the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for coordinating response efforts in national emergency situations.
Here I am traveling down 6th and approaching C Street SE from the north. Across the street to our right is the west end of that US Department of Education building. Behind me and down the street is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Among the many architectural toppings to be seen in the layered horizon beyond it are: the National Gallery of Art, the Federal trade Commission and Library (orange roof), and the US Navy Memorial Plaza.
Figuring you’d probably like more than that previous teaser view of the top of the US Capital, I drove around the block to give you a couple of other looks. The first includes a little of the purpose for our being in DC to begin with: the annual March for Life. The second is a view down S Capitol St. SE – a taste of getting around fashionably in DC.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
FREEDOM IN THE NEWS: I mentioned Freedom, the proud lady atop the Capitol Dome. Did you know she’s dressed in a toga-like robe? Well, she did come from Rome – created by American sculptor Thomas Crawford in his stuio in Rome. She is over 19 feet tall, is made of bronze but bears platinum protection (agaist lightning), and she stands on a ball, on which is written in Latin the national motto of the United States of America: E Pluribus Unum (Out of the many, one).
NEWS OF A STATELY STATEMENT: Architectural domes are there to make an impression. That is the nature of a domed capping. But the statement made by the domed completion of the US Capitol was directly linked to the time in which it was completed. The year was 1863, right in the midst of the Civil War. Normally all funds and focus at such a time are committed to the war effort. But President Lincoln wanted to send a message to everyone far and wide that this country was not in shambles – it was a strong and vital nation.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is located along Michigan Avenue in the NE quadrant of the nation’s capital and is one of the many national treasures to be visited in the city. At night its glowing beauty can be seen for miles.
Quote Of The Day samples
“Commerce defies every wind, outrides every tempest, and invades every zone.” ― George Bancroft (on the west façade of the Department of Commerce building).
“Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light.” – George Washington
. . . traveling through a world of whimsy. That may be what I enjoy most about my pavement bound travels – the whimsical. It’s the fanciful muse, the diet of smiles, aesthetic for aesthetic sake. Thankfully, there’s lots of it to enjoy.
Selfies
(which by definition means I’m in them . . . though you might have to look for me)
Is it just me, or is there something Dickensish here?
Even better than observing the whimsy of the world is wearing it.
What a boring world it would be without the translucence and reflectivity and variant forms of glass. The play possibilities are truly endless.
MEETING THE NEWS on the roadways of America, first-hand, real time, real world news—going out and discovering the news . . .
HEAVY METAL NEWS: Manhole covers date back to ancient times, where decorative sewer grates were made of stone. Today, manhole covers are typically made of cast iron and weigh over one hundred pounds to deter removal. Whoever designed the setting of this cover apparently thought even covering a hole is worthy of artistic statement. But then, stylish manhole covers are, in fact, a worldwide phenomenon.
NEWS OF RESCUED BRANDING: perhaps the most whimsical of the iconic symbols in the modern marketplace, this ubiquitous java goddess adorns over 20,000 coffee stores in 62 countries throughout the world. The name of the company was originally Pequods (of Moby-Dick fame).
NEWS OF SPECIFICATIONS: Master Format is the specifications standard for the construction industry. Published by the Construction Specifications Institute, Master Format recognizes 50 divisions of construction materials and processes. Master Format is the organization of data regarding construction materials and activity requirements. And while the system is necessary for coordination among the professionals getting the work done, the end results are more satisfying than categorical.
(Unlike selfies, these are not about me, but about travel discoveries I think you’d like to know about.)
Voted the most iconic street in America by USA Today, the vibe on Beale Street is as much whimsy as it is bluesy. Hey, this is, after all, where Elvis came to buy his whimsational outfits (Lansky Bros. Clothing – 126 Beale St.). From the colorful signage to the layered intrigues of storefront windows and the mingling sounds of live blues bands, Beale Street is Whimcentral USA.
Quote Of The Day samples
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, it is serious learning.” ―Mr. Rogers
“Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.” ―Diane Ackerman
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