This was going to be a post about my visit to Madison, Wisconsin, but my day at the living history site Old World Wisconsin was the star of the show! What is Old World Wisconsin? It is an open-air museum on more than 500 acres of land, that portrays the lives of immigrants in 19th century … Continue reading Old World Wisconsin
Last weekend I took the long 4+ hour flight from Chicago to Seattle to attend the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting. The conference was about four days of non-stop action, from thought-provoking sessions, to special museum events, to networking receptions. Lots of coffee was involved, mostly to get through the long days, but also … Continue reading AAM Annual Meeting in Seattle
The last few weeks and months of my life have been full of circus and glitter. And what a life! This has been my 4th year performing at the Triton Troupers Circus at Triton College, but some of my circus friends have been part of the troupe for 15 years or even more. So anyway, here … Continue reading Triton Troupers Circus 2014
The last few weeks have been an education for me. This month I felt a sudden surge in enthusiasm and starting volunteering at TWO different museums. At the Glen Ellyn Historical Society I have been making an inventory of some items in their collection of historic quilts and textiles, and thinking of ways to improve … Continue reading History is Everywhere
A few weekends ago I attended the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show, which I have also attended a couple times in the past. For about the price of a movie its a full day of talks, demonstrations, freebies and ideas, and I've always found the day well worth it. This year was no exception. I … Continue reading Travel and Adventure Show 2014!
Since about this time last year I have been involved (on and off) in a hiking group in the Chicagoland area. This isn't my first time hiking either; if you look back at earlier posts of mine, I did a lot of hiking in England as well. So, I think I can fairly tell you … Continue reading Five reasons to get outside!
October marked a second successful Open House Chicago event by the Chicago Architecture Foundation, where historic sites and businesses opened their doors to the public for one grand weekend. I mentioned it in a post last year, at their inaugural event (http://tinyurl.com/l86q58a). My personal affinity to Tribune Tower led me to visit there again. Instead … Continue reading Open House Chicago 2013
The last episode in the saga of my 'European Rail Adventures' led me to Salzburg, Austria, best known to some as the site of 'The Sound of Music'. Although not done intentionally, I did not make an effort to visit any Sound of Music sights, or sing any Rodgers and Hammerstein songs. The history of … Continue reading European Rail Adventures: Salzburg, Austria
And... welcome to Vienna, the next stop on my journey! The train ride from Zurich to Vienna was about 8 hours long, but was also the most comfortable of journeys. Sitting in First class, with hardly anyone around me, I could get up and check out the window views on either side of the coach. … Continue reading European Rail Adventures: Vienna, Austria
So the story behind this little adventure is that my summer job afforded me one last wonderful benefit before leaving me on the doorstep of unemployment: a free First class European Rail Pass. Who could pass that up?! As it turns out, a lot of people, because "there ain't no such thing as a free … Continue reading European Rail Adventures: Zurich, Switzerland
History of a Life 