“Home is where our story begins.”
– Annie Danielson
I have always been fascinated by how the use of physical structures within a community evolves over time, allowing a place to find new purpose and engagement with its residents. When those buildings become historic, the connection between the past and the present becomes tangible. And sometimes it becomes sweet. The Candy Factory (now known…
I’ve never been a fan of the circus. My last visit was in the fifth grade. After receiving a good report card, I was treated to a day with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Baily’s Greatest Show on Earth! Gone were the big tents and the weird, sideshow menageries, but the extravagance and festive nature…
On an unusually warm Veterans Day weekend, my husband and I spontaneously decided to visit Mt. Vernon, the home of our first President, George Washington. I was expecting to be awed by the home, but found myself equally inspired by the man, his words and his actions. Duty and home were ever present in Washington’s…
There is a certain magic created when a successful book is picked up for a blockbuster movie and set in a picture-perfect location where visitors can roam and admire and stand in the footsteps of their literary heroes. To immerse ourselves in something grand that carries a mystique of history or art is irresistible. Plus,…
Belmont Mansion is a one-hundred-and-seventy-year-old mansion in Nashville, Tennessee. Its salmon-colored, exterior walls and grand interior staircase eloquently mask the fact that this house was built by Adelicia Hayes, the widow of one of the most successful slave traders in American history, who owned approximately seven hundred and fifty slaves over three plantations in Tennessee…
Ever heard of the Stephen Stills band “Manassas?” Me neither, until this week. Apparently, this is the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the first (of two) albums by the band named “Manassas.” Stephen Stills (of the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and—sometimes—Young fame) formed this band in the wake of a chance encounter with Chris Hillman…
