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Providence, the Best Travel Agent
January 21, 2013
— 5 Comments
Providence RI
Making travel plans is a study in availability. As a seasoned professional I like planning trips almost as much as taking them. I can enjoy a spontaneous jaunt as well as the next person, but planning can make the difference between a mediocre and a memorable travel experience. It is good to have purpose, even if it is simply to change the scenery. It is also very smart to have all the essentials covered so you can virtually do whatever strikes your fancy while you are at your destination. I enjoy studying maps more than almost anything, so all kinds of maps inform my decisions. I like the freedom of a car but not the hassle of parking and driving in heavy traffic. Details of transportation and accommodation need to match the budget and the preferences of the traveler. Providence is foresight. Providence involves taking care of the details in advance. When you do your part, the divine Providence takes over and creates magic.
Details contain not only the devil, but also a great deal of delight if handled correctly. There are some basic outlines to create good vacations, but the key is to make the details cater to the taste of the traveler. That is where I excel. I have many years of experience in travel of all kinds. More importantly, I am specific, particular, and discriminating in my personal preferences. I do know what I like, and know how to procure it at the price I want to pay. I also know that many people would be uncomfortable in a museum all day, or in a hot spring all night, so I am happy to travel sometimes alone. This means I am free to linger or to cancel plans on my own whims. I have hit the road with various groups in the past. I believe I have done my penance in that regard, and can travel for my own purposes now. Often groups isolate themselves from the local culture, not intentionally, but because they are involved with each other all the time. It can be a huge turn off to find yourself anywhere with a large tourist group you had not planned to encounter.
Find great value by shopping for exactly what you want instead of seeking the cheapest trip. Using a credit card to pay for travel you can’t afford to take will almost inevitably end in heartache. Buyer’s remorse is debtor’s remorse when your holiday fun is digging a hole in your credit rating and peace of mind. Prepay for the hotel. You can get fabulous discounts for a non refundable prepayment. Better yet, when you take the trip it feels like the lodging is free. It is very liberating.
- Travel off peak. Go when others do not go to that location. The first two weeks of December is always the best for all destinations.
- Study the details of the area, including special events. Tourism boards are just waiting to tell you everything there is to know about their areas
- Consider alternative lodging, like Air BnB, for a more local contact
- Weigh the cost against the time consumed when thinking of doing something cheap that takes up a big chunk of your time on holiday. Your free time should be valuable to you.
- Be particular. If you do not feel excited about the destination, keep studying. Choose a place that perfectly suits your needs and desires.
I am planning a trip to Plymouth Colony and the vicinity in April. I am finding so much to do in a very small area, that the research is really a blast for me. It looks like the right trip to discover Providence, RI. My ancestors are all over the place, and I have never been there. This is my kind of adventure.
The circus still bothers to come to Tucson, but we know a really big show when we see one. The Tucson Gem Show has grown into our most fun and profitable event. We are perfectly willing to give up restaurants and parking and even driving in some places to welcome our precious gemmers back to town for the party of the year. They role into town from all over the world ready to whip out their giant crystals and get busy doing some business. They bring objects of every kind, way beyond the scope of gems or jewelry.
The buyers of all kinds must be here to buy and make contacts for the year. Museum curators, knick knack shop owners, and hippie miners all converge to change the essential nature of our city for the first two weeks each February. I have been officially on restriction from buying anything at the show for years, but it does not really stop me. My birthday falls on Jan. 30, and Valentine’s Day is still on Feb 14. The favorable timing of my birth has resulted in an overstock of gifted gem show stuff. I could easily hold my own gem show, but am currently hoarding all the exotic things I have found. As any queen can tell you, you can only wear so much jewelry at the same time. I should have a museum to display my collection, but then I would truly be on restriction. Like assault weapons, no private citizen can rationalize owning this much jewelry.
I love to see them stream into town in their distinctive costuming, speaking all languages, and laying the bucks on the local merchants. The huge displays of crystals as high as an elephant’s eye crowd into tents and alter the vibration of the desert. Bring it!!! You are the financial savior that primes our pump each year….the economic engine we cannot afford to loose. We love you, gemmers, and wish you a prosperous show this year. Thank you for your exotic and generous presence. If there is any little thing we can do to make you feel more welcome, do not hesitate to ask.
Gem Show, The Greatest Show on Earth
January 16, 2013
Ghost Tourism
January 13, 2013
— 4 Comments
My Dead Peeps
I have traveled in person only once to visit my dead ancestors and look for local records of their lives. I went to Tulsa, where I was born, and my grandparents are buried, but I can not find their graves. After my cousin went back to Iowa I did more investigation in the town where my father was born, Independence, KS. I drove to the small rural town of Ladore, where many of my ancestors settled when they came from Ohio and New York. I found the grave of one of my 2nd great grandmother while looking for somebody else. It made the hair stand up on my neck even in sweltering humid July in Kansas. I have been all over the world on all kinds of journeys, but this is a whole new way to look at travel…visiting history by combining the ancestors and geography. Kinky, and very cool.
I have accumulated and am trying to geographically arrange data on ancestors around Plymouth Colony, MA and around Jamestown, VA. I will go to both destinations eventually, but have to choose one to be the first. The peeps are mostly very fancy in both places and we know how to find many of the graves, some homes, etc. I am not really into them for the royal blood and fame, I just like them because they survived. It is nothing like visiting living relatives. They are past judgement and are all very low maintenance. They are what you might call spooky. I just learned from a local that Virginia is a vortex for ticks, which makes graves in Massachusetts instantly sound so much more appealing. I am thinking now of flying to tick free, but cold Boston. Someday I will procure the right tick graveyard gear to safely visit my Virginians…like Mary, who is in the private and elite graveyard at Warner Hall with a lot of my other ancestors:
The walled family cemetery of the Warner and Lewis families is located on the Warner Hall property, southeast of Warner Hall. Access to the Graveyard is from the road North of Warner Hall and not from Warner Hall or the Driveway to Warner Hall located West of the Graveyard. The cemetery is the final resting place for many of the Warner and Lewis family members. The family cemetery, is also the resting place for such well known ancestors of George Washington, Robert E. Lee, The Queen Mother of England, and Queen Elizabeth II. Queen Elizabeth has visited Gloucester where she placed a wreath upon her ancestor’s grave. The cemetery has thirteen graves and plaques in memory of all the family. The cemetery is owned and maintained by the Association for Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (A.P.V.A.). The A.P.V.A. acquired the cemetery at Warner Hall in 1903, since which time the Association’s Gloucester Branch, now known as the Joseph Bryan Branch, has zealously maintained it.
There are thirteen graves in the Warner Hall Grave Yard. they are:1 Mary Warner (believed to be Mary Towneley Warner), 1614 – 16622 Augustine Warner I, 1611 – 16743 Augustine Warner II, 1642 – 16814 Mildred Reade Warner (wife of Augustine Warner II), 16945 Augustine Warner III, 1666 – 16866 Elizabeth Warner Lewis (d/o Augustine Warner II w/o Col John Lewis), 1672 – 17197 Col John Lewis (s/o John & Isabella Lewis h/o Elizabeth Warner), 1669 – 17258 Mary Chiswell Lewis (d/o John & Elizabeth Randolph Chiswell w/o Warner Lewis II, 1748 – 17769 Warner Lewis II (s/o Warner Lewis I & Eleanor Bowles Gooch Lewis & grandson of Col John Lewis & Elizabeth Warner Lewis), 1747 – 179110 Juliana Clayton (d/o Dr. Thomas & Isabella Lewis Clayton), 1731 – 173411 Isabella Lewis Clayton (d/o Col John Lewis & Elizabeth Warner w/o Dr. Thomas Clayton), 1706/7 – 1742 (the dates 1706/7 is exactly what is engraved on her stone)12 (Dr.) Thomas Clayton (h/o Isabella Lewis), 1701 – 173913 Caroline Lewis Barrett (d/o Warner Lewis II), 1783 – 1811
Mary Cant Towneley (1614 – 1662)
is my 11th great grandmother
Son of Mary Cant
Daughter of Colonel Augustine II
Son of Mary
Daughter of Augustine Warner
Daughter of Martha
Son of Mary
Son of Johannes John
Son of Henry
Son of Swain
Daughter of Jerimiah
Son of Minnie M
Son of Ernest Abner
I am the daughter of Richard Arden
Private Graveyard at Warner Hall
Groupies of the Chef
January 9, 2013
— 2 Comments
We have a new favorite restaurant in Tucson. It was recommended to us by a friend, so my neighbor Heidi and I went on reconnaissance. We enjoyed a lovely lunch with gourmet touches and warm service the week before Christmas. I decided to take advantage of a special offer on gift certificates, and purchased three for 2013. I received a 30% discount which always makes me feel smart and happy. Lodge on the Desert is creating a seasonal artisanal menu that suits me perfectly. I am a dedicated groupie of Ryan Clark who tickles my tastebuds exactly the way I like. Dining out is a rare special occasion, so I need to make it count.
Christmas brunch was pure delight. Now I can return for two more blow out gourmet dining experiences when the season changes. The chef is brilliant, the cuisine local and contemporary. This is my idea of ideal dining, right in the ‘hood. Chef Ryan Clark is a local treasure. I am looking forward to tasting our next meal in his restaurant.
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- grilled romaine
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- Sangria
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- passionfruit chiltepin cocktail
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- Christmas Cheers!
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- Flatbread made veg for me
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- crispy tortillas for garnish
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- duck confit salad
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- chocolate torte
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- chocolate chili gelato
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- too much dessert
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- charming historical lodge
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- outdoor fireplace
Foxy New Year, Downtown Tucson
January 7, 2013
— 1 Comment
New Year’s Eve
uplight
Fox Theater downtown Tucson
stage
Bob takes a call
before the show
lighting fixture at Fox
I had not been in the Fox Theater since the 1970’s when I used to pay $1 to stay all afternoon and watch Woody Allen movies in air conditioned comfort. Downtown Tucson has had a bit of a slow start and restart to our urban renewal concept known as Rio Nuevo. I seriously thought about moving downtown, but did not think it would ever come around to a desirable state. There are still issues, but I am very pleased with what is happening now. We went to a Paula Poundstone show on New Year’s Eve at the historic theater. It was a great comedy concert, but we really enjoyed the design and the atmosphere of the building. We were able to find a cab to take us home, which has been a problem on outings to downtown in the past. Eventually we will have a tram to take us to the restaurants and entertainment venues that are starting to appear. I have high hopes that ten years from now I will be able to hop on the bus in front of my home, connect to the tram to go enjoy the vibrant downtown Tucson deserves. I certainly hope so.
Mini Time Machine in Tucson
January 2, 2013
— 1 Comment
Mini Time Machine
enjoying exhibit
Santa on the roof
bedroom doll house
Antique music box
Santa rides
Santa naps at home
courtyard
relief minis
enchanted land
My neighborhood in Tucson contains one of my favorite museums of all time. I have been to a specialty miniature museum in Basel Switzerland several times that is elaborate. To have a high quality specialty museum with changing exhibits near my home is priceless to me. A visit to the Mini Time Machine is a blast for all ages. The detail and concentration involved in creating these tiny items will blow anyone’s mind. The more you look the more you see. All the exhibits are completely childproof, and the museum provide stools that kids can carry that will lift them up to eye level at the displays. I have been there for a museum fund raising party which was incredibly fun. They do make arrangements for private parties as well.
My First Job, Singing and Costuming
December 31, 2012
— 3 Comments
When I was 17 I was quite the singer. I sang in an acapella madrigal group in my high school in Texas. We were super professional thanks to our director, Frank, C “Elephant” Coulter, choir director extraordinaire. This small college town in Texas was all about football, the bonfire, and the war in Viet Nam. Frank came to work every day overdressed like a rooster and somehow instilled pure passion and discipline into high school students who generally wanted to slack. When I graduated Frank got me a job in Cherokee, North Carolina, where he spent the summers with his wife working at a theater company in the Great Smoky Mountains. Frank and Elizabeth ran the canteen, a snack bar and meeting place for the crew after our production 6 nights a week for the public, Unto These Hills.
I was the lowest paid and the youngest member of the company. I was a singer in the choir, which was live with an organ accompanist. I quick changed a few people each night including an eagle dancer into Andrew Jackson. There was much body paint involved in the eagle dance, and the stage is dirt, so costumes needed the weekly deep cleaning we did on Mondays in the costume shop. I sewed and repaired costumes for the first week while we were in preparation to get the show ready. Fittings were needed for actors and dancers, who were true to form, very theatrical. Our head eagle dancer was from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and could perform an entrechat huit. He also had a glass eye that he used to take out to scare the young Cherokee boys in the dressing room. When I see the above version of the eagle dance the costumes are familiar but the rest has lost quality. I am glad I was there when we sang it in the Cherokee language live and in person. You can never go back, especially if it has been 44 years. I recently visited Margaret Dorn in New York City, who sings for a living. We recorded a technically awful but sincere Eagle Dance Song and sent it to our friends in Raleigh who still know how to sing it too. It was certainly fun while it lasted.
Bienvenidos a Tucson
December 30, 2012
— 1 Comment
Tradicionalmente en Tucson los negocios han servido el mercado de ambos lados de la frontera. Nogales, Sonora es la puerta de entrada por la mayoria de frutas y verduras que exporta el pais de Mexico. Hay bastante negocio y riqueza en Sta. Cruz County y en Sonora desde el tiempo de los Espanoles. Ranchos enormes y negocios viejos, acostumbrados de la cultura y los riesgos de la frontera sobreviven. Tucson, entre el diablo y la frontera, sufre poque los Maricopanos han parado comercio legitimo, pero no el crimen. Nos molesta, pero ellos tienen el poder político en el estado. Joe Arpayo no nos representa.
La gente de Sonora ya no tiene ganas visitar Arizona ya que SB1070 es la ley. Esto me parace muy natural. Tucson tiene una herida economica bien seria resultando de la clima politica. El nuevo alcalde de Tucson, Jonathan Rothschild, quiere renovar el comercio entre Sonora y Tucson. Si tiene éxito los Mexicanos, lindos y queridos, van a regresar con su efectivo a nuestra ciudad. Yo le brindo mucha suerte porque nos hacen mucha falta nuestros vecinos Mexicanos elegantes, distinguidos, y mas que todo, ricos, que antes nos visitaban. Aqui les esperamos, para servirles, sin pedo.
Disculpe el Espanol desnudo. No he encontrado el espellcheck en Espanol en mi WordPress.
Pamela Morse, Private Eye
December 29, 2012
— 1 Comment
I got my early training from Nancy Drew in proper detective work. I read all her adventures when I was very young. She was popular with my friends and neighbors so we used to recreate little Nancy Drew dramas for play. I fixate on detail like Sherlock, but I like to fashion myself after Jim Morrison’s Spy. My espionage skills are good. My dog is a red bone coon hound named Artemisia. My all time favorite look forever is the performing costume of Mata Hari. Ironically, I can find no detectives in my ancestry. Since they were and are undercover, maybe there is no way to find them. There were many with military careers, which should involve some kind of recon and or intelligence. To say that I am nosey is an understatement, but I am not interested in the gossip and the trash generally accepted as truth. There is something about my nature that needs to investigate…….everything. The detective is a dominant archetype in my personality. I enjoy stealth more than almost anything.
I used to hang out for many months in the winter on a small island in the Berry Islands of the Bahamas called Frazier’s Hog Cay. The practically unpopulated island had about 6 homes for foreigners to use for holidays. It is connected by a land bridge to Chubb Cay, where a marina, yacht club, and landing strip makes it possible for life to exist on Frazier’s. I used to go fishing with hand lines at night and hang out with two old Bahamian ladies who were my very good friends. We had our own detective agency to snoop on all the dope dealers. This was inherently dangerous, but we were drawn like moths to flame. I was an instigator in the gang, but they lived there full-time. I only came for a while in the winter, which was height of the smuggling season as well, because of Miami Vice (the lucrative market in 1980’s). I was contributing to the danger in their lives by organizing reconnaissance expeditions to spy on the Colombians who sailed big boats into the shallow water, unloaded onto fast cigarette boats every night and took off for Florida through the Bimini Straights. One day on the beach we found an entire bale of Colombian pot, but it was buried deeply in the sand and had been salt-watered to death. I walked right past it, but my Bahamian friend, who was about 75 at the time said, ” Ain’t that the grass?” When I think of it now we are all so lucky we did not loose our lives hiding in the mangrove at night to confirm our suspicions. We were very old ladies to be playing Nancy Drew, but we were compelled by curiosity that ignored all danger.
most excellent spy gear
Christmas Dog Party
December 26, 2012
— 3 Comments
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- Dogs’ Christmas
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- Dressed to party
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- Lodge on the Desert Dogs Party
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- Newly Rescued
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- Dogs rule the Patio
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- Poodle strikes Pose
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- Merry Christmas
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- We watch from inside
When we arrived for our Christmas party for two at the Lodge on the Desert we were greeted by a festive group of dogs and their owners who clearly came to be of good cheer. These jolly folks gather to eat outside at the Lodge on the Desert because the canine companions are welcome to join in the fun. The Retriever in the fancy dress was given an order of scrambled eggs, which we were able to observe from our seats just inside the doggie patio. A rip-roaring good time was had by all. We are more than pleased to have chosen Lodge on the Desert as our restaurant of the year for 2013. We don’t go out to eat very often, and look for a superior quality that sets a place apart from the rest. Tucson’s reigning Iron Chef is on the job there, and was willing to adapt for my vegetarian requests. He was personally riding the range on Christmas, and waved to us at our table as he walked across the patio. Our food was superb, as was the service. I will detail the gourmet delights for you at another time. For now, if you love your dog and want to party, this is my highest recommendation. My coon hound Artemisia was none the wiser that her parents celebrated Christmas dinner at a dog restaurant without her. I will appreciate it, gentle readers, if you keep this as our little secret. She howls at other dogs, and at food, therefore would be too loud and rowdy at a food centered event. We do love to see quiet well-behaved dogs enjoy the restaurant privileges the Euro dogs take for granted. I believe this hotel, with a recent remodel that has brought back the charm, will build a reputation for hospitality and gourmet dining among the human and the canine connoisseurs of elegance and good taste.
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