The National Geographic Magazine, November 1927, "Volume LII, Number Five, $3.50 A Year" "50 cents The Copy." How did this incredible treasure from my grandparents, Marie and Rob, survive these 86 years! What were Granny and Grandpa doing in 1927? They were both 29 years old. My mother, Adeline, was 8 years old. Along with my Uncle Robert, 10 years old, the family lived with Grandma's parents, Mary and Lawrence, in a shotgun house in the Germantown section of Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. Grandpa had just started working for a wholesale food dealer, a job which would last 45 years.
The magazine: both the front and back covers were torn off and faded but still intact. The inside cover reports that the National Geographic Society was "organized for "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge". . .To carry out the purposes for which it was founded thirty-nine years ago, the National Geographic Society publishes this magazine."
I must page through it, cover to cover. The ads, all printed black-and-white, are 'wordy' and remind me of how good it is to be a housekeeper in 2013 instead of in 1927. A floor polisher promises help for housewives "to scrape. . .to sandpaper. . .to wax. . .and to polish their floors." Some car companies that advertised are still in business: Lincoln, Ford and General Motors, while others: Packard and Essex, vanished. Who needs "The World Book" or "Britannica Encyclopedia" since we have the internet? Whitman's Sampler candy is still very much enjoyed. Although I'll admit to remembering the Ice Man bringing very large blocks of ice with large black tongs to my grandparents 'ice box,' when I was a pre-schooler, now I'm spoiled by my refrigerator's ice and water dispensers in the door. In 1927 Frigidaire electric refrigerator "saves an average of $105.36 per year over and above all operating costs - savings of ice bills and food waste."
All photos are also printed black-and-white except for a 16-page centerfold 'autochromes.'
The next blog entry will detail the very first, very long, very informative and very exciting article I read.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Local Adventure
Even wandering around your own city can be a new, fun trip. Yesterday I stayed home in Lexington (Kentucky) and thoroughly enjoyed the Northside Neighborhood Association 2013 Historic House & Garden Tour.
The first home in the Old City my daughter, Theresa, and I stepped into was built in 1816. With obvious pride, the owners personally guided the tour groups and related the history of the various rooms. In the first room, the focal point was the small, original brick fireplace and mantel. The ceiling beams of hand-hewn logs, however, captured our attention. Nearly 200 years and still standing! It was thought that this small room plus one in the basement level and one on the second floor was The Original House.
A step down led us to the next room, equally charming. A short walk further down the hall revealed a bathroom that looked much like my Grandmother Marie's (may she rest in peace in the Lord!) bathroom in Louisville's Germantown, added on in the 1920's. There was a pedestal sink and small, hexagonal black and white floor tiles.
The rest of the house consisted of modern additions from the 80's, very well done: a spacious kitchen and dining room. A small but exceedingly beautiful garden and courtyard viewed from windows almost covering the walls completed our pleasant experience. Since there was a straight-line view from the front door to the rear patio windows, you could consider this a 'shotgun' type house as was my Grandmother's. The difference is that this home was built by an English stonecutter, not German immigrants.
Sunday was a blistering hot, sunny, humid day in Lexington but on our leisurely walking tour, we didn't notice. There was magnificent Victorian architecture on every street with the tall trees providing abundant shade.
The last house and garden we toured is owned by Theresa's landlord, an immense 4-story house built in 1905 as a woman's college. Converted into condos, each floor has a long central hall which had originally been the hub of classrooms. There the resemblance between floors ends as some walls have been removed and units were renovated in very creative ways, some retaining more original fixtures such as claw-foot tubs and others with modern fittings. The one uniting feature is artwork: everywhere are varied paintings, sculptures and living plants to beautify the rooms. It was a wonderful treat for us!
The owner's condo takes up the entire penthouse. The ceiling is so tall that in the largest room, which I surmise must have been the former chapel, there is a spiral staircase leading to a loft. From the loft there is another set of stairs climbing to the roof-top patio. And what a breath-catching vista of roofs, treetops and downtown skyscrapers we thrilled to!
(Theresa, at left, with blue Fifth Third tower in the background, Jan, at right, on the rooftop)
Since Theresa's apartment is nearby and our legs were begging for rest, we walked there, plopped down in cushy chairs, propped up our feet and partook of refreshingly cold bottles of water. We look forward to many more excursions and adventures.
The first home in the Old City my daughter, Theresa, and I stepped into was built in 1816. With obvious pride, the owners personally guided the tour groups and related the history of the various rooms. In the first room, the focal point was the small, original brick fireplace and mantel. The ceiling beams of hand-hewn logs, however, captured our attention. Nearly 200 years and still standing! It was thought that this small room plus one in the basement level and one on the second floor was The Original House.
A step down led us to the next room, equally charming. A short walk further down the hall revealed a bathroom that looked much like my Grandmother Marie's (may she rest in peace in the Lord!) bathroom in Louisville's Germantown, added on in the 1920's. There was a pedestal sink and small, hexagonal black and white floor tiles.
The rest of the house consisted of modern additions from the 80's, very well done: a spacious kitchen and dining room. A small but exceedingly beautiful garden and courtyard viewed from windows almost covering the walls completed our pleasant experience. Since there was a straight-line view from the front door to the rear patio windows, you could consider this a 'shotgun' type house as was my Grandmother's. The difference is that this home was built by an English stonecutter, not German immigrants.
Sunday was a blistering hot, sunny, humid day in Lexington but on our leisurely walking tour, we didn't notice. There was magnificent Victorian architecture on every street with the tall trees providing abundant shade.
The last house and garden we toured is owned by Theresa's landlord, an immense 4-story house built in 1905 as a woman's college. Converted into condos, each floor has a long central hall which had originally been the hub of classrooms. There the resemblance between floors ends as some walls have been removed and units were renovated in very creative ways, some retaining more original fixtures such as claw-foot tubs and others with modern fittings. The one uniting feature is artwork: everywhere are varied paintings, sculptures and living plants to beautify the rooms. It was a wonderful treat for us!
The owner's condo takes up the entire penthouse. The ceiling is so tall that in the largest room, which I surmise must have been the former chapel, there is a spiral staircase leading to a loft. From the loft there is another set of stairs climbing to the roof-top patio. And what a breath-catching vista of roofs, treetops and downtown skyscrapers we thrilled to!
(Theresa, at left, with blue Fifth Third tower in the background, Jan, at right, on the rooftop)
Since Theresa's apartment is nearby and our legs were begging for rest, we walked there, plopped down in cushy chairs, propped up our feet and partook of refreshingly cold bottles of water. We look forward to many more excursions and adventures.
Goin' to Hawaii!
It's amazing that when you're chatting with folks about where you plan to travel, many have been there and share their experiences. LOTS have been to Hawaii and EVERYBODY ELSE wants to go there.
My friend and spiritual advisor, Father Gino Donatelli, Jesuit priest, related that "Years ago I was sent to Hawaii to take over a parish. I was there for 45 days." He continued, "Of course, you'll go to a luau. . .pineapple is served with everything. . .you'll have to go to a pineapple plantation. . .I got so sick of pineapple. . .the north shore is where the big waves come in; it's quite popular. . .the Hawaiians take small planes to other islands the way we take busses; they were quite cheap. . .and there's Diamond Head. . ."
I'm booked to stay in the same hotel my dear dad, Reuben, may he rest in peace, stayed in when he was in the Army in World War II, the Royal Hawaiian. I'll want to visit the war memorial, the Arizona (sunken Navy battleship) in Pearl Harbor. Father Gino advises, "You'll want to take the boat that drops you off at the shrine - it's a federal park - not the one that just circles the shrine." And also, "Go see the rain forest."
Can't wait! Since I can't even remember how old my bathing suit is, think I'll dare to get a new one!
My friend and spiritual advisor, Father Gino Donatelli, Jesuit priest, related that "Years ago I was sent to Hawaii to take over a parish. I was there for 45 days." He continued, "Of course, you'll go to a luau. . .pineapple is served with everything. . .you'll have to go to a pineapple plantation. . .I got so sick of pineapple. . .the north shore is where the big waves come in; it's quite popular. . .the Hawaiians take small planes to other islands the way we take busses; they were quite cheap. . .and there's Diamond Head. . ."
I'm booked to stay in the same hotel my dear dad, Reuben, may he rest in peace, stayed in when he was in the Army in World War II, the Royal Hawaiian. I'll want to visit the war memorial, the Arizona (sunken Navy battleship) in Pearl Harbor. Father Gino advises, "You'll want to take the boat that drops you off at the shrine - it's a federal park - not the one that just circles the shrine." And also, "Go see the rain forest."
Can't wait! Since I can't even remember how old my bathing suit is, think I'll dare to get a new one!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Pilgrimage
Totally fascinated with the ads and stories I'm reading in my oldest National Geographic from November, 1927, I put it down to go on a Pilgrimage today. My church Senior Citizens group rented a bus and traveled to Bardstown then Trappist, Kentucky.
A Pilgrimage is a trip to a religious site. Ever since I heard of the monk, Father Thomas Merton, and read his best-selling book, "The Seven-Storey Mountain," I've wanted to visit the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky. Merton described the Abbey as his home, the place where he would live for the rest of his life.
We're a jovial bunch, the Christ the King Cathedral Senior Citizens, and we always see old friends and meet new friends at our meetings and during our outings. First, we bowed our heads and prayed for safety on our trip. Today we laughed and chatted our way to Bardstown, Kentucky, one hour from our home in Lexington. First stop: the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown. Built in 1779, the tavern boasts being "the oldest western stagecoach stop in America." Our dining room looked like an old colonial pub with wooden bar, well-worn wide-plank hardwood floor and an ancient stone fireplace. The lunch of fried chicken, country green beans, smashed potatoes and biscuit was very tasty, a perfect southern menu. My friend, Peggy, and I shared a particularly delectable dessert, bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
The Abbey was less than a half-hour further on two-lane roads through lush, green farm country. My first thought when we drove up the entrance road: it's much larger than I had imagined. When we slowly filed off our bus, I was immediately encapsulated with a feeling of peace and happiness.
The grounds are spacious and well-kept (we heard that the entire abbey farm consists of around 2,000 acres). The buildings where the monks live, work and pray are tall and painted white. Signs remind visitors, "Silence, please," "Monks only, please."
We entered the main church and took seats in the visitors' section. Shortly thereafter, the monks (40 or so) slowly entered and took their places. They pray eight times a day beginning at 3:15 a.m. A brochure reports, "The monastic milieu offers a place apart "to entertain silence in the heart and listen for the voice of God - to pray for your own discovery." (written by Thomas Merton) The prayers and chants are a simple praise to God. When all is finished, the monks slowly leave and we leave also. Nothing is rushed here.
Wandering the grounds, we take in the fresh country air, birds chirping, the gardens, the porches, the statues and reach the graveyard. Our final stop is a well-stocked store where the monks' products of cheese, fruitcake and fudge is sold along with many quality religious articles: books, pottery, jewelry, statues, Christmas ornaments, etc. We linger and choose our treasures carefully. As one fellow senior traveler related, "We have to be careful what we get because we'll have to dust it."
Time to return home and we climb back on the bus. Peggy and I agree that we would love to make a retreat here someday. Once back at the Cathedral, we again bow our heads and offer a quick prayer of thanksgiving for our safety and that it stopped raining whenever we got on and off the bus. To learn more about Gethsemani Abbey, visit www.monks.org.
A Pilgrimage is a trip to a religious site. Ever since I heard of the monk, Father Thomas Merton, and read his best-selling book, "The Seven-Storey Mountain," I've wanted to visit the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky. Merton described the Abbey as his home, the place where he would live for the rest of his life.
We're a jovial bunch, the Christ the King Cathedral Senior Citizens, and we always see old friends and meet new friends at our meetings and during our outings. First, we bowed our heads and prayed for safety on our trip. Today we laughed and chatted our way to Bardstown, Kentucky, one hour from our home in Lexington. First stop: the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown. Built in 1779, the tavern boasts being "the oldest western stagecoach stop in America." Our dining room looked like an old colonial pub with wooden bar, well-worn wide-plank hardwood floor and an ancient stone fireplace. The lunch of fried chicken, country green beans, smashed potatoes and biscuit was very tasty, a perfect southern menu. My friend, Peggy, and I shared a particularly delectable dessert, bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
The Abbey was less than a half-hour further on two-lane roads through lush, green farm country. My first thought when we drove up the entrance road: it's much larger than I had imagined. When we slowly filed off our bus, I was immediately encapsulated with a feeling of peace and happiness.
The grounds are spacious and well-kept (we heard that the entire abbey farm consists of around 2,000 acres). The buildings where the monks live, work and pray are tall and painted white. Signs remind visitors, "Silence, please," "Monks only, please."
We entered the main church and took seats in the visitors' section. Shortly thereafter, the monks (40 or so) slowly entered and took their places. They pray eight times a day beginning at 3:15 a.m. A brochure reports, "The monastic milieu offers a place apart "to entertain silence in the heart and listen for the voice of God - to pray for your own discovery." (written by Thomas Merton) The prayers and chants are a simple praise to God. When all is finished, the monks slowly leave and we leave also. Nothing is rushed here.
Wandering the grounds, we take in the fresh country air, birds chirping, the gardens, the porches, the statues and reach the graveyard. Our final stop is a well-stocked store where the monks' products of cheese, fruitcake and fudge is sold along with many quality religious articles: books, pottery, jewelry, statues, Christmas ornaments, etc. We linger and choose our treasures carefully. As one fellow senior traveler related, "We have to be careful what we get because we'll have to dust it."
Time to return home and we climb back on the bus. Peggy and I agree that we would love to make a retreat here someday. Once back at the Cathedral, we again bow our heads and offer a quick prayer of thanksgiving for our safety and that it stopped raining whenever we got on and off the bus. To learn more about Gethsemani Abbey, visit www.monks.org.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Collection
It's been a long, tedious, at times exhausting process, keeping 70+ years of National Geographics together! I just kept filling boxes knowing that eventually I would have leisure to thoroughly digest each issue.
For as long as I can remember, I planned to buy a proper, sturdy, beautiful, glass-doored bookcase in which to display my treasures. Finally, last week my son, John, and I put together a quite nice cabinet from IKEA: 77 inches tall, 35 inches wide, 6 shelves, white wood, glass doors. It was a fun job because we're experienced in assembling furniture. The directions, I found, had no words, only diagrams. At first, I panicked but discovered the pictures were actually easier to understand than interpreting strange words used only by carpenters. It was suggested to attach the top of the cabinet to the wall, for safety. This was new to us, but easily accomplished and virtually invisible when viewed from either the front or side.
We brought down the entire NG collection from the recesses of the attic. Next, I sorted them into piles of decades, then years, in rows in the living room. A delightful discovery were 9 issues from 1949, 4 issues from 1929, 2 from 1928 and one from 1927!
Since I had previously pulled out many of the maps from various issues, while sorting, I pulled out the rest. These maps are treasures in themselves. I found some from places I had been - Germany, Italy - and set aside the one from Hawaii where I'll travel later this summer.
How to shelve the journals: upright? horizontal? I decided to start with the newest on the bottom shelf, placed horizontally, leaving very little clearance at the top and no room on the sides. For the other shelves, I wanted some visual interest, and alternated with horizontal and vertical stacks. On two shelves, I left a slight amount of space for my favorite blue and white pottery items.
The maps rest in a basket on the top of the cabinet. Later, I'll arrange them into decades and years like the journals.
So now I'm ready to go, ready to start with the oldest journal and rock my way through this wonderful world! Next blog: 1927!
For as long as I can remember, I planned to buy a proper, sturdy, beautiful, glass-doored bookcase in which to display my treasures. Finally, last week my son, John, and I put together a quite nice cabinet from IKEA: 77 inches tall, 35 inches wide, 6 shelves, white wood, glass doors. It was a fun job because we're experienced in assembling furniture. The directions, I found, had no words, only diagrams. At first, I panicked but discovered the pictures were actually easier to understand than interpreting strange words used only by carpenters. It was suggested to attach the top of the cabinet to the wall, for safety. This was new to us, but easily accomplished and virtually invisible when viewed from either the front or side.
We brought down the entire NG collection from the recesses of the attic. Next, I sorted them into piles of decades, then years, in rows in the living room. A delightful discovery were 9 issues from 1949, 4 issues from 1929, 2 from 1928 and one from 1927!
Since I had previously pulled out many of the maps from various issues, while sorting, I pulled out the rest. These maps are treasures in themselves. I found some from places I had been - Germany, Italy - and set aside the one from Hawaii where I'll travel later this summer.
How to shelve the journals: upright? horizontal? I decided to start with the newest on the bottom shelf, placed horizontally, leaving very little clearance at the top and no room on the sides. For the other shelves, I wanted some visual interest, and alternated with horizontal and vertical stacks. On two shelves, I left a slight amount of space for my favorite blue and white pottery items.
The maps rest in a basket on the top of the cabinet. Later, I'll arrange them into decades and years like the journals.
So now I'm ready to go, ready to start with the oldest journal and rock my way through this wonderful world! Next blog: 1927!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Where, When, Why
From my hotel room in Paris, I was fascinated with the River Seine. It zig-zagged across the city with a bridge cutting across every bend. I was traveling with my parents and younger brother. We saw the city from another high vantage, the Eifel Tower, painted stark black. I stared at the giant rose window in the Notre Dame Cathedral long enough to never forget it. That was 65 years ago. Dad was in the U.S. Army, stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany.
We took trains all over Bavaria in Germany, Switzerland, France and Holland. The tulips in Holland stretched as far as you could see. The train to a restaurant atop a Swiss mountain was slow and the weather was snowy and freezing. There was a table in King Ludwig's castle in Bavaria that could disappear into a lower level because he didn't like servants.
Perhaps those days enkindled in me my passion for travel. I have several weeks left to work as a nurse in a large teaching hospital before I retire. I've been planning BIG trips for months!
I love to drive around the countryside so my first trip will be driving south from Lexington, Kentucky, to visit relatives in Florida. Then I'll head over to Texas!
When we were raising our children, we couldn't afford many over-night trips. All our family were out-of-town. So when I rocked my young children - sometimes two or three at a time - we would go on fantasy trips. "Oh, let's go visit Grandma and Grandpa in California." Rock, rock, rock. The chair went faster at times, slower at times but always stopped for red lights. We had great fun!
I have more rocking-chair trips planned when I'm not driving. My collection of National Geographics goes back to the '60's and my parents' go back to the '40's with several odd grandparent issues in the '20's.
Starting with the oldest issue, I plan to read the entire collection cover-to-cover. Last Christmas one daughter and son-in-law gave me a tabletop Globe of the World. I want to know how the countries with the strange names I don't recognize came into being In this blog, I'll report my adventures. I'm hoping that my blog readers will share news about the wonderful places they've experienced.
Oh - my cover photo was posted because my two favorite things are children and beaches. It is in front of the Sullivan Island Lighthouse, South Carolina. The baby is my youngest grandchild, Xavier Isaacs.
We took trains all over Bavaria in Germany, Switzerland, France and Holland. The tulips in Holland stretched as far as you could see. The train to a restaurant atop a Swiss mountain was slow and the weather was snowy and freezing. There was a table in King Ludwig's castle in Bavaria that could disappear into a lower level because he didn't like servants.
Perhaps those days enkindled in me my passion for travel. I have several weeks left to work as a nurse in a large teaching hospital before I retire. I've been planning BIG trips for months!
I love to drive around the countryside so my first trip will be driving south from Lexington, Kentucky, to visit relatives in Florida. Then I'll head over to Texas!
When we were raising our children, we couldn't afford many over-night trips. All our family were out-of-town. So when I rocked my young children - sometimes two or three at a time - we would go on fantasy trips. "Oh, let's go visit Grandma and Grandpa in California." Rock, rock, rock. The chair went faster at times, slower at times but always stopped for red lights. We had great fun!
I have more rocking-chair trips planned when I'm not driving. My collection of National Geographics goes back to the '60's and my parents' go back to the '40's with several odd grandparent issues in the '20's.
Starting with the oldest issue, I plan to read the entire collection cover-to-cover. Last Christmas one daughter and son-in-law gave me a tabletop Globe of the World. I want to know how the countries with the strange names I don't recognize came into being In this blog, I'll report my adventures. I'm hoping that my blog readers will share news about the wonderful places they've experienced.
Oh - my cover photo was posted because my two favorite things are children and beaches. It is in front of the Sullivan Island Lighthouse, South Carolina. The baby is my youngest grandchild, Xavier Isaacs.
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