I just finished reading an article in the travel section of the local paper. It was about Hearst Castle, home of William Randolphe Hearst (?) in California. I have never been there but I did visit "virtually" by going to the web site that they recommended. Although it would be great to see it in person you have to admit that it's a lot less crowded to see parts of it this way! There's a map on the right and you click on the various dots that represent specific rooms or gardens. There's music that accompanies each room. Check it out for yourself! here's the link: … [Read more...]
Reality Real Estate TV is Embarrassing
October 25, 2011 By
One of the things I love to do when I travel to different places is to find out what the real estate market is like. I love looking at the boards that real estate companies display on which they show pictures of homes for sale. The descriptions of the properties plus prices gives a person a pretty good idea of what the market is like in that area. For example a few years back my husband and I went to Rome, Italy. We stayed in a "Bed and Breakfast" that was located about four blocks behind the Vatican in a non - touristy neighbourhood. I put quotations around bed and breakfast … [Read more...]
The Sistine Chapel Revisited
October 25, 2011 By
A few years ago my husband and I went on an amazing trip to Italy. We were there for a little less than three weeks and focused our trip on Rome, Florence and Tuscany. It was a trip of a lifetime and one of the most spectacular experiences was seeing the Vatican in Rome and by extension, the Sistine Chapel. It is hard to get a real feeling for the Sistine Chapel until you are there in person. However, on the other hand, you are part of a crowd and as such you never get a chance to look at anything that is below shoulder level so you do miss a lot. Seeing these places in … [Read more...]
Favorite Antique Stores in Edmonton
June 14, 2011 By 7 Comments
Summer is a perfect time to go antiquing. If you're a regular reader of this blog or my web site there's good chance that you will agree with that statement. Of course anytime is a good time to find a treasure but there's something about a beautiful summer day to make this even more fun. A perfect Saturday for me starts with heading over to the Old Strathcona Market here in Edmonton. Live music, colourful organic fruits and vegetables, delicious home made breads and desserts, jams and jellies and gourmet treats make a trip to the market a feast for the eyes as well as the … [Read more...]
Art Week in the Badlands of Alberta
March 17, 2011 By 2 Comments
Alberta is a beautiful province with more than its share of beautiful scenery. We have flat prairies with wide open skies, high rugged mountains and verdant valleys, rolling foothills and much more. The Badlands is none of these. It is a unique landscape that is often likened to a moonscape. It is the home of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology and Dinosaur Park. It is also a World Heritage site. What an amazing place to spend a whole week learning and painting on location! Apart from the awesome scenery our host and long time artist Jim Davies made the week memorable. The … [Read more...]
Renaissance Cooking for the 21st century
January 17, 2011 By 6 Comments
When it's cold outside like it is now (the temperature is hovering between - 20 and -30 at night), one of the things I like to do is cook. I especially like making hearty soups and stews. I also like to look at cookbooks for inspiration. Now anyone who knows me knows that I love anything historical so how can I miss with a CD that not only has music of the Renaissance but also features some historical information about the music and feasts of that time - including some recipes. I bought it in France when we were there last spring and although I have yet to try any of the recipes this … [Read more...]
Spooky Story 1
October 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I have written about this before. Why is it that movies always show a "haunted" house to be an old house? As if it isn't already hard enough to get respect for being old, less energy efficient, a money pit and so on without now having to battle the reputation of being haunted. On a previous email I did explain where this all started. I also have some spooky stories from some of my readers . Check it out by clicking here: In the spirit of Halloween I thought I'd share a story from one of the books I have been reading lately. The first one that captured my imagination (and … [Read more...]
