I love old homes that have been turned into museums. So when I read about the Harvey M. Vaile Mansion in Independence, I knew it had to be part of one of our local excursions. When I discovered it, the mansion was not open to the public. It is only open from April 1 through October 31 on Thursdays through Sunday for regular tours, although it does have a holiday season in December.
We planned our visit to the Vaile Mansion for May and took a short trip over to Independence to check it out. It was worth the trip! The mansion is lovely. It was built in 1881, the mansion has 31 rooms. But what surprised me is that only two of the rooms were bedrooms! There were not many people who lived there, but they had plenty of places to use to stay away from each other!! The brick hoe also has nine lovely marble fireplaces of different colors. Important to keep warm with in the 1880s.
The house was designed by a local Kansas City architect, Asa Beebe Cross. It was the height of modern technology for its time. It has flushing toilets, fueled by a 6000-gallon water tank. Copper bathtubs were installed in the bathrooms. The room where the tank was later used as an informal dining area. The kitchen had hot and cold water!!!
Unfortunately, Harvey Vaile and his wife, Sophia, did not enjoy the mansion for long. Sophia, who had stomach cancer, died in 1883. Vaile continued to live there, but he died in 1894. They did not have any children. But Harvey Vaile did have nieces and nephews that contested his will which led to a legal battle and their being unable to pay the attorney, who then acquired the mansion!
Over the years it was used as a sanatorium and a nursing home and owned by the attorney Carey May Carroll. After she died and it was to be demolished a local couple, Roger and Mary Mildred DeWitt, purchased the mansion and began making repairs and restoring it. Mrs. DeWitt donated it to the City of Independence in 1983.
I loved it. The building looks like a mansion should look. It has a gothic air of mystery! In fact, my husband commented that it looked a lot like the house in a lithograph I have made by a local artist (Randal Spangler, see link below.) about a spooky Halloween house! We are sure it is the inspiration! In fact, in October they do hold Spooky Tours, and supposedly the house has a resident ghost!
I loved the massive wooden entrance door, and the beautiful leaded glass throughout the house. The staircase that goes up three stories and ends in a skylight at the top is wonderful. All the carved wood bookcases and cabinets, along with the painted ceilings, which were part of the original house, makes it truly a gem. The bathrooms, with the cooper tubs and toilets are so unusual for the time! Colonel Vaile was forward thinking!
The furniture is all from the period, but none of it was original to the house. But there are many lovely pieces included an organ, piano and music box. Throughout the house there are little pieces of history to experience. The best part is that a docent takes you on a tour of the house to point out special objects and to answer questions.
The grounds of the house are also lovely. In early spring a Strawberry Festival is held there. Local couples can rent the house and its grounds for weddings. It would be a great place to be married.
In all you just need about an hour or so to go through the house. The day we went we were the only people at that time. As we were leaving more guests were arriving. It is very close to the Independence Square, so we headed over to complete our day by eating lunch at the Court House Exchange.
Santa Fe is a city of many diverging elements coming together to create a unique city. The art of the Navajo, Apache, and Pueblo people; and the multitude of art galleries and jewelry stores; the churches and religious sites; the unusual round State Capitol building; and the original adobe buildings; the restaurants; the museums, all combine together to give the visitor and the residents a place that stimulates the senses.
My husband, who is enamored with AI, asked what would be the best 2.5 hour walking tour of Santa Fe. Its description of four places became our morning walking tour. None of these places take long to visit, unless you want to stay longer. For this ‘tour’ you will be walking up hill on the Old Santa Fe Trail Road, which is right by the La Fonda Hotel downtown. Finally, you can always take your water bottle in with you.
The Loretto Chapel and its mysterious, mystical stairs is worth the visit. The chapel was once part of a girl’s school and was designed by the same architect as the Santa Fe Cathedral. The mystery of the stairs starts when the architect died before the staircase was built, the nuns were distraught and prayed for help. An unknown carpenter appeared, built the stairs and disappeared.
The staircase is a lovely gem to see, whether you believe that it was built by St. Joseph or not. How it suspends and curves upwards without support is astonishing. And it is beautifully carved. But besides the beauty of the stairs, the chapel itself is lovely. While you sit and visit, you listen to the story of the stairs. This is no longer a consecrated church, so religious services are not held.
Two blocks further up the hill on Old Santa Fe is East De Vargas Street. Turn left to walk through a narrow road to the Oldest House in Santa Fe, but I recommended you first go across the street to the San Miguel Mission Church.
The San Miguel Mission Church sits on a hill on the hill. Probably a good place for watching what is going on around you. It is the oldest Catholic Church in the United States. People can attend mass on the first Sunday of each month.
It is not a big building, but it has a big history. First built soon after the Spanish came into Santa Fe in 1598, the mission church was used by the Franciscan priests who came to New Mexico with the Spanish to convert the indigenous peoples and serve the Spanish settlers. It was partially destroyed in 1680 when the pueblo peoples revolted against the Spanish and the church for the cruel treatment. They burned the roof, destroyed some of the walls, and killed the priests. The church was rebuilt when the Spanish returned about 30 years later.
When you walk in there are two artifacts to notice. The first you see on the — the Victory bell that was brought from Spain. The bell had a long history that included helping Spain expel the Moors. The story is whenever the bell rang, the Spanish had a victory. The bell came to New Mexico for a Spanish family. But after the Pueblo Revolt, when the Mission was rebuilt the bell was put in the church belfry. The second item hangs on the wall to the left. It is a 300-year-old replica of the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the Mexico City Basilica.
The church itself is small and simple. The wooden ceiling is wonderful. After you finish viewing the chapel and listening to the talk by the docent, please go down the stairs to the second room. There are photographs that show the building from different angles, as well as two photos of the oldest house before it was restored.
Now you can go out of the chapel and down the steps to the side which lead to De Vargas Street. Immediately across the street is the oldest house. The house, from the 1600s, is built on the remains of a home in what once was part of a pueblo It is attached to a gift store.
You go into the store and to your left to enter the house. There are just two rooms to see and they are tiny. But as all sites, it is worth seeing to understand how people lived. If you are a bit claustrophobic, try to go when there is a not a group going in. It gets tight.
When you are done at the oldest house, return to Old Santa Fe Trail Street and continue past the San Miguel Mission. Turn right on Paseo De Peralta. You will soon come to the State Capitol building. It is unusual in that it is both round and NOT built in the pueblo style. (Which is what I thought it would be!). When we went there was an art show on display. But even if it is not there, it is worth going in to see the rotunda and the lovely architecture. You basically walk in the main door and go out the back door getting you back to E. De Vargas street.
After this part of our tour, we went for lunch! There are many, many excellent restaurants in the Plaza area. So go and enjoy. Also while walking around you will see many galleries and statues/art on the sidewalks. Take time to enjoy them. You might want to take a break and rest after lunch or do this next part in the morning.
Martyr’s Cross and Marcy Fortress. There is a way to drive to get closer to this site, but my husband and I did not have a car, so we walked. It is located on Paseo de Peralta, the same street as the capitol building, but in the other direction. Depending on where you are staying will determine how you go. But since we stayed near the Cathedral, we took Palace Avenue to Paseo de Peralta and turned left. You can see the cross on the hill and just head in that direction!
The entrance to walk up is marked by an adobe sign and arch. You are going up hill. There are rest areas where you can sit at the ends of each switch back. And take water!! It is dry in Santa Fe. The walk up was fun. Along the way are plaques that tell the history of Santa Fe, and as you go higher the views get better and better.
The Cross of the Martyrs honors the 21 priests and 380 Spanish settlers who were killed during the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. The first cross was erected in 1920s. Over time it was replaced twice, the last time in 1977 with a metal cross.
To be honest, we did not continue up the path to see the ruins of Fort Marcy. It had been a long day, and we still had to walk about a mile or so back to our hotel. But you can easily get to it. But that path is not paved.
However, we did get some fantastic photos of Santa Fe from the top.
Museums, museums, museums. So many to choose from, so many to see. We went to six museums over our six days in Santa Fe. I decided I would list them all in one blog from my favorite to my least favorite. That is not to say that any of them were bad, just that these are how I enjoyed them.
New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors. Located behind the Palace of the Governors, on Lincoln Avenue right off the Plaza, The New Mexico History Museum is a great place to understand Santa Fe and the relationships among the Native cultures, the Spanish heritage and the American ‘invasion.’ With three floors of exhibits and the additional space located in the Palace of the Governors, there is a lot to see here. Way more than I anticipated, which is why I ended up not seeing all of it, even though I had good intentions to return on another day to complete seeing the exhibits in the Palace of the Governors. I do love learning history!
The first floor packed in 500 years of history! It was a lot to take in, but really explained the importance of both the Native and Spanish and Catholic influences on New Mexico. When the United States took over the New Mexico territory, the relationship between all these groups changed dramatically.
One of my favorite exhibits was in the mezzanine, “Settling the Standard: The Fred Harvey Company and Its Legacy. Since Fred Harvey started in Kansas City, and I have seen the displays at our History Museum, I was delighted to see the story retold here. This exhibit was much more in depth than the exhibit I have seen at a Kansas City museum. It might have to be another blog!
The next two museums were at Museum Hill, just outside downtown: the Museum of Folk Art and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture. We decided to go to the Museum of International Folk Art first, turning to the right as we entered the museum plaza. (I recommend getting a Culture Pass, which includes a number of museums for a $30 fee.)
The first exhibit we visited was “Multiple Visions: A common Bond.” Alexander and Susan Girard donated their extensive folk art collection to New Mexico, and it was added to the Folk Art Museum. When I entered this room, I was first excited and then overwhelmed. The art seemed endless; it covered walls, hung from the ceiling, filled hundreds of display cases. We walked around the entire room, looked in every case, and were mentally exhausted, visually overstimulated, but filled with the joy of the art.
Luckily the next two rooms were much calmer, so we could feel more ease as we left the building. I really enjoyed “la Cartoneria Mexicana,” which was several rooms of unusual creatures made of paper and paste. Between the first exhibit and this one, there is a short movie that explains how the exhibit displayed. I liked it. The creations made of paper and paste were magical.
The final room held the curators’ favorite pieces. It was a calming room! A short visit to the gift show then we walked the outside labyrinth to continue the calming process. You really do need to rest your brain after being at the Folk Art Museum.
We ate lunch at the lovely restaurant on the hill, and then went over to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Really an excellent place to learn about the indigenous peoples in the “Here, Now and Always” exhibit. The statues outside the building brought me joy, especially the one of the young hoop dancer, it reminded me of the young girl we had seen doing the hoop dance in the Plaza.
Inside there was all the information needed to understand the native peoples who lived in the New Mexico area. The pottery, the weavings, the baskets, the jewelry, and the information on how they lived before the Spanish and then the United States took control is important to know. Another great museum.
IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art: Near to the St. Francis Cathedral, this museum showcases the work presented by the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). It displays the most progressive art. I loved the interpretations of traditional objects and the jewelry. There were some pins that looked like bugs that were stunning. I loved a silver belt made by Denise Wallace and beaded cuffs made by Marcus Amerman.
However the room filled with plastic bags, I viewed, I walked through the room and I tried to understand it. I just did not get that exhibit. But then it was about the artist being frustrated about the inability to communicate, so perhaps I did understand it. However, like anything else, art is subjective and there were many other exhibits in the museum I did enjoy.
Georgia O’Keefe Museum: Just a few blocks from the Plaza, on Johnson Street, it is an easy walk. My instructions: Get your timed tickets in advance. This is a small museum, and they limit how many can be there at any one time!!! See the movie first! No one told us about the movie, so we did not see it until the end.
The museum goes in one direction, so you have to turn around and walk back through all the rooms when you finish, so you could do one side going and the other side going back. As for the art. If you enjoy Georgia O’Keefe’s work you will enjoy this museum. I actually liked the last room the most, where there was information about her life, “Making a Life” and her art supplies. I have to be honest, much of her later art did not appeal to me. But it is interesting to see.
New Mexico Museum of Art: Situated catty corner from the Plaza on Palace Avenue,the museum building is set up like a hacienda. You can walk around the exhibits in a circuit, or you can cut through the courtyard. I loved the murals that decorated the courtyard. I am not a big fan of some modern art, and so these exhibits were not my favorite. However, I like to see what younger artists are doing, so I enjoyed seeing the interpretations of pottery design.
I wasn’t sure what I would see when we arrived at Taos Pueblo. Our tour for the morning had been cancelled due to a funeral, but fortunately they were able to reschedule for the afternoon.
Before we even arrived at the Taos Pueblo, we had already visited the city of Taos, where we had time to walk around, see some sites and eat lunch. We chose to see the Kit Carson home. The most striking bit of information I found there was that Kit Carson’s first wife was Arapaho, as was his oldest daughter, and he had adopted three other native American children who had been orphaned. These facts made it difficult to reconcile with the same man who was supposedly so cruel to the Navajo people. However, there is some dispute on what he actually did for and against the Navajo nation. But I digress.
Taos the city, has a nice, small dusty plaza (due to construction), but after being in Santa Fe for five days, it paled in comparison. No matter, I was still glad we had a chance to visit it and see the sites. After lunch I was ready for our next adventures. I was not disappointed.
As we drove a bit out of Taos, our tour guide pointed out the flat area we were passing through. It did look perfectly flat, until it wasn’t! As I was sitting near the front, I was among the first to notice a giant rift in the land. A deep canyon, where at the bottom, ran the Rio Grande River. Here it did not look so wide, but as we were 600 feet above it, who knows! As we drove across the bridge, we were amazed that this gorge was here.
The bus stopped at a overlook area, where others had also come to see the gorge. Some were students drawing pictures of the bridge and gorge. Some were just looking across in amazement. Others were shopping for art sold by native artisans. My husband and I joined the group that traversed over some stones and the barrier to get to the highway and the bridge to view the raging waters from above. Wow! It was well worth going out to see it, even though it was not in our original schedule, making me glad that our trip to Taos Pueblo was changed to the afternoon.
After seeing the depths of the Rio Grande River Gorge, we traveled back towards Taos tothe Taos Pueblo, the home of the Red Willow People. Since there had been a funeral, there were some places that were off limits. But the main areas of this World Heritage Site were open for us to see.
My first thought was ‘perfect setting. What an ideal spot to put a town, where a creek runs through it. With all the snow melt, the water was really running through it. While most people took photo after photo of the North Pueblo and the South Pueblo, I took photo after photo of the water. “el agua es vido.” Water is life.
A young college student provided context for us. Her family is a member of Taos Pueblo, and they still have a home the Pueblo, even though they do not live at the Pueblo full time. Only 10-15 families actually live there throughout the year, with no running water, but the creek, and no electricity. These are part of the requirements of a World Heritage Site: no changes.
Our tour started in the Chapel. We were not allowed to take photos inside. But there were three things that I was surprised by. First, it wasn’t a statue of Jesus above the alter, instead it was a statue of Mary. Second, the decorations surrounding the niche holding her statue was a mural of vegetables, large green leaves. It was very peaceful. Finally, there was a decorated coffin in the room. Our guide told us 95 percent of the members of the Taos Pueblo were Catholic, the other five percent practiced the indigenous religions. The coffin was to remind them that they were forced to convert and that many died.
In my mind this makes no sense, why practice a religion that you were forced into to following, while being such a painful past you keep a coffin in your church. I even asked. Her response was noncommittal, but in Taos Pueblo I have the feeling from the décor of the church that their Catholic practice is not exactly what they do in Rome.
We learned the history about what happened in 1847, when women and children were gathered in the San Geronimo Church for protection from the US Army. It did not protect them. The Army destroyed the church and killed about 150 people. Not a good way to start off a relationship between the Taos people and the US government. But we know that the US government and people were often cruel to the indigenous peoples of the USA.
Taos Pueblo should be seen to understand the relationship of the indigenous people with the Spanish of the early 1600s to the United States in the 1800s to the present.
For those interested in shopping, many of the homes are now storefronts for both food and art. But for me the highlight was just seeing Taos Puebl0 as it would have looked in the 1600 when the Spanish arrived and later in 1800s when the United States took over the New Mexico territory.
Our cruise ship spent two days docked in Puerta Vallarta, which gave us a chance to do something special. For me that was to visit the Magic City of San Sebastian Del Oeste about 40 miles up in the mountains. San Sabastian was the highlight of the places we visited. A small community of 600 people, it was once a thriving town close to a silver mine of close to 20,000!. It was basically cut off from Puerta Vallarta until a winding road and two major bridges were built about 20 years ago. Now it is about a 90-minute drive in vans up and up and round and round the winding roads. But it is well worth the moments of motion sickness.
Our tour guide told us that in Mexico, San Sebastian is known as a “Magic City.” It actually has been nominated to be a UNESCO world heritage site. Personally, I love visiting world heritage sites, they take you back into time. San Sebastian is a perfect example since its original roads/sidewalks and buildings have been maintained and all new buildings keep the character of the old colonial style.
It was founded in the early 1600s for its silver mining and was the home of three Spanish families who made a decision to only marry among themselves to keep their Spanish blood pure. Definitely a genetically bad idea. Over time, and the Mexican revolution, the old ways ended and now the families are fulling integrated into the community.
We visited the small museum, Casa Museo Dona Conchita Encarnacion. This tiny building, which was once the home of Dona Conchita and her ancestors, serves as a museum about the town and these Spanish families and their interconnection. Lupita, the woman who told us about the museum is a descendant, of the Dona Conchita.
Because it was a silver producing city, the town had some unusual security. The church, Iglesia de San Sebastian, is built like a fortress and the doors could only be opened from the inside. There was an underground tunnel from the homes of one of the Spanish families directly to the church. It is quite lovely once you get past the windowless façade. There are windows, but they are placed high so people cannot break in. But inside they provide wonderful lighting.
The original steep cobble stone streets are difficult to walk on and I think to drive. No busses took us there, only vans. And once I saw the streets, I understood. The Center of town has a lovely little plaza and shops. While there we walked to a restaurant that served us the absolutely best food we had in all of Mexico. They serve a specially prepared beef that really is so tender and delicately seasoned. I still savor the joy of eating there.
When we first entered the town we stopped at an organic coffee plantation, Café De Altura LaQuinta. What an interesting place. The coffee bushes are grown among fruit trees, where the fruit just falls to the grown to provide nutrients for the coffee beans. Having all those tall trees provided the wonderful shade that the coffee needed to grow in the wonderful mountain coolness.
On the way there and back we stopped at a small tequilla factory. Although we did not get anything there, we were able to overlook one of the two massive bridges that were built to connect San Sabastian to Puerta Vallarta.
Since we did spend a day in Puerta Vallarta, I feel a need to tell about the two places we visited there that I did appreciate. To be honest, I did not enjoy the tour we took of Puerta Vallarta. I heard that others would have fit my interests more. But I did enjoy our stop at the beach and at Tile Park, El Parque de los Azulejos.
The promenade along the beach in Puerta Vallarta was lovely. With its many statues and views. We enjoyed taking photos and seeing everyone walking. It was Easter week so all the children were out of school and families were enjoying the lovely day. I do enjoy some. people watching, and this was a great place to do it.
We also enjoyed seeing El Parque de los Azulejos (Tile Park), which made me think of a miniature Parque Quell in Barcelona, the lovely park designed by Gaudi. The tile benches and other mosaic inlaid objects are fun to walk through discover all the different designs. Each one is sponsored by a donor and their names are displayed on little plaques. The designs are not set on a specific theme, just want the donor wants. We were able to see one from the University of Kansas and one from the University of Michigan among the many beach and sport themes.
There is a lovely gazebo as well as a stage and seating, so I know that concerts are held at Tile Park. It is worth visiting. We also took photos sitting on the benches that we liked!
I did enjoy spending time at the port in Puerta Vallarta. I can see why tourist enjoy visiting. But to me it was a bit too touristy. However, the Magic City of San Sabastian made it my favorite stop.
For 14 days in April we cruised down the coast of Mexico and into the Sea of Cortez on the Holland America Zaandam. We had a fantastic time. Here are five of my six favorite places that we visited. One place needs its own special blog.
Orchidarium in Manzanillo, Colima.
Our visit to the Orchidarium was great. We got to see orchids in many different stages of growth, but most important, the owner gave us a great deal of information about growing orchids. For years I have been trying to grow Orchids. I have failed every time. The longest I have kept my orchids alive is two years. Now I know why.
First: Orchids like fresh air and shade. I had my orchids near a closed window on the south side of my house. The sun was too harsh on the leaves. Not having an open window made it sad. Orchids live on air. My next orchids will live in an area that only has morning sun and is near a window that opens.
Second: Orchids do not like a lot of water! You do not need to water them every week. You only water them when the roots are bone dry. Also they must be in a pot with many holes so that the water drains out.
Finally repotting an orchid puts it into decline. Only repot an orchid after the flowers fall off. Then do not be surprised if it doesn’t grow for a year. I did wait to repot mine after the flowers fell. But I thought it had died too soon.
Zihuatanejo/Guerrero:
We went to the Xihuacan archelogical site in Gerrero near Zihuatanejo. I will say that our tour guide for this trip was very proud and inspired to tell us all about the museum and the two area we were able to see, including the very large Mesoamerican ball court. In the museum was the sacrifice circular stone that represents the goddess of the earth. I did not climb up the steps of this pyramid because on our last trip, I fell a bit coming down. I vowed not to climb any steps without handrails again. I just watched my husband climb up and enjoyed seeing his photos.
I love learning about the early civilizations, and I have written about our visits to other Mayan, Aztec and Mesoamerican sites in other blogs. The amazing aspect about this site is that most of it is still buried under vegetation. Just a small area has been reclaimed. But I found out from our tour guide that there are so many of these sites, they just cannot afford to uncover all of them! (See blog below.)
Oaxaca and Zapotec Textiles
The bugs live on this cactus.
Oaxaca is known for its wonderful textiles and embroidery. This is the stop I was waiting for because I love textiles. My Dad owned an embroidery shop when I was little and worked in the textile industry for years. I am a crafter who focuses crochet now, but I did embroidery, crewel and sewing for many years.
We had a wonderful time visiting with a family from the Zapotec tribe that weaves using wool and cotton that they produce, using dyes that they make from the cochineal bugs. We saw these bugs on the leaves of the cactus. We saw how the colors change by adding natural substances like lemon juice or baking soda. We watched the weaving and we saw the undyed and dyed yarns. The weavings were stunning, and I had to get myself one of the woven cotton shawls.
La Paz
MarcosMe touching a spiney tailed iguana
El Serperntario Reptile and Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Marcos, our guide was fantastic for many reasons, but the most important is that he loves the Serpentario. He is a volunteer there besides being a tour guide. His love showed throughout our private presentation. The Serperntario was founded to rescue and rehab reptiles and snakes and to take those reptiles and creatures that are not indigenous to the area out of the community so that they do not kill the local species. I got to pet the tail of an spiney tailed iguana!
To be honest we went to see this because when our son was young we house his fire bellied newt, two geckos and a ribbon snake. So as a mom I had experiences with lizards and snakes. Also, as a young girl I loved salamanders! Although I do not especially love reptiles now, I am interested in their survival.
There are giant turtles, snakes of all sizes, multitudes of iguanas and many other unusual creatures living safely behind the walls of the Serpentario. The gift store has some cute items. But I focused on getting a t-shirt for my adult child. It was a necessary purchase! And all proceeds help to fund this not-for-profit center.
Cabo San Luca/Blown Glass Factory:
The pile of glass to be blown into lovely art.
I have spent a week in Cabo San Luca. So when we were there on the cruise I wanted to do some touring. I am so glad we did. We had the chance to visit the Blown Glass Factory. What a delightful and beautiful spot! Besides helping the environment by using recycled glass to make their lovely objects, the building itself is a glass gem! Just walking though and looking at the ceiling, the glass art and the objects for sale is a joy. We got to see two artisans make a whale, and we learned how the glass factory came to be. We are going back to Cabo in January. I plan to visit again and this time buy something to take home!!
We are eclipse chasers or umbraphiles. The first time I heard that word was from a fellow eclipse chaser with whom we have seen three eclipses. I was shocked that there was a special word to describe this passion. But, eclipse chasing is a topic in Wikipedia, which does an excellent job describing those who travel to see eclipses.
“Eclipse chasing is the pursuit of observing solar eclipses when they occur around the Earth[1] Solar eclipses must occur at least twice and as often as five times a year across the Earth. Total eclipses may occur multiple times every few years.[2]
A person who chases eclipses is known as a umbraphile, meaning shadow lover.[3] Umbraphiles often travel for eclipses and use various tools to help view the Sun including solar viewers also known as eclipse glasses, as well as telescopes.[4][5] “ Eclipse chasing/Wikipedia. See link below.
In Early April I saw my sixth total eclipse along with 1700 people on the cruise ship, Zaandam, 100 miles off the coast of Mexico as part of a Sky and Telescope/Insight Cruises group. When I was a teenager in New Jersey, I saw my first eclipse. With my husband, in our eclipse chasing, we have been off the coast of Aruba in 1998; in Austria/Hungary in 1999; off the coast of Greece in 2005; in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 2017; and now in the Pacific Ocean.
Once you see a total eclipse of the sun, it envelops you with its majesty and awe. You easily understand why primitive people were petrified when then sunlight disappeared and darkness and chill covered the Earth. Even today, with all the information about eclipses, you can hear it in the voices of the people who know exactly what is happening, but still are overcome. Especially those who are seeing their first eclipse. Many often say. “This is my first one, but it will not be my last!” And if they have the means, I know it is true.
The Captain of the cruise ship was one of these first timers. He did everything he could to get us on the path of totality aware from clouds. This meant traveling 100 miles off the coast of Mexico and centered on the eclipse path! He was as caught in the excitement as everyone else, passengers and crew, spending time with the passengers. “ Many asked, who is driving the boat.” And “Are all the crew members getting to see it?” Arrangements were made so that everyone who wanted to could take a quick peek outside.
On this cruise, there were 250 in our group under the auspices of Sky and Telescope/Insight Cruises, and 100s of others who came with other astronomic groups to see the eclipse. There was even a group of Trekkies who came in association with our group.
Astronomers, both professional and amateur, astronauts, physicists, college professors, scientists, and many ordinary people like me, who just love the thrill of seeing the sun go black and the corona become visible.
To feel the cool breezes as the sunshine diminishes.
To see the heightened shadows and the ripples in the ground.
To see the darkness overhead, while all around in the horizon, there is light.
My husband says this is where the word AWE came from. The awe of the total eclipse of the sun.
We umbraphiles own welders glasses, obsidian, special viewing glasses, binoculars, telescopes and other special materials to make our viewing the best it can be. We, personally, do not bring telescopes. But those who do bring them are often eager to share their equipment for others to get a peek. But we do bring binoculars which were great to see the sun at totality and also to see the two NASA jets high in the sky chasing the eclipse!
The art of making pinholes that allow miniature partial eclipse to slip through brings joy to some. People have colanders or straw hats so they can see dozens of partial eclipses showing on the ground of on white paper. Some make pinhole designs to capture a unique view of the eclipse.
It is true that before, during and after the eclipse, there are people humming the melody or singing out loud the words to “I’m Being Followed by a Moon Shadow” by Cat Stevens. I am one of the hummers. Actually, we are following the moon shadow.
On our trip were many who had seen over 10 – 12 eclipses. They go to every one possible. My husband and I have missed some we wish we could have seen. But we make an effort to see as many as we can. We have spent close to 25 minutes in the darkness of the moon’s shadow in totality. And yes we already have plans to see one off the coast of Spain in 2026! If you get the chance, chase at least one eclipse. You will not regret it!
During Covid, I tried to do as many activities that I could from the confines of my home. I took online classes, I attended family life events, I even toured museums and their special exhibits. One of the best ones I toured was the Ruth Bader Ginsburg exhibit at the Illinois Holocaust Museum located in Skokie, Illinois. So when I knew my husband and I were going to Evanston, Illinois, for a wedding, I put visiting this museum in person at the top of my list. It did not disappoint.
The museum opened in 2009. It was a work in process for 40 years after the Skokie Jewish community was the object of a neo-Nazi group who decided to march through Skokie, a suburb of Chicago that is home to many Jewish residents. The Jewish community started with a small space. But their aim was to fight against anti-Semitism and hatred through education. It looks like they are succeeding in their mission.
The Illinois Holocaust Museum is worth the visit. It was designed by architect Stanley Tigerman. The building is made is to bring the visitor through the darkness of the Shoah and then back out to the light. As we went through the exhibit we could see this change. The entrance to the exhibit is dark and moody with narrow halls lined with photos, videos and memorabilia. But by the end, when we learned about the resistance and the survivors, the light increased.
While we were there on a Friday morning, there were four different school groups also going through the museum with docents. Every so often the group would fill the space available, so we would stop to hear the discussion. In this time of great turmoil and rise of Jew Hatred, seeing these students and their teachers learning about and basically experiencing what happened was important.
There are many short films/videos and photographs throughout the museum that were taken by the Nazis during their killing spree as well as films taken after the war by survivors and rescuers.
The films are difficult to watch. I saw several students holding their hands and sweaters over their faces as they tried to block the view. I did not want to see it either, even though I have seen these images or ones like them many times.
But this time, I imagined the children on October 7 trying to block the view as they saw the terrorist of Hamas reenacting the hatred of the Nazis and they saw their loved ones murdered and waited for their own deaths. It created harrowing moments for me. I envisioned being held hostage by Hamas underground as if in a camp barracks waiting without food and little hope.
The Holocaust exhibit itself Is well thought out and takes you through all the stages of the Shoah. The moment I saw the Krystal Nacht exhibit, which has a clear floor you walk over with shards of glass underneath, in front is the edifice of a synagogue with broken windows, I knew exactly what you will see next. You can walk into a real cattle car from 1930s Europe. It is an eerie feeling to be standing in that darkened wooden container and think about what it was like for those who were stuffed in and perished. This is not a museum for someone who wants to avoid the past. It puts it right into your vision.
After you weave your way through the seemingly endless horrors of the Shoah, you see a small exhibit about what happened when the Nazis came to Skokie. It puts into ‘context’ what is happening now throughout the USA on college campuses and in some cities. And I will say that calling for the annihilation and extermination of any people is always wrong. No matter what a college president says.
This is emphasized with the movie at the end that discusses both the genocide of the Jews and the continued times others have been targeted like the Tutsi people in Rwanda. We sat with two student groups as we watched the film. It was not easy to watch as people testified about what happened to them during this more recent horror. Many of the students lowered their heads. I think I spent as much time watching the students as I did watching the film.
After we finished the exhibit, we went to the Hologram theater where we spoke with the Hologram of Pinchas Gutter. This is an excellent way to learn about the Shoah. Those brave survivors who spent a week being interviewed and videoed while they told their story have created a way to keep the memory alive.
The museum is not all gloom and depression. There is the good of those who survived. But also when we were there the special exhibit was about delis, “I’ll Have What She’s Having” The Jewish Deli. It was a great way to wash away some of the somber emotions we were having after going through the Shoah.
As a teenager and college student, I worked in a Jewish deli. So for me this was especially joyful as I remember my time behind the counter making sandwiches, cutting lox, deboning white fish and making catering trays. I would almost smell the corned beef, feel the texture of sable fish as I prepared some for a customer, and felt the smooth taste of a potato knish in my mouth.
It was good to end the visit on an upbeat note. But throughout it all I remembered that this museum was founded in response to Jew Hatred. Once again, we are experiencing a major rise Jew Hatred throughout the United States and the rest of the world. There are many who support us. However, when I look at college campuses, I know the work to end anti-semitism and Jew Hatred is far from done. What will be our response globally? In Skokie a museum was created. I am not sure it is enough.
Since April, I have been telling my husband that I wanted to go to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and visit the Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie museums. I had the trip planned for the longest time. Our first stop would be these two museums, then we would visit with friends of his and perhaps one of his cousins in Oklahoma. On the way back I wanted to stop in Wichita, see more cousins, spend the night, then on the way home visit the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Though I kept talking about it, we never got around to do it this summer. But this fall, our plans changed quickly and radically. We were supposed to go to Israel where our daughter and her husband live. The war changed our plans, but my husband still had two weeks of vacation. I had to do something. Just sitting home and moping and worrying was not an option. I am the type of person who can usually find the good in any situation. And I was determined to find some small element of good.
Road Trip Number 1!
We reached out to our people; I made hotel reservations; and off we went.
The hotel we stayed at in downtown Tulsa was in easy walking to the two archive/museums. They are next door to each other. On our walk towards the museums, we saw a large post indicating that we were entering the Historic Greenwood District. This is the area where once a thriving Black community settled before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre took place. We thought it was extremely apropos that the museums dedicated to these two musical activists were in this area. It just fit.
I loved both museums. They each traced the lives of two of my musical heroes. Even though their music was written decades apart, they actually knew each other. One was born Jewish, the other was married to a Jewish woman and fought in WW2. Among Guthrie’s papers is one that reads, “Beat Hitler quick.” That resonated with me with all the Jew Hatred going on right now. The museums are both well worth the visit. You can spend time watching the videos or just walk through. I loved reading about them, listening to their music, and looking at their artifacts. At the Guthrie Museum, you must try the virtual reality of the dust storms that devastated Oklahoma. WOW.
That evening we ate dinner with our friends. I asked about the two museums I wanted to see. The husband actually serves on the board of the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. At dinner he told us a bit about the museum, I realized it was much bigger than I anticipated. For a community of about 1800 Jewish residents, it was really special.
The section about the Holocaust was difficult as such museums always have to be. But I loved how they imagined KrystalNacht. I was so touched by the stone display that is a memorial to the 1.5 million Jewish children killed. I had tears in my eyes thinking about the children who were recently murdered by Hamas. How could I not compare the two? The death of every child takes a toll on society.
Upstairs was dedicated to modern Jewish Life. They had a sanctuary set up that must be wonderful to teach about Judaism to those who come to visit. For me, personally, I loved the special exhibit of mezuzahs, the scrolls we put on our doorposts.
From there we went to the Philbrook Museum of Art. The house was built by Waite Phillips, who started a ‘little’ oil company. Phillips and his family lived there for only 11 years, and then they gifted the house and 23 acres of land to Tulsa for an art museum. Okay, I will be honest with you, the art in the house is great. But the house itself is amazing. I love old houses. And this one does not disappoint. The grounds are also stunning. Well worth a couple of hours to walk through and visit. It just cheered me up. I could see myself sitting outside for hours. We especially loved all the wonderful milkweed and butterfly gardens.
After we got back to our hotel, my husband’s cousin drove in from Oklahoma City to visit us. She surprised me with a gift, her grandmother’s mah jong set. She told me that no one in her family plays and she knew that I did, so she gave it to me. Her grandmother and my husband’s mother were sisters. I have to say having both of their mah jong sets gives me joy. It was great catching up with her and seeing pictures of her family and sharing photos of our family.
The next morning it was on to Wichita. One note about the drive from Texas to Kansas. It is VERY flat and dusty. There were no crops really, just fields and fields of red dirt. However, and I am really sorry I could not get a photo of this, besides the oil well arms pumping away there were also giant windmills. And at one spot there was a windmill farm circulating air and making e;ectricity above the same field where the oil well arms were pumping oil. It would have been a great photo representing the changes coming to society as we switch to rely on renewable energy.
Of course I contacted our Wichita cousins as soon as we arrived and then spent the next seven hours with them. It was great. We had two meals with everyone. But also had time for us older adults to just visit. We have not seen them for about six years, which is ridiculous. Wichita is just three hours from home. I vowed that we would come back more often. We need to see his first cousins and also visit some museums. (My husband hates museums, but he loves me.)
Next morning on to Hutchinson and the Cosmosphere, one of my favorite museums in Kansas. Honestly, we went several times when our children were younger. In fact, our daughter attended two summers of Space Camp there and loved them. Even though we have been members for about 28 years, we have not been there for about 20 years. It was definitely time to go back and see the changes!
The museum exhibits are wonderful. If you love space and NASA, you will love this museum. The real Apollo 13 space craft is there. All the exhibits have been redesigned since our last trip. Definitely for the better. We watched one of the two movies, about the Blue Whales. That cheered us up. We were pretty sure that this documentary would end on a sad note, but NO, the Blue whales are coming back and increasing in numbers. Honestly, I think Star Trek’s movie has something to do with that. It was a good start to the visit.
While we were walking around, I noticed a little exhibit off to the side, The V-2 Gallery, which was all about the V-1 and V-2 rockets that the Nazis used to bomb and terrorize London. In the past the history of these rockets was sort of not mentioned. Just as it was not always advertised that Wernher von Braun, who helped start the United States aerospace industry, was a member of the SS and helped Nazis build their death rockets. This exhibit made it very clear. It also made clear that the rockets were built by slave laborers in concentration camps. And over 500 prisoners were killed when the Allies bombed the factory, as the prisoners were locked in and could not escape. These rockets decimated London causing the deaths of over 20,000 people. A sad start to the aerospace history. But one I think should not be forgotten.
Our first Fall Road Trip was a great adventure. We loved seeing friends and family. We loved visiting new museums and revisiting the Cosmosphere. Personally, in this time of great stress for the Jewish community of the world and the horrors of war, I was glad to get away. But at the same time, I am glad that we were able to visit places that show good in the world and how society can survive war and hatred.
My cousins recently purchased a home in Maine close to Acadia Park overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Since they moved there for part of the year, I have been bombarded with demands that I visit. That I would love it. That I had to come to see their new home. So this summer my sister and I went to see them. I am so glad we did.
I will not tell you the exact little town that they live in, but it was easy driving to the Schoodic Institute at the Acadia National Park, which is located at Schoodic Point. The Institute studies environmental changes taking place in Acadia and provide educational programs for learners of all ages. They help manage research projects throughout the park.
The land at Schoodic Point, 2000 acres, was donated to National Park Service in 1929 by the John Moore family. Also starting in 1935 until the 1990s, there was a US Naval Security Group Activity Base located there, which included the most lovely building in the middle of the site. When the base closed, the National Park Service worked to develop a research learning center using the buildings that were going to be left unoccupied after the base was closed.
Now everyone can visit The Rockefeller Hall Visitor Center at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park. It houses a nice little museum and wonderful Park Rangers who can answer your questions!
After we visited the Center, we drove around to look at some of the stunning scenery. The black volcanic rock intermingled with the pink granite creates a wonderful vista when you look out to the ocean. You can walk along these scenic, rocky beaches. When we went to my cousins’ favorite spot, there was an older couple sitting on the stones, who insisted that we skip some small rocks into the ocean. It brought back memories of skipping rocks into the lake I grew up at in upstate New York. We soon learned that the pink stones crumble as they skipped, while the black volcanic stones made wonderful skips!
Another great place to visit is the Tidal Pools, where you can see the starfish caught in the tide pools, pick them up and touch them for a few moments before returning them to their safe havens. (Just be careful as the rocks are slippery and can move beneath your feet. I found out the hard way!)
Sunset from my sounsin’s home.
We ate in a wonderful seafood restaurant near their home. I had haddock. Yum! Saw lots of lobster boats and other little boats that made for brightly colored photos in each little cove.
Since we had one very rainy day while there, we stayed in an watched several documentaries created by local residents about the area and about the Penobsoct Indian Nation. They were extremely interesting and gave us information about the history of the area. Later we visited some of the areas mentioned in the documentaries.
When the weather cleared, we took a trip to Ellsworth. This lovely town has a quaint downtown and refers to itself as “The Museum in the Streets.” We had a great time visiting the shops and eating lunch. We still talk about the twin sisters who work in stores next to each other and were extremely helpful. We did our best to help the economy of this lovely shopping district.
While there we also saw one of the many granite sculptures that are scattered throughout the area. Some are on the side of The Schoodic National Scenic Byway, others are in town centers. I think we saw five. But there are many more.
Our final scenic vista came during a visit to Jones Pond. To this community it was a pond, but to me it looked much like the lake I spent my summers visiting. Except there were no boats docked on the Jones Pond, only a sea plane!! I loved seeing all the water lilies. We walked on a path along the coast of the pond for a bit. We were the only people there: a most peaceful and meditative experience.
A visit to the Acadia Park area in Maine is well worth the trip! I hope to go back again with my husband and visit many of the places we could not see in just four days.
zicharonot 