Mesa Verde Spruce Tree House

Here are just two of several dioramas that were constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930's.

This Land was Their Land - Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde has long been on my bucket list.  I marvel at the structures when I see photos.  Having watched several videos of the area, I finally got to see it for myself.

The ancestral Pueblo people settled here around 550 A.D.  Yes, long before Europeans came and took the land away.  As a matter of fact, the Pueblo people left the dwellings in the late 1200's.  The cliff dwellings were discovered in the 1800's and have been extensively excavated and studied.  But since the Pueblo people had no written language, there is much that remains unknown.  Our guide told us that he had Pueblo blood on his mother's side of the family.  He was very informative.  Here are some of my photos.

A second-generation pit house.

A third evolution of a large pit house.  Pit houses were entered through the roof.  They were in use from 550 to 750 A. D.

The structure had eight kivas and at least 60 rooms.  It was reached by ropes and ladders up the cliff face.  Below is a view of the cliff face showing the placement of the dwelling.

As I am struggling with some meds to treat a sinus infection, I will save my other pics for another day and call it a night.

W: Wright, Wilkie's Woman in White, Whitefish Bay

The first career path I ever seriously considered (after five years of voice and wanting to be a singer) was architecture.  In a bold experiment in the 1950's my junior high school hired a teacher and put together an all girls class in drafting.  I loved it.

I thought that this would be an exciting career. Unfortunately, when I discussed it with the instructor, he said it was a difficult career path for women, that firms did not want to hire someone who might get pregnant in the middle of a project and leave.  Hey, I was 12 and certainly not thinking about having babies.

I still love architecture and have been a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust for many, many years.  I've traveled around the country and seen many Wright-designed  homes.  And I have books.  Lots and lots of books with a few pictured here.





At the start of this challenge I mentioned that I have often loaned out a book and then had to buy it again when it wasn't returned.

I had to do that with Wilkie Collins's 'The Woman in White'.  Published in 1860,  I read the book for the first time one hundred years later.  I absolutely loved it.  It was the first of the 'sensation novels' and his work out-sold his mentor, Charles Dickens, at the time of publication.  During this challenge, I have been re-reading it.  I finished it on Monday. Knowing the twists, but not remembering everything (it has been 56 years), has not made it any less enjoyable than the first time I read it.  And besides, this edition has all sorts of interesting info in appendices that the paperback I used to own did not.



Whitefish Bay National Forest Scenic Byway is in the Hiawatha National Forest in the Upper Peninsula.  If you are visiting Tahquamenon, then you are already here in the right area.  Or it would be part of your drive around Lake Superior.  Seventeen miles northwest of Whitefish Bay is where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975.

If you continue on up on Hwy. 123 going north and you are a fan of Steve Hamilton novels, you will arrive in Paradise.  Oh, and there is a lighthouse, too.  Check out the links.

S: Secrets and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

This is a two-fer since I couldn't decide:  'The Secret Garden' (1910) and 'The Secret Life of Bees' (2001).  Both of these books touch a very special place in my heart and in my life.  They both speak to me of the goodness of people.

Now that my back garden is completely enclosed, my kids call it my fortress.  And their old play fort is still standing.  But it is now my 'secret garden'.  I walk through the gates in summer and am in a world of color.

Both of these books have children as central characters.  Their stories and the life-lessons they learn are endearing.  And both books have been made into movies, if reading is not your thing.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore  Another national treasure right here in my home state.  It has been many years since I have visited, but I had a great time when I did.  I was also much younger, lol.  Here is a link to an email I just received from Pure Michigan talking about the dunes.

P: Pride and Prejudice and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

I never had to take English Literature in high school or college. Consequently, there are many novels that are required reading for most students that I never had to read. I doubt that I would have ever read Pride and Prejudice if I had not seen the version dramatized in 1995 with Colin Firth starring as Darcy.  Swoon.  Double swoon.  Oh, hell, just go into a faint on that chaise of mine.

That is when I finally bought a copy of the book and decided to give it the literary attention it deserved - without the swoon and googly eyes.

It was most enjoyable.  Since that time, I have read nearly all of the Austen novels and the Bronte novels.  And I got to enjoy them without having to write some silly report on what the author was trying to say.  

Reading for the enjoyment of 'just reading' is what it is all about.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  Hugging the coastline of Lake Superior for more than 40 miles, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is a sight to behold.

I: Impressionists and Isle Royale National Park

They used to call them coffee table books.  Do they still do that?  I have lots of them.  I love going to art museums, especially when there are special exhibits.  I've picked up several of these art collection books used.  Usually they are just a couple of bucks each.

If I have a favorite art period, it is the Impressionists.  I have been fortunate to have visited some of the foremost museums in the world.  But in the absence of actually visiting, one can enjoy the pictures in books.

Recently I was contacted by a website regarding a post I did on Diego Rivera.  If you would like to see art online, I suggest you check out artsy.net.

Are you an art lover?  Do you have any coffee table books?  What subjects are they about?

Isle Royale National Park
While up to this point I have actually visited the places I've blogged about, I have yet to visit Isle Royale.  And I doubt that I ever will.   While I enjoyed camping out in the wild when I was younger,  I am now more into 'spa days'.  The park re-opens on the 16 of April.  You have time to plan a trip, though it won't be a day trip.  The island is only accessible by boat, about a three hour ride.  Our Boy Scout troop often talked about going on a high adventure trip there, but I don't know if they ever made it.  Here is a link to a preview of a short film about the wolves and moose on the island.

This is the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service.

Travelling Tuesday - The San Antonio Missions

Back in July I received the email I have copied below.  Those of you who have followed my A to Z Challenge posts know that I try hard to see UNESCO World Heritage Sites whenever I travel.  I already have a few lined up for my trip overseas next Spring.

I have made two trips to San Antonio, Texas.  On my first trip I encountered an ice storm in early December. On the second trip it was a heat wave in May.  I am guessing that the decision to tour the Missions was made during that May trip.  I do no have a lot of photos.  I think that is due to not having a digital camera at the time and then picking only a few photos to put in the album.  That means that there are more photos stashed away and I really need to go through all of them one of these days.  (LOL)

What follows is the email and then my photos, which I hope I have labelled correctly.  Thanks for travelling with me.

Click Here to Learn More about San Antonio Missions National Historical Park! Dear Denise, We did it! We are excited and proud to announce that San Antonio’s five Spanish colonial missions--four of them already protected in a national park--have been designated the first World Heritage Site in Texas.This is awesome news and couldn't have happened without steadfast advocacy from NPCA supporters like you over the years. So thank you! On July 5, 2015 in Bonn, Germany, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural World Heritage Committee voted to designate the five missions--including the Alamo--as a World Heritage Site. A World Heritage designation brings awareness to the “outstanding universal value” and “cultural significance” of these missions as they join the ranks of other important sites like the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, and Egypt's Giza pyramids. The designation makes the missions the 23rd World Heritage Site in the United States, many of which are also protected as national parks, such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and the Statute of Liberty.The naming of the missions as a World Heritage Site represents a decade of work between the community, public sector employees, civic leaders and elected officials at the local, state and national levels. The San Antonio missions represent our nation's largest collection of Spanish colonial resources, and their new status as a World Heritage Site will further enhance the experience of visitors while vastly expanding the missions’ economic impact on the city of San Antonio. Thank you for helping ensure these historic and cultural treasures are placed among Earth's greatest landmarks. Congratulations, Suzanne Dixon Senior Director, Regional Operations The Alamo Mission Concepcion: Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo