Edinburgh: Day One

Still battling some jet lag and getting used to the fact that it is still like at 10:30pm.  Here are just a few photos from today.  Many more to come!

Ephemera from Illinois

If you follow any of my other blogs, you probably already know that I visit my relatives in (very) rural Illinois just about every year.  One of my favorite things to do there is sift thorough the random bits of paper in antique stores, or even in one of my grandparent's houses.  No one throws ANYTHING away there.  Here are a few of my treasured finds.

Might have been a slightly intimidating ride in his car

Chicago was home to both the 1893 World's Fair (Grand Columbain Exhibition) and the 1933 World's Fair.  This envelope with a letter was sent from the fair to someone at home.  The letter was written on a single, long sheet of paper and the illustrations were hand-drawn. 

Beautiful Art Deco design

Going to Illinois Soon!

It is almost time for me to escape the sweltering Southern sun for a summer with lightning bugs, a sky brimming with stars, and gardens full of deliciousness.  Every year we go up to visit relatives in time to enjoy the annual county fair -- on the same fairgrounds since 1888.

In honor of the impending trip, here are some of my favorite photos over the years.

Candy Kitchen, Greenup, IL

4H fowl judging

Thoroughbred racing

Canned goods

Harness racing

Moonshine, Illinois

Will Rogers Theater in Charleston, Illinois

Yoyo ride, Cumberland County Fair

If you want to see more from our trips to Illinois, check out A Week In Rural Illinois.

A Trip to Middleton Place

By the time I reached college, I was tired of the the cold winters.  I convinced my family to let me travel to Savannah and Charleston for spring break.  I was never much for the party scene.  I preferred poking around libraries, museums and old houses any day.  

I was determined to see an historic plantation that was not a theme park.  No ladies in hoop skirts, "acting" on the lawn.  Luckily, I found Middleton Place Plantation.  Since then, I have moved south and often take visitors up to this lovely, idyllic place.

Among other distinctions, Middleton Place has acres of gardens and grounds, which include the oldest living camellia plants, live oaks estimated to be 1000 years old, and hidden gardens.

The plantation was at one time a profitable rice farm.  The farmyard is now a "working" museum with stables, blacksmith, weaver, and corral.  Sheep and peacocks wander the lawns.

Bud the horse

The plantation sits on a bend on the Ashley River, about 14 miles upriver from Charleston and is a sanctuary for plenty of wildlife.  Eagles are often seen as are plenty of water fowl, and the occasional alligator!

For more information, check out their site: http://middletonplace.org/

Sleeper train from Savannah to DC

A few years ago, my parents lived in Virginia, near Washington DC.  Rather than make the drive alone, I took the sleeper car from Savannah to Union Station in DC when I visited for Christmas.  I didn't sleep very well and was up early in the morning.  So I snapped a few pictures of the towns we passed through.
I was interesting to see a town center or a crossing from other side.  It was like looking in a 2-way mirror.  These were the buildings and storefronts that serve (or served) a purpose when train travel (and shipping) was king.  Now, many of these are warehouses, or empty.  Rusting, dilapidated and nearly forgotten.  All captured from the window of a moving train.

America's Castle: The Biltmore

On another purely frigid day, we went to the Biltmore.  I was taken with it, much more than I expected to be.  I'm the one that said, "That's it? It's kinda crappy..." when I saw the Cinderella Castle at Disney World.
But as a devotee of Frederick Law Olmstead and historic architecture, I found a great deal to be enjoyed, inside and out.  And, I'll have to go back when it's not so bitterly cold.

The approach

Vaulted entrance

Inside the greenhouse

The head gardener's name was Chauncey (his name inspired the character in Being There)

Note Vanderbilt's initials on the copper pieces

The clock.  For the STABLE.