1968...

The super awesome exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul is 1968.  My sister and I went up to see it and to catch some hockey.  It was a good time, they also had their Dia de los Muertos celebration so we spent some time there too.  But as I am sure you can guess, that is another post for another time.  This one is all about hopping back to the past and the tumultuous time that was 1968.  So we get there and the first thing we get is a newspaper from December of 1968 (yes, there is a post about this too).  Nothing like an old newspaper image of the moon to get you in the mood for some history.   Not in any order and no captions, just the pictures. 

On to Tombstone

 So of all the places I wanted to visit while I toured the southwest Tombstone was on at the top of the list.  I'm a history kinda girl and it is chalk full of it.  Sadly I got sick around that time.  Yeah it was stupid on my part, some super dehydration.  I was nauseous for most of the day.  Little queasy at tombstone (at first I attributed it to the negitive energy of Tombstone) but it only got worse as the day went on, actually that was the reason the trip was cut short. But that is neither here nor there at this point.





So Tina and I left Tuscon early in the day and headed south, on a path that would take us really close to the Mexican border. To another town that I wanted to see, but slept through (I did go back later with the parents though).  Arizona is kinda pretty.  They have mountains, cacti, and animals.  I enjoyed the drive.  We got to Tombstone early and natually found the museum.  It was the old courthouse. 






They had an overview of the OK Corral, and the Earp brothers.  I am not a huge fan of Wyatt Earp as he was kinda a jerk.  But Doc Holliday intrigues me.  Upstairs the courthouse was set up just as it was in the 1800's.  So it was kinda neat to see.  Outside you could go see Tombstone as it was... well kinda.  Part of the town is the tourist feature.  One street mainly done in dirt and all fixed up pretty. 





They have the OK Corral where they talk about the empty lot that the gunfight took place in.  They lay out the time line and the events leading up to it.  Pretty nifty actually.  Then you have old timey stores and business on both sides of the dusty old street.  Then you show up at Big Nose Kate's Saloon (assuming it was later named after her as a nod to Tombstone history).  Where you learn a little about Kate.  She was Doc's girlfriend (may or may not have been a prostitute- no one really knows), and he felt she was his intellectual equal.  She ran a boarding house, might have run a brothel, and often gets confused with Tombstones' Rowdy Kate.









At the far end of the street is the Birdcage Theater.  Legend has it that 26 people were killed there as it was the meanest, rowdiest places in Tombstone and there is still 120ish bullet holes in the joint.

House on the Rock

So I went to the House on the Rock today in Wisconsin.  Honestly I am not sure how I felt about it.  Part of it was really cool and amazing artwork, woodwork, and design.  Then there was the creepy (really the only word I can think of that fits) parts.  The collections, the mechanical musical things.  And then there was the carousel and whale.  I really don't know about it, cause they both fit the dichotomy of the house.

It is overwhelming.  The sheer size alone, and then add the thousands of items, the long twisting pathways and it is almost inconceivable to soak it all in. There are parts that you could stay in for hours and not see everything, and parts that you want to run through and just glance at everything.

The house was apparently but to stick it to Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is in a Japanese style.  The pathways twist and turn though the house.  It is actually very amazing.  The infinity room sticks out over the rocks and bluff face.  The sides were all windows and it got narrower and narrower until it came to a spot where you could look down.  I am not sure what held it up, cause it sure don't look like anything is.  And every gust of wind could be felt.  But the view was amazing!




The pathways continued winding and we entered the collection's part of the house... It was more museum than house, but I am sure it is technically a house... There was the street of yesteryear, which ended with a big ole calliope.  This was kinda cool, the street was filled with shops and and toys, Faberge eggs (apparently there is real and fake stuff all mixed together).  A bunch of mechanical musical things, and those old timey/carnival games.



 
Then went entered the sea room, this had a ridiculously large and I mean room sized whale fighting an octopus.  Yeah, I was confused too...

Then we went to another room with cars, trains, some sign in German telling the idiots not to touch but look at the pretty lights.  And of course a little cafe.  Continuing on, we saw a bunch of doll houses and and dolls, and then there was the carosul, the largest apparently, and there is not one horse on it.  Then we entered what I believe was supposed to be a giant still.  Once again, I am not really sure why.  There was a mini world tour, a doll carousel, and a really creepy circus section.


 









So yeah, not sure how I felt about it, but I honestly can't say I am planning on going back anytime soon.

Golden and Bald! The National Eagle Center

  Last Friday (the 18th) my cousin Susie and I, along with my mom's cousin Sylvia, went to the National Eagle Center.  The National Eagle Center is in Wabasha Minnesota.  Wabasha is a small town along the Mississippi River.  And Wabasha like many of the little river towns has a large eagle population.  La Crosse, Winona, Prairie Du Chien, Red Wing, you name one they all have loads of 'em. 

And Wabasha much like La Crosse has a large wintering population of eagles.  By the dams there is a large spot of open water.  They like this.  Literally hundreds at any given moment, trust me it is awesome to see.  Now while we were in Wabasha, there wasn't bunches of eagles flying around.  The warm weather had opened up much of the river and they were on the move.  But during the 60ish mile drive to Wabasha there were tons flying around, hanging out on the river and just being amazing! (I love Minnesota)

But at the Eagle Center I got closer to eagles than I ever thought possible.  They are so beautiful up close.  Hell, they are pretty darned awesome from a distance too.  There were 3 Bald Eagles and one Golden Eagle at the eagle center.  They aren't as big as I expected, I mean they are big and have a huge wingspans, but I figured they weighed lots more than the 8-12 pounds they do.  Got to watch one eat, and of course it decided to take a dump too (lovely I know).  But hey, I am not gonna share what I learned about that function...

None the less, I loved it, probably because I love eagles.

Wild Thing: Creepy Crawlies

Velvet Ants

 
Going through my pictures I have found a bunch of bugs.  I am not a huge bug person, they are kinda creepy.  Sometimes they are interesting and like to get pictures of them.  Well so long as they are behind glass... I like them that way.  Yeah, I am a girl... what of it!

Some sort of Malaysian Beetle

Scorpion

Grasshopper from the Grand Canyon

Grasshopper from Malaysia

Black Widow

So I have a bad habit of taking pictures of flowers that have bugs on them.  They are really cool and I never notice the bugs.  I am trying to figure out how this happens.  Cause I am sure if I tried I would never manage it.  It is kinda funny.  And this is the only one I can find that is any good.  Pretty sure I've lost several over the years.

Minnesota 150: Trois

I gotta start this one off with a little love fest.  Now I am not a huge baseball fan, it is kinda boring, and I am not even a huge Twins fan... I know, I know but hey, I will always kinda love them.  For one reason...Kirby Puckett.  He was my first crush.  I was madly in love with him, well, forever.  I still get choked up thinking about him sometimes.  Oh and the Twins won the world series twice! 1987! 1991!

And some more love for Paul Wellstone!  He was a rare one, one of those politicians that actually gave a damn about doing the right thing and reform, and the people who elected him.  Tragically, his life was cut short during his 2002 senate campaign, when is plane crashed. 

Walter Mondale a Minnesota senator, U.S. vice president and presidential candidate.  He was Carter's vice president and he ran unsuccessfully against Reagen in 1984.  His running mate Geraldine A. Ferraro was the first female vice presidential candidate.  He only carried Minnesota and the District of Columbia. Oh yeah, I voted for him once.

Yeah, Prince or whatever he is going by these days.  I have to say I am not really a fan, but my sister is.

 
L. David Mech-the wolf expert-he did a lot of his research on the wolf population of Minnesota and he is an adjuct professor at the U of M.

Ann Bancroft of Minnesota was the 1st woman to cross both the North and South Poles.  She crossed the North Pole in 1986 and the South Pole she led 4 other women in an expeditions in 1992 and 1993.  She also was the first woman to cross Greenland.



Well folks, this is probably the end of the MN-150... the rest of the pics aren't that good.

Minnesota 150: Deux

Continuing the Minnesota 150.  It was actually so cool that my sister and I went back, well, the reason was probably the Ben Franklin exhibit, but lets pretend!  Oh the first part can be found here.  Getting started now...
...The Great Northern Railway!  It went from St. Paul to Spokane.  It was formed by James J. Hill and would become one hell of railway hub!

Yes, he was actually born and raised in South Dakota.  But he was a two term senator from Minnesota, and the vice president under LBJ.  He was also mayor of Minneapolis!  And he lost to Nixon in the 1968 bid for the presidency.

This one I have no clue about.  It runs from Minnesota all the way down to Louisiana, and is nicknamed the blues highway.  Bob Dylan wrote a song about it, and there was a movie too...

This one is bit blurry, but they are campaign buttons from Eugene McCarthy (not to be confused with Joesph McCarthy from Wisconsin).  Eugene McCarthy was a senator from Minnesota who ran in 1968 for president in a very anti-war campaign.  He would run again in subsequent elections.

The honeycrisp!  An apple that is fabulous!!!!  It was cultivated in Minnesota!  People love this apple!!!

And how else to end this one, but with SPAM!!!  Not a fan, honestly.  Once or twice I might have enjoyed it, but yeah, not a fan.