Monday's Postcard 2015: Missouri

 

At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden, served tea with ice and invented iced tea.  Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream. 

Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest beer producing plant in the nation. 

Fun Meter to MAX

 So my weekend was planned for months! I had purchased tickets to go see The Princess Bride Movie and Discussion with Cary Elwes who had recently written a book. (As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride) . So I left home on Friday Night and got on the Redeye to Philly. Got a seat and was happy as a clam, until I arrived in Philly at 6am the next morning and I remembered that my tickets to the event were still on my bulletin board in my kitchen, back in Seattle. 

 I was frantic and my blood pressure spiked for hours while I waited for the box office to open, so I could call them and explain my stupidity and hope that they would let me into the theater anyway. I mean, I did have emails from them confirming that I had paid for my tickets. Finally after 10am on Saturday, I got through to the venue confirming that I had purchased tickets and that they would just let me pick up some replacements at will call. Whew, how great was that??!! Now I could take a nap and be fresh for the movie that night!!

And at the theater I ran into some letterboxing friends!! How about that? Small world :-)

The Movie was fun and it was great to listen to the question and answer with Cary Elwes. I also got to get a signed book and shake hands with the man in black (Dread Pirate Roberts) himself!

The next day, my friend, Deirdre and I went to see the tall ships in Philadelphia. We took the water taxi over to the Camden, NJ side

 It was a great day to be out on the water, Saturday was rainy and gross, but today was absolutely GORGEOUS!

There was a whole herd of food trucks !

And we even stopped at the Camden Aquarium to check out the Sharks and the Penguins.

Then it was back to PHL airport and back to work for me.

Monday's Postcard 2015: Mississippi

In 1902 while on a hunting expedition in Sharkey County, President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear. This act resulted in the creation of the world-famous teddy bear. Friendship Cemetery in Columbus has been called Where Flowers Healed a Nation. It was April 25, 1866, and the Civil War had been over for a year when the ladies of Columbus decided to decorate both Confederate and Union soldiers' graves with beautiful bouquets and garlands of flowers. As a direct result of this kind gesture, Americans celebrate what has come to be called Memorial Day each year, an annual observance of recognition of war dead.

Monday's Postcard 2015: Minnesota

 

Minneapolis’ famed skyway system connecting 52 blocks (nearly five miles) of downtown makes it possible to live, eat, work and shop without going outside. In 1956, Southdale, in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, was the first enclosed climate-controlled suburban mall. 

Minnesota has one recreational boat per every six people, more than any other state. 

Throwback Thursday Hawaii Circa 1978

Thought I would do a Throwback Thursday post of a family vacation we took to Hawaii....I think in 1978 or so. The Brady Bunch went to Hawaii in 1972 I think, so we were already primed to want to find a mysterious Tiki

Hotel Pool

But we crave more adventure!!

Danger!!

Down to a mysterious cave

Scaling the Rocks!!

A deserted beach

Crystal clear waters

Interesting sea life

Too much sun?

Monday's Postcard 2015: Michigan

Although Michigan is often called the "Wolverine State" there are no longer any wolverines in Michigan. Sault Ste. Marie was founded by Father Jacques Marquette in 1668. It is the third oldest remaining settlement in the United States. Michigan is the only place in the world with a floating post office. The J.W. Westcott II is the only boat in the world that delivers mail to ships while they are still underway. They have been operating for 125 years.

Monday's Postcard 2015: Massachusetts

The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth in 1621. The visible portion of Plymouth Rock is a lumpy fragment of glacial moraine about the size of a coffee table, with the date 1620 cut into its surface. After being broken, dragged about the town of Plymouth by ox teams used to inspire Revolutionaries, and reverently gouged and scraped by 19th-century souvenir hunters, it is now at rest near the head of Plymouth Harbor.