“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” —Stephen King

 

 

 

Brehanna Daniels Is the First Black Woman In a NASCAR Pit Crew

 

 

 

Hellfire
Hellfireby John Gilstrap

From a New York Times bestselling author: Hostage rescue specialist Jonathan faces his most personal mission yet when two boys are abducted from the school he founded. As Jonathan and his team close in on the kidnappers, they unveil a deadlier agenda than they had ever imagined… “Gilstrap will leave you breathless” (Harlan Coben).  Read More

Release Date: June 30th, 2020

 

 

 

China warned of mysterious virus 6 months ago. Here’s where the world is at now.

 

 

Something a bit different—some highlights of Ybor City

 

 

 

10 Easy Projects for When You’re Stuck at Home

 

 

Still trying to find stuff for you to do while hiding from the BUG

I’m not getting any pay just picking stuff that look interesting

Benjamin Chaud, illus.
Item #: D06069
Publisher: Chronicle
ISBN: 9781452141824
$6.98

 

 

 

The teenage Dutch girls who seduced and killed Nazis

 

 

 

 

London

 

“In the early hours of the first attempts had been made to check it by forming chains of fire fighters armed with leather buckets full of water but thee water merely hissed in the flames.  The few primitive fire engines that London then possessed had proved no more effective.  Sir Thomas Bludworth,

the hard-drinking vintner who was serving as Lord Mayorwhen first called out to view the conflagration–had delivered himself of a contemptuous opinion:  ‘Pish!   A woman might pisse it out!’   Later, he had been urged to order the wholesale puling down of houses in the path of the fire, but he dared not give the order for fear of the claims of compensation that would ensue.”

Tower of London

Christopher Hibbert

and the Editors of

the Newsweek Book Division

 

 

What happened in the Great Fire of London? 

 

 

 

How to Make DIY Pasta Salad with Whatever’s On Hand

 

 

 

Welcome to Tampa’s Latin Quarter

 

 

Richmond, Va., Mayor Orders Emergency Removal Of Confederate Statues

 

 

 

 

 

 

As promised:  Other things to see in Lake Wales

and eat as well.

 

 

Vintons

 (863) 676-8242

 229 Stuart Av E, Lake Wales, FL 33853

was Vinton’s Restaurant and Grille when we did our tour.  The Vinton Brother and sister team were said to be preserving a rich heritage that goes back three generations.  VInton’s was celebrating 25 years in business at that time.

 

 

 

BSD Galleries, Inc.
208 East Stuart Avenue
Lake Wales, Florida

HOURS:
Wednesday  – Friday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The distinctive BSD Galleries jewelry, “wearable art in the form of fine contemporary jewelry,”
is only available through very select galleries but is worn and cherished by happy clients throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

The Gallery and Frame Shop
249 E. Stuart Avenue
Lake Wales, FL, 33853

Phone:(863) 676-2821

Hours:Monday: 9:30 to 5:30
Tuesday: 9:30 to 5:30
Wednesday: 9:30 to Noon
Thursday: 9:30 to 5:30
Friday: 9:30 to 5:00
Saturday: 9:30 to Noon
Sunday: Closed

   Email:info@thegalleryandframeshop.com

Shadowboxes

My real specialty is shadowboxes, no two are ever the same. From christening gowns to household items, they are all special and unique.

 

125 W Park Ave
Lake Wales, Florida 33853
Thank you all who have visited us. We are closing March 31 and will return in November with new treasures.
(518) 605-6750
Send Message
10:00 PM – 5:00 PM

 

 

 

 

 

      Henry Ford’s Forgotten Rubber Empire Deep in the Heart of the Amazon

 

 

 

Most Impressive Crusader Castles

 

MORE  Knight Sites

 

Templar Castles in the Twelfth century

Generalized statements about Templar castles are apt to be even more confusing than other generalizations about them:  for instance, the greatest Templar Castles, At’lit or Castle Pilgrim, built to be impregnable and never in fact taken by the Templar’s enemies, was not built until 1218.  Thus to list the castles       or speak generally of their characteristics would be to present a false picture of the situation in the twelfth century.  

The Templars never held more than ten or so castles at any given moment in their history, far less than the Hospitallers who already held as many as seven or eight castles by 1160, and at one time or another possessed a total of 56 castles in Latin Syria

The Templars Knights of  God

Edward Burman

 

8 Exotic Spices You’ve Never Heard Of

 

 

 

Ybor’s Art Galleries

 

 

 

1920’s and Women’s Education | Filthy Dreamers

 

 

 

Epona

 

Have you every heard of Epona?

 

The Divine Horse

 

she was really quite famous in her day

 

a Deity in fact

 

and the only Celtic Goddess to be worshiped in Rome (or at least one of the few–depending on your reference)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gatlinburg – Pigeon Forge and the Smoky Mountains Travel Guide

 

 

 

Highgate Cemetery, London - West Cemetery | Graveyard | Church Yard | Macabre Photography | UK Travel Guide
One of the places YOU MUST VISIT in LONDON
You’ll find the most interesting people there and so many are famous
but then there are departed that are interesting without the Fame–
 James William Selby
“On entering you will be near the monument of James William Selby  (1834-1888), a noted coachman who died of exposure at age 45.  The lower part of his tomb shows a whip and horn he used when he piloted his famous coach, “Old Times”  In the year of his death, Shelby won a bet by covering the 108-mile distance between London and Brighton in seven hours and fifty minutes.  It is not surprising that he finally died of exposure; there were nights when the sleet froze his hat to his head,  necessitating its removal by steam.
Permanent Londoners:  Guide to the Cemeteries of London
Judi Culbertson and Tom Randall

 

 

 

 

 

Historical Ybor City

 

 

 

You can shop the cool artists in the virtual Sidewalk Sale, live stream great music, do an art project with your kids, and shop for artisanal foods and more! Tune in and join the fun.

 

 

Cemetery Entry 1

I know I might be risking sounding morbid but this is another place I recommend:

and now another cemetery?  but a much smaller–but no less interesting

 

Key West

A stroll thru this grave yard can tell you much about Key West’s character as you would from any history lesson.

 

 

The main entrance stands at the corner of Margaret Street and Passover Lane.   Just walk in and straight to the first corner (Palm and Magnolia)—Past the rusted grave of Milton Curry’s final resting place by the wrought iron fence.  Here you will see several graves enclosed and over seen by the statue of a sailor guarding his sleeping comrades.  This is the final resting place of several of the sailors who died less than 100 miles away in Havana Cuba when the battleship Maine blew up and sank in 1898,  from what at the time was considered to be an attack but more recent investigations seem to indicate that was due to negligence on the part of the ships command—but what ever caused it—these sailors died as a result—Several were nursed at the Convent by the nuns that use to inhabit this out of the way little bit of the way portion of Florida.

 

Convent of Mary Immaculate in Key West, Florida

More next time—on Tues of the walk thru the founders and crazies of KW

 

 

 

Devil’s Backbone continues to intrigue travelers in W.Va.

 

 

 

Book cover for The Last Kings of Shanghai by Jonathan Kaufman

We’re riveted by this true tale of competing Jewish dynasties who aided China’s economic growth for decades until the political turmoil of World War II. From the Sassoon family, who built Shanghai’s star-studded Cathay Hotel, to the Kadoories of Hong Kong, these two families left an incredible legacy — and were moved to unite to protect Jewish refugees in the face of Nazism.

 

 

RVs: A Tip for Overcrowed Campgrounds

 

 

 

Shopping Ybor City

 

 

 

Seed of the month: Chia

 

 

 

Now here’s an area that I haven’t been to in England:

 

Pembrokeshire

This area was once split between Welsh Speakers and English speakers. which has become less of a divide over more recent history.

There are towns like Slova with Bright cottages and a narrow harbour   that is dry at low tide.

 

Sandersfoot a coastal town

and

Fishguard

 

 

There the diver’s paradise of

Abereiddi’s Blue Lagoon

 

Tenby

is a medieval coastal town that has for years been popular with artists and writers including JMW Turner , Lucian Freud, Dylan Thomas 

and Beatrix Potter.  

The town is described as having pastel-coloured harbour houses and narrow cobbled streets.  The town has been here since the Norman’s arrival in England and before.

Of course there’s things to see including:

 

Tudor Merchant House

owned by the National Trust

for a sample of life in 15th-century Wales

 

From Tenby you can walk to

St. Catherine’s Island

 

And you can take a boat from Tenby and attend a service at

Calday Abbey

on Caldey Island

to hear the Gregorian chanting of the cloaked Trappist monks

Monks came here in the 6th century and by the mid 20th c they were producing perfume made from island plants including lavender.

 

also on the island

 

 

Odd Shaped Post Office

Containing a Museum

full of archaeological finds from Caldey’s many caves

 

There’s a lighthouse on the islands as well

which offer great views of the mainland.

 

 

Other places of note include

 

Elegug Stacks

on the south coast–striking geological sites, the most notable South of Castlemartin.  also called Stack Rocks.  Elegug is from the Welsh name of the sea birds who nest here.  The formation is a pair of huge granite pillars just a few dozen metres from the cliffs here.

 

 

Green Bridge of Wales

Just a few minutes walk along the cliffs to the west is this impressive natural limestone arch with a 20 metre span.

 

and finally

 

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Britain’s only coastal national Park.  with hundreds of footpaths and bridle ways  that take you to coves, countrysides and historic attractions.

go to:   www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk

to check out your options.

 

This park is dotted with remnants of the Christian tradition in the area dating from the 6th century as well as earlier evidence of prehistoric Celtic Civilization

 

 

The village of Little Haven on the Pembrokeshire coast

 

 

 

this July at National Portrait Gallery

 

 

Center Place

Brandon, Fl.

” A girl who has been nicknamed Matilda (but whose real name may be Susan) gently haunts Brandon Center.  Brandon Center stands on the former site of a funeral home.  A young woman named Susan,  who had been an artist, had been on of it’s ‘clients’

 

The first reported sighting of Susan was by a staff member who was answering a security call.  An apparition of a shy, young girl dressed in blue was seen near a Coke machine.  The girl vanished quickly and could not be found upon a search of the premises.  She has not been seen since, although people have sensed an unseen presence.

 

Haunting Sunshine:  Ghostly Tales from Florida’s Shadow

Jack Powell

 

 

Brandon Hauntings Paranormal

 

 

 

10 Best Korean Horror and Thriller Movies You Can Watch Tonight If You Love a Good Scare

 

 

 

 

                                       Dining               and                   Nightlife in Ybor CIty

 

 

Jennifer Aniston Says Wearing a Face Mask ‘Really Shouldn’t Be a Debate’

 

 

 

Sherwood Forest: Major Oak

Sherwood Forest: Major Oak

Major Oak in Sherwood Forest, according to legend, the tree was the meeting place of Robin Hood and his men. 

Galli

There is speculation that the tree may be as old as a thousand years.

 

 

While you might well have heard of Sherwood Forest you might not be sure where exactly it can be found.

 

Sherwood is about 20 miles north of Nottingham  and yes the place that an outlaw which may or may not exist—-The Legend of Robin Hood and his Merry Men had been about both in the UK and the legendary Englishmen are even popular in the US as well.

 

 

As most of you know the Outlaws lived in Sherwood Forrest 

and yes it exists today, but is described as only a shadow of it’s former glory—hen it was once said to be thousands of arces.

 

and there are tours:

 

Starts at The Cross Keys Pub, Byard Lane, Fletcher Gate, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG1 2GJ
 
 
 
 

• NOTTINGHAM TOURS

 

 

Robin Hood’s Nottingham: From Sherwood Forest to City Centre tours

 

 

 

“The Legend of Robin Hood and Sherwood Forest”
Two Day Group Tours (eg. parties of over 20 persons)

Joining the city of Nottingham with Sherwood Forest to tell the tale of Robin Hood.

 

 

 

robin hood tours

 

 

 

13 Fun DIYs That’ll Keep the Kids Active During Summer Vacation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lungs At The Old Vic: The West End’s Back

 

 

 

Celebrations and event in Ybor City.

 

 

100+ Fun Things to Do at Home Right Now, From Virtual Tours to Animals Cams and More

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lovely lady was out guide at the museum in Ybor City

After the tour was over I spoke to her on the side and she recounted that her father had been a cigar maker and she had grown up in  one of the shotgun house that she was telling us all about

 

 

 

 

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