The Season is upon us, and blogging will slow for the holidays. There is much yet in store for the days following, however. It's been a busy fall...stay tuned.
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| Asheville and the Biltmore, by guest blogger Penelope |
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| Colonial Williamsburg, with pix by Ken and Susan; and others |
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| The hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny...Kaye.... |
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| And much else |
November 21st was another outing, Rebecca driving us and Penelope to nearby Greensboro for shopping in antiques and books and records, downtown lunch at Crafted taco restaurant, and a visit to the Replacements, Ltd. complex. Vicki has been a Replacements customer for many years, Rebecca has become one, and I was curious enough to go along. Replacements, Ltd., for those not in the know, collects and sells fine housewares...dishes, crystal, silverware, figurines, artsy things...it is the place to go (Replacements.com) if your Royal Doulton setting for twelve is missing an espresso cup. Or a teapot. It's also said to be the world's largest collection of said stuff. The complex is beyond stupendously large and interesting; so large as to have its own museum and guided tours. And the company is very employee-, community-, and environment-oriented, very high tech, and very proud of its relatively unique history. We spent a couple hours there and certainly would go back.
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| Most of us, there |
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| Moi, doing my thing |
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| In the showroom, a display of the 500 most popular patterns... |
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| And there's our Royal Doulton "Canton," as seen with the late Queen Elizabeth and Paddington Bear during the Platinum Jubilee (be very impressed) |
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| Some corporate history |
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| The "new" warehouse is large enough to hold six football fields |
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| And there's Rebecca's Denby...part of the reason for the visit... not our first Denby experience |
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| Shipping department |
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| More of the expanse... |
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| Stemware |
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| Displays like this all over the complex, for both visitors and employees |
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| Display on fine china in movies, TV shows, etc. |
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| They also do restoration and repair |
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| Flatware |
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| More corporate history, in the museum and on the tour |
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| Among the curiosities... |
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| Among the bargain bins...not pictured: the huge Xmas store, the fine jewelry department, etc. |
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| Many displays on how the stuff is/was made... |
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| Ditto |
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| And, of course, you can buy the complete set if you're so inclined |
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| Moving right along, we are now in downtown Greensboro, looking at all the art deco |
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| And historic stuff...the Woolworth building, site of some of the earliest and most effective sit-ins...now home of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum |
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| Alas, it was a cold, wet, blustery day, and we didn't get to see much; have to go back... |
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| At McKay's used books in Greensboro (a game aisle); among the reasons for the trip was selling some of our unwanted books and LPs here...the death cleaning continues |
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| Lastly, at the Antique Marketplace, viewing the scores of shops and booths; great trip! thanks, Rebecca! |
One of Florida's legendary tourist attractions is Silver Springs. "See Silver Springs" was on bumper stickers, billboards, and everything else that could carry a message in the mid-20th century. And the glass-bottom boats, whereby one saw the silver springs, were world famous, at least in Florida. Of course it was all eclipsed by Disney, as was everything else, declined, but finally was purchased by the state to become a state park, nature preserve, and historical site. Vicki visited it with her family when she was 10, and I am sure I was there with my mother and father on one of our "Florida" vacations in the 50s. It was an activity on Friday at Vicki's mini-reunion in Ocala, and we were there. Admission was a mere $2, the emphasis was on things natural and historical, and on the history of Florida tourism, and we were very glad we went.
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| Old-timey entrance preserved |
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| And the glass-bottomed boats |
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| Which take you perhaps a quarter mile down the river to see a score of the springs and various wildlife and other features |
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| Local bird, an anhinga |
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| And now we are underway, marveling at the ultra- clear spring water through the glass bottom |
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| Tons of protected fish, turtles and other critters |
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| The springs come up through the limestone, clearing out the sandy areas...some hundreds of millions of gallons from the Florida aquifer |
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| Remains of an ancient native American dug-out canoe; so it was said |
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| A number of movies were filmed at Silver Springs, most notably, for me, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and its sequels, which gave me nightmares as a child and probably explains my reluctance to step into any body of water that is less than 3% chlorine; that, and Jaws |
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| Another anhinga, drying its wings |
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| Among the many turtles, probably 15 inch-wide shells |
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| Ashore, a member of our party, Janice, who visited us in Paris in 2014 |
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| And Cookie, now enjoying a post-career as a photographer |
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| An alligator, not a small one, lurks nearby; alas, we did not see any of the manatees |
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| 38 feet down, one of the larger springs |
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| Gratuities left for the boat captain/guide, whose narration was nearly as good as Disney's Jungle Cruise |
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| Now we are promenading ashore, being enlightened by the excellent signage |
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| Statue of Osceola, leader of the unconquered Seminole tribe |
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| No swimming, currently, although the state has agreed to restore a swimming area; people were kayaking and paddle-boarding all over the river when we were there |
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| Artsy-fartsy shot of the springs and reflected clouds above |
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| Love the old tourism posters |
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| Exploring down one of the side creeks |
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| Fooling around, as usual |
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| Nice historical attention |
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| Giant cypresses all over; nice place, we recommend especially for the Florida nostalgia |
