Occupy Wall Street

On Saturday afternoon, I went down to lower Manhattan with some friends to witness the Occupy Wall Street protests. Here's a glimpse of what it's like down there...

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Ringling Museum

The Ringling Museum of Art is located in Sarasota, Florida, on about 20 acres of waterfront property purchased by the circus giant himself back in 1911. This multi-facility museum highlights works of fine art, a historic mansion, circus paraphernalia, and a theater.

Truthfully, I never knew this place existed until I read my friend Katy's blog post on her visit about a month ago. She sold me on a visit with all her photos of the dwarf garden. So on a beautiful afternoon last weekend, I went to the museum with my parents to explore the grounds and exhibits...

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Morning at Ground Zero

It's hard to believe that it's the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Where were you when the events unfolded? The National Geographic Channel made a comprehensive Facebook app that allows you to share your story and read the personal accounts of others – people from around the world – via social media. I hope you check it out.

I spent last year – 9/11/10 – at Ground Zero and live-tweeted from the memorial event. As I'm still traveling and writing in south Florida, I thought I would repost and share my images from last year and invite you to comment with your stories and comments below so that we may NEVER FORGET....

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Cape Kennedy

I spent the day yesterday touring Cape Kennedy with my family. My father used to work for NASA and assisted on the Apollo 1-11 launches. He also did the prep work for Apollo 12 & 13 (When asked about Apollo 13, my dads responds with "my part worked"). It was really special to tour the NASA grounds & hear my dad's stories from back in the day. He hadn't been to many of these spots since he left in 1969.

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View from a Castle

Salzburg, Austria....

Check out more Views posts.

View from a Bridge

Historic town of Clinton, New Jersey...

See more posts with views.

Memorial Day

Your silent tents of green,

We deck with fragrant flowers; 

Yours has the suffering been,

The memory shall be ours.

~ Longfellow

{learn about when i captured the images above}

Hope Diamond

Have you ever seen the Hope Diamond? The famed deep blue stone – which is over 45 carats – was once owned by King Louis XV and Marie Antoinette. It was donated to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum from Harry Winston, Inc. in 1949. Legend has it that the Hope Diamond carries a curse with its beauty.

To honor the fiftieth celebration of the museum collection's crown jewel, the Hope Diamond was displayed bare of its diamond setting, pendant and necklace. I had a chance to see it on my last trip to Washington, D.C. and it is stunning!

P.S. A bit of trivia. Where was the Hope Diamond mined? Find out the answer here.

More Hope Diamond history.

Learn about a new setting planned for the famous diamond.

Visit the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

An American Flashback: 1940s

The 1940s in America: World War II was happening. The microwave was invented. Jackie Robinson was a baseball hero. Franklin D. Roosevelt was President, followed by Harry Truman. Pearl Harbor was bombed. The University of Oklahoma would only accept white applicants. The average price for a gallon of gasoline was 15 cents. Pinocchio, Dumbo and Casablanca were on the silver screen.

Heartthrobs and heartbreakers were Rita Hayworth, Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra and Clark Gable. Popular literature included For Whom the Bell Tolls, Death of a Salesman and A Little Prince. The average annual income was around $2,200. Kids played Candy Land and Silly Putty was invented. Good Housekeeping was a favorite magazine. My immigrant grandparents sewed gloves and made top coats at factories in Chicago. 

There was a guide to hiring women.

(Hint: download the image and open it up on your desktop for better reading quality.)

Learn more American 1940s history here.

Historic Annapolis

On my recent 6-week road trip, I visited the historic district of Annapolis for the first time. Known as America's Sailing Capital, this charming historic city is nestled along the bay. Annapolis is the capital of the state of Maryland (and named after Queen Anne) and was established by the Puritans as a seaport over three hundred years ago.

During my visit, I strolled the cobblestone streets and explored the beautiful United States Naval Academy before I met up with one of my friends for Maryland crab dip and draft beer at an outdoor bar and grill.

The United States Naval Academy – founded in 1845 – has truly a spectacular campus. Below, images I captured during my walk throughout the grounds.

 

View my Maryland post series.

Read more about my travels.

Plan a trip to Annapolis.

{images copyright Jodi Kendall}