Museum Tourists: Visiting Museums While On Vacation

Dave, my partner, and I specifically budget to travel each year, forgoing other items and experiences. We do this because we find travel an enriching experience. Our worldview changes each time we go somewhere new. We also develop into better people because while experiencing new cultures, we gain a greater empathy for others, and learn more about ourselves. A large part of our travel includes visiting museums. Unfortunately, museums seem to possess a bad reputation as only for a select group of people who like history, art, or reading. This cannot be further from the truth. History and art museums are a great way to spend time on a trip, especially if the travelers are willing to do more than take a picture of a view or exert themselves physically while on an activity. This case needs to be made because too often I hear negative comments when I suggest museums as a tourism option. Visiting museums are often the most memorable, if not the best, part of my trip.

The Unknown Face: Identifying Historical Photographs and their Subjects

On a recent visit to Arizona to see my dad, he bestowed upon me the greatest gift I could have asked for: his entire collection of family photographs and documents. I have been researching my family tree for over four years now, taking all of those family stories and well known family members I had heard about my entire life, and began putting dates, locations, and other details to each one. Since informally earning the title of family historian, I believe my dad felt comfortable placing them in my care so that I could discover even more about our family. Each photograph is like a little clue, something that brings me closer to the truth and brings life to each ancestor I have researched and spent years finding and learning about. While this particular post focuses on one photograph in that collection, I know as I delve further into the entire collection, the more it will open itself up to me to share new information with you in the future.