When learning more about the Marland Mansion in Ponca City and the 101 Ranch, I grew more and more intrigued by the 1920s. It was an era of early films....daring cowboys (like Tom Mix), dashing sheiks (Rudolph Valentino), new American... Continue Reading →
When I first heard of Lloyd Price's passing this month, I felt a bit of a shock because not too many days before I had a particularly spirited impromptu sing-along to his 1959 hit "Personality." Often known as "Mr. Personality"... Continue Reading →
You've seen many of my Western-themed posts, but to cap off Women's History Month, we're going far from the West, over the Atlantic to the town outside of Milan (Italy), Bollate, where my great-grandmother "Nonna Piera" Grassi lived. She was... Continue Reading →
With St. Patrick's Day last week, many of Irish extraction (and those who just want a good soundtrack for their Guinness) listened to a few tunes by Irish bands along with the wearin' of the green. Continuing with the Western... Continue Reading →
This post strikes a personal chord as it's linked to the history of my grandmother, Hetty Morris Stanley (nee Spicer). While I never met her in person, I knew of her through family lore as a "goer"-slang for an adventurous... Continue Reading →
Delving further into Oklahoma history as of late, I learned about the 101 Ranch in Ponca City, Oklahoma. My brother George informed me that our grandmother Hetty (whom I mentioned in my Knabe piano post) even worked there for a... Continue Reading →
Since I've started playing the piano again, I have (intrepidly) been adding some of the videos to YouTube. It is a good way to keep track of my progress. I've been watching a lot of boogie woogie piano videos by... Continue Reading →
Hello again, I'm back! What a year! (Very original observation, I know-but hey, in 2020, it's a universal sentiment)! While live concerts have definitely not been my focus these days due the global pandemic that is COVID-19, other interests keep... Continue Reading →
Since this is the year I decided to focus on my own creative projects, I'm introducing one to you! Plus some of my photography and mid-century mod discoveries that make up a theme I call "Retro Fairfax." The bold red... Continue Reading →