Crossing the Allegheny Mountains, I was excited to go to my first truly Midwestern state, Ohio. Green rolling hills, lush foliage and rural scenes comprised the views on the drive through Virginia and Pennsylvania into the Buckeye State. I thought... Continue Reading →
Hello again! Have you ever wanted to go somewhere not necessarily well-known, but that holds deep significance for you? For me it was Quincy, Illinois, a town that loomed large in the lore of my late father's family history. I... Continue Reading →
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 →