That Vintage Girl

In the high-desert region of Navajo County in northern Arizona, there is a small quiet town called Winslow.  It was once a thriving community along Route 66, but today it might be missed in the blink of an eye by the average traveler driving along Interstate 40.  However, for the nostalgic traveler, Winslow holds a grand history and many treasured remnants from its glorious past.  Winslow, Arizona was founded in the early 1880s as a divisional terminal for the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad to serve as an operating headquarter and maintenance center for the growing railroad industry.  In 1930, the town celebrated the opening of La Posada, a beautiful hacienda style luxury hotel that was designed by Mary Coulter and built by Fred Harvey for the Santa Fe Railway to serve the surge of train passengers traveling to the Southwest.  In the same decade, America celebrated the opening of U.S Route 66 that connected Illinois to California. The new highway transformed ho...

If you dream in cinematic monochrome, long for the whispered secrets of Hollywood's early days, and appreciate the architectural charm of 1920s Los Angeles, you will enjoy reading The Castle on Sunset by Shawn Levy.  The book is a biographical novel about one of Hollywood's most famous haunts, the elegant and romantic Chateau Marmont.  Built in 1929, in the style of a French Gothic castle, the Chateau Marmont has stood majestically on one of California's most famous streets, Sunset Boulevard. It has silently witnessed and adapted to the changing scene on the Sunset Strip from a quiet urban neighborhood outside the city limits of Los Angeles to the glamorous playground of Tinseltown's movie stars.  Due to its proximity to the major Hollywood studios, it became a sanctuary for Hollywood legends who sought refuge and privacy, but was also a place where the lines between art, love and tragedy often intertwined. The author unveils decades of tales from passionate rom...

The thought of rainy days often conjures a feeling of confinement and a forced pause from the routines of daily life.  But there are many ways to turn a gray day into a cozy and peaceful retreat and to seize the opportunity to unplug from the daily grind.   Rainy days provide an opportunity for rest and  rejuvenation. The sound of raindrops creates a soothing and calming sound. It is the perfect time to catch-up on reading a book, watching a movie, working on a deferred hobby, or just watching the rain from a cozy chair with a cup of cocoa.  Rainy weather also fosters a unique sense of community as people gather indoors or brave outdoor walks and exchange smiles under their umbrellas. Rain is also nature's irrigation system that rejuvenates and sustains the beauty of our ecosystems. These things remind us to appreciate the simpler things in life and find beauty in the change of seasons.  In the words of the 19th century English author John Ruskin: "Sunshine...