By Eilene Lyon I recently spent a week in Sacramento at the National Genealogical Society conference, where I gave a well-received presentation, “Immortal Words: Keep your family history alive with a lively blog.” This was my second visit to the city in recent years, but on this occasion I had a little more time for... Continue Reading →
Artful Durango – Part 1
By Eilene Lyon I've enjoyed blogs about public art from around the world, so I am going to do a series highlighting some public art in Durango, Colorado. This installment features a few of the many murals around town. These are recent works (to my knowledge). I did not find information on the artist in... Continue Reading →
Durango Train Museum
By Eilene Lyon While train history is a big part of this museum’s raison d’etre, the exhibits range far and wide. Nine years after the original roundhouse (where the steam locomotives idle at night) burned down in 1989, a portion of the replacement structure was set aside to house the museum. At least two locomotives... Continue Reading →
Gone Skiing!
Back soon! (Just kidding -- I'm actually snorkeling.)
South Dakota Scenes
Week 6: #52 Ancestors – Maps By Eilene Lyon Back in the late 1870s and early 1880s, promoters encouraged people to move to Dakota Territory. Naturally, land speculators played up the rich farmland and other selling points, not necessarily squaring with reality. My father was born in South Dakota, though he grew up in Oregon.... Continue Reading →
Heidi’s Home
By Eilene Lyon While my Colorado Rocky Mountain home is fabulous, something about the Old World charm of the Swiss Alps has always called to me. We took this dream vacation in 2014. We flew into Zurich, visited Luzern, Lausanne, and Bern, but we spent the bulk of our trip in Lauterbrunnen. You will see... Continue Reading →
A German Sojourn
Week 52: #52 Ancestors – Future By Eilene Lyon My grandiose future plan regarding genealogy (we’re talking years from now) is an extended stay in Germany, perhaps six months. Many branches of my family hail from the Germanic regions of Europe. The Putterer also has a large German contingent in his tree. You can see... Continue Reading →
The Durango Depot – 479 Main
By Eilene Lyon With the encouragement of Anabel at The Glasgow Gallivanter and Brandi at Make the Journey Fun, I’ve decided to share bits of my Old West hometown. One project I’d like to undertake, perhaps as a book someday, is a study of Main Avenue buildings and the businesses they’ve housed over the past... Continue Reading →
The Aztec Arches
By Eilene Lyon It's been decades since I swore off of Arches National Park, though I drive through Moab regularly. Like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Yellowstone, it's become one of those places being loved to death. Like "I want to go have a special wilderness experience...with 10,000 other people." NOT. Fortunately, the West is rich... Continue Reading →