By Eilene Lyon (for SB) My recent trip to California included a four-day stay in Berkeley to do research. My hotel was a few miles from the UC campus. I don't often take public transportation - it isn't an option where I live. I asked at the hotel desk about the bus to campus. It... Continue Reading →
The Huntington: Galleries
By Eilene Lyon During my day-long visit to the Huntington, I alternated between strolling through the gardens and visiting the galleries to get out of the sun for a bit. I wrote previously about the gardens. Henry and Arabella were both collectors and particularly enamored with Louis XVI French style. Their former residence is dedicated... Continue Reading →
The Loneliest Road
By Eilene Lyon I asked my iPhone for the shortest route from Georgetown, California, to Durango, Colorado. When it came to Nevada, going across the middle wasn’t presented as an option, even if I said to omit the interstates. So I specifically told Siri to give me directions from Reno, Nevada, to Great Basin National... Continue Reading →
The Huntington: Gardens
By Eilene Lyon Sunday morning, I arrived at the Huntington to see the gardens and galleries. I thought I was there after opening, but it turned out I was fifteen minutes early, because I'd been looking at my computer clock (mountain time) instead of my phone. As I waited for the ticket office to open,... Continue Reading →
Norman and Delores
Week 7: #52 Ancestors – Love By Eilene Lyon A long marriage doesn’t necessarily an indicate a deep love and respect, but it’s a good start. I chose this couple, my great-uncle and great-aunt, Norman and Delores Gusso, because not only did they have a long marriage, but they also have a large, close-knit family... Continue Reading →
The Rest of the Tour: Southwest New Mexico
By Eilene Lyon Following up on my post about the Bisti Badlands, these are some highlights from the rest of our tour of southwest New Mexico last October. From the Bisti, we continued south on NM 371 to I-40. Exiting at mile 89, we headed to a BLM campground adjacent to El Malpais National Monument... Continue Reading →
The Huntington
Week 5: #52 Ancestors – At the Library By Eilene Lyon Before she died, my great-grandmother, Clara Ransom Davis, made a priceless (at least to me) donation to the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Why she chose the Huntington -- not the Bancroft Library at UC-Berkeley, the California Historical Society, or the... Continue Reading →
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness
By Eilene Lyon When you think of wilderness, do you conjure a deep grove of majestic, old-growth trees surrounded by fuzzy pick-up-sticks of fallen mossy trunks? Waterfalls thundering and spongy, leaf-strewn ground cushioning your every step? Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is nothing like that. This is the Badlands. Some might call it barren, but that would be... Continue Reading →
The Grand
By Eilene Lyon My inbox had an unexpected surprise in the spring of 2014. “Only 4 slots left!” I hurriedly forwarded the email to The Putterer – “What do think? Should we go?” He just as rapidly fired back – “Hell yes!” I placed a call to the rafting company, only to be told that... Continue Reading →