Our friend Gary arrived yesterday for a weekend of rest, relaxation, and exploration. Today we ventured into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by exploring the Oconoluftee Farm Museum and Mingus Mill to get an idea of what life was like in the area a hundred or more years ago. We wandered among the farm buildings that have been relocated here from various parts of the park and and talked at length with the miller on duty at Mingus Mill. And in general just enjoyed geeking out over late 19th and early 20th Century technology as well as walking in the sunshine on a gorgeous autumn day in The Smokies.
The purpose of our trek to Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham in the southwest of London was to see a recently recovered bronze bust of the Emperor Caligula but we discovered so much more in the recently restored 18th Century “little Gothic castle” built by Horace Walpole.
London’s Imperial War Museum in Southwark founded even as the First World War raged offers insights into the myriad costs of the wars of the 20th and 21st Centuries. It was a most disquieting but valuable reminder of the myriad costs of war.
The two of us have long been fascinated with the history of canals and their role in the history of transportation, industrialization, and more recently recreation. This stay in London has given us new opportunities to explore and learn more about how canals contributed to the growth of this great city and how they are being used and preserved today.
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