Random Thoughts On Friday

Just wanted to mention a couple of things.....

First, I am Still dealing with uploading and sorting photos I took on my recent trip to Washington DC!  Expect entries dealing with DC over the next few weeks.

I do have some entries for Maryland and Pennsylvania coming up soon.  I am hoping to finish up the DC posts at the end of this month, and then get in to those two states next month.  AND I will have some Kentucky related posts here and there!

I do have some posts about our favorite President, Abraham Lincoln!  Wow!  Does he get around these days!

I have to admit, I have kind of been reluctant to pay attention to the whole "Vampire Hunter" thing, but man, the commercials look interesting!  I probably won't read the book, but the movie looks exciting.

Then again, Abe is a perfect example of how "truth is stranger than fiction."  Check out James L. Swanson's book about the assassination of Lincoln and the hunt for Booth (I reviewed the work on this blog a few years ago).  That story is full of rich and strange characters that Hollywood could not create!

Of the five people (counting Booth) in Lincoln's box at Ford's Theatre when Lincoln was assassinated, THREE would be killed by gun shots!  The other two would spend time in psychiatric facilities.

The man who kills Booth literally disappears from the pages of history and is an interesting character in other ways.

AND, I haven't even mentioned the co-conspirators in the assassination.

While I am talking about literature.....

I am sure you have heard that Ray Bradbury passed away last week.  I was VERY sad to hear about this.  If you have never read anything by him, go out and buy one of his books.  You should be able to find his most recognized books at any used book shop for a couple of dollars.  In fact, if you find a nice old copy at least a couple of decades old, I think you will enjoy the experience of reading it more.

There is something flat out magical about his writing.  To me, Bradbury's writing has made the world a bit more colorful.  It has made me appreciate the world around me better and in a deeper way.  His writing has helped me to appreciate the joy of reading an old book and to value the fact that I have the privilege of going to a coffee shop anytime I want, and leisurely flipping through old yellow pages that tell a story.