Friday in Spokane

The main reason for our weekend stay in Spokane was to watch our granddaughter compete in the annual Irish Feis at the Convention Center. The Feis would begin at 8am on Saturday. We arrived to Spokane on Friday late morning and did some of our usual shopping before we ventured all the way into the Downtown area. Our first stop before we would check in to our hotel was the MAC~Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. This museum is in an older historical neighborhood of Spokane. The houses surrounding the museum were all quite grand.

There was a special exhibit on called Iron and Honor: The Art of Knighthood

The contents of this exhibit were a collaboration from Italy.

On the grounds of the museum we spotted this small statues in bronze on our way to the Campbell house (mansion) and Carriage House which was open for visits on this Friday.

They are called ‘The Return of the Four Leggeds”

The historic Campbell House was built in 1898. The greatest advancements in technology were included like indoor plumbing, hot and cold running water, electricity, central heat and a telephone. The Campbells lived in the house with their servants for 26 years. In 1924 the house was donated to the Eastern Washington Historical Society.

What a grand entrance hall! The house is approximately 13,000 square feet on three floors.

This reception room was a bit out of place for the design of the house in general. It did make us say, Wow. “Mrs. Campbell received callers on Thursdays in this room. It is decorated in the French Rococo style and has silk moire and gold gilt on the walls.”

You can see why the pink room seemed out of place in contrast to all the other ground floor rooms.

Up the grand staircase to the bedrooms. There were a few other smaller staircases going up and also down to the basement rooms.

We had a nice chat with the docent who was sitting in the kitchen. It was interesting to read the hand written menu courses for a typical evening meal. Fourteen courses! The cookie recipe is one that the house serves during their special Christmas openings for tours.

We ended our house tour in the Carriage house where the electric car is housed and a lot of history and displays are available to read and on videos to watch.

At this point on Friday our room was ready at the hotel. We drove to the hotel and checked in. I used a mobile key entry for the first time and was quite proud of myself that it worked. After freshening up we walked to Tavolata for dinner. A little Italian theme happening with the Italian Knighthood exhibit and then an Italian dinner. This walk along Spokane Falls Blvd. gave us a few moments to experience the Good Samaritan story (we did not identify as the Good Samaritan on this walk, we moved to the other side of the road).

We enjoyed this meal celebrating Greg’s birthday again. We would recommend this restaurant especially at Happy Hour with same dinner portions at a lower cost. After dinner we had a pleasant walk back to the hotel.

Our Colville kids arrived to the hotel after dinner and came to our room to visit and to say goodnight. Early to bed to rest up before a full day on Saturday.

The Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge

On Thursday March 12th we reached our furthest destination on Trumpington St. in Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum.

We could have spent a lot more time in the museum but there were about 100 elementary+ age children who arrived and it was hard to work around them in the different exhibits. They worked on projects sprawled on the floors and we literally had to try and not step on them. The noise level was not pleasant, either. Thankfully we saw some favorites before the rooms were taken over by exuberant youth!

Note to Self: Go to museums as soon as they open in the earlier hours or at night.

Monet, Degas, Renoir, Rossetti, Constable, Cezanne

The lower levels had these displays and more with a gift shop and cafe.

Overall this was a great museum with amazing architecture and art and artifacts.

We had a couple more walking adventures on this day before we called it quits for the day.

Ely Cathedral Stained Glass Museum

Our Danube to Cambridge Travel Journal continues with a visit to the Stained glass Museum housed up many stone stairs in Ely Cathedral. This visit was on Wednesday March 11th, 2026.

Looking down to the narthex where we entered the cathedral.

The Annunciation

The Three Marys at the tomb.

The Arms of Queen Margaret of Anjou, 1843.

St. Matthew shown writing the Gospel of Matthew

Nativity Scene window that was removed for safekeeping from a church that became redundant. Shortly afterwards, the church was demolished.

“Do not touch me” Mary at the Tomb when she recognizes Jesus.

The Dance of Salome

St. Peter

Mary and the Disciples at Christ’s Ascension

Holy, Holy, Holy

The Children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses.

The Visitation

The Good Shepherd

Mary and Martha and Jesus

King David

Michael

The Lost Silver, There is Joy over one Sinner that Repentith

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Christ and His Followers

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican

The Parable of the Rich Fool

Finding Jesus in the Temple

Suffer the Little Children

Descent of the Holy Spirit

The Anointing of David King over Israel

Feed my Lambs

Nativity

These were the windows that stood out to me. There were more but I restrained myself.

From the museum we walked over to the Almonry for a bite to eat.

Check out the ceiling!

After our light meal we walked back to the Train Station for our ride back to Cambridge. This was a bright and blustery day.

Just a few more posts to complete our travel journal in Cambridge after our Danube River Cruise.

Vienna Part 4 ~The House of Strauss

On Thursday evening, March 5th we had signed up for a special excursion that wasn’t part of our ‘package deal’. Being in Vienna we thought it would be a shame not to experience the music they are historically known for. Here is what our ‘daily cruiser’ said, There is no finer place to attend a classical concert than in Vienna, the “Music Capital of the World.” This unforgettable experience will be a mixture of the most popular compositions of Vienna’s favorite and most famed composers–as presented by local musicians.

I’m adding this commentary from the program we were given on this evening in Vienna.

Vienna, known as the world capital of music, tells an unforgettable story that comes to life here. The Strauss Hall is the last original concert hall in the world where all four geniuses of the Strauss dynasty–Johann Strauss Sr., Johann Strauss Jr., Josef, and Eduard Strauss–personally performed. Here, the aura of this history is still palpable. The hall’s exceptional acoustics, the faithful restoration of the historic building, and the seamless integration of modern design make this venue an extraordinary cultural experience.

In the museum you could take this interactive questionnaire that would match your preferences to a piece of music. This was my match.

When we purchased the tickets for this extra excursion we had something different in mind in our heads. We thought that we would be in a large concert hall with many more live instruments, etc.

We were surprised by this venue. The concert itself was with twelve or so musicians (House of Strauss Orchestra) and their music was enhanced in some way. The musicians were exceptional and with the enhancement it came across as if there were several more musicians. The soloist was excellent. The seating, although authentic, was not comfortable. We paid 99e or about $116 U.S. each for this excursion.

We heard pieces from Johann Strauss II, Wolgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Strauss I, and Josef Strauss.

There was a museum in the venue that we were able to visit and most of my photos are from the museum.

I mentioned before that bus rides in Vienna were long and circuitous. It seemed like we were traveling so far to get to this venue but in reality it was only four kilometers from the dock.

Meanwhile in the good ole U.S.A….

Back to the Present: With our daily sunshine lately, spring growth is thriving. We are spending hours on our acreage mowing and battling weeds. The birds, so many birds, are enjoying our sprinklers since we’ve had to start watering earlier than usual with fewer Spring rains. We’ve had daily visits from birds, deer, turkeys, and of course our resident quail. Hummingbirds have returned, too!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to you all!

News in the Neighborhood

Another year of swimming lessons are in the books!

Our museum unveiled a new mural that was recreated from a black and white photo taken 100 years ago of Kettle Falls area on the Columbia River as it was before the Grand Coulee Dam was completed downstream in 1941. This area is now under water.

In other news Greg replaced our aged and failing gate this past week.

As usual he does great work!

The 2025 soccer season is on full kick ahead. Addy and JJ are busy on the pitch.

It’s a ‘kick’ to see their dad referring, too.

Hope y’all have a great Friday!

Weekend Wrap-Up

On Friday afternoon there was an advertised Birthday Party for Smokey The Bear at the Colville Museum but Smokey never showed. It was still a fun experience to walk around the museum and the museum grounds.

On Saturday we took a early morning trip to Spokane to make purchases to re-stock the kitchen cupboards at church since our VBS week depleted all the stock. The sunflower fields were not in their glory but it was fun to whiz by the fields of yellow and green.

Sunday morning was a wonderful church service with our VBS kids starting us off with one of their VBS Songs, God made the Manatee. From beginning to end it was good to worship God together.

On Sunday evening we celebrated our Grands’ Granny’s birthday at our Colville kids and this was the sunset we enjoyed driving down their driveway for home.

It was a good full weekend. Looking forward to Mid-week when Uncle Joshie and Auntie Lolo are planning a drive over the mountains for a short visit to enjoy some summer activities with us.

Have a good week everyone.

Artsy Hodgepodge

We have visited some art museums in our travels and a local one in Seattle when we lived on that side of the state. The piece above stood out to me on one of our visits. The description of this piece reads “One of the most penetrating portraitists of the seventeenth century, Phillipe de Champaigne assimilated his observations of real people into religious paintings giving them a down-to-earth quality. Here, the central focus is the aged face of Elizabeth, as she affectionately greets her younger cousin, the Virgin Mary. According to the Gospel of Luke, both women were pregnant–Elizabeth with John the Baptist and Mary with Jesus. For Christians, their meeting symbolized the transition from the Old Law to the New Law of Christianity.”

Thank you to Joyce for Hodgepodge Wednesday. Here are this weeks questions to ponder.

1. October 25th is International Artists Day…do you have a favorite artist? If so tell us who and why.

I enjoy Impressionists like Renoir or Monet.

2. Would you describe yourself as artistic? Elaborate.

No, and here is an example of my flop of a craft project…

Mine is the angry matryoshka on the far right. Everyone else had a cute result.

3. What’s a skill, task, hobby, or job you’ve done so often you now have it ‘down to a fine art’?

Setting a table…

4. How often do you dine out? Fast food, fine dining, or somewhere in between? Tell us about a less than stellar restaurant experience you’ve had recently (or not so recently if that’s easier).

We probably eat out once a week even though our choices are very limited here in Colville.

My less than stellar experiences are mostly my fault because I order the wrong item.

The latest less than stellar experience was not noticing that the waitress gave us the wrong bill and a week later when looking at the receipt I realized that error. We were suffering from jetlag and our brains were not up to par.

5. Do you celebrate Halloween? To what extent? Are there trick or treaters where you live?

We love trick or treaters but decor and celebrations are on the down low. Now that we live farther from the city and on a country road we do not get trick or treaters except for our grandchildren who dress up with their parents and come over for treats!

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Our larches have turned golden…

Enjoy the end of October y’all!

Museum of Natural History ~ Oxford

On Friday September 23rd, 2022 we had breakfast at the hotel in Woodstock and then checked out and waited for a taxi to take us back to Oxford where we had reservations for our last night in England.

This was the lodge we stayed in on Banbury Road. Check in wasn’t until four so we had many hours to see what we could see after our taxi dropped us off. Thankfully we could leave our luggage at the lodge.

We found our way to Parks Rd. and made note of when it would be possible for us to get into the grounds of Keble College, not until the afternoon. Across from Keble College was the Museum of Natural History so we decided to take a peek.

I was drawn to the statues throughout the museum of scientists, mathematicians and philosophers. I only took photos of a few of them and probably missed the more famous.

In the main exhibition room of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (built 1854-60) are 18 statues of eminent scientists, philosophers and engineers and 10 busts of Oxford men of science that have made a significant contribution to the Museum, plus a portrait medallion of the architect of the building. The 19th statue is that of the founder, the Prince Consort, is placed more central in the hall.
The plan was that each pillar around the gallery would play host to a statue of one of the great scientists. The statues were paid for by private subscription however, and unfortunately only 19 full statues were completed. Many of these were presented by Queen Victoria. All but one of the statues is carved in Caen stone – a limestone from Normandy in France. Many of the sculptors were well-known Victorian artists.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz German mathematician and philosopher

Euclid ~sometimes called Euclid of Alexandria, Greek mathematician, often referred to as the ‘Father of Geometry

Joseph Priestly credited with the discovery of oxygen.

John Hunter ~ Scottish surgeon, one of the most distinguished scientists and surgeons of his day.

This bear was labelled from Washington State which made me smile and click a photo.

From the museum we walked across University Park to get to the River Cherwell and walk up the river path to make our way on the back roads to Broad Street.

Just a few more posts to finish off our travels from Oxfordshire in September of 2022.

Back to the Present: This is a busier week for us starting with a nice long doctor appointment and new instructions for Dear’s treatments. We had a little more snow overnight and our temperatures are still starting below freezing but managing to get up over freezing as the day progresses. My sister, Vera, is celebrating her birthday today. She’s a Leap Year baby so on the off years we celebrate her on the 28th. Happy Birthday dear sister!!

Colville Historical Museum

Before too much time slipped away I wanted to go back to our time at the Colville Historical Museum and document what we saw here.

In 1975 the City of Colville entered into an agreement for the Historical Society to manage a piece of property and buildings it had received a decade earlier as a gift from the Keller Family. The terms of the gift is that the house and grounds were to be used as a park and museum. That had not been possible for the City prior to 1975 so the partnership turned out to be a good one.

We made a last minute decision to visit the Museum the last Friday of September and we were pleasantly surprised at the great indoor and outdoor displays and history. The Stevens County Historical Society has done an exceptional job! We had the grounds to ourselves on this afternoon and the museum volunteer treated us to a nice tour of the Keller House while we were there.

We hope to return to the museum next year (they are open from May-September) to take more photos of the Keller Home on the property. You can read about it here. During the Christmas season they decorate the home and have Christmas tours. This year because of COVID they are only decorating the outside of the home and will have live Christmas music drive by tours available.

This is the music room inside the house.

One of the views from the Keller Home.

The history of mining in Stevens County is great and was the lifeblood of the area in the early 20th century.

The exhibit that the Historical Society has developed comes from several of the important mines of the area. It has a 16 foot gallows for lowering a “bucket” into a vertical mine shaft complete with steel bucket. This was powered by a gas engine but the Society will have on display a horse—powered winch too.

This Trapper’s Cabin was moved from the John Lockner property on Gold Creek by members of the Stevens County Historical Society. The main cabin of a trapper was known as the “home cabin”. All of the furs trapped were brought back to the home cabin for stretching and fleshing the skins. A marten or a bear line could easily cover 12 miles. The trapper would cover these lines daily, packing his traps and about 20 lbs. of bait. Bear, marten, lynx, fox, coyote, beaver and other small meat eaters were plentiful for the trappers.

You can read about the farm equipment housed on the grounds here.

The first public schoolhouse built in the city of Colville was originally located on the south side of town, close to the city park. It was later moved to First Avenue and Elm Street, eventually making it’s way to the Keller Heritage Park. It was built in 1874 by local labor, including that of John U. Hofstetter, a leader in civic and educational endeavors.

You can read about the Heritage Park Schoolhouse here.

HOMESTEAD CABIN

Throughout the last half of the nineteenth century and during the early part of this century, small farmstead cabins dotted the countryside in all areas of Stevens County. Attracted by the availability of land, fine climate, a rich volcanic soil and scenic beauty, the early settlers cleared their land to build small hand-hewn log cabins. The farmstead cabin was donated to the Stevens County Historical Society from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A closeup of the construction of the cabins.

You can read about the Hixson Castles here.

So much history preserved in our little town of Colville. We were impressed with all the well managed and documented information housed on these grounds.

As we drove away from the museum I had to jump out of the car to capture these turkeys sitting on the fence.

The Getty

When Dear and I arrived in Southern California and drove north to Oxnard from the Long Beach airport I took this photo of the Getty museum on the hill close to the Wilshire area of West Los Angeles. Little did I know I would enjoy the museum with our oldest kids, my sister, sister in law and grand niece.

On Tuesday night Josh and Laura asked if I wanted to go along with them to the Getty on Wednesday. My sister Vera had taken the day off so it worked out for all four of us to travel north from Orange County together.

My sister in law, Kelly, nannies her granddaughter Ellie and they joined us at the museum.

As one of my facebook friends said, Josh and Laura make the Getty look good.

Ellie really took to her cousin once removed.

I really enjoyed this painting so I took some close-ups of the bottom and top of the painting.

This painting will be familiar to many. Irises by Vincent van Gogh.

Josh and Ellie enjoying more masterpieces.

One of a few Monet’s at the museum.

Supreme carving skills in this portrait were amazing.

There is so much to enjoy at The Getty so I would encourage multiple trips. Here are links to my other trips to The Getty.

Outdoor

Ruby at the Museum

Blue- The Getty

We enjoyed a meal at a cafe on the grounds with so many great choices. Entrance to the museum is free and you only have to pay to park. J. Paul Getty (1892-1976), was an art collector and businessman who used his fortune to create an institution dedicated to the diffusion of cultural knowledge.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Category Archives: Museum