Fun and Fantastic Facts

"Coffee News"  is a free, one-page newspaper that can be found in some of the local shops and restaurants around here.  It contains interesting bits of news and trivia which I refer to as fun and fantastic facts!!  I am going to share a fun and fantastic fact with you right now. 

Who was the first writer to submit a typed manuscript to a publisher?

Here is a photo of a bride and groom to break your concentration.

And, here, is the answer.  Mark Twain.   He submitted The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to Chatto and Windus in 1876.  He used a Remington typewriter. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

New Jersey and Paris

I watched "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985) a few days ago. The movie takes place during the depression in New Jersey. Only someone like Woody Allen could invent such a clever and creative plot......movie characters leaving the screen and joining the real world. Loved it!!

As for books, I am just starting chapter one of  "The Paris Wife" written by Paula McLain.....a fictional novel about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley, during the 1920s. I have a hunch I will enjoy it.

Both "The Purple Rose of Cairo" and "The Paris Wife" were recommended to me by my sister. I guess I've been busy snoozing under a rock, because I was unfamiliar with both.

Would love to hear your reviews.

Audrey

Ballerina, Avid Reader, Best Dressed, Elegant, Humanitarian, Model, Actress, Multilingual...just a few words to describe the talented Audrey Hepburn.

I picked up this 1961 vinyl record at the thrift store last week.  It features the score from "Breakfast at Tiffany's."    

Luckily, I inherited an old stereo, so I can actually listen to it!!

Have a great day!

Pen Pals

I don't remember how, but when I was thirteen, I acquired a pen pal from Denmark. In spite of the language barrier, we have managed to keep-up our correspondence all these years.

(postcard from my small collection)

I was a collector of stamps back when I first started writing letters and I used to love the foreign stamps that would arrive on the envelopes from Denmark. 

(Christmas card)

(Christmas stamp)

Happy Collecting this year!

Another Adventure

We took another adventure into St. Paul today. This time we toured the James J. Hill mansion on Summit Avenue. (James J. Hill was the builder of the Great Northern Railway). The mansion contains approximately 36,000 square feet across five floors...42 rooms. It cost nearly one-million dollars and three years to build. We observed beautiful woodwork with elegant carvings, lovely detailed ceilings, grand staircases, gorgeous chandeliers and pretty stained-glass windows. The style is termed: Richardsonian Romanesque.

The home was completed in 1891 with all the modern conveniences....indoor plumbing (13 bathrooms), central heating and both electric and gas lighting.

The mansion is pretty bare. It contains very little furniture so we had to use our imaginations a bit. Photographs of family members, as well as, photographs depicting how the rooms had once been furnished and decorated, are displayed in each room.

I didn't bring my camera along this time since I wasn't allowed to use it at the last historic home we toured. So guess what? Cameras WERE allowed. Disappointed that I was camera-less, my son graciously took a couple of photos for me on his phone and I purchased a few postcards in order to remember the day.

Fun Fact: James J. Hill's wife, Mary, was a waitress when he first met her. Before getting married, he sent her to a "Finishing School"  to acquire an education, as well as, the necessary skills and etiquette required of the wife of such an important and wealthy man!

Happy New Year!

Thank you for visiting my blog this year!!

Gingerbread

Do you like to make gingerbread houses during the holidays?  Well, take a look at this huge gingerbread house that greets guests in the front lobby of a nearby hotel.  It was constructed by the hotel employees and smelled wonderful!!!

Paris

I rented, "Midnight in Paris," over the holiday. I usually find Woody Allen's films a bit too slow and neurotic for my taste, but this one I really enjoyed! I loved the plot. I loved catching a glimpse of other time periods. If you have seen it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.