Country Music Hall of Fame

While we were in Nashville we had to visit the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Even if you're not a country music fan it's got lots of interesting things to see - here's Elvis' famous gold piano.

I'm definitely a fan of Bill Monroe so this was amazing to see.

Here's a very famous costume Gram Parsons wore.

There are walls of gold and platinum records...

...and various exhibits about very famous stars like Merle Travis.

Our World Tuesday

TWA Museum, Kansas City

Another museum in the Kansas City area is the TWA Museum; we took my father there as he's interested in aviation.

It was interesting with lots of mementos from the airline, including these old log books.

It's worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy seeing these types of things.

Our World Tuesday

KC WWI Museum

I'm going to break my usual rule of no more than a couple of photos per post as I walk you through the Liberty Memorial and the National World War I Museum, in Kansas City, Missouri. It's one of the region's must-visit attractions, and I give it a very high recommendation. As you approach, the Liberty Memorial, dedicated to the men and women who served in World War I, stands out.

It's an impressive tower, and you can go to the top. On the day we were there it was cold and windy, but the photos I posted last week of Union Station and the Kansas City skyline were taken from it.

On either side of this tower are a couple of large halls with various artwork and displays.

The core of the museum is underground, with various tanks...

... and artillery on display.

There are also many educational displays, and even a couple of life-size recreations of the trenches in which so many people perished.

Our World Tuesday

Arch Views & Museum

My last couple of Monday posts have been about the famous St. Louis Arch. The reward for getting to the top is spectacular views - on one side is the mighty Mississippi River.

On the other side you can see the city, including the ball park.

And the famous Old Courthouse is nearby - I'll blog more about this soon.

Underneath the Arch (literally - it's below ground level) was the Museum of Westward Expansion, although it closed shortly after our visit. It included some good exhibits, and its replacement is expected to open in the spring of 2017.

And that's all I've got from the Arch.

Our World Tuesday

Oval Office?

Is this the oval office? No, it's an exact replica at the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum, in Simi Valley, California, where I visited last year.

Regardless of your politics, it's an interesting place to visit, and I'll have more photos from it in the next couple of weeks. I'll finish this post with his grave.

Our World Tuesday

Tool Time?

Any fans of the TV comedy show Home Improvement? The Nethercutt Museum has the actual van used in the filming of the show-within-a-show, Tool Time.

Here's the inside - Al (that's me!), Tim, and Heidi. (I'm not like the Al on the show, I don't have very good home improvement skills.)

I've been very busy and my blogging is going to be very inconsistent for the next few weeks, so please understand if I don't visit your blogs for a while. But I will put up occasional posts...

Nethercutt Museum (Cars)

If you're in the Los Angeles area and enjoy seeing old cars, visit the Nethercutt Museum. This is a 1907 Westinghouse Model 40, not yet restored.

Most of the cars are in perfect condition - here's a 1912 Alco Model 9-60.

And a 1913 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

What car collection is complete without a Ford Model T? This one's from 1915.

This 1917 Pierce Arrow is bigger than it looks from this photo.

It's an extremely impressive private collection, and the owners are generous enough to allow the public to view it for free. Highly recommended!

Our World Tuesday

Old Artworks (Getty Museum)

The Getty Museum in Los Angeles has an extensive collection of old artworks. Here's Portrait of a Woman with a Book of Music by Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi (1494–1557).

They have several by Rembrandt (1606-1669) - here's The Abduction of Europa.

Here's another Rembrandt, An Old Man in Military Costume.

In fact, I sometimes thought they'd be better of displaying fewer paintings to better effect, and changing them out periodically.

They also have wonderful sculptures - this one is Allegorical Portrait of the Van Risamburgh Family  by Joseph Chinard (1756-1813).

If you have any interest in this sort of thing, I highly recommend a trip here if you're in the Los Angeles area. Photographs don't begin to do justice to this sort of art. But they're my historical entry for Our World Tuesday.

Getty Glass

One of the exhibitions at the Getty Museum is of glass. There's some incredible, old stained glass, perfectly lit from behind.

 

And some very delicate glassware.

It's very impressive - the photos of these two stained glass pieces don't do justice to their size or detail.

I don't have any memes to link to for this post, but I'm open to ideas.

Getty Museum Grounds

The Getty Museum in the Los Angeles area is a famous museum with an extensive collection of artwork spanning centuries. Here are some photos of the museum's grounds from our visit last summer. First up is the main entrance.

Here's some cacti - it's famous for its cactus garden.

And here's a courtyard where you can enjoy a drink.

Over the next couple of weeks I'll post some photos from inside the museum. It's well worth a visit, and it's my Our World Tuesday entry for this week.

Airplanes & Engines

For Our World Tuesday this week, here are the last of the photos from the Wings Over the Rockies museum, here's an airplane!

I took lots of photos of assorted engine-related things.

They even had an X-Wing fighter, smuggled here from the distant future!

And that's the Wings Over the Rockies museum, a good way to spend an afternoon.