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Craft – Grandparent’s Day photo frames

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In honor of Grandparent’s Day, which is celebrated on the first Sunday in September, here is a simple craft idea for a sentimental way to remember and display photographs of those grandparents that are no longer with us.  My parents have been gone now for several years and this year I wanted to display their photos in our home in a special way for my children to remember their maternal grandparents.

Shown below are two different ways that I could display each of the photos of my parents which are framed using ivory mats and simple wooden frames.  Each version features items that hold special meaning –

Father/Grandfather photo frame

The first version uses items that were once used by my father.  I used four wrenches from my father’s tool box and arranged them around a simple wooden 5×7 frame holding the photo of my father.  Other ideas which could be attached to the frame are car keys, fishing hooks or golf tees.  Another idea for a bigger 8×10 frame would be to use a large single wretch, screwdriver, hammer or other tools.

The second version uses a personal item of my father, his stripped bowtie.  Other ideas for items that could be attached to the frame are cuff links, military id tags or maybe a special tie wrapped around the frame.

Grandparents photo frame 5    Grandparents photo frame 3

Mother/Grandmother photo frame

The first version uses items that were once used by my mother.  I used a string of my mother’s pearls and a cameo that my mother gave to me as a gift.  I arranged the pearls in soft curves and attached the cameo at the top to cover the necklace clasp.  Both these items, one from my mother’s personal jewelry and the other a special gift from her, have important meaning to me.  The second version features a pair of rhinestone fur clips which are attached to the bottom of the frame.

Grandparents photo frame 2    Grandparents photo frame 1

I hope these photo frames inspire the idea of creating and decorating Grandparent’s Day photo frame to honor and remember those grandparent’s that are no longer with us.

For more information about the history of Grandparent’s Day and for additional gift ideas, please click on the link.

Travel – The Walt Disney Family Museum

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Walt Disney Family Museum 5

As many readers known from my previous posts, I grew up in Southern California about a one hour drive from Disneyland in Anaheim.CA.  Our family went often over the years we enjoyed seeing the attractions, riding the rides and the watching the parades at the theme park.  So, as a result of my interest in all things Disney, I have read many books on the fascinating history of Disneyland and the Walt Disney Company.  This year, on a recent road trip to California, we took a side trip to see the Walt Disney Family Museum located on the grounds of the historic Presidio in San Francisco.

A brief history of the Walt Disney Family Museum

The Walt Disney Family Museum is located on grounds of the Presidio which was a former U.S. military facility located in San Francisco.  The Presidio was closed as a US government Army post in 1989 and the administration of the property was transferred to the National Park Service.  The museum, which opened in 2009, is funded by the Walt Disney Family Foundation which was started by Diane Disney Miller, Walt’s daughter, and was built as a lasting memorial to Walt Disney’s work in animated films, television and other aspects of the entertainment industry including his beloved theme parks.  The museum occupies three brick buildings and the two main buildings were formerly Army barracks which were originally built in the 1890s and additional special exhibits are displayed in the adjacent Diane Disney Miller Exhibition Hall which was formerly the Presidio gymnasium which was built in 1904.

The 40,000 square feet space of the main portion of the museum features an interior designed with state of the art exhibits and interactive displays in 10 themed galleries that the visitors can move through in chronological order viewing the highlights of Walt Disney’s personal and professional life.  There is also a movie theater located in the lower level of the museum which shows limited engagements of past classic Disney movies and the theater’s interior design was inspired by the scene of Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from the 1940 movie “Fantasia” which coincidentally was the first film to shown in the theater after the museum opened.

Disney Museum Theater

One of the most interesting elements of the museum, aside from the fact that visitors can view a wonderful collection Disney historical artifacts and memorabilia, is being able to hear Walt’s narration of the various stages of his life played throughout the various sections of the museum.  These voice tracks came from 19 hours of tapes that Diane, Walt’s daughter, had made during the 1950s which were to be used later as source for a biography about her father.

A tour of the Walt Disney Family Museum

Lobby - Disney's Academy Awards display caseIn the lobby of the museum are several display cases with the 248 awards that Walt received during his long career in the entertainment industry.  Some of those awards include the twenty-six Academy Awards that he received throughout his career including his first two Academy Awards received in 1932 for the Best Short Subject Film (“Flowers and Trees” cartoon) and an Honorary Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse. In 1939, Walt was presented with another Honorary Academy Award for the achievement of the first feature length animated film, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (Be sure to take a look at the award as it was cleverly presented in the form of one full sized Oscar statue and seven additional miniature ones presented on stepped base) Also shown in the lobby display cases are Disney’s seven Emmy Awards, the Presidential Medal of Freedom which was presented to Walt in 1964 by President Johnson, and several honorary degrees from such prestigious colleges as Harvard, Yale, the University of Southern Californian and UCLA.

Lobby 1    Lobby 2

As previously mentioned, the ten permanent galleries in the museum are arranged in chronological order.  The first gallery is “Beginnings: Walt Disney’s Early.  As visitors enter this section, one wall shows photographs of the Disney family, including Walt’s grandparents and his parents. (Be sure to look for the charming photo of baby Walt and also a copy of his birth certificate) The displays in this section tell Walt’s story which begins in 1901 when he was born Chicago, IL and follows the family as they moved to a small farm in Marceline, MO to Kansas City, MO and then back to Chicago in 1917 where Walt attended McKinley High School and also took night classes at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.  (Be sure to look for a copy of the Voice Yearbook from McKinley High which featured illustrations drawn by Walt)  After graduating, Walt joined the American Ambulance Corps stationed in France for the duration of World War I. (Visitors will see a replica of one of the ambulance vehicles that Walt drove on display in this section of the museum) When Walt returned to the states in 1920, he chose to go back to Kansas City to work for an advertisement company.  By this time in his life Walt had discovered the art of animation and he became fascinated by this relatively new form of entertainment.  Eventually, Walt started the Laugh-O-Gram Films which produced animated short films but unfortunately the company soon went bankrupt and Walt moved to California. (Be sure to look for Walt’s Laugh-O-Gram business card and the company’s first stock certificate that was issued to Walt’s parents, Elias and Flora Disney)

Gallery 1 - Disney Family photos    Gallery 1 - American Ambulance Corps vehicle

The second gallery of the Museum is “Hollywood” tells Walt’s story of when he arrived in California in 1923 hoping to find employment working in Hollywood as a movie director.  Walt and his brother, Roy, formed the Disney Bros. Studio company and hired several former employees of Laugh-O-Gram to come to Hollywood to work on the series of live action/animated short films based upon the Alice in Wonderland books.  Around this time, a girl named Lilian Bounds came to work at the Disney Studio in the “Paint and Ink” department.  Walt fell in love with the petite fun-loving Lillian and after a brief courtship they were married on July 25, 1925. (Be sure to look for a copy of Walt and Lillian’s marriage certificate)  Now, with the limited success of the Alice Comedies, the Disney Studio received a contract from Universal Pictures to create a series of animated shorts starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.  Walt had now started to focus more on story development, film direction and he was no longer working as an animator.  Then in 1928, despite film distribution problems with Universal, Walt went to New York City to negotiate higher fees and ended up losing not only the contract but also the rights to the character of Oswald, the situation taught Walt an important lesson about retaining financial and creative control in the entertainment industry.  Walt was very discouraged about the business setback but Lillian encouraged him to keep trying and on the train ride back to California Walt started to sketch ideas for a new mouse character which Lillian named Mickey Mouse.  (Be sure to look for the display featuring Walt’s first sketches of Mickey Mouse)  The character of Mickey Mouse went on to become a national sensation, especially after he was featured in the first animated film with synchronized sound. (Visitors should check out the large display of the Mickey Mouse merchandise that was available in those early years of the company)

Gallery 2

The third gallery of the museum is “New Horizons”.  With the financial success of Mickey Mouse, the Disney Bros. Studio now had the funds to move into much larger facilities.  The newly renamed Walt Disney Studios now concentrated on improving their animation techniques with better equipment that was used to create the first Technicolor cartoons.  Visually the quality of the Disney cartoons increased to another level with improved story lines, character development and better sound quality with music added to the finished cartoons.  As previously mentioned, in 1932 Walt won his first Academy Award for the Best Short Subject Film, “Flowers and Trees”, one of the animated cartoons in the “Silly Symphonies” series.  That same year, Walt received an Honorary Academy Award for the creation of Mickey Mouse.  (Visitors can see both these Academy Awards are in the display case in the lobby of the museum.  Also on display in this section are several Silly Symphonies animation cels and character merchandise) The Studio was now very successful and Walt had attained fame and celebrity status but there was another more personal reason that brought him happiness.  Walt and Lillian had been blessed with two daughters, Diane born in 1933 and Sharon born in 1936.  (Be sure to take the time to look at a few of the Disney family photos)

Gallery 3 - Mickey Mouse memorabilia    Disney Museum -first sketch of Mickey Mouse

The fourth gallery in the museum is “The Move to Features”.  This section features displays of the Disney Studios first full-length animated movie, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”.  The film took over four years to complete and premiered on December 21, 1937 at the Carthay Theater near downtown Los Angeles.  During the production process, the Disney Studios brought in live animals so that the animators would be able to study and draw the animals in a realistic style and not “cartoon” features.  The Studio developed a special Character Model Department where sculptures were created so that the animators could study the characters from all sides allowing them to draw better figures.  (Be sure to check out some of the very detailed three dimensional figures in this section.  Also displayed are several original artwork and character studies drawings used to create the Snow White film) After losing the rights to the Oswald character in the 1920s, Walt had learned an important lesson about marketing and numerous Snow White items were sold to promote the movie.  (Look for the Snow White Doll and charm bracelet in the display case in this section of the museum)

Snow White Doll    Snow White charm bracelet

The fifth gallery of the museum is “New Success and Greater Ambitions”. With the critical success of Snow White, the Disney Studios had achieved the financial means to build a new state of the art facility in Burbank, CA. and went on make Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia over the next ten years.  The production process for each of these films took several years to complete starting with Walt’s famous storyboards which were used to determine the film’s final storyline that would inspire and guide a team of animators to create the final drawings that were sent to the paint and ink department to be colorized and then filmed using the unique multiplane camera which gave the illusion of depth to the two dimensional characters drawn by the animators.  (Be sure to take a close look at the multiplane camera on display in this section, visitors are able to view the camera from two different levels on the first and second floors)  Each of these films received great critical acclaim but brought the Studio only minimal financial success due to the onset of World War II causing a decrease in theater attendance in the United States and very limited international distribution.  (In this section of the museum, visitors will see rare production artwork, character models, drawings and animation cels for all three films and the unique animator desk which was specifically made for the Disney Studio)

Gallery 5    Multiplane camera - view from second floor

The sixth gallery is “The Late 1930s to Mid 1940s”. This period of time is the Walt’s life was plagued by a series of unfortunate circumstances and events.  On a personal note, both Walt’s parents died; first his mother, Flora, in 1939 and later his father, Elias, in 1940.  Then in May 1941 the Walt Disney Studios faced an employee strike which lasted several weeks severely damaging the company and Walt’s reputation.  (Be sure to take the time to look at the photos and union flyers from the strike)  During the time of the strike and before it had been settled, Walt was advised to remove himself the negotiation process and a special U.S. State Department “goodwill” trip to South America was quickly planned.  As a result of this trip, the Disney animated feature, Saludos Amigos, starring the Three Caballeros was later made.  Back at home, the Disney Studios production of Dumbo had been halted during the strike but it eventually premiered in October 1941 and received very limited success.  (In this section of the museum there are many drawings, character studies and animation cels from Dumbo)  Then with the start of World War II, the Disney Studios lost many of their employees as the men went to serve in the U.S. military during World War II.  Once again production stopped on many of their animation films and instead they did their patriotic duty by making training films for the military and other morale-boosting shorts films such as Der Fuehrer’s Face starring Donald Duck.  (Display in this section are various military regiment and squadron insignias created by the Studio featuring Disney characters)

Gallery 6

In the seventh gallery is the “Post War Rebuilding”.  This section of the museum covers the Disney years between the Mid 1940s to the early 1950s.  With the end of World War II, the Disney Studios produced several successful animated films; Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Lady & the Tramp.  During this time, Walt had decided to venture from animated films into live-action productions with the 1950 Treasure Island and 1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  (In this section, visitors will see several concept and animation art from these animation and live-action films including the underwater camera used in the filming of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)  Before, proceeding into the next area of the museum, there is a wonderful display of some of the Disney personal possessions including Walt’s large collection of miniatures.  (Be sure to look for the unique charm bracelet that was a gift from Walt to his wife, Lillian, to acknowledge the important personal role that she played in his professional success.  The 18k gold bracelet features twenty miniature Oscar charms to represent those Academy Awards he received)

Gallery 7    Lillian Disney's Oscar charm bracelet

The eighth gallery of the museum is “Walt and the Natural World”.  Walt had always loved nature since he was a young boy growing up on the farm in Marceline, MO.  When the Disney Studios had ventured into making live-action films it naturally (no pun intended!) led to nature documentaries.  The first one, the 1949 Seal Island, featured a group of seals and their seasonal habits.  Since the Disney Museum is located in the Presidio, the large floor to ceiling windows in this section allows visitors some wonderful views of the Golden State Bridge.  (Be sure to stop and take a few minutes to enjoy the view and it is also a perfect opportunity to get a great photo of the Bridge!!)

Disney Museum exterior - rear    View of Bridge from Museum

The ninth gallery is “The 1950s and 1960s: The Big Screen and Beyond”.  This section is one on the largest areas in the museum because it encompasses a twenty year span that was one of the most productive times in the Disney Company.  For the first time, the Company was financially secure and Walt was able to build a beautiful home in the Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles.  (Walt was an amateur model railroader so be sure to see the Lilly Belle, a 7¼ scale model locomotive, that Walt built and used on the track installed in his backyard that is displayed in this section of the museum)  The Disney Studio had established a reputation for making quality animated and live-action films and during this time they also started making weekly television shows.  Some of the most successful were the Disneyland TV show which help to fund and market Walt’s new theme park and was later renamed the Wonderful World of Disney, The Mickey Mouse Club which featured a cast of young talented Mouseketters, Davy Crockett which featured a catchy theme song and started the national craze of coon-skinned hats and the adventure series, Zorro.

Gallery 9

The Disney Company had also expanded into other parts of the entertainment industry.  Walt had a big dream to create a theme park that would be filled with attractions and rides that families could enjoy.  Disneyland opened in July 1955 and proved to be successful with the public and very profitable for the Disney Company.  (This section of the museum has several displays of the theme park memorabilia but be sure to check out the large model of Disneyland, the details are amazing!)  Special note: If you are looking for more detailed information about Disneyland, I would like to recommend the five part series which features the history of Walt’s first theme park and the various attractions and rides of Disneyland.  Just click on the link, Part One – The history of Disneyland.

Lilly Belle model    Disneyland model

When Walt was planning and building his theme park, he created a separate department of the Disney Company.  This creative group of imagineers went on to work on several projects for the 1964-65 World’s Fair which as held in New York and later some of these attractions were added to Disneyland, such as It’s a Small World and the Carousel of Progress.  Walt was fascinated with the new technologies being developed at this time and incorporated many of these ideas into his latest project, EPCOT the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which he was planning on building near Orlando, Florida.

The Disney Company continued to make movies and one of their most successful ones premiered in 1964.  The Mary Poppins movie was based on the books written by P.L. Travers and was an instant hit with both the critics and public.  Walt would receive the Best Picture Academy Award for Mary Poppins in 1965.  Special note:  For more information about this classic Disney movie, please click on the link Mary Poppins – the book, movie and play.

The tenth and final gallery of the museum is “Remembering Walt Disney”.   When Walt Disney died on December 5, 1966 the world mourned and this section displays the many letters, telegrams, newspaper and magazine articles that were written shortly after his death expressing not only the feeling of sorrow but also acknowledging appreciation for the quality entertainment that Walt provided to the millions of people around the world.  This section of the museum is a wonderful way to reminder visitors of the lasting legacy of Walt Disney.

Gallery 10

Travel note: When the Presidio closed in 1994, the National Park Service took over the administration of the property and several buildings were converted into business and corporate facilities.  Located near the Walt Disney Family Museum is George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic.  Just in case you were wondering, the Lucas campus is a working production facility and there are no public tours offered.  (Darn it!!)  Visitors are welcome to enjoy the 17 acres of the beautifully landscaped public property surrounding the buildings of ILM and if you decided to take a walk there be sure to look for the “Yoda” water fountain.  

If you are looking for more Disney experiences, we would highly recommend a visit to Marceline, Mo if you are planning a visit to the Midwest.  Last year, we took a road trip to the boyhood home of Walt Disney and enjoyed seeing the Disney family home, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum located in the old Santa Fe Railroad Train Station, the Walt Disney Elementary School and walking along the street in Marceline that is said to be the inspiration for the Main Street at Disneyland.  (If you are interested, please click on the link, Walt Disney’s Marceline, for additional details regarding a visit to this small Midwest town)

Travel – North Carolina Coast

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North Carolina coast 1

For the last three years during Spring Break our family has spent the week visiting the coast of North Carolina.  The first two years we stayed at hotels located in Wilmington and last year we rented a beach house on Topsail Island.  Staying in Wilmington was great because it was centrally located for easy day trips around the area to visit places such as the local aquariums and various historic sites and museums.  Like most road trips, we ate our meals at the local restaurants and only came back to the hotel at night to sleep.  When we stayed on Topsail Island we rented a beach house and it was great because we cooked and ate our meals at the house (which was less expensive than eating out every day!) and, since we had seen most of the sites in the area on our previous visits, we spent more time at the beach which was just a short walk away.

Listed below are some of the highlights of the places we visited during our trips to the North Carolina Coast.

North Carolina Aquariums

The North Carolina has three different locations: Roanoke Island, Pine Knolls Shores and Fort Fischer.  Each location has different exhibits featuring a variety of animals that can be found in the ocean, lakes and rivers located along the coast of North Carolina.  (Our family has visited the Pine Knolls and Fort Fisher locations during our family vacations)  For visitor information regarding aquarium hours, admission prices and tours for each of the three locations can be found on their website, ncaquariums.com

The Pine Knoll Shores NC Aquarium is located about 100 miles north of Wilmington and of the three NC Aquariums this one was our personal favorite.  There are several different sections or galleries in this aquarium that feature the diverse natural environments, such as the mountain, Piedmont, coastal plain, tidal waters and ocean areas, located in North Carolina.  In the Ocean Gallery of the aquarium is the Living Shipwreck exhibit, which holds 306.000 gallons of water, contains a large replica of the U-352 German submarine that sank off the coast of North Carolina during World War II and the tank features a variety of ocean animals, including moray eels, large groupers and several different species of sharks. (Travel tip: Upon arriving at the aquarium, check the scheduled feeding times of the Living Shipwreck exhibit, it is a great opportunity to see the scuba divers inside the tank hand-feeding the fish and they are also specially equipped with underwater audio equipment to hear and answer visitor questions)

Two other smaller exhibits are the Tidal Touch Pool which allows visitors to see a variety of ocean creatures close-up and the Skate and Ray Encounters exhibit where guests can actually gently touch them.  Another popular exhibit features three river otters that were rescued from the wild and bottle-fed by the aquarium staff.  The large viewing windows of the exhibit located both above and below the surface of the water allow visitors to view the entertaining activities of these playful otters.

The most famous ocean animal of the Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium is a loggerhead sea turtle named “Nimbus”, which means radiant light.  The rare white turtle came to the aquarium as a tiny hatchling in August 2010.  Born with a severe cleft palate, impaired vision and a genetic condition that affects the skin and shell pigment it was quickly determined that “Nimbus” would be an easy target for predators and it could never be released back into the wild.  “Nimbus” now works to raise awareness to the aquarium’s efforts to care for ill or injured sea turtles that are eventually rehabilitated and released back into the wild.  Loggerhead turtles are just one of the five different species of sea turtles found in coastal waters of North Carolina.

Nimbus 1    Nimbus 2

The Fort Fisher NC Aquarium is located in Kure Beach approximately 20 miles south of Wilmington and of the three NC Aquariums locations, this one focuses on the Cape Fear region of North Carolina.  Upon entering, visitors will see a large tree-lined atrium that features man-made streams and ponds filled with frogs, cat fish, bass and several large alligators including one albino alligator but be sure to look for the box turtles hidden among the shrubbery and groundcover located in this area of aquarium.  There is also an exhibit featuring several different species of venomous snakes of the Cape Fear region; such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.

NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher - albino alligator

Other exhibits in the aquarium include the Coquina Outcrop Touch Pool where visitors can learn about and touch sea urchins, horseshoe crabs and other sea creatures.  The large Cape Fear Shoals exhibit holds 235,000 gallon salt water and features a 25 foot deep replica of a coral reef that gives visitors wonderful views of sharks, stingrays, groupers and moray eels.  In 2011, a new multimedia exhibit about the extinct Megalodon opened complete with interactive holograms and touch-screens where visitors can learn information about this ancient sea creature.

When visiting the Aquariums, we would highly recommend the Behind the Scene tours.  These informative guided-tours are available for an additional fee and are a wonderful educational experience for a family to enjoy.  (Travel note:  Be sure to check before a visit to the aquariums to verify prices and make any necessary reservations.  We also advise checking the directions and distance to the aquarium and please be sure to allow plenty of time because some of the coastal cities can get congested with traffic especially during the busy summer months)

Behind the scenes tour - Fort Fisher NC Aquarium 1    Behind the scenes tour - Fort Fisher NC Aquarium 2

(Travel note: Located near two of the NC Aquariums are two historical State Parks that would make for two separate and interesting day trips if you combine a visit to one of the Aquariums with one of the nearby NC State Parks.  Fort Macon State Park is located almost 8 miles, an easy 15 minute drive, from the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.  Fort Fisher State Park is located less than a mile, a quick 5 minute drive, from the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher.  Below is information on both Fort Macon and Fort Fisher State Parks.

Fort Macon and Fort Fisher State Parks

This area of North Carolina was very vulnerable to attack first by pillaging pirates, such as the famous Blackbeard, in the 1700s and then later by invading Spaniards and British in the 1800s.  The importance of the coastal defenses of the United States caused the US government to request a chain fortifications to be built along the Eastern coast of the United States and the current Fort Macon and Fort Fisher were two of those military installations that were built after the War of 1812.

Prior to the American Revolution a small military installation named Fort Hampton was built to guard the city of Beaufort and was built across the inlet on a barrier island but it was never used.  After the War of 1912 the fort was abandoned and eventually a hurricane in 1825 destroyed the building and coastal erosion eliminated any remaining evidence of the small fort.  The current Fort Macon was built on the site and completed 1834, it is a five-sided military defense brick and stone structure with 4½ feet deep outer walls. During the Civil War, the Confederate Army lost control of Fort Macon to the Union forces and it was used as a coal station for naval ships.  After the war, Fort Macon was used as federal prison from 1867 to 1876.  It was briefly during the Spanish-American War and eventually closed permanently in 1903.  The state of North Carolina purchased the property in the 1920s, the Civilian Conservation corps restored the structure and the Fort Macon State Park officially opened in May 1936.  Then during World War II, Fort Macon was once again armed with military force to defend the United States eastern coast.  In 1946, the US Army returned the fort to the state of North Carolina.  Today, Fort Macon is opened to the public and visitors can take a tour and view the museum exhibits that explain the history of the fort.  For more information regarding hours, admission fees and directions, please see the NC State Park website at ncparks.gov and then search for Fort Macon State Park.  (Travel note: During our visit to Fort Macon in 2012, we stayed for one of the evening programs and were able to watch a cannon firing demonstration which was very interesting and extremely loud!  Before visiting, check the website for specific days and time that this program is offered)

Fort Macon    Fort Macon 1

Another Civil War Era Military Fort located near Wilmington, NC is Fort Fisher State Park, it is a less than 20 miles by car and it would take approximately half an hour to drive there.  We have not visited Fort Fischer but it is very close to the NC Aquarium Fort Fisher State Park which is located less than a mile away and a quick 5 minute drive.  For more information regarding the history of Fort Fischer and the hours of operation, admission fees and directions, please see the NC State Park website at ncparks.gov and then search for Fort Fishers State Park.

USS North Carolina Battleship

Located across the Cape Fear River from downtown Wilmington, NC is the USS North Carolina (BB-55) which was an American battleship used during World War II and it had a crew of 144 commissioned officers and 2,195 enlisted men and was armed with nine 16 inch 45 caliber guns mounted on three turrets and twenty 5 inch 38 caliber guns mounted in two sets of 10 each.  During the course of the war it provided anti-aircraft coverage for the larger carriers in the fleet while putting in over 300,000 nautical miles during its tour of duty in the Pacific Ocean losing only 10 men with 67 men wounded.  After the war, it was used as a training vessel until it was finally decommissioned in June 1947 and place on Inactive Reserve Fleet based in New Jersey for the next 14 years.  In 1958, the state of North Carolina launched a “Save Our Ship” (SOS) campaign to rescue the Battleship from being scrapped.  It proved a success and the Battleship arrived at its current location in Wilmington, NC in October 1961 and was dedicated in April 1962 at which time it was opened for public tours.

North Carolina Battleship 1    North Carolina Battleship 2

To start the visitor experience on the North Carolina Battleship it is advised to begin with the orientation movie shown in the auditorium and looking at the exhibits in the adjacent hall before heading up the gangway and boarding the Battleship to start the self-guided tour.  Once on the Battleship there are clearly marked arrows indicating the route of the tour and information signs explaining the different areas.  Please be advised that the Battleship is very large and the average time it takes to tour the nine levels is approximately two hours, since the tour is self-guided visitors can tour at their own pace.  Also there are several ladders to climb up and down during the tour and please check in advance to see what the limitations are if guests have any personal mobility issues or restrictions.  (Travel note:  I would advise visitors to wear the appropriate shoes while on board the Battleship, high heels that could get caught in the metal grates would not be a good choice!!  Also, limit the items you take onboard since some of the corridors on the Battleship can become very narrow and possibly crowded, especially if you are visiting during the summer months.  Hang onto cellphones, sunglasses and camera or as an extra precaution safely store them while walking on the tour)

For more information regarding hours of operation, admission prices and tour details and directions to the North Carolina Battleship, please visit their website at battleshipnc.com

Bellamy Mansion

Located near downtown Wilmington, NC is the Bellamy Mansion and Museum.  The Mansion was the home of John Bellamy, a prosperous doctor and prominent businessman, who lived there during the Civil War period with his wife, Eliza, and their nine children.  The elegant twenty-two room house was designed by architect James F. Post in a Greek Revival and Italianate style and was built by local slave laborers and completed by skilled carpenters and artisans.  At one point during the Civil War, Federal Troops occupied the house, later the house survived a disastrous fire in 1972 and, years later after extensive restorations, the house is currently administered by a nonprofit organization as a museum with guided tours available.  Visitors walk along a quaint oyster path, climb the stairs to enter the elegant 10,000 square foot home through a grand entrance portico with massive white columns typical of southern antebellum houses.  Surrounding the house is a lovely Victorian style garden with stately 150 year old magnolia trees and also located on the property are fully-restored slave quarters.  For more information about hours, admission fees and directions please check out their website at bellamymansion.org (Travel note:  A tour of the Bellamy Mansion is a great historical learning experience for families, but I would recommend that the activity is more appropriate for families with older school aged children since the attention span of toddlers and babies can be very limited)

Bellamy Mansion    Bellamy Mansion - slave quarters

Poplar Grove Plantation

The Poplar Grove Plantation is located about 21 miles from Wilmington, NC and is less than a half an hour drive.  Poplar Grove was once the home of the Foy family from 1795 to 1971 for six generations and was one of the last surviving peanut plantations in North Carolina.  When the former house was destroyed in a fire in 1850, Joseph Mumford Foy decided to build the new one closer to the main road.  The present 4,284 square foot Manor House has a raised basement brick foundation with a two-story wood-sided structure built on top and it is situated in a beautiful grove of trees dripping with Spanish moss.  Poplar Grove is listed on the National Register Historic Places and the Poplar Grove Foundation, a nonprofit organization, administrates the property and the former plantation is available for tours of the house and the grounds.  Seasonally, Poplar Grove has various living history demonstrations in the outbuildings on the property.  For more information concerning the hours of operation, admission fees and directions, please visit the Poplar Grove Plantation website at poplargrove.org  (Travel note:  A tour of the previously mentioned Bellamy Mansion located near downtown Wilmington is a great contrast to the Poplar Grove Plantation tour and both experiences are a wonderful way to learn about city and country life during the Civil War Era)

Popular Grove Plantation 1    Popular Grove Plantation 2

Serpentarium

Located in downtown Wilmington, NC is the Cape Fear Serpentarium which is a very unique indoor zoo featuring some of the rarest and most dangerous reptiles in the world including several species of snakes, such as Anacondas, Pythons and Boa Constrictors.  Other exhibits display exotic lizards and crocodiles.  The Serpentarium is owned and operated by Dean Ripa, a local Wilmington man who has had a life-long passion for snakes and reptiles.  Ripa, the famous herpetologist, became on the first international snake hunters and he has traveled to five continents to work in 30 different countries to provide snakes and reptiles to major zoos, animal facilities and private clients.  The Serpentarium is a great family activity for those interested in snakes and reptiles.  Now, on a personal note, I have never set foot in the building because I have a major fear of snakes but I am told by both my husband and daughter that it was a great experience for them and they enjoyed it!!  For more information on the Sertentarium hours, admission fees and directions, please check out their website at capefearserpentarium.com

Serpentarium exterior    I'm so happy

Additional places of interest on the coast of North Carolina

If you are interested in seeing the crafts made from the seashells gathered on our visits to the coast of North Carolina or the beach souvenirs that displayed in our home, please click on the following links to the Décor post, Beach Memorabilia Display, and the Craft posts, Seashell Embellished Mirror, Embellished Photo Frames and Seashell Crafts.

Hartnell’s Famous White Wardrobe

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Robert HarnellNorman Hartnell (born June 12, 1901 died June 8, 1979) was a British fashion designer and is best known as the dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and later, her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.  In this post, I will briefly discuss the fashion career of Hartnell and his work with the Royal family, including the famous White Wardrobe that he designed for Queen Elizabeth.

In the mid-1930s, Hartnell had firmly established himself as a successful designer specializing in elegant afternoon and evening dresses for the London society.  He also designed wedding and bridesmaid dresses for several British Royal Weddings.  The Duchess of York (later known as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother) met Hartnell for the first time in 1935 when her young daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess, were bridesmaids in the wedding of Prince Henry (the Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V) to Lady Alice.  Unfortunately, due to the death of Lady Alice’s father the large state wedding scheduled for Westminster Abbey was cancelled and the royal couple was married in a smaller private ceremony at the Chapel Royal in St. James Palace so the public only saw Princess Alice’s going-away outfit that Hartnell had designed.

In 1937, when her husband, Albert, unexpectedly became King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (formerly known as the Duchess of York) felt obligated to use her current dress designer, Madame Handley-Seymour, to create her coronation gown.  Several years earlier, in 1923, on the recommendation of her future mother-in-law Queen Mary, the Duchess of York had commissioned Handley-Seymour to design her wedding dress and had since used her to create her royal wardrobe.  But, Queen Elizabeth had been so impressed with the dresses Hartnell had created previously for her daughters that she commissioned him to design the gowns for her Maids of Honor at the coronation.

Once again, Queen Elizabeth was so pleased with the maids coronation dresses that afterwards Hartnell began to exclusively create her entire royal wardrobe.  Then in 1938, prior to a scheduled Royal Tour planned to France, the Queen’s mother the Countess of Strathmore died and the trip was postponed for three weeks. Hartnell had been commissioned to design 30 outfits for the upcoming visit but since the Royal Court Mourning period required a somber wardrobe and the colorful outfits were deemed inappropriate.  This Royal Tour was extremely important to build a solid political alliance between Britain and France especially at that time due to the growing hostilities in Europe and appearances were very important in establishing a good impression.    The tradition dedicated for Court Mourning allowed black clothing and after an extended period of time eventually purple and mauve colored dresses.  These colors would set the wrong tone for the visit and would also be highly unsuitable choice during the hot summer months in France.  Hartnell came up with a solution to the problems when he discovered that in the past white was previously used as an acceptable color during the Court Mourning period.  So, in less than three weeks new dresses were created and the Queen left London wearing somber black but arrived in Paris with an entire wardrobe of white dresses.

Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - day dress    Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - day dress with matching jacket    Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - day dress with jacket
 

Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - crinoline evening gown    Queen Elizabeth white wardrobe for Paris 1938 - crinoline evening gown with sash

Normally not known as a fashion icon, especially in her later years, the famous “White Wardrobe” worn by the Queen in Paris during the Royal Tour of France in 1938 caused an international fashion sensation.  Hartnell had designed romantic day and evening dresses made of beautiful white fabrics such as the finest silks, chiffons, lace and tulle which were embellished with sequin and pearls.  Inspired by a Winterhalter portrait of Queen Victoria, Hartnell incorporated crinoline into the dress designs and the Queen also revived a past fashion trend by accessorizing her outfits with lovely parasols to match each dress.  With the great press coverage and wonderful reviews of her clothing, the Queen wanted to commemorate the success of the Paris visit by commissioning her favorite royal photographer, Cecil Beaton, to document the beautiful Hartnell dresses in a series of portraits taken in the State Rooms and gardens of Buckingham Palace.  (If you are interested in finding out more information about the life of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, please clink on the link)

Cecil Beaton portrait of Queen Mother 2    Cecil Beaton portrait of Queen Mother 1

In 1940, Hartnell received the highest honor of a Royal Warrant as the principal dress designer for the Queen and he continued to make her royal wardrobe over the years for her daily Royal engagements and other events, such as the 1947 South Africa Royal Tour.  Hartnell also increased his work with the Royal Family by designing dresses for the Queen’s two daughters, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, as they grew into beautiful young women.  In 1947, he was commissioned to create Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress when she married Prince Phillip and later when her father, King George VI, died Hartnell designed her coronation dress in 1953 when she became Queen Elizabeth II.  (For more information and photos on these two important historical dresses, please click on the following links: British Royal Weddings – Part Three and the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother of England.

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Queen Mother portrait

One of England’s most beloved members of the royal family was Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.  Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was born on August 4, 1900; her father was Claude Bowes-Lyons, known as Lord Glamis and later the 14th Earl of Strathmore, and her mother was Cecilia Cavendish-Bentinck.  There has been some confusion as to her actual birthplace but officially her birth is registered in Herfordshire near the Strathmore’s country house in St. Paul’s Walden Bury.  Her family also had a house in London but their ancestral home was Glamis Castle in Scotland and this was where Elizabeth spent most of her childhood.  Later during World War I Glamis Castle was used as a military convalescent home for wounded soldiers and, even though she was only 14 years old  at the time, Elizabeth was able to help with the war effort by assisting the patients in writing letters home and keeping them company during their hospitalization.

Elizabeth as a young girl

After the war, Elizabeth spent some time in London attending various social events, such as the wedding of Princess Mary in 1922 when she was a bridesmaid, and eventually she became acquainted with Prince Albert, the second son of King George V and Queen Mary.  Prince Albert, known as “Bertie” to his family, was enchanted by the charismatic Elizabeth and he proposed several times over the next couple of years but Elizabeth was hesitant about marrying into the royal family because of the restrictive life that she would have to lead.  Eventually she accepted Prince Albert’s proposal and the couple were married on April 26, 1923 at Westminster Abbey in London.  (For more information about their wedding, please click on the Celebration post link British Royal Weddings – Part Three)

York Wedding

After their wedding the royal couple, now known as the Duke and Duchess of York, undertook a full schedule of public engagements.  Elizabeth performed her duties with grace and proved to be very popular with the crowds charming them with a constant smile and pleasant conversation.  Unfortunately, Prince Albert had a severe stammer and he had great difficult speaking in public but eventually he improved with the aid of a speech therapist named Lionel Logue.  (This situation was beautifully documented in the 2010 film, “The King’s Speech” starring Colin Firth as Prince Albert who later became King George VI, and Geoffrey Rush playing Lionel Logue)

George and Elizabeth 1923

In 1926, the Duke and Duchess had their first child; a girl was born on April 21, 1926 at her parents’ home at 17 Burton Street in the Mayfair section of London.  She was named Elizabeth Alexander after her mother and her maternal great-grandmother who had died six months earlier.  She was christened in the private chapel of Buckingham Palace and her family called her “Lilibet”.  Four years later a second daughter was born named Margaret Rose on August 21, 1930 at Glamis Castle in Scotland.  The two Princesses were raised by their governess Marion Crawford and they also received private lessons in history, language, literature and music.  (Special note: Marion Crawford wrote a book, “The Little Princesses”, about her life as the governess in the royal household.  After it was published in 1950, even though the book did not reveal any scandal or family secrets, the Queen Mother severed all ties with the former governess and she never spoke to her again.  The book is hard to find as it has been out of print for years, but if you can find a copy it is a very interesting read about the royal family)

The Royal family 1

In 1936, King George V died in January and his son, the Prince of Wales, was the heir to the throne.  But before his coronation as King Edward VIII, he confirmed his love for a commoner named Wallis Simpson, and shockingly abdicated the throne.  His brother, Albert, was now the King and he was a very shy and reserved man. He would rise to the challenge with his wife, Elizabeth, by his side he would be able to succeed in his new role as monarch.  The coronation of King George VI with Queen Elizabeth as his consort took place on May 12, 1937 in Westminster Abbey in London.  (Historical note: As a result of this situation, 1936 became known as the year of the three Kings – King George V, King Edward VIII and King George VI)

King George and Queen Elizabeth coronation

In the first years of his reign, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth traveled on various diplomatic tours throughout Europe and North America.  Prior to the Paris trip in 1938, Queen Elizabeth’s mother the Countess of Strathmore died and the trip was postponed for three weeks.  The Queen’s dress designer, Norman Hartnell, had been commissioned to design 30 outfits for the upcoming Royal visit to France.  Since the court was in mourning after the death of the Queen’s mother, the clothes were deemed inappropriate and Hartnell came up with an ingenious idea.  As a result, the famous White Wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth was created for the Paris trip and it turned out to be a great fashion success.  (If you are looking for more information about the Hartnell designs, please click on the link above)

In 1939, King George and Queen Elizabeth traveled to Canada and toured the country from coast to coast.  Then they went to Washington, D.C. and this marked the first time in history that a British monarch had ever visited the United States.  The royal couple went to the White House and later spent time with President Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor, at their private Hudson Valley home in New York.  One of the major reasons for the visit with President Roosevelt was to establish a firm political alliance with the United States due to the increasing hostilities in Europe which ultimately lead to World War II.

King George and Queen Elizabeth with President Roosevelt

During World War II, King George and Queen Elizabeth traveled to the bombed areas of London caused by the Blitz to assess the damage and provide moral support to the victims.  As she visited the East End to view the devastation Queen Elizabeth always dressed in her most elegant and expensive outfits that would normally cause anger in the poor people of that part of the city but she eventually charmed everyone with her gentle manner and constant smiles.  During the most intense period of the Blitz bombings, King George wanted Queen Elizabeth and their children to leave London for a safer place but she refused to leave his side.  A compromise was reached and instead of sending the children to Canada as recommended Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret would go to Windsor Castle just outside of London for the duration of the war and the King and Queen would see them in the evenings and stay with them on the weekends.  The King and Queen continued to work at Buckingham Palace during the week with a minimum staff and very narrowly missed several direct hits during the Blitz that caused extensive damage to the Palace.  At the time, Queen Elizabeth famously stated that now that since she had personally lived through the bombing of her home she could now proudly face the people of the East End knowing that she experienced the same terrors of the war and in making this statement she gained the admiration of the public.

King George and Queen Elizabeth view east End bombing sites

After the end of the war, England started the slow process of recovery, rebuilding the damaged areas of London and adjusting to the economic hardships.  Then in 1947, King George and Queen Elizabeth with their two daughters embarked on an extensive three month royal tour of South Africa.  The royal family traveled from England on a round trip voyage across the Atlantic on the H.M.S. Vanguard which arrived and departed from Cape Town.  To begin their journey the royal family traveled aboard eight custom designed air-conditioned railroad cars that were painted an elegant ivory color, this is the reason it became known as the legendary White Train.  The train transported the royal family across South Africa to destinations such as Victoria Falls.

South Africa royal tour 1947    

King George had been a very heavy smoker and combined with the stress of his royal position in solving the post-war problems of England this caused his health to rapidly decline.  In 1948, a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand was postponed due to the King’s medical conditions.  In early 1949 the King underwent a successful operation to improve the circulation caused by an arterial blockage in his right leg.  Later in the year, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent another operation to remove part of his left lung.  Sadly in 1951, a malignant tumor was discovered in his left lung and his health condition continued to decline.  As a result of his health issues and an extended recovery period both Queen Elizabeth and their eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, the heir presumptive, fulfilled the King’s public commitments.

The delayed Australia and New Zealand had been rescheduled but Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, would be going in the place of the King and Queen. In January 1952, the young royal couple left England on route by airplane to Kenya in Africa for brief stop before beginning their royal tour.  There is a rather touching film of the King George and Queen Elizabeth waving goodbye to the couple as they board the plane for their trip and the King looks notably pale and extremely thin.  Sadly, King George died on February 6 1952 and Princess Elizabeth immediately returned to England as the new Queen.

Queen Elizabeth at the time of King George's death

With the death of King George VI and the ascension of their daughter to the throne, the widow Elizabeth was given the rather grand title of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother so as not to be confused with her daughter the new crowned Queen Elizabeth II.  The Queen Mother was completely devastated by the death of husband and she briefly retired from public life to spend time in Scotland.  Scotland held a very special place in her heart because of her childhood spent at Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland.  While staying with friends during her mourning period shortly after the death of her husband, the Queen Mother found the charming but dilapidated Castle Mey located on the coast of northern Scotland with amazing views of the North Sea.  Castle Mey was originally built between 1566 and 1572 as the home of George Sinclair, the 4th Earl of Caithness.  Over the centuries the castle remained within the Sinclair family until 1889 when George, the 15th Earl of Caithness, died unmarried and with no heirs to inherit the estate.  According to the will, Castle Mey was given to his friend, F.G. Heathcote, and eventually his widow sold it to Captain F.B. Imbert-Terry who in turn sold it to the Queen Mother in 1952.  At that time, Castle Mey was in a severe state of disrepair and the Queen Mother had extensive renovations made to the building’s interior and exterior while a beautiful garden was planted on the grounds.  Over the years, the Queen Mother enjoyed spending her annual summer holiday from the months of August to October.

Castle Mey

With the encouragement of the former Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, the Queen Mother came out of her secluded life and brief retirement and returned to public life eager to resume her royal duties.  Over the years, as the family matriarch, she charmed the public with her seemingly mild persona and frequent smiles to become one of the most popular members in the British Royal Family, she was affectionately known now as the “Queen Mum”.  She continued an active life while taking on a full schedule of public engagements and she was also a patron of 300 organizations.

The Queen Mother enjoyed a long life, spending time with her numerous grandchild and even great-grandchildren.  In 1995, she had some health problems requiring two different operations, one was eye surgery to remove a cataract in her left eye and the other was hip replacement surgery on her right side.  In 1998, she fell and broke her left hip requiring another replacement surgery.  In 2000, there was a special reason for celebration as the Queen Mother turned 100 years old.  To mark the occasion, numerous tributes appeared in print, both in the national and international newspapers and also several commemorative books were published, as well as numerous television specials and several public events.  In 2001, the Queen Mother was recovering from a recent blood transfusion but she had recovered in time for her traditional public appearance to commemorate her birthday outside of her London home Clarence House.  At the end of 2001, more health problems occurred when she fell and fractured her pelvis, she was also suffering from a severe cold.  Sadly, Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother’s youngest daughter died on February 9, 2002 and because of her recent medical conditions it was a possibility that she would be able to attend the funeral.  Arrangements were made and she was flown by helicopter from Sandringham House in Norfolk to Windsor Castle to attend the services at St. George’s Chapel but to be respectful of her privacy she was shielded from the press.  After the funeral, the Queen Mother went to her home, Royal Lodge, located nearby where she continued to recuperate from a persistent cold she had since the Christmas holiday.

The Queen Mother died on March 30, 2002 at the age of 101 with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth, by her bedside.  Her coffin was draped with the Queen Mother’s personal standard (flag) with a spray of camellias grown in her personal garden on top.  The Queen Mother’s platinum crown set with 2800 diamond and the massive 105 carat Koh-I-Nor diamond which was made for the 1937 coronation of her husband, King George VI, and that she worn many times over the years was also placed on the top of the coffin.   The crown is now on display along with the other British Crown Jewels in the Tower of London. (For more information about Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s crown please click on the link Crown Jewels of England – Part Two)

The coffin was taken to Westminster Hall to lay in state and over the following three days more than 200,000 people filed past while members of the household cavalry and other branches of the British armed forces stood guard.  On the final day, the Queen Mother’s four grandsons; Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Viscount Linley, stood at the four corners of the catafalque to show their respect.  This was done once before in 1936 by the four sons of King George V prior to his state funeral and it was called the Vigil of the Princes.

Queen Elizabeth death grandsons vigil    Queen Mother funeral

The Queen Mother’s funeral took place on April 9, 2002 at Westminster Abbey, years prior to her death the Queen Mother had planned every detail of her funeral including the symbolic request that after the funeral the floral arrangement from her coffin be removed and laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior which was the same simple gesture that started a royal wedding tradition over 79 years before when Lady Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), then the new bride of Prince Albert (King George VI) placed her bouquet at the same place as a tribute to the brave men lost in World War I.  The Queen Mother’s final resting place is in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle where she is buried with her beloved husband King George VI.

Queen Mother in later life