Salutations Gentle Reader,
Thanksgiving often becomes a day of stress and strain. You may feel overwhelmed with unrealistic expectations of the perfect family get-together or a compulsion to consume, whether it's food or the latest gizmo. So I wish for myself and you for this day to simply be a peaceful Thanksgiving.
Fond regards,
Rosa
November 27, 2014
November 10, 2014
Nicholas Clayton: Architect Extraordinaire of Galveston
written by Rosa Morgan
Born on November 1, 1840, in Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland, Clayton immigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848, after the death of his father. He learned the skills of a plasterer, a marble carver, and architectural draftsman, and moved to Galveston to take a position as a supervising architect. It was in his new hometown that he made his mark as an architect, creating some of the most beautiful and recognizable structures of the city.
The following are a very small sampling of this gifted man's work.

The following are a very small sampling of this gifted man's work.
1874-77 Saint Patrick's Cathedral
1878-79 Eaton Memorial Chapel
1881 Electric Pavillion
1881-83 Harmony Hall
1882 Beach Hotel
1885 Gresham House
1889 Lasker House
1891-95 Ursuline Academy
1891 University of Texas Medical Branch
Despite 25 years as Galveston's most prominent architect, Clayton ultimately filed bankruptcy. In 1916 when he died at age 76, his wife and five children could not afford a proper tombstone and so his grave was marked with one of his marble samples.
October 31, 2014
Victorian Halloween Costumes
guest post by Patrick Sully
As autumn evenings draw in with the approach of winter and we retreat inside to an overstuffed chair pulled close to a crackling fire, our minds may wonder what may be abroad in the darkness, rain, and mists outside.
So for those dear readers who may be drawn to such speculation, and perhaps even may harbour secret tendencies toward the bizarre or ghoulish, I would offer a selection of sights and costumes upon which to feast their senses.
The monster of Honey Island Swamp and his colleagues, Joe Bootleg and school truant, Mischevious Mike, gathered to plot about their next victims.
The ladies of the knitting club reveal their alter egos as they prepare for an evening of fun and fright.
Daniella, the secret love of Batman's great grandfather, prepares for another night of battling evil and the ne'er-do-wells of the world.

The Pickle Sisters will most certainly present a most sour
challenge to any underworld fiend that may attempt to
perpetrate some dastardly deed upon them.
The Lady in Black awaits nightfall in her old manor house and has found she can haunt so much more effectively when wearing roller skates to traverse the endless hallways.
One must always be aware that the little angels and cherubs of heaven also have their counterparts in the "other" world and are most adept at trickery.
Ortula, a skilled sorceress and maiden of the dark arts may be encountered drifting down darkened village lanes, especially in the vicinity of long abandoned cemeteries.
The Pumpkin Man may sometimes be encountered in the dark edges of village markets, but who knows what dreadful substances may emanate from his pretty wagon.
If you should chance upon some lost sheep, it may just be that Little-Bo-Peep is indulging her other desires and has turned to searching for faint hearted souls to torment.
Be careful please should you venture out lest some dreadful apparition suddenly appear before you, for there may be no one to hear your shrieks as you hastily stumble to the sanctuary of your home.
September 22, 2014
The Joys of Autumn
written by Rosa Morgan
The first cool breeze lifts the oppressive heat of a Texas summer. Crisp falling leaves hearken change and holidays to come. Grey skies are so much more inviting to me than the glare of a relentless sun. It is the perfect time for introspective walks. I am in good company in my affections for the season, for Victorian poets and artists also embraced this time of year.
George Henry Boughton
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day. -Emily Bronte
John Everett Millais
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” Henry David Thoreau
Hans Andersen Brendekilde
“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house." Nathaniel Hawthorne
Henry Herbert La Thangue
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” Samuel Butler
Edward Cuceal
“Autumn...the year's last, loveliest smile."
William Cullen Bryant
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