Wednesday, December 1, 2010

I've been inspired.

It usually doesn't take a lot to get me going .. as in moving.  On the other hand it takes more than a ton to get me angry, or on the other side of the spectrum inspired.  Lately, it has taken more and more to peak my interest.  Between work stresses, home stresses and Holiday stresses - I have found little that makes me stop and think, and stop and act. 

Until Recently.

Recently, I started reading "older" posts from my blogger friends, and looking at pictures on other friends facebook pages, and it made me think.   We don't have a ton of money, especially now with Christmas upon us .. but I'd really love to be able to take Emily to a zoo, a museum, an aquarium, and a few other "childhood staples" that don't involve the state of New Hampshire.   I'd love to take her out of state, to see something extraordinary, for not a lot of money.

This past April, a good friend of mine took her daughter to the National Zoo in Washington DC - I've never been *to* Washington DC - I have been THROUGH it however ( a story for another post ) ... this is something I've always wanted to do, and I've always wanted to see.  For as long as I can remember, Washington DC was a destination for me.   Weird, I know.

Then I got to reading a friends blog about the places she and her husband have had the pleasure of visiting this past summer, and quite a few of those are on my "list" as well.  Inexpensive, local, and fantastic.

On top of that, my pen pal bestie and I have been talking back and forth about places we've visited - She, the lucky duck, got to visit the Titanic Museum in Branson Missouri this summer, and has the ability to get to the Nashville Zoo (correct me if I'm wrong on the name here) and has gone a couple times recently, while not cheap, I'm betting if it were closer, I could be persuaded to spend the money to get in - to both places - in full, while not fibbing about Emily's age (don't judge 27 dollar admission fee is outrageous for a three year old).

As a final "nail" so to speak, or straw if you will - there is a foundation, out of Massachusetts (my home state!) called The Highland Street Foundation - they offer free days admission (on certain dates, at certain times, for certain places) through out the summer called "Free Fun Friday's" .. we have yet to be able to take part in one of their fantastic offers at any of their fantastic venues, but now that I know about them, I'm being pro-active and the minute the list comes out, I'm marking my calendar and planning our trips accordingly!!!

These wonderful experiences that my friends have shared with me got me thinking about .. and researching ... places that are close(ish) and on the lower end of the admission scale.   Now that it's Winter(esque) anything outside, or further than 2 hours drive, is out of the question, until Spring when the roads clear up and the weather warms a bit.   So, here is a list of the things that I'm looking forward to in the coming months/year.

I cannot wait to get here.  Seriously.  Specifically to see the Glass Flowers
*edited to add ----*
YEAH there's a second museum - admission price pays for both!!
The Peabody Museum

I am in the process of getting a book with regards to this museum, and have read an excerpt of it, I am hooked.  I love art as it is, and to be so close to a place where one of the biggest art heists in history went down, it's criminal not to go.
*I'm editing this post to add a little history, taken directly from the above linked site*

1990
Mar 18thOn the night of March 18, 1990, a pair of thieves disguised as Boston police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and roamed the galleries, stealing thirteen works of art, including: Rembrandt's Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633), A Lady and Gentleman in Black (1633) and aSelf-Portrait (1634); Vermeer's The Concert (1658-1660); Govaert Flinck'sLandscape with an Obelisk (1638); five drawings by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas; and Edouard Manet's Chez Tortoni (1878-1880). The works have not yet been recovered. The $5 million dollar reward leading to the return of the art works is, as yet, unclaimed.
It's a given.  

Again, a given.

A real zoo?   Only a short drive away?  I'm on it.  Twice.
As a matter of fact, since my Grandfather and my aunt, uncle, and a cousin and her family live in relative close proximity to the Stone Zoo - I may make it there during the winter months ... Seriously? ... I think it's on.

There are more .. and I WILL be updating this and checking things off as we go.

Thank you - ALL for your inspiration, truly.  I needed it.



2 comments:

Jessi said...

Isabella Gardner is a must-do!

You would love the Zoo in DC. Just go around the end of March and the beginning of April so you can see all the cherry blossoms.

I am very interested in the Titanic Museum-- you know my love of ship-wrecks. Unfortunately it's a bit of a drive, lol.

Keep us posted.

J. R. Burke said...

We actually went to the Memphis Zoo. The Nashville Zoo is a bit of a let down. They didn't even have elephants! What zoo doesn't have elephants? Maybe it's changed since I've been last (which was many years ago). You should definitely go do some of the fun things. Save change. To be honest, we rack up in change - a few hundred every few months. I never believed it adds up so quickly!

Jessi - the Titanic Museum is AMAZING! Seriously. It was a 7 hour drive for my husband and I but Branson, Missouri was a very nice place. I think we wore IMax out! haha!