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The Franciscan Monastery Gardens provide a peaceful setting for quiet contemplation or for drawing and painting. Many reminders of spirituality can be found within this area. Inside the semi-enclosed corridors, plaques hang, with the Ave Maria written in numerous languages, some of which are not spoken anymore, such as Old English. On the grounds of

During my “tourist time” in Washington, D.C., I visited two gardens in the Smithsonian Institution. One was a butterfly garden and the other was a botanical garden. Both were full of vibrant flowers that were either at full bloom or almost there. The day that I chose for my “garden time” was very warm, about

On Tuesday, May 6th, I had an interesting adventure at the National Building Museum. The main focus of this museum is architecture, although there are also fascinating displays of how Washington’s infrastructure was designed. I had the chance to take a guided tour of the building. The guide, Lloyd, talked about the man who designed

Here I am with Pope Benedict XVI outside of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. The picture was taken on Sunday, May 4 when this absolutely realistic, yet wax, pope was visiting the church.I enjoyed attending St. Patrick’s. I had the opportunity to sing with the choir, directed by Ronald Stolk. That was very

The Grand Island Historical Society presented a Victorian Tea at River Lea on April 20, followed by a program and a tour of the house. The tea was quite delightful, featuring traditional afternoon foods and a cup of delicious tea. The tea was called “Maisie’s Tea,” and it was a blend of tea created by

Maggie Gushue presented “The History of Hats,” which was illustrated by a fashion show, in which models demonstrated changing hat styles from the 1700s until the present. Maggie talked about hats being functional, decorative, or flirtatious. While the earlier hats were big to shield women who worked outside for many hours from the detrimental effects

Last night, I went to a meeting of the New Voice Club of the Niagara Frontier. I had been invited to come as a guest speaker by second vice president Sue Bognar, a speech-language therapist, whom I had met in the Grand Island Community Chorus. She also serves as the club’s speech advisor. The topic

This is Tara Jane, the therapy dog, who came to visit the New Voice Club meeting. Tara Jane is a sweet dog who goes to visit special education classes in schools and who goes to other places where people with special needs can enjoy the companionship of a dog. She has a gentle temperament, which

Inside the Church of the Nativity in Tonawanda, I saw this beautiful display of flowers on this old chair.

In late 2005 and early in 2006, I spent some time living at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in Washington, D.C. I enjoyed the city and its museums and I especially enjoyed the ease in which I could get around without an automobile. There were plenty of places for this walking tourist to explore.I