Stonehurst

The post I have today is about the Robert Treat Paine Estate in the City of Waltham Massachusetts, a nice place to visit for anyone who is into old houses with alot of history.

Born in 1835 , the great grandson of a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He acquired a large fortune early in life through his legal practice and also Railroad and Mining investments.

Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and Frederick Law Olmsted, Stonehurst the Robert Treat Paine Estate, is the only museum devoted to these two pioneering figures in American architectural and landscape design history. At Stonehurst, these close friends and collaborators forged a uniquely American architecture by focusing on the intimate, almost seamless integration of the natural and man-made worlds. Richardson and Olmsted, like Winslow Homer, Emily Dickinson and Mark Twain, were among the great artists of the post-Civil War era who asserted cultural independence from Europe by cultivating an aesthetic deeply rooted in the American landscape.

In 1883, Robert Treat Paine, Jr. and his wife Lydia Lyman Paine commissioned Richardson and Olmsted to design a great addition to their summer house in Waltham, Mass. The Paines were a socially minded family. Robert Treat Paine founded building and loan associations and institutes to improve the quality of life of the working class. Stonehurst embodied the ideals the Paine family held dear and to which they believed every American had a right: an abundance of healthy, clean air and a spiritually uplifting and restorative environment. The Paine family grounds appropriately became a public park in 1974, when descendants donated the 109-acre estate to the City of Waltham

Boston Marathon 2007

Dominance? Did I hear someone say "dominance"? That would be an improvement. What the Kenyans have done to the Boston Marathon, and a few other marathons, is establish a tyranny that certainly should be a very big embarrassment to the rest of the running world. Boston Marathon men's division winner Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya at the finish line at the 111th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 16, 2007.

Cheruiyot won for the 2nd year in a row and third time overall in an official time of 2 hrs, 14 mins and 13 secs to lead an all-Kenyan podium but was well shy of the race record he set last year of 2:07:14.

James Kwambai was 2nd, 20 seconds behind, with 2006 New York Marathon runner-up Stephen Kiagoro third in 2:14:47.

I was confident, Cheruiyot said. I was very strong. I had trained enough. I didn't fear anybody. Also the race was too slow. We were very cautious not to go too fast.

Lidiya Grigoryeva won in an official time of 2:29:18. Latvia's Jelena Prokopcuka was 2nd for the 2nd year in a row, losing by 40 seconds, with Mexico's Madai Perez 3rd, exactly one minute behind the winner.

Kenya's Rita Jeptoo, the 2006 Boston winner, was 4th in 2:33:08 with 2006 London Marathon winner Deena Kastor, hoping to be the 1st US man or woman to win at Boston since 1985, taking fifth in 2:35:09.

Cheruiyot, who also won here in 2003, became the 15th Kenyan man to win in the past 17 editions of the epic 26-mile classic.

Cheruiyot and Kwambai battled for several miles together late in the race but at a final water stop, Cheruiyot surged ahead as Kwambai reached for water and was never caught again.

Japanese athletes won the wheelchair events with Masazumi Soejima taking the men's race and Wakako Tsuchida claiming the women's crown.

Each winner received 100,000 dollars from a total prize money pool of 575,000 dollars.

A lot has changed for the Boston Marathon since its first run in the spring of 1897. Today, what is certainly the oldest and most revered marathon in the country, perhaps the world, began as a vision by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) founders, after witnessing the first-of-its-kind race at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

18 men leaped from the starting line in front of Metcalf's Mill in Ashland . The starting official had no gun; he simply shouted "Go!" to start the BAA marathon.

In the early years, runners endured the narrow and dusty dirt roads winding their way to Boston. Today, of course, the roads are wide and paved.

The race sure has come a long way in all these years.

This medal is what the 1st place winner received in 1897. ----->

Harley Davidson

1903 Harley Davidson

I have been a avid fan and rider of Harley Davidson for most of my life and I want to share a little history with all who may be Harley riders also. Arthur Davidson and William S. Harley were school friends who shared a mechanical passion and a strong desire to join the other motorcycle pioneers. They rekindled their relationship while working at the same factory in Milwaukee. Together they began to study mechanics focusing on motorcycle engines.

In 1901 they had four engines designed and ready to be fitted to bicycle frames. In 1903 the first Harley-Davidson motorcycles were built.

The brand name become very famous and appeared in ads and articles describing the motorcycle that would become a legend. Three motorcycles were produced between 1903 and 1904 and were sold before they were even built.

1928 Harley Davidson

During this time Walter C. Davidson Sr. and William A. Davidson joined Arthur Davidson and William S. Harley and the Harley Davidson Motor Company was officialy registered with the U.S. Trade and Company Register office on September 17th 1907. The management positions within the company were assigned at the registration with Walter C. Davidson as President, William A. Davidson as Vice-President and Works Manager, Arthur Davidson as Secretary and General Sales Manager, and William S. Harley to serve as Chief Engineer and Treasurer.

My new Harley Davidson (Birthday Gift)

In 1904 Harley-Davidson began participated in motorcycle racing and benefited from commercial implications of the numerous victories won by their bikes and in 1913 the company decided to establish an official racing team. Early racers such as Ralph Hepburn and Eddie Brink put Harley on the track and won races with these machines, later Joe Petreli and Red Parkhurst.

Joe Petreli first raced on an Indian motorcycle, and then made a name for himself by racing Harley-Davidson's. From 1926 untill 1931 Harley interrupted their racing and Petreli raced for the Excelsior Company, which was shut down in 1931. Petreli again raced for Harley when the company started their race teams back in 1931. Red Parkhurst became a big winner and had a long career of motorcycle racing for Harley. Participating in motorcycle racing gave Harley an edge on research and development of their motorcycles.

Harley Davidson motorcycle became the symbol of American individualism and ended up "KING OF THE ROAD", all in 100 years.

I set up a link at the top of this posting just click on the Title Harley Davidson and you will see a great web site about the history of how it all began and much more.

True or False?

I know this is old news but I was shocked when I found out about this in an email from a friend of mine. I did some research on this and found like anything else there are two sides to every story. The question now is who is telling the truth? You decide for yourself.

ACLU say's No Crosses on Federal Property!

Have you seen or heard of this story in the news awhile back where the ACLU doesn't want any crosses on Federal property?

No Crosses on Federal Property? Let them try and remove these. What are these people thinking? Enough is Enough. This needs to stop. I really feel if there is any truth to this at all something is very wrong with our Government they have gone to far this time we have to draw a line and we the people should put a stop to it now before it is to late.

Separation of church and state, the result of a U.S. Supreme Court interpretation of the Constitution's First Amendment, has been a hotly contested issue for decades. How that separation should be interpreted and enforced has been at the heart of such issues as the Pledge of Allegiance in schools and the Ten Commandments in state courthouses. But does the separation mean that war dead buried in government owned cemeteries must be interred only with secular type headstones?

ACLU Says

Why does the ACLU want to remove crosses from federal cemeteries?

The ACLU is not pursuing, nor has it ever pursued, the removal of religious symbols from personal gravestones. Personal gravestones are the choice of the family members, not the choice of the government. The ACLU celebrates this freedom to choose the religious symbol of your choice. Read more about the ACLU's stance on religious freedom.

ACLU Upset At Marines

If you look closely at the picture above, you will note that all the Marines pictured are bowing their heads. That's because they're praying. The incident took place at a recent ceremony honoring the birthday of the corps, and it has the ACLU up in arms.

These are federal employees, says Lucius Traveler, a spokesman for the ACLU, on federal property and on federal time. For them to pray is clearly an establishment of religion, and we must nip this in the bud immediately. When asked about the ACLU's charges, Colonel Jack Fessender, speaking for the Commandant of the Corps said Screw the ACLU.

In an email response to queries concerning the above anecdote, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) stated the following:

In regards to the latest urban legend that includes a picture of Marines praying and a quote from a supposed ACLU spokesperson, we have no knowledge of this event nor have we ever had a spokesperson by the name of Lucius Traveler. Nor, for that matter, does the Commandant of the Marine Corps have a spokesman named Colonel Jack Fessender. I couldn't find any evidence that the ACLU has ever taken a position against U.S. military personnel — or, indeed, federal employees in any branch of government engaging in prayer. This incident is a complete fabrication.

Niagara Falls

This very rare photo was taken in the year 1911 when it was said Niagara Falls was completely frozen.

Niagara Falls is a set of massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River in eastern North America, on the border between the United States and Canada. Niagara Falls (French: les Chutes du Niagara) comprises three separate waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Falls), the American Falls, and the smaller, adjacent Bridal Veil Falls. The Falls are located 16 miles (26 km) away from the U.S. city of Buffalo and 43 miles (69 km) from the Canadian city of Toronto. The distance to downtown Toronto is 80 miles (123 km) when using roads.

The Falls formed after the receding of the glaciers of the most recent Ice Age, as water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment enroute to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, Niagara Falls is very wide. With more than 6 million cubic feet (168,000 m³) of water falling over the crestline every minute in high flow, and almost 4 million cubic feet (110,000 m³) on average, it is the most powerful waterfall in North America. The Falls are a valuable source of hydroelectric power for both Ontario and New York. Preserving this natural wonder from commercial overdevelopment, while allowing for the needs of the area's people, has been a challenging project for environmental preservationists since the nineteenth century. A popular tourist site for over a century, the Falls are shared between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. The original Niagara Falls were near the sites of present-day Queenston, Ontario, Canada, and Lewiston, New York, but erosion of their crest has caused the waterfalls to retreat several kilometres southward. Just upstream from the Falls' current location, Goat Island splits the course of the Niagara River, resulting in the separation of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls to the west from the American and Bridal Veil Falls to the east. Although erosion and recession have been slowed in this century by engineering, the falls will eventually recede far enough to drain most of Lake Erie, the bottom of which is higher than the bottom of the falls. Engineers are working to reduce the rate of erosion to retard this event as long as possible.

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls drop about 170 feet (52 m), although the American Falls have a clear drop of only 70 feet (21 m) before reaching a jumble of fallen rocks which were deposited by a massive rock slide in 1954. The larger Canadian Horseshoe Falls are about 2,600 feet (792 m) wide, while the American Falls are 1,060 feet (323 m) wide. The volume of water approaching the Falls during peak flow season is 202,000 cubic feet per second (5,720 m³/s). During the summer months, when maximum diversion of water for hydroelectric power occurs, 100,000 ft³/s (2,832 m³/s) of water actually traverses the Falls, some 90% of which goes over the Horseshoe Falls. This volume is further halved at night, when most of the diversion to hydroelectric facilities occurs. This photo is the United States side of the falls. I got most of my info on this from Wikipedia. I also set up a link to the Niagara Falls web site Canada just click on the Title at the top of the post (Niagara Falls) Hope you all enjoy.

Mickey Addict

My better half is quite addicted to the mouse and and I thought this kinda stuff was just for kids. I have been getting her gifts for many years and it has to be something Mickey Mouse everytime. I started fixing up a room just to put all the items in and I seem to have run out of space already what a dilemma???

There is a lot more that is still not unpacked yet. Anyone out there have any ideas I sure could use some help with this. I think I bit off more than I can chew I have more pictures of whats in this room but do not want to over do it I just might have to do another posting about this if I get a response to.

I set up the link for Disneyworld for anyone who would like to check it out I believe we all have a little kid in us. Just click the Title Mickey Addict on top of this posting. Go for it

More Snow & Ice

I started surfing thru Flickr Photo this morning and checked out the Snow & Ice Sculpting section and found it to be full of some really great Pic's from around the world I have set up a link for everyone to see just click on the top of the page Title More Snow & Ice and you can see for yourself.

I wanted to show just a few pic's of what you can see surfing this amazing site and hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.

Its been more than 2 weeks since I have Posted and I try

not to go this long without posting but shit happens!

I finally got my Blog Mad Rating from Blog Mad I thought it took forever but it took 11 months. I expected to hear bells or see something change but nothing happened just same ole stuff. When you think about it 30,000 is a lot of blogs to look at. I can't help but feel that I have accomplished something its a good feeling.