Journeys with Eileen Diane

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow ~ A Very Special Cat (Part 4) — Katzenworld

January 8, 2020January 8, 2020Journeys with EileenDiane

The post Shadow ~ A Very Special Cat (Part 4) appeared first on Katzenworld – Welcome to the world of cats!. Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. 751 more words

via Shadow ~ A Very Special Cat (Part 4) — Katzenworld

It’s been very special for me to share Shadow’s story with you. Writing these posts about Shadow brought back many fabulous memories, from getting her from a dear friend who flew from Minneapolis to Washington with Shadow to our cross county adventures and then watching her run about as a tripod .. she was quite incredible.

Treasure your pets as they are each so unique.

If you missed Parts 1, 2, or 3, please see the links below …

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 1) – Katzenworld

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 2) — Katzenworld

Shadow ~ A Very Special Cat (Part 3) — Katzenworld

January 4, 2020January 2, 2020Journeys with EileenDiane

The post Shadow ~ A Very Special Cat (Part 3) appeared first on Katzenworld – Welcome to the world of cats!. Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. 853 more words

via Shadow ~ A Very Special Cat (Part 3) — Katzenworld

If you missed Parts 1 and 2 (see below) and Part 4 will be next week ….

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 1) – Katzenworld

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 2) — Katzenworld

Happy New Year ~ Quotes

December 30, 2019December 30, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

Wishing you and your family and friends a fabulous New Year ~ filled with love, laughter, terrific journeys and dreams come true!!

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’ Alfred Lord Tennyson

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. Helen Keller

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Ralph Waldo Emerson

And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. Rainer Maria Rilke

What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others. Diogenes

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source – a Sower of Dreams – just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true. Sarah Ban Breathnach

All of us every single year, we’re a different person. I don’t think we’re the same person all our lives. Steven Spielberg

If you want an interesting party sometime, combine cocktails and a fresh box of crayons for everyone. Robert Fulghum

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. Anatole France

Palos Verdes, California

Afternoon break

Magical formations

EXIF_HDL_ID_1

Delicious Desserts

Looking south to Palos Verdes Peninsula

Central Park

Entering Central Park

Venice

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 2) — Katzenworld

December 28, 2019December 23, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

The post Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 2) appeared first on Katzenworld – Welcome to the world of cats! Moving Cross-Country

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. Anatole Frances

After ending the job-offer phone call, I enthusiastically screamed, “Hurrah” to Shadow. “I…

via Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 2) — Katzenworld

Link to Part 1 Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 1) – Katzenworld

Parts 3 and 4 coming soon …..

Armchair Traveler ~ Classic National Geographic ~ October 1946

December 20, 2019December 19, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

This magazine, like the other two that I purchased at a library, has fascinating stories and photos from another era. WWII has ended and ads now feature travel to other parts of the globe. Below are some of the ads, followed by a recap of a few of the captivating narratives.

Natl Geographic Oct 1946

Matson Line Ad

Lockheed Constellation ad

Grace Line

Train Ad

American President Lines

Canadian Pacific Line

One of the stories, “Americans Stand Guard in Greenland” is about the US Army-weather station. The author recounts how US Coast Guard and infantry troops captured German weather stations during WWII. The weather stations in Greenland were vital for North Atlantic battle planning, including submarine activity. The scenery is desolate, yet spectacular.

Greenland

Musk Oxen

Another story, “Palestine Today,” is very absorbing as this is several years before Israel became a nation. To the author, many parts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem reminded him of parts of Europe, including central European coffee houses and the streets of Paris. Southern Palestine reminds the author of California, especially in the area of agriculture. The photos and story capture a Palestine of more than 70 years ago.

Zion Square, Jerusalem

Tel Aviv

Another article, “Back to Afghanistan,” really is back to this exotic area as the author had visited Afghanistan in 1931 as part of an expedition across Asia that summer. The story is eye-opening as he writes of a country, ruled by a European educated king. A country educating its youth, building roads, showing western movies in Kabul and being very hospitable to the author and his companions. The map is fascinating as in 1946 Afghanistan was a buffer between the USSR and India (Pakistan was not yet a country).

Afghanistan

Hollywood movies shown in Kabul

Independence Column in Kabul

All of the stories capture the mystique of the areas making me want to discover more of the history of each country. Journeys need not be physical; reading magazines or books is a marvelous way to take a journey. You can go back in time and imagine what it was like and then, if intrigued, get some history books. Discover what the intervening years have brought to areas that interest you.

Savor your journeys … past, present and future … real and imagined.

Armchair Traveler ~ Classic National Geographic Magazine ~ January 1943

Armchair Traveler ~ Classic National Geographic Magazines ~ Jan 1941

Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 1) – Katzenworld

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

The link will bring you to a cat tale I want to share with you. It is Part 1, about Shadow, a very special cat. It was originally published on Katzenworld’s terrific site … There will be 4 parts …and I think that you will agree that Shadow, in addition to being very beautiful, was also quite unique.

I hope that you enjoy the article …. the other parts will be on my blog over the next month.

And yes, Shadow did take two long journeys with me …. the memories are fabulous …

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.

Anatole Frances

Source: Memories of Feline Friends ~ Shadow Was Very Special (Part 1) – Katzenworld

Armchair Traveler ~ Book: Rome, Then and Now

December 8, 2019December 8, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

On a rainy day, what’s better than browsing a beautiful photo book of a place you have visited or want to visit? I have visited Rome many times and always loved it. Below are photos, thoughts about “Rome, Then and Now” by Federica D’Orazio.

The book was published in 2004. Many of the vintage photos have dates (ranging from 1860’s to 1944) and the contrast is amazing: Rome has retained its ancient feel while being a vibrant modern city. The Eternal City is a marvelous blend of ancient and new, which you feel as you walk about this gorgeous city. Each photo has historical information so that the reader can fully appreciate the beauty of Rome.

Let’s begin at the Baths of Caracalla, where you can attend operas or concerts during the summer. I did attend an opera and highly recommend it. We ate after the performance at a local neighborhood ristorante where we saw many of the performers. Great fun.

Baths of Caracalla

Rome is a marvelous city to walk about and get lost, even with a map (which happened to me several times). Think serendipity … you will eventually reach your destination, but if time is not a factor, enjoy the side streets …. you never know where they will lead. Wander about the Piazza Barberini (at the foot of the Via Veneto), walk to the Trevi Fountain (on a side street) … check out the Spanish Steps.

Piazza Barberini

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Tour ancient Rome visiting the Colosseum and Roman Forum, take the time to walk about;; imagine what it must have been like during Caesar’s time …

Colosseum

Colosseum, 1865

Colosseum

Roman Forum

Other marvelous photos show the changes to the Piazza St. Peter, Piazza del Popolo, and Piazza Navona, where I have marvelous memories of Tre Scalini Ristorante.

Piazza St Peter

Piazza St Peter, Easter Sunday 1870

Piazza del Popolo

Piazza Del Popolo

Piazza Navona

As you wander about Rome, either for real or as an armchair traveler, here are some additional sights …

Water Clock in Villa Borghese

Vittoriano

Vittoriano, 1944

Via Condotti

Via Condotti, early 20th century

Theater of Marcellus

Theater of Marcellus, 1880

Porta St. Sebastian

Browse thru your photo books or visit your library for ideas. Pick a special destination. The photos will have you reminiscing about previous journeys and/or planning a new adventure. After browsing this splendid book, what better way to continue my Italian armchair travel than preparing an Italian dinner (a favorite: spaghetti carbonara with Orvieto wine). Viva Roma!

Savor your journeys, near or far, real or imagined.

Gig Harbor, WA ~ Waning Days of Fall ~ Photos ~Quotes

December 2, 2019December 1, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” ~ Unknown

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” ~ Emily Brontë

“Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.” ~ Victoria Erickson

“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye.” ~ Unknown

“Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.” ~ Shira Tamir

“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale”—Lauren DeStefano

“November is the pearl-grey month, the changeling between warm crimson October and cold white December, the month when the leaves fall in slow drifting whirls, and the shapes of the trees are revealed, when the earth imperceptibly wakes, and stretches her bare limbs and displays her stubborn unconquerable strength before she settles uneasily into winter. November is secret and silent”—Alison Uttley

Mt Ranier

Travel ~ Quotes ~ Photos

November 24, 2019November 23, 2019Journeys with EileenDiane

Below are some favorite travel quotes and photos. I love photography as it is an excellent format to recall your journeys and the special people, places, cuisine, sights, etc, that you encountered.

Savor your journeys …

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Lao Tzu

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. Confucius

Never go on trips with anyone you do not love. Ernest Hemingway

“Not all those who wander are lost.” J.R.R. Tolkien

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” Anita Desai

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Robert Louis Stevenson

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Ursula K. Le Guin

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Marcel Proust

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” anaïs nin

“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.” Judith Thurman

“We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away. And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there.” Pascal Mercier

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson