Once again it is the sunniest time of year so naturally one's mind begins to wander. Or wonder. Either way you have come to the right place! Check out the new Traveler's Aids page for where to go. There are links to vacation packages, hotels and more.
Why visit America? It really is a dynamic experience. More change has occurred here in 500 years than in any other era in human history. And we're not done.The "Founding Fathers" saw the potential and that's why they forged the Constitution as an evolving document, allowing for amendments.
 Beneath the superficial image presented by the mass media outlets is a diverse culture that takes as much pride in their ethnic roots as in their shared American heritage. The many small, volunteer supported museums and cultural centers across the country are evidence of that. Take the time to do some research and you will find a country to define and defy any stereotype you may apply.
You decide.

It's no secret that kids love field trips The proliferation of living history museums is testament to that fact. My own involvement began as an archaeology student sifting dirt in the basement of an Aurora Colony farmhouse in Oregon that has become a much anticipated excursion for many schoolchildren. I was lucky enough to find a significant artifact: the stub of a pipe used to smoke opium by the Chinese laborers who lived in the basement while they cleared Douglas Fir stumps for two cents a piece for early Oregon Trail emigrants. This was in 1974, during the time that my father was hosting a program for public broadcasting, "Oregon's Colonial Heritage" which was to become quite popular in reruns thanks to in-school viewing.
Both of these projects though viewed as risky in terms  of returns on investment now seem tame compared to subsequent media "adventures". Although Dad's show is not currently available digitally due to format issues, it has survived in the consciousness of those exposed to it.
Maybe the ghosts of the past will be remembered well by future generations. A new series being filmed in Oregon, "The Librarians" will add to the legacy of history appreciation that Oregonians take for granted while entertaining and informing a much larger audience. 

I have been tweaking this website since I completed my initial listings of sunny state history websites. I am in the process of setting up the film to digital workflow in order to start adding original content. In the meantime please explore my links! 
I am also working on a Kindle Single based on Allen's childhood titled: "EllieDee; A Bright Boy in a Dark Time". Yes I did inherit his love for puns. When Allen was born, his parents had settled on a name for him: Eldean. Being native Low-German speakers, this was mistranslated as Ellen Dean on the birth certificate. Allen had this changed before he went to college but retained the story for his personal use his entire life and shared it often.
He also shared the story of living in a cannabis patch only finding out about it when a travelling "salesman" stopped to sell a book on dangerous drugs when he was seven. When returning to the area to inter his ashes, I stopped by his old farmstead on Beaver Creek and sure enough, it WAS a cannabis patch! 
I paid $35 for that 1934 pamphlet on AbeBooks and it's not even printed on hemp paper. Go figure.
By the way, most books were printed on hemp before William Randolph Hearst began promoting the use of wood fibre. They will last longer than newer books that retain the chemicals needed to produce paper from wood. The industry still hasn't found a way to effectively monetize the lignin they extract in this endeavor, although efforts in this regard are proceeding.
Please remember to taste wine responsibly in Oregon on Memorial Day Weekend.  It's the spring version of the twice yearly event that encourages visits to small wineries that are not open year round. Most wineries in the state time new releases to these weekends, so go now or wait till Thanksgiving.

The weather in Oregon has been sunny and warm recently so I have not been keeping up with my website collection duties. It has been changing back to more inside weather so I plan to catch up.
I have observed that much of history reveals humanity's failures as well as it's triumphs. Often times one masquerades as the other. (I'm looking at you Second Seminole War). With all the progress we have made in America since European colonization it is easy to forget that many societies have achieved success on a stunning level as well only to be lost in the march of time. Visiting our country's many historic sites and museums will give you a sense of place in this regard. Hopefully then you will have refined your sense of purpose in regards to moving forward in your own march through time.
Happy Earth Day!

I am halfway thru the southern part of the country in my quest for the best of America's historic sites. I am constantly amazed at the variety of attractions the nation offers to the interested visitor. Many have very well defined web spaces and those are being linked to here. The are many "agency assisted" links which are my intention to strictly NOT link to here. These inevitably slow down web speed and impair the user experience. They are still available on search engines, just not here. Most of the sites I link to, if not all, depend on volunteers to fulfill their missions and it is in that spirit that this site has been created.

I have been putting together some hyperlinks to some of the history related websites. I make sure to keep it as direct as possible so clicking a button should get you to the site faster than you could read any descriptive caption. From time to time I will place a link to a webpage I find particularly interesting on the home page.

Thanks to all the tools available, now is the perfect time to launch this website. Between archiving data, coordinating devices, and learning basic under the hood techniques, I have been kept busy.  I will have some images ready soon.