The Mutter Museum

   After thirty years, we've finally made it to The Mutter Museum. It is far better than I expected. Due to over stimulation, (at least), I can only take one antique store at a time. This place is loaded with skulls and more, so I could only take so much. The babies gave me a headache. The prostitute dwarf that died in childbirth made me thankful that I skipped breakfast. The monastic garden was by far my favorite part. Ron, being a picker, 🤣, was not nearly as affected as I was. My OCD demanded that I read everything. Like with The Book of Kings I had to quit with the babies. 🤮 We had lunch in an Irish pub, later. 

Mutter Museum

The Monastic Garden

The Philadelphia Museum of Art

  The shorts are up, and the picture books are in the works, but I had to blog about this very special place. I've wanted to visit since high school. Somehow, as many times as I've been to Philly, I never made it here. The staff are wonderful, so happy and friendly. It's a fabulous classical building complete with a vaulted nave on the ground floor. Upstairs they have an impressive display of armor that beats The British Museum. Most of it is French, but there is German and English too. They have loads of crossbows, swords, and daggers among the medieval weaponry. The medieval section has doors, entry ways, and saints galore. The Asian art includes an ancient Indian temple, Chinese tomb guardians, and so much more. They must've had an obsessed patron because, again, it beats The British Museum. The American rooms are filled with early Philadelphian furniture and grandfather clocks that must be world class. Somebody placed a hand on my shoulder while snapping the magpie, but nobody was there. The masters include: Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Manet, Duchamps, Picasso, Pissarro, Toulous Lautrec, Degas, Whistler, and so many more. I was blown away. It's going to take me awhile to recover. TTYL... 🖌 Update: the kindle edition is ready, the paperback ought to be out tomorrow. 

kindle

 

The Philadelphia Museum of Art 5

The Philadelphia Museum of Art 4

The Philadelphia Museum of Art 3

The Philadelphia Museum of Art 2

The Victoria & Albert Museum Shop

  Oh, I want everything here. Can't believe I missed it for a toy museum when I was in London. At least I can still shop there. It looks fantastic for gifts and stocking stuffers. Most of the souvenirs that I brought home for people did come from the museums or castles. 

V&A Museum Shop

Bernhard Adam Cemetery & Museum Park

 What a precious day! Ron took me to the oldest cemetery in Reading, Bernhard Adam. It dates from 1744, and was the old Welsh Baptist Meeting House. The walls are crumbling. A dying tree is its only sentinel. There are Revolutionary War soldiers buried here. It is the closest cemetery to DARK SHADOWS as I've ever seen. Told Ron, forget the vultures' sleep this Halloween, bring me back here. It's near by, and I'm pretty sure a hand will dig itself out of the ground to greet me. If you are as enraptured with cemeteries as we are you can get the ebook now. A little paperback ought to be available soon. 

See Bernhard Adam Cemetery

Finally getting to open my Wednesday Addams doll. She's going to be Raven's new roomie. I wanted Enid, but I have so many dolls. Stay tuned... 

Delightful Dolls

 Available as an ebook and soon to be released in paperback Delightful Dolls has over a hundred color photographs from doll auctions, shows, and museums in Pennsylvania. There are antiques, vintage dolls, dollhouses, and more. It's more fun than I expected. 

Delightful Dolls

Veggie A'pizzas

 

Wow, tired, busy day, talk about vegging out. Monday is my shopping day so often by Sunday I'm running low. I made two veggie a'pizzas with my very limited resources, and both turned out pretty good. The first is a white pie with muenster, and the other has red onions and peppers. Delightful Dolls is done, is better than I expected, and will likely be released as a paperback and ebook tomorrow. 🍕

Dana's Book of the Dead

 Since Wyrd Trees and Mystic Caverns I've been going through my many photographs, (nearly twenty years worth), and put together a little paperback picture book, Dana's Book of the Dead. It has pictures of cemeteries, memorials, and tombs from The Ancient Burial Ground in Hartford to Savannah's Bonaventure. There are a lot of Pennsylvanian graves in between, particularly Gettysburg, as that's a favorite place. 

Dana's Book of the Dead

Now I'm working on Delightful Dolls with Dana. It's another photography book full of doll auctions, shows, and museums. There are many drool worthy dolls and displays.