falling-up.blogs.com > places

forefathers...

Granary Burying Ground

Boston, Massachusetts

The Granary Burying Ground is the final resting place of many prominent Revolutionary-era patriots such as Samuel Adams, Peter Faneuil, Paul Revere and John Hancock. This picture was taken while vacationing in Boston in May 2004. My wife and I visited the Granary Burying Ground when we walked the Freedom Trail tour.

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds"

- Samuel Adams quotes (American patriot and politician of the American Revolution. 1722-1803)

reflections...

New England Holocaust Memorial

Boston, Massachusetts

This might not be my best photograph, but it is certainly one of my favorites. A picture of my wife reading one of the many inscriptions written on the glass walls of the memorial, I took this shot while standing outside, looking through the glass at my wife. She did not realize where I was, or what I was doing.

Six million numbers are etched in the glass in an orderly pattern, suggesting the infamous tattooed numbers and ghostly ledgers of the Nazi bureaucracy.

It is a powerful place, and in my opinion one of the most emotionally stiring monuments in the country.

into the cellar...

The Beringer Winery in NAPA Valley, California is claimed to be the oldes continuously operating winery in the valley. It was certainly one of the more interesting.

This picture was taken down in the original cellar area. These rock tunnels were hand-chiseled by Chinese laborers following the completion of the Trans-Continental Railroad and used as a storage and aging area for the winery. It continues to be used by the company for their fine and select wines.

While I recommend taking the tour, better wine can be found elsewhere.

all aboard...

The NAPA Valley Wine Train returns to the gracious era of elegant rail travel with distinguished lunch and dinner service in a lavishly restored vintage 1915-1947 Pullman Dining, Lounge & Vista Dome Rail Car. These Cars are restored and appointed with hand-rubbed Honduran Mahogany, polished brass, and grape-motif etched glass.

The 36-mile trip takes approximately three hours to complete and is a wonderful way to cap a trip to California's wine country.

pier 39...

The famed seals of San Francisco's Pier 39.

They were so much fun to watch and I am amazed at how many of them could cram themselves into such a small area. Walking over each other to find the perfect spot, these seals were certainly not lost for anything to say. The pier is loud and the stench is powerful. Yet despite this, we found ourselves watching these magnificient creatures for nearly thirty minutes.