Starling Travel

This postcard was sent from Birmingham, Alabama to Mrs. E. P. Bejot back on March 5, 1958.

The postcard reads:

VULCAN – GOD OF METALS. This Gigantic Statue, the largest cast figure in the world, is located in Vulcan Park atop Red Mountain overlooking Birmingham, AL. The Statue is made of Birmingham iron and stands 55 feet from foot to outstretched arm and weights a total of 100 tons. The head alone weighs 6 tons, its foot 5 tons and the thumb 170 pounds. It is mounted on a base 124 feet high made of Red Mountain Limestone quarried from the mountain on which it stands. The total height of the base and statue is 179 feet. The statue was sculptured by G. Moretti and cast in Birmingham in 1903 from iron ore taken from Red Mountain and was sent to St. Louis in 1904 for exhibit during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Upon its return it was placed in the Fair Grounds where it remained until 1935, at which time through the work and co-operation of the Birmingham Kiwanis and the City Commission it was placed atop Red Mountain where it stands today, a symbol to the Magic City, Steel Center of the South. VULCAN holds a torch in his uplifted hand which burns green when there is no traffic fatality in metropolitan Birmingham and burns red for 24 hours when a traffic fatality occurs.

The letter to Mrs. E. P. Bejot reads:

Mon. 11 am

We are on our way home from Decatur, Alabama. 90 miles north of here. Came up Sat. and had a grand visit with Lois and John Skuba. Harry came with us. We have a little one. 300 miles to go yet. Wonderful country up here – different from any we’ve been yet. Hope you are all fine.

Pearle

Heince took pictures of this state.

Lois and John were so glad to see us as they are far from home – don’t get to see many friends from very often.

Vulcan is STILL the largest cast iron statue in the world and it is still in Vulcan Park in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1999, it was in a state of disrepair and a huge renovation project took five years to restore it. You can find out more information here:

• Vulcan Park and Museum – About Vulcan
• Vulcan statue – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ironically, the postcard from Pearle to Mrs. Bejot didn’t show the statue in its best light. You can see much better photographs of it on Flickr:

Where: Vulcan Park
1701 Valley View Drive
Birmingham, AL 35209-1214 Google Map
(205) 933-1409

Vulcan Park and Museum – Home

This is one of my favorite moments in Galveston. After eating at The Spot, I saved my waffle fries and taco salad bowl to feed to the seagulls. Watch as they take the fries right out of my hands.

I love how the seagulls can just hover right next to me, waiting for me to throw the next morsel. When that gull actually took the food right out of my hand, I laughed out loud with joy.

What a beautiful moment!

While we were in Galveston, I took a quick video of the ocean at the seawall.

The seawall was built after the hurricane of 1900. That hurricane devastated the island and is still the deadliest natural disaster to strike the United States. Rather than leave the island uninhabited, they built the seawall and raised Galveston by as much as seventeen feet in some areas. The seawall has protected Galveston ever since.

Last year, when Hurricane Ike hit, the seawall held, but the winds and water snuck in through the bay on the other side of the island and drown the island with eight feet of water. Everywhere we visited, each shop, restaurant and museum had a mark on their wall where the water level was. They all had small photo albums that they pressed into my hands to show the damage. It was like they were proud of what Ike had done to them and they survived it all.

For more information:

• 1900 Galveston hurricane – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Hurricane Ike – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Hurricane Ike Slideshow: Galveston Bookshop

Last year, my sister, Stacey, wanted to go to Disneyland for Christmas. After a HORRIBLE flight delayed by a snow storm, we arrived in California the day after Christmas and enjoyed the park all dressed up for the holidays.

Here is a video showing what it’s like:

Considering how much a fan of the Haunted Mansion I am, you might think that I hate what they do to the ride for Christmas, but I loved it. Here of some photos of the Christmas decorations:

What I loved most of all, however, is the parade and fireworks every evening. They had SNOW! I know it sounds crazy that they would be able to produce a gentle snow fall every evening in southern California, but they did. I don’t know what the snow flakes were made of, but they felt just as cool and fluffy as the snow that delayed our flight in Salt Lake City for so long.

When my sister suggested that we fly to Disneyland for Christmas, I thought she was crazy. I just went along for a family trip that we could laugh at and remember. Now, it’s a year later and I’m sad that I will miss Christmas in Disneyland this year.

I love this video of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in Texas.

Here is a video of a hike to the South Rim of Emery Peak.

Where: Big Bend National Park in Texas Google Map

Just a quick couple of photos to show you the view of the ocean from the seawall in Glaveston, Texas. It always amazes me that I can step onto a plane in the winter and step off a plane in the summer. In my mind, the seasons have always been attached to the time of the year, but with the advent of air travel, we have the option of changing the season at will.

Take a simple one-minute vacation with this time lapse video of Mount Hood.

Sometimes we need just a few minutes of wildness to bring us back to our senses and feeling refreshed.

This video was filmed with an iPhone using ReelMoments [iTunes Link] by NexVio.

It looks like work on The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is well underway.

Construction photo via: PostSecret on Twitpic

It will be at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando Florida. According to Universal, it’s going to be a big deal:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not just a single attraction. This new themed environment will provide fans with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the magical world of Harry Potter and his friends, and to see some of their favorite locations from the books and films such as the village of Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forrest, and even Hogwarts castle itself. The area will feature attractions, experiential shops and restaurants.

They have conceptual designs of the attractions on the Universal website. Here is what Hogwarts Castle will look like:

It looks nice, but will you be able to go in it?

The new land will be anchored by the most recognizable landmark in Harry Potter’s world: Hogwarts castle. Fans will get to experience some of their favorite locations both within Hogwarts and around the castle grounds.

Here is what Dervish and Banges “experiential” shop will look like:

Universal is going to have a huge surge of visitors just because of this single attraction. I hope they are ready for the crowds. You can find out more here:

• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Universal Orlando Resort

Here is a video of the construction underway:

Here is the official Universal Studios announcement:

While going through my grandmother’s collection of knitting and crochet books, I found this old photograph of Lower Falls in Yellowstone.

The information on the back made us very excited.

It is a hand painted photograph by J. E. Haynes, son of Frank Jay Haynes, the first official Yellowstone photographer. F. Jay Haynes actually named many of the Yellowstone sites and was instrumental in documenting Yellowstone. J. E. Haynes, followed in his footsteps.

My grandmother’s photograph is pretty faded, so I tried to spruce it up a bit.

Here is what the sight looks like today.

Lower Falls is located in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

• Lower Falls on Google Maps

The Library of Congress posted these old photos of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

It doesn’t seem that different today:

Asbury Park fell into disrepair during the 1980’s and 1990’s, but recently has been cleaned up. After the renovation of Convention Hall, people started visiting more often.

Where: Asbury Park, New Jersey: Google Map