winifredcreamer

North Coast Open Studios 2023

My first exposition as an artist was this week. I participated in North Coast Open Studios (NCOS), an event that invites people to visit the places artists work to see what they do and how they do it. There is the opportunity to purchase finished work, too. The event starts with Eureka’s First Friday artContinue reading “North Coast Open Studios 2023”

Afternoon on the Russian River, and some wine tasting

We drive to Santa Rosa once a month to see doctors, and rather than spend 8 hours in the car for a one hour appointment, we stay overnight, have dinner at a nice restaurant, and do a bit of exploring and wine tasting. It keeps us both much happier about the scarcity of medical specialistsContinue reading “Afternoon on the Russian River, and some wine tasting”

Harvard 50th Reunion

It was quite a week. On Tuesday, we checked in to the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge, MA so that we would be walking distance from events, and for the next four days, we dove into my 50th Harvard Reunion. It seems impossible that so many years have gone by since I graduated, and evenContinue reading “Harvard 50th Reunion”

Boston on Memorial Day

We’re in Boston, having a look around before my reunion gets underway, and it happens to be Memorial Day Weekend. The city is in high gear, as this is the official start of summer. On Thursday, I saw the display of 37,000 American flags planted on Boston Common to honor Massachusetts residents who died inContinue reading “Boston on Memorial Day”

Peloponnese (5): Ancient Messene, Nestor’s Palace, Pylos

We woke up to a clear day in Kalamata and set out for Messene, ancient capital city of the SW Peloponnese, a rare ancient city that was abandoned and not covered with later structures. Founded during the Bronze Age (3000-1000 BC) at the foot of Mt. Ithome, the settlement prospered based on agricultural richness ofContinue reading “Peloponnese (5): Ancient Messene, Nestor’s Palace, Pylos”

Peloponnese (4): More Sparta, Mystras

The Temple of Artemis Orthia is in a different part of Sparta, and waiting until the next morning to visit gave us a moment of sun at the site. This temple goes back to the 9th century BC and was in use for over 1000 years. It is where people went to make offerings toContinue reading “Peloponnese (4): More Sparta, Mystras”

Peloponnese (3): Nafplio, Epidaurus, Sparta

We began the day with a stroll through Nafplio, a lovely seaside town, where I could easily imagine spending a couple of weeks in the summer. There’s even a seaside rock swimming pool that reminded me of the Sydney area. Nafplio was the first capital city of the modern Greek state, 1823-1834. It would beContinue reading “Peloponnese (3): Nafplio, Epidaurus, Sparta”

Peloponnese (2) Corinth, Nemea, Mycenae

Ancient Corinth We started the day with ancient Corinth, Akrokorinth, a very large site, an ancient city. When I read a brief history of Corinth, I found there is no brief history. Corinth was founded by a descendant of Zeus, the Triton Oceanus, or Sisyphus, depending on what myth you like best. The city wasContinue reading “Peloponnese (2) Corinth, Nemea, Mycenae”

A Week of Ruins in the Peloponnese (1)

We booked a week-long private tour to see archaeological sites in the Peloponnese, home of Sparta and Mycenae, the “sandy Pylos” of Homer, and other wonderful spots. One of the reasons we tried a private tour is that we are such terrible tour participants. We’ve each led more tours than gone as participants, and weContinue reading “A Week of Ruins in the Peloponnese (1)”

About Athens

While it’s still fresh in my mind, here are a few impressions that might help you plan your visit to Greece. We stayed for six weeks: a month in Athens, and a week plus in the Peloponnese. We didn’t visit the islands, but for some great information about Greek islands I recommend posts at https://thegenxtravels.com/Continue reading “About Athens”