Myself, wearing a blue western wear shirt, cream cowboy hat with blue stars, leaning against a barrel bar.

A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

January 21, 2026, Leave a Comment on A Return to the Kern County Museum: Home to Country Legends and More

Back in 2021 Patrick and I made our first visit to the Kern County Museum, an outstanding museum with over 50 buildings across 16 acres in Bakersfield. Our visit was amid COVID restrictions, and meant that few of the buildings were open, and between then and now, it has opened a Bakersfield Sound exhibit and…

A 74 foot long lunch counter stretches into the distance with mint and white barstools. A large colorful mural of Black people seated at a lunch counter hangs above.

Revisiting America’s Last Woolworth’s Luncheonette

January 14, 2026, 3 Comments

While many may blow by the small town of Bakersfield en route to Los Angeles, it is well worth the stop for a variety of reasons, but perhaps its star attraction is that it is home to the last operating Woolworth’s lunch counter. Woolworth’s first opened in Bakersfield in 1911, but by the 1930s they…

Photo collage of Christmas decor and Patrick and I with text along the bottom reading "Happy Holidays"

Warmest of Greetings

December 24, 2025, 4 Comments

From our home to yours, Patrick and I wish you the warmest of holiday greetings!

A family rides a red streetcar with a deer at the helm, across the top it reads "Merry Christmas" and across the middle of the car it reads "From the FIVE of Us!"

Vintage Christmas Cards Vol. 5

December 11, 2025, 2 Comments

In my Christmas decor post from this year, I noted that I had added more to my vintage Christmas cards collection. And as has been tradition (with a few exceptions) I’m bringing you another installment in sharing a sampling from my vintage Christmas card collection, including newly added ones! A special shout out to NeatoKeen…

View of our music area, with a record player on the left, a record holder with Christmas albums, a large yellow chair, and a silver aluminum Christmas tree on the right, a large lighted Kodak sign hangs on the wall.

Christmastime Once Again

December 9, 2025, 4 Comments

November, much like October, flew by, and we had a lot of ups and downs, causing quite the delay in getting our home decorated for Christmas, but it is finally done, and ready to share with you all! Unlike previous years, where we tried to cram in our collection of aluminum trees, this year we…

Myself, looking over my shoulder with my black jacket that features a large patch of a ghost wearing a purple witch hat and playing the guitar.

October Reflections

November 5, 2025, Leave a Comment on October Reflections

Where did October go? Normally, I have multiple posts sharing unique fall experiences, but this year really got away from me. You’ll notice I didn’t even get to write about the Anaheim Fall Festival! And the reason why is both a blessing and a curse. This year I was lucky enough to be elected to…

The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

October 8, 2025, Leave a Comment on The Haunting of Stone Oak Manor

WARNING: This blog post contains a grizzly image of a very realistic prop of a dismembered body, that some readers may find disturbing. Tucked away in the hills of Oak Glen rests Stone Oak Manor. Designed by Reginald Inwood for Murle and Samuel Baumann, the manor was built in 1926 using stones found on the…

View of a shelf in our dining room, filled with blow mold Jack o'lanterns.

Pumpkins, Ghosts, Witches and More! Our Home at Halloween Time

October 2, 2025, 5 Comments

With October’s arrival, it’s a perfect time to showcase how we’ve decorated for Halloween this year. Back in the spring, we visited Tennessee, where we bought a lot of prints from Hatch Show Print, and realized we needed to make way for more art. Previously, a wall in our hallway was home to three photos…

Beyond the Monster Mash Vol. 2

September 30, 2025, Leave a Comment on Beyond the Monster Mash Vol. 2

I can’t believe October is tomorrow! While I’ve been in the Halloween spirit for a long while now, I know many wait until October to really start thinking about Halloween. So here to get you into the spirit is yet another selection of songs from my ever growing Halloween playlist. “Man with the Hex” The…

A black and white image of the back of an abandoned drive-in, portions of the screen are missing, on the left is the small ticket booth.

Abandoned Places, Neon Wonders, and More from Our Idaho Road Trip

September 24, 2025, Leave a Comment on Abandoned Places, Neon Wonders, and More from Our Idaho Road Trip

A road trip is never complete without pulling over to some weird places, including abandoned buildings, amazing neon signs, and more. While Patrick and I have traveled to Idaho a few times, there is always something we missed the time before. So today, I bring you the collection of random places we stopped at during…