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Jefferson’s Poplar Forest (part 2)

By on Apr 19, 2014 in Presidents | 5 comments

Thomas Jefferson’s accomplishments are well-known, but did you know he has his own color? That’s just one of the things we learned at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest (its full name), Jefferson’s country villa in southwestern Virginia. My aunt Viola, uncle Joe and I visited this country estate when I was  visiting them for Easter in 2013.  It...

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A Christmas Story House (not so nerdy trip)

By on Dec 21, 2013 in Not So Nerdy Trips | 2 comments

This is the story of the “A Christmas Story” house, a trip we have to call “not so nerdy” because this movie is such a part of pop culture. An enterprising fan bought the house in Cleveland where the movie was made, and now thousands of people pay to visit it each year, including my friend Nancy and me in the fall of 2010.

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Woodrow Wilson Library & Birthplace (part 1)

By on Sep 20, 2013 in Presidents | 3 comments

Check out this cool car. It’s President Woodrow Wilson’s 1919 Pierce-Arrow limousine, which was waiting for him when he returned to the United States after signing the Treaty of Versailles. It’s one of the highlights of a visit to his birthplace in Staunton (pronounced “Stan-ton”, the “u” is silent), Virginia. You can see the car at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, just a few steps from the house where our 28th president was born.

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Bonus Nerd Trip: Dickinson Hannig Museum

By on Jun 1, 2013 in Historic Persons | 7 comments

Everything is big in Texas. And, in Texas history, nothing may be bigger than the Alamo (or should it be “The” Alamo?) so, the story of Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson offers some interesting insight into the legend and legacy of that famed siege. She’s got quite a story herself as we learned on a Nerd Trip to her house in Austin.

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