What are you having? The Super Bowl is this Sunday and we’re getting our menu together. We can’t help but think of our family favorite, chicken wings, whenever we get together for the big game! Here’s a look back to a great day. ——— The …
[The second time around🎶🎶] We love Barcelona so much that we’re back drooling over these images. Shall we return to this vibrant city? Yes! “Ooooh, what’s over there?” That question has been my mom’s mantra for as long as I can remember. She’s the one …
We just returned from an eight day trip to El Salvador. There was so much to see and do in this Central American country which we’ve never visited before, but are already making plans to return. This post will concentrate on our time in San Salvador, the capital, where the majority of the country’s population resides. A future post will delve into our time at beach resorts 2 hours away, which was full of outdoor activities and nightlife.
San Salvador, like most of El Salvador, is mountainous, lush and green. The month of January is in their summer and called the dry season. It’s a photographer’s paradise.
We enjoyed our meals in the country. The national dish, the pupusa, is a stuffed thick griddle corn cake filled with cheese, peppers and endless other options. Being that I love cornbread and corn-related foods, I enjoyed pupusas wherever it was offered.
Other delectable dishes that graced our table were all types of ceviche, tostadas, nachos, burritos, delicious fruits and loads of desserts.
In taking a private tour of the central area of San Salvador, we were given a history of the country. It was once a colony of Spain in the 1500’s and gained its independence in the early 1800’s. The people of El Salvador and the surrounding countries are of Mayan descent. Because of the slave trade, there is an African connection with some of its inhabitants.
In walking through the parks, squares, business and entertainment areas where people and families seemed to gather endlessly, there was an air of relaxation and joy. Small musical bands played in the parks accompanied by young or older dancers. Music flowed throughout. I’m reminded of how New Orleans is called the Big Easy. Things seemed rather easy in San Salvador. It seemed almost like a holiday with the beautiful weather playing its part.
The National Palace of El Salvador
The National Library, a 55 million dollar structure funded by the Government of China.
While in San Salvador, we stayed at the Sheraton Presidente San Salvador Hotel, a place steeped in history. The accommodations were great, the meals lovely, and amenities were excellent. What stood out for me was the wall of photos of Heads of States who had stayed at the hotel. My favorite president of all time, President Barack Obama, was pictured several times. Presidents Clinton and Bush were also framed on the wall. Every time I passed the photographs, I smiled.
We never miss an opportunity to enjoy art in the galleries and on the table. How wonderful was it to engage with both! First, there was a terrific retrospective of Faith Ringgold’s body of work. And then there was the art of the table. Chicago …
We all were in favor of a relaxing holiday week with plenty of food, drink, conversation, and song. After almost three weeks of travel and landing in Chicago on Christmas Day, being still was a gift itself. Half of Onion Dip had been in the …
This morning’s family media club discussion focused on a special episode of High on the Hog, “Defiance”, that features my hometown of Atlanta.
Public history is always personal history. In this case, the episode highlighted places and people near and dear to my heart: the West End, AU Center, Paschal’s, Fourth Ward, and so much more.
Pascal’s
Spelman College
Spelman College
In April 1960, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at Spelman College’s Founder’s Day. Pictured here with his mother and Spelman graduate, Alberta Williams King and Spelman President Dr. Albert Manley. CREDIT COURTESY OF SPELMAN ARCHIVES
Martin Luther King Jr. under arrest by Atlanta Police Captain R.E. Little, left rear, passes through a picket line in front of a downtown department store on Oct. 9, 1960. with King is another demonstration leader, Lonnie King and an unidentified woman. King was among the 48 people arrested following demonstrations at several department and variety stores protesting lunch counter segregation. (AP Photo)
Of course it sparked a conversation about my dear Great Aunt Yvonne who was arrested as a Spelman student at a civil rights sit-in during the sixties. She later found meaning in the Peace Corps in the Philippines before traveling around the world connecting with folks wherever she went. Here’s to those extraordinary people planting seeds!
Back in high school, my love for history was fed by many but especially by one teacher. Her knowledge spanned millennia and she shared it with us through literature, music, art, her stories, and even food. Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, and more. …
Who tells the stories? Legend has it that the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades, desired the young Persephone, goddess of Spring. So he asked his brother, Zeus, if he could have her as his ”bride”. Will it surprise you to know that Persephone was …
A few years ago, I started a “Paired Up” musical playlist and it still remains on active rotation. The list’s theme is how two songs, regardless of genre, time, language, or geography, can be connected. Maybe one is straightforward such as a newer cover of …