Today we travel to sunny Tuscany. In the city of Siena, we’ll find the Piazza del Campo. It is one of Europe’s best medieval squares. They even hold a biannual horse race around the edge of the square! I really would love to see Italy some day.
Tonight on TV, we have Dancing with the Stars which I may or may not watch and a new episode of Castle.
Got to get back in the writing groove. I’ve been too much of a slacker lately.
I can’t believe I almost forgot to write a blog post today!!!
Today we’re heading to the Kalahari Desert. The Kalahari is a desert in southern Africa which covers most of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It’s a different type of desert than the Sahara. Animals in the region include hyenas, lions, meerkats, giraffes, warthogs, jackals, several species of antelope, and many species of birds and reptiles.
We lost screen legend Jane Russell yesterday. She was 89.
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. It’s located in the province of Alberta. From what I’ve read, it’s an amazing park. Glaciers, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls, and, of course, mountains. There are also caves and fossils. It also has a wide range of wildlife: elk, moose, different varieties of deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, black bears, beavers, Rocky Mountain pikas, hoary marmots (whose name makes me laugh!), grey wolves, mountain lions, and wolverines.
Over the weekend, news broke about the death of actress Susannah York who passed away on the 15th.
Today in history:
1867 – German-born film executive Carl Laemmle was born. He was a pioneer in Hollywood and the founder of Universal Pictures. He produced, or was otherwise involved in, over 400 films.
1880 – Canadian-born film director Mack Sennett was born. He was actually more than just a director. He was involved in every aspect of movie-making. He was an innovator in slapstick comedy. He won an Academy Award in 1932 for his short film Wrestling Swordfish and he won an honorary award in 1937. He launched the careers of such stars as Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, The Keystone Kops, Bing Crosby, and W. C. Fields.
1882 – Actor Noah Beery Sr. was born. He was active in movies from 1915 through 1945.
1903 – Actor Warren Hull was born. I’ve never personally heard of him, but he was apparently very popular in action/adventure serials in the 1930s and 40s.
1929 – Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Segar, appeared for the first time in the Thimble Theatre comic strip. Be sure to eat your spinach!
1949 – The Goldbergs aired for the first time. It was the first sitcom on American television.
