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Happy Birthday, Reno!

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  156 years ago, the transcontinental railroad reached Lake's Crossing, where Charles W. Fuller had built a bridge to cross the Truckee River, establishing a connection between Virginia City and the California Trail.  He then sold the property to Myron C. Lake. With the railroad, construction superintendent Charles Crocker decided to name the community after Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War. In 1871, Reno became the county seat for Washoe.  Extension of the railroad in 1872 helped boost the local economy. The University of Nevada was founded in 1874 in Elko, following the Morrill Land Act Grant of 1862.  In 1885, the university was moved to Reno, and Morrill Hall stood alone. The city was incorporated in 1903, and in 1906 became the "Divorce Capital" thanks to the US Steel Corporation president, William Corey. In 1926, the Reno Arch was erected to promote the upcoming Transcontinental Highways Exposition of 1927.  Reno City Council dec
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Hump Day History

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  I mentioned this place a few years ago, as we drove past following a camp on Walker River. This time we actually stopped and looked around more. We tried the road to Aurora, but it cuts through a canyon and a creek had taken over. NVExpeditions
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Fashion - Met Gala

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  "The Garden of Time" Sarah Jessica Parker Zendaya Tyla Dove Cameron Cynthia Erivo Isabelle Huppert Mindy Kaling Colman Domingo Demi Moore Jonathan Bailey Nicole Kidman Zendaya again.
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Art Class - Reawakening Fashion

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  The Met Gala is tonight, so we'll check the red carpet tomorrow. The exhibit is "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" and the dress code is "The Garden of Time." The latter is the title of a short story by JG Ballard. The museum is showing many pieces that have never been displayed, as some are too fragile to hang.  So they will lie in glass cases instead. Alexander McQueen, 2011 Charles James, 1955 Christian Dior, 1953 Schiaparelli, 1939 Charles Frederick Worth, 1887 British jacket, 1615 Elizabeth Debicki has posed in some of the newer pieces, such as this Iris van Herpen from 2020. Marni, 2024
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Science is Fun Fridays!

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  Rakus is a wild Sumatran orangutan who was found with a wound to his cheek, likely the result of a fight for dominance. He was seen chewing the leaves of the Akar Kuning plant, and applying them deliberately to his wound.  Within three weeks, he was completely healed. Sumatrans know the plant for preventing infection, as well as in treatment for malaria, dysentery, and diabetes.  Orangutans appear to be avid users of medicinal plants, but this is the first time such specific application has been witnessed. There have been reports of Bornean orangutans chewing Dracaena cantleyi leaves and rubbing the lather on their arms and legs.  According to Indigenous peoples in the area, it is used to treat sore muscles and bone pain.
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Music Tasting 46

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  Voice of Baceprot is a heavy metal band from West Java, Indonesia. "Baceprot" means noisy in Sudanese. The band has gained a large domestic following with songs that focus on progressive themes like female empowerment, pacifism, and environmental preservation. Their lyrics mix English, Indonesian, and Sudanese.  "I just want to sing a song to show my soul." \m/
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Book Club - May

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The Taming of the Shrew I did not like Petruchio's behavior, his goal to break Kate down.  I didn't like when she'd submit to him, such as in Act IV when he declares the time wrong, or when he claims the sun as the moon.  But then....maybe Katharina is playing her own game, knowing his. Maybe Petruchio is the shrew, after all. The analysis I reviewed suggested that love for Petruchio and Kate is a sport, whereas for Bianca and Lucentio it is an art.  Their side of the story just wasn't as exciting, even when the real Vincentio arrived.  While we had people in disguise, it didn't play out in a big reveal. And then there's the Christopher Sly part....introduced as a viewer of the play we are reading, and he was turned to once throughout, but never again.  What was the point of the setup, the trickery? Apparently there is a version that closes out with him outside the tavern, remembering a dream and how to tame a shrew.... *** But that was April!  For this month, I
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