RenoVous

 We found a lukewarm spring in the Kirch Wildlife Area. We stopped in Eureka, which has some old timey bits. And a perfect Valentine's Hot Spring.

  "America's Scariest Motel." It opened in 1985 in Tonopah, NV.  Leroy and Leona Davis wanted to honor their father's clown figurine collection, so they had inspiration and decoration. The new owners, as of 2017, really elevated the theme. I'm not even afraid of clowns, per se, but there is certainly a creep factor to having SO many around you.  And while you sleep. Today, they have around 4,000 pieces of clown memorabilia. Papa Davis is buried right across the street in the historic Tonopah Cemetery. Old Tonopah

Specifically, the Fire Horse. Known for fostering growth, independence, and strong, swift progress. This one's a rare combination, occurring every 60 years, symbolizing intense energy, passion, and change. While the animals of the calendar follow a 12 year cycle, there is also the 5 element cycle.  And, as we learned last year, there is a Yin and a Yang. Bing-Wu is the Yang Fire Horse, and this is known as a Double Fire year.  A year when the sun shines brighter, intuition sharpens, and life refuses to stay in old forms.

Chase Infiniti Sydney Sweeney Wunmi Mosaku Regina King Michelle Yeoh Pamela Anderson Jessie Buckley Sasheer Zamata Ariana DeBose Olivia Munn

  Born on this day in 1809, Charles Darwin is one of the most influential figures in human history.  His theories have been fundamental to the understanding of life and the species of the world, establishing the study of evolutionary biology. He was originally enrolled at the University of Edinburgh for medical education, but instead helped investigate marine invertebrates.  His five year voyage was inspired by his interest in the diversity of fossils.  He wanted to witness life in all its unique and varied forms, which he especially found in the Galapagos islands. From his observations, he devised his theory of natural selection.  For twenty years he was working on his research, when Alfred Russell Wallace wrote to him with a similar theory, and so it was a joint submission to the Linnean Society of London. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and on the Perpetuation of Varieties and Species by Natural Means of Selection  was published in 1858. Da...

 For all the conversation around Bad Bunny singing in Spanish, you'd think Americans have never accepted another language on the radio or screen. But obviously that's not true.  Notably, there have been Spanish hits, such as La Bamba, Macarena, and Despacito.  But there was also an Italian song in 1958, and Sergio Mendes in 1966. The first time a song sung entirely in Portuguese achieved success in the US. Sergio was born on this day in 1941, and died at the age of 83. He was a pioneering pianist and composer who revolutionized bossa nova - a genre of Brazilian music that blends traditional samba rhythms with cool jazz harmonies.  This was infused into his music even when English lyrics were used. He was nominated for an Academy Award in 2012 for Best Original Song. It should be noted, it is Carnival in Brazil.