That Vintage Girl

October is the perfect month to curl up on a cozy couch with a warm cup of coffee and a mystery book. This month, I am traveling back in time to the Silent Age of Hollywood with A Cast of Killers.  The book is a true crime mystery about the unsolved 1922 murder of William Desmond Taylor, a famous Hollywood film director.   The murder became a national scandal and it ended the careers of two prominent silent-film actresses whose association with the director made them prime suspects. In 1967, King Vidor, who began his career in Hollywood as a silent-film actor and then became a successful film director, set out to solve the murder mystery. He began a years-long pursuit of research and interviews, but when he thought he had finally identified the killer, he chose to keep his research a secret for fear that the revelation may destroy the lives of people connected to the case who were still alive.   William Desmond Taylor  Photograph from the Los Angeles Public...

The autumn months are filled with many wonderful holidays and opportunities to enjoy what the new season brings.  I started with an October wish list which is simple but includes many must-dos to celebrate this wonderful time of year!   Start decorating for the autumn season. Prepare my autumn wardrobe. Take a walk in the park to see the crimson and golden colored leaves. Visit an orchard to pick autumn fruits. Add potted chrysanthemums in autumn colors to the garden. Make an autumn wreath. Make pumpkin spice latte. Bake autumn sweets for family and friends. Visit a pumpkin patch. Make pumpkin soup and bake homemade bread. Bake a pumpkin pie. Prepare a costume for Halloween. Read mystery novels and watch scary movies. Visit a haunted house. Take a sunset walk.  Start autumn decorating. Prepare autumn wardrobe. Take  a walk in a park to see the fall foliage. Visit an orchard to pick autumn fruits like apples, persimmons, or pomegranates.  Added potted chrysa...

One of my favorite travel memories is riding the Durango & Silverton steam-powered railroad through the San Juan National Forest in Colorado. The 45-mile railroad connects the historic towns of Durango and Silverton. Along the way, the train travels along the Animas River and providers breathtakingly panoramic views of the Colorado Rockies' wilderness, deep canyons, towering cliffs, and mountain passes.  The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was built by the Denver and Rio Grande in 1882 to transport silver and gold from the mining town of Silverton to Durango. It was constructed through one of the country's most rugged mountains and was built mostly by hand. It is considered an engineering marvel and the American Society of Civil Engineers designated it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1968. It has also been in continuous operation since 1882 making it one of the few remaining continuously used railroads in the United States.  Today, the Duran...