How to Clean Your House (7 Pics)
June 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Do your chores the Pleated-Jeans way! With these handy tips, you’ll have all your housework done in no time flat.
(via)
The Homes of Abraham Lincoln
June 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is making a comeback. I’m not quite sure he ever really went away, but Hollywood & authors alike seem to be lauding this Founding Father more today than in recent memory. You’ve got Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter hitting theaters this weekend based on the fictional book by Seth Grahame-Smith (side note: I’ve read the book and it’s a ton of fun mixed in with some historical facts), Steven Spielberg is making a movie about Lincoln starring Daniel Day Lewis, and several fictional & historical books have been released about his years growing up & his term in office.
But one of the first things I remember learning about Abraham Lincoln is that he lived in a log cabin. As a boy I thought, what could be better than a home made entirely out of wood? So in honor of Lincoln’s new status as a vampire slaying pop culture icon, here’s a look at some of the places our 16th President called home:
Lincoln’s Birthplace in Hodgenville, Kentucky
Lincoln’s Birthplace in Hodgenville, KY
So the log cabin you learned about is no longer outside. It’s actually a replica that’s housed inside the Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site. Talk about your modest homes, this residence is 13×17 feet and contains one door, one window, a fireplace and a dirt floor. Great men often come from humble beginnings.
Knob Creek Farm
Knob Creek Farm in Hodgenville, KY
This farm house is the one that Lincoln often mentioned as the place he most remembers as a child. Abraham Lincoln was 2 years old when his parents moved to this 230 acre farm land because it had fertile soil for the Lincolns to farm. The original home was torn down back in 1870, but this replica was reconstructed in 1930. Looks like log cabins can stand the test of time.
Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Home of Abraham & Mary Todd Lincoln in Springfield, IL
This home in downtown Springfield, IL was the early home for Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. History tells us they bought the home for a mere $1,200 and some land from Rev. Charles Dresser who was also the person that married them just two years before. The home was originally smaller than what you see pictured, but the Lincolns had some additions made to it to accommodate for their growing family.
Willard Hotel in Washington DC
Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.
So the obvious next home would be the White House, but a little known fact is that Lincoln actually stayed at the Willard Hotel prior to his presidential inauguration. In fact, Lincoln arrived here a bit earlier than expected when an assassination plot was uncovered and he was diverted from some appearances in Baltimore and instead sent to D.C. sooner than expected. The Willard Hotel was Lincoln’s residence for about 10 days prior to his inauguration and used the hotel as his home base for selecting cabinet members and is the place where Lincoln wrote his inaugural address. According to Abraham Lincoln Online, today the hotel maintains a small historical display in a hallway just inside the northeast entrance where you can see a copy of Lincoln’s $773.75 hotel bill which he paid with his first paycheck as president.
For more info on Abraham Lincoln, visit Abraham Lincoln Online.
Photos courtesy of AbrahamLincolnOnline.org
Bike Routes: On the Pavement
June 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Burke-Gilman Trail
Call it the I-5 of bike paths. The Burke-Gilman cycle route is often jam-packed along its 18.8 paved miles curling from Ballard to Bothell. First born as a railroad run by a Judge Thomas Burke and a Mr. Daniel Gilman, the original 12.1 miles of the trail were first paved in 1978. For the 2.2-mile stretch around the northern tip of Lake Washington, nothing changed until King County completed a $4.9 million overhaul this winter.
The thoroughfare wasn’t prettified with a mere face-lift—it got a teardown. The tree-root-mangled asphalt was dug up and a new stormwater drainage system installed. Widened and with a soft shoulder added for pedestrians, the trail should be safer for its throng of daily users. Between route lighting and traffic control at street intersections, the only unsafe activity comes when you fall off and eat blacktop (that’s always going to hurt).
Some old, rooty trees were removed, replaced with dozens of poplars, alder, fir, and cedars. Other sections may get similar spruce-ups in coming years, but don’t hold your breath for the construction of the trail’s long-disputed missing link in Ballard—the city’s still mired in the bog of environmental impact checklists and superior court appeals.
The only complaint about the shiny new section thus far? It’s almost too easy for speed demons to break the 15-mile-per-hour limit on the smooth, wide trail. Maybe that makes the Burke-Gilman better than I-5. Start Pedaling Here: Golden Gardens Park at NE 80th St and Seaview Ave NW
EAST LAKE SAMMAMISH TRAIL
Tracing the entire mountainside length of Lake Sammamish, this sometimes-paved byway links Redmond to Issaquah. It’ll get an upgrade like the Burke-Gilman’s soon, but until then the hard-packed rock is suitable for everyone but Lance Armstrong wannabes on racing-style bicycles. Start Pedaling Here: NE 70th St and 176th Ave NE, Redmond
EAST MARGINAL WAY TRAIL
Thank the WSDOT (really!) for this new stretch of biking through SoDo, which separates cyclists from cars and the endless Highway 99 construction. It’s short, but since it insulates riders coming up from West Seattle, it’s oh so sweet. Start Pedaling Here: S King St and First Ave S
I-90 TRAIL
It’s the comeliest travel route to Bellevue, running across the I-90 floating bridge and Mercer Island; hook up with the Lake to Lake Trail to trade Lake Washington for Sammamish. A new extension on the westbound side heads down from the Jose Rizal Bridge from 12th Avenue South to Beacon Avenue. Start Pedaling Here: S Holgate St just east of I-5
THE INTERURBAN
A century ago, one could travel from Seattle to Everett via trolley on the Interurban Rail. Now the corridor is a bike trail, though in some spurts bike riders are deposited onto car-heavy streets. The newest bikes-only section hugs the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery from North 110th to North 128th Streets and is notable for having lots of elbow room on weekends. Start Pedaling Here: N 110th St and Fremont Ave N
SHIP CANAL TRAIL
Wave across the ship canal to the Burke-Gilman—or the lack thereof, at its Ballard missing link—from a three-quarter-mile section completed just last November. From the Ballard Bridge, it’s an easy pedal to reach the path around the south lip of Lake Union. Start Pedaling Here: Emerson St and 15th Ave
Find other access points and route maps online:
King County Bike Maps kingcounty.gov/transportation/kcdot/roads/bicycling.aspx
Seattle Bike Program seattle.gov/transportation/bikeprogram.htm
Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance evergreenmtb.org
Cascade Bicycle Club cascade.org
(via)
