12 Galveston Time Capsule Adventures

The Little Island That Could by Ria Nicholas Galveston, Texas is a microcosm of some of the greatest social upheavals in U.S. history.  In a sense, the narrative of an entire nation is distilled in the sands of this diminutive 200-square-mile barrier island. Tattooed Natives, shipwrecked explorers, determined slaves, brazen pirates, and barons of industryContinue reading “12 Galveston Time Capsule Adventures”

Battle of Vicksburg, MS: Civil War Victory Wasn’t Ironclad

The Sinking of the USS Cairo by Ria Nicholas Were they awestruck as they boarded her? Or skeptical perhaps, those Union soldiers? Did they brim over with excess pride, like the kid riding a brand new motor scooter on Christmas day, when everyone else just has a bike? Impossible to tell now. But all thoseContinue reading “Battle of Vicksburg, MS: Civil War Victory Wasn’t Ironclad”

Asheville, NC: A Little Castle for Three

Luxury and Excess at the Biltmore By Ria Nicholas The road trip from Knoxville, Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina snakes its way down I-40 through the verdant Smoky Mountains.  We made the trip in winter, when gossamer shrouds of mist, prompted by the crisp December air, billow up from among the dips and hollows andContinue reading “Asheville, NC: A Little Castle for Three”