THE SONGS OF A NIGHTINGAIL

  San Francisco’s side-by-side homes on a steep street – and yes, some of S.F.’s streets really are this steep.  When you walk up them your fingertips graze the sidewalk and your knees nearly hit your chin – I kid you not! The beautiful “Painted Ladies” of San Francisco, also known as “Postcard Row” or “The Seven Sisters” is a row of colorful Victorian houses numbering from 710-720 on Steiner Street across from Alamo Square Park in San Francisco. I have a story to tell about that tall dark building in the background which I will relate at the end of my post. J In 1992 I was back east chaperoning a high school history trip and saw these handsome row houses in Old Town Alexandria. I found these two row houses surrounded completely by tall buildings in Washington D.C.   I wonder if people still live in them, or perhaps they became offices? Also in Washington D.C. I saw this line of attractive row houses except they weren’t row houses people lived in.  They had v...

  Forence Nightingale, “Lady with the lamp”, at Barrack Hospital at Scutari (Ulskudar) in 1854 during the Crimean War.  Portrait published in 1891 by Cassell & Co. from a painting by Henrietta Rae. Florence Nightingale “ came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War , in which she organized care for wounded soldiers at  Constantinople .  She significantly reduced death rates by improving hygiene and living standards. Nightingale gave nursing a favourable reputation and became an icon of  Victorian culture , especially in the persona of the “Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night.” Clara Barton, Clarissa Harlowe Barton , “was an American nurse who founded the  American Red Cross . She was a hospital nurse in the  American Civil War , a teacher, and a  patent clerk . Since nursing education was not then very formalized and she did not attend nursing school, she provided self...

  At first I thought the prompt models’s outfit was a jumpsuit – especially with the date shown to be 1967 as jumpsuits were very popular then.    On enlarging the photo, however, I realized it was a 2-piece outfit.    On the other hand, I   am   modeling a jumpsuit I made - in December of 1967. This model is modeling a Catalina swimsuit in 1956.  The print and color appear to be a little different from my Catalina suit that same year, but the style is exactly the same with all those ruffles. My suit was pink and white with little brown gingerbread men on it.  I loved it. I loved perusing Seventeen magazines for ideas.  This modeled dress gave me one.  I didn’t care for the neckline, button front, or long sleeves, but I liked the full skirt, polka dots, & big red belt, soooo . . .  I made my own version with plain round neckline, no buttons, short sleeves with navy blue polka dots outlined in red, and a red belt! And how ad...