Welcome

CURRENTLY VISITING HAWAII!!

Hawaii

Hawaii
Akaka Falls

See the World for Free

The idea here is to TRAVEL THE WORLD regardless of time or budget. It dawned on me one day that even if I had unlimited time and money (which I definitley do not), I still couldn't see everything in the world that I'd like to see--I'm simply not going to live long enough to do it.

But I had a bit of brain wave and soon after the travel envelope was born. This is an actual physical envelope. I typed the name of every country in the world, plus every state in the US on little slips of paper which I then put into the envelope. In the beginning we (myself, my husband, Dave and daugher Catherine) would draw out a slip at random at the beginning of the month and that's where we would go---at least in our minds. We grab some books about the country from the library and put them in our bathroom to look at. We also check out some videos about the country if any. We check it out on googleearth, listen to the music, try the food, maybe even attempt to learn a dance or celebrate a festival.

After the first two years we discovered that even virtual traveling can be tiring, so we travel now whenever I happen to be in the mood.

It's great fun. I especially love it when people I meet have been to the place I'm "visiting" in real life, or get excited and have some virtual adventures of their own. I hope that anyone who comes across this blog will feel welcome to come with us on the trip!



You have a standing reservation to see it all!

Jan 20, 2016

Oldest Library

The first library was started on June 7, 1791 when 48 men, each paying 16 shillings ($2.67), became shareholders by signing the association's constitution whose purpose was to promote knowledge and piety. The books were "bid off" at quarterly book auctions held at first at a tavern in Brookfield Center where an old chest was kept. This was described as "a plain wood-colored affair, four or five feet long, about two feet high and as many wide, tightly padlocked, which is supposed to have held the first precious volumes of the library."
About 1850, when the question of women's membership arose, Howard Griswold, a library officer at the time, made a motion to allow the "fairer sex" to bid for books. His daughter Selinda had been attending the meetings to help him check out books. The motion was passed "more through fear of discourtesy than otherwise.... Miss Griswold braved alone the criticism of a woman who was so unladylike as to appear in public, for two meetings before her younger sister, and then two other women, joined her.

It's really hard to find a picture of the library. Even their own website doesn't have a picture, although it does have this spiffy floating bridge.


If you do a search, you'll also find pictures of the town offices. I don't know why, this is not the library. but here it is. 





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