I love museums. Probably because I love
old things and
beautiful things. And it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm a teacher. Not that I like museums
because I'm a teacher, but more like I'm a teacher because I like museums (and learning, discovering, and sharing). I enjoy most museums, whether they display
art, historical artifacts, or
scientific discoveries. I've seen the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, The Spruce Goose at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon, and I've gold panned at the Sacramento Train Museum. I've even seen my great great grandmother's medical tools on display in my small town's museum!
Some museums are fun, like the Exploratorium in San Francisco and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) which are chock full of hands-on scientific experiments and really fun to take kids to. Some museums aren't fun, but important, like the Holocaust Museum in Los Angeles where they have a room full to the ceiling of shoes that were taken from victims in concentration camps during the Holocaust. That's not a fun outing, but definitely valuable (I went for a class in college). My favorites were the museums I was able to visit when I was in Europe. I got to see art that I studied in the art classes I took in college. I got to walk
all the way around Michelangelo's statue of David! A fine specimen...I mean, sculpture.
On my list of 30 things was to visit a museum, and I was able to visit a couple of them in Sacramento.
The Crocker Art Museum - The Crocker Mansion, which once belonged to Judge Edwin Crocker (Brother to Charles Crocker of the "Big Four" Railroad Tycoons), is now an art museum. They recently added a building to it, making it MUCH larger! I prefer, however, the galleries in the Mansion, simply because they are displayed in such a beautiful setting.
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I like to imagine the parties and
dances they must have held here! |
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| I love this painting...especially the colors! |
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On the evening I went, the museum showed
"The Wizard of Oz"on an outdoor screen in their courtyard.
This year, on July 5th, they're showing "Casablanca"! |
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Jeni keeping warm while we watch
The Wizard of Oz |
Old Sacramento and The California Military Museum - Every year, on Memorial Day Weekend, you can travel back in time to the Gold Rush Days in Old Sacramento. Gunny sacks are put over parking meters, people dressed in 19th century garb are walking on the wooden sidewalks, and horses are pulling wagons down dirt covered streets. I took my niece and nephews this year, and although it was hot, we had a great time! While we were in Old Sacramento, we also visited the California Military Museum.
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| Panning for Gold! |
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| Grayson trading in his gold! |
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| Watching as the canon was fired |
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| Army Camp |
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| The Schoolhouse Museum |
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| We took a train ride |
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A museum docent setting type.
He was making a Wanted Poster! |
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| Here's the Wanted Poster! |
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| They're favorite part of the Military Museum: The guns |
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| Uniform display at the Military Museum |
I think knowing our history and where we come from is important and interesting! Knowing what those before us have endured and accomplished can give us a deeper
appreciation for the lives we have today, as well as shape how we approach our future. We can
learn from the mistakes of the past, and we can
glean courage and
wisdom from the actions of those who came before us. Or, we can simply enjoy looking at the
pretty pictures. Either way, I
love museums!
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