History Twitter

Posted Mon, 11/17/08

One of these days I would love to visit all twelve presidential libraries across America. Since I refuse to fly, what could be more enjoyable than hopping into a motor home - with a sober driver, of course – and tooling over the nation's highways to tour artifacts, documents and other bits of history?

Admittedly my historical interests began at the age of ten, but I was more intrigued by Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, the medieval era and Ireland than my own country. It took many years for me to formulate a yearning for American history, although by rote I knew all of the Presidents because of the prerequisite classes in school.

It's only been in the last decade or so that I have latched onto American presidential biographies, my favorites being about Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. As with anything I do in my life, when I become involved I tend to dive in and soak up all the information I can get my hands on until the knowledge is no longer new to me. Even then, I maintain a continued interest in the once all-consuming subjects that will probably stay with me until the day I die. These tendencies spill over into computer tech, developing cooking methods and recipes, and a wide-ranging array of other subjects.

Learning and consuming all I can on these subjects is perhaps one of the most enjoyable aspects of my life, aside from writing. I don't find it boring in the least, and in fact I would rather curl up with a good book or magazine and read about topics that pique my mind – or publications that give over more information in regards to a favorite subject – than any other pastime I can imagine.