59-Year Old Special

59th Anniversary this year

We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas last evening as part of our holiday viewing tradition. 

Did You Know?

December 9 was the 59th anniversary of the animation which debuted in 1965 on the CBS network. The animated special was watched by more than 15 million households, more than half of all TV sets at the time. 

In the special, Charlie Brown is depressed despite the onset of the holidays. He then becomes upset at the commercialization he sees all around. After Lucy van Pelt suggests he direct a neighborhood Christmas play, his best efforts are ignored. Then, he's laughed at by his friends after he chooses a sad-looking little Christmas tree that he believes will be perfect, once it's decorated. When Charlie Brown asks if anyone knows what Christmas is all about. Linus walks to center stage, asks for a spotlight, drops his blanket and recites Luke 2: 8-14 annunciation to the shepherds then says, That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." His friends reconsider their meanness towards Charlie Brown and decorate the tree. The programs ends with everyone singing Hark, the Herald Angels Sing during the closing credits.

A Charlie Brown Christmas was the first TV special based on characters from the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. It was written by Schulz and produced by Lee Mendelson and directed by Bill Melendez. 

What you may not know is that it almost never aired and, even when it did, CBS network executives had little faith that it would be a success. 

Here's What Happened

The 30-minute Christmas special was commissioned by a commercial sponsor looking to turn the nation's most beloved newspaper cartoon into an animated TV special. In 1965, Coca Cola wanted to sponsor a family-friendly Christmas special and contacted producer Lee Mendelson asking if he and Schulz had ever considered doing a Charlie Brown holiday program. When Mendelson lied that they were thinking about it, he was asked for an outline of the show. He went to Schulz telling him that he sold A Charlie Brown Christmas and they had to write it in 3 days as Coca Cola wanted an outline by then. 

When Coca Cola had its ad agency McCann Erickson pitch the idea to CBS. It was rejected outright. 

The Peanuts characters that Charles Schulz created were popular personalities, just not the kind that fronted prime time some thought. According to the network, the public would have specific expectations. A Charlie Brown Christmas included unexpected elements: children’s voices instead of trained adults, jazz music, a Bible passage and no laugh track.

Then CBS president James Aubrey didn’t believe in specials. He saw them as programming interruptions that distracted viewers from their viewing routines. To Aubrey, children fell into this category expecting cartoons only on a weekend morning and, to Aubrey, Charles Schulz and Peanuts fit that category.

Ironically, in February 1965, Aubrey was replaced as network president by Fred Stanton, not only a friend of Charles Schulz, but a big fan of the comic. It helped to have friends in high positions as in no time, CBS executives agreed to the special. That gave the team of Schulz, Mendelson and animator-director Bill Melendez barely six months to craft a half-hour animated special, a first for all. The team had to create a script, then record it, add-in a soundtrack and create 30,000 animation cells. Consider that in the 1960s, this was before computer-animated design and AI.

Producer Lee Mendelson, Charles Schulz, Director Bill Mendelez (Internet Source)

Three weeks before screening the special, things didn’t look good at all. CBS executives thought the pace was slow, music didn’t quite fit every scene, the dialogue sounded stiff, plus there was no laugh track. This was in the 1960s, when every TV comedy had one. It wasn't included since Schulz thought more highly of viewers. He didn't think they should be cued to laugh at certain times. While some of these issues would be improved, one was thankfully left out — there's no laugh track. 

Realizing that the Vince Guaraldi instrumental for the opening sequence with children skating on the frozen pond, seemed too slow, producer Mendelson jotted the lyrics to Christmastime is Here on an envelope. Guaraldi enlisted a CA children’s choir to sing the lyrics. Since, the actor's cadences were harder to edit, music accompanies some of the dialogue.

What Else Didn't Executives Like?

Linus recites gospel (Internet source)

Everything it seems. Lyrics or not, CBS executives considered the music too sophisticated for a children's program and didn’t think jazz belonged in a cartoon.They also balked at Schulz’s decision to use untrained children instead of professional adult voice actors. Schulz disagreed and argued that using children made the characters more believable. Executives also couldn’t understand why children would use such big words despite the fact that for 15 years, “Peanuts” characters had used adult vocabularies in the comic strip. 

To top it off, CBS executives objected to Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke. The network big-wigs assumed that viewers wouldn't want to listen to something religious or that it wouldn’t be interesting to sit through. Schulz insisted the scripture reading remain and wouldn't back down. He was a long-time Sunday school teacher, and knew the reading would be the show's centerpiece of the show. (As it turned out, he was right according to viewers' later feedback.)

The Network Conceded — It Became a Big Hit

It was a tight production schedule. Coca-Cola had already bankrolled the program and it had been promoted and listed in TV guides. CBS had no choice but to air it, so the executives reluctantly gave in. They remained steadfast in the conviction that it would flop, never to be aired again.

The half-hour special aired Thursday, December 9, 1965, pre-empting The Munsters and following Gilligan’s Island. To everyone's surprise, especially CBS, it was a commercial success; 50 percent of the U.S. televisions tuned into the broadcast. Afterwards, Coca-Cola was inundated with letters from fans.

In 1966,  A Charlie Brown Christmas won a Peabody and Emmy for outstanding children’s programming. Its success changed the network’s prime-time philosophy. The following year, CBS telecast a second prime-time animated holiday special, an adaptation of How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. In 1969, it aired Frosty the Snowman.

CBS ran A Charlie Brown Christmas annually for 35 years until ABC acquired the rights in 2001, a year after Charles Schulz died. ABC contracted to air the special through 2015.It was the first of more than 51 animated Peanuts TV specials. Many of the specials were directed by Bill Melendez and scored by Vince Guaraldi. 

The soundtrack to the 1965 animated special is one of the most popular holiday albums. Featuring music by Guaraldi, it's sold over 5 million copies, across all formats, including 469,000 vinyl LPs, and has been certified Quintuple Plantinum. Guaraldi died February 6, 1976, aged 47, of a heart attack after ending a nightclub performance in Menlo Park.

Who Owns A Charlie Brown Christmas Now?

In 2020, Apple TV+ acquired the rights to the three most popular Peanuts holiday animations: A Charlie Brown Christmas, also It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. This means that they're only available to view on that streaming service. This year, A Charlie Brown Christmas streams free on Apple TV+ only on Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15. The free viewing window only lasts for two days. A subscription to Apple TV+ is not required, which is little comfort to those without internet streaming capability.

While this unfortunately means that there's no longer free showings on network TV. There is an easier, and overall, less costly alternative which would let you watch it free every year when it's convenient (not just on certain days). These Peanuts holiday specials are available in DVD and Blu-Ray format, which means buy once, watch many times. 

Quite often, you can buy them at a library sale too. Our local library sells books, movies and music CDs at its annual March sale and it's where we bought the 3 DVD set shown above. Yes, we watched and enjoyed all the specials this year.

Our Charlie Brown Tree & Peanuts members

We have our own Charlie Brown tree and Peanuts friends. These were bought many years ago at an after-Christmas sale for a fraction of what they're being sold for today. They bring a smile every time we see them on our living room window shelf.

Holiday This 'N That

The (more or less) unusual Friday Funnies posted here is on holiday hiatus. It's being replaced by holiday trivia posts, as I need some holiday distraction, maybe you do as well? Spoiler Alert, this first one is quite long and others could be too.

Did you know that . . .

The Christmas Song, often subtitled Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire was first titled, Merry Christmas to You. The now classic holiday song was written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé in July 1945 during a hot summer in CA.

The words were an effort to stay cool by thinking of cold weather activities. Check out the first four lines of the song:

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir

And folks dressed up like Eskimos

After Tormé saw that Wells had written these lines, they co-wrote the song in 40 minutes. Not only was the song written in warm weather but recorded then too. In June 1946, The Nat King Cole Trio recorded it at WMCA Radio Studios, NYC. Two months later over the objections of the label, Capitol Records, Cole re-recorded the tune adding a small string section. This version became a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. 

The 1940s song White Christmas led to two films . . .

Written by Irving Berlin, accounts differ as to when and where the tune was penned, the west coast or east coast. One source claims that Berlin wrote it in 1940, in sunny CA, while staying at the La Quinta Hotel, a frequent Hollywood retreat. Consider the opening lines:

The sun is shining, the grass is green

The orange and palm trees sway

There's never been such a day

In Beverly Hills, L.A

But it's December the twenty-fourth

And I am longing to be up North

Other song experts claim that while it may have been drafted in CA, it was most likely completed in NYC. Oddly, according to Berlin, White Christmas was written as a satire. While that sounds hard to believe, he saw it as part of a musical revue and performed by sophisticates with drinks in hand and milling about a Hollywood pool surrounded by palm trees.

Thankfully, that changed in the spring of 1940, when Berlin signed on to do a musical for Paramount. The plot featured a vaudeville performer who retired to run a country inn as a “holiday inn” open only to overnight guests on you-guessed-it, holidays. Berlin was to pen a holiday-themed score through the year of holidays.

The song did not debut in the 1942 Holiday Inn film. Berlin knew that White Christmas was one of his best songs and made a deal with Paramount was that the tune would be included only if Paramount could sign Bing Crosby, a major star at the time, to star in the film. Casting was set and early rehearsals began in the autumn of 1941. 

The unexpected happened in the midst of planning to film when America was rocked by the December 7, 1941 surprise attack at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. A day later, on December 8, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered the Day of Infamy Speech. Congress declared war, and the U.S. entered WW II.

Two weeks later on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1941, Crosby introduced White Christmas on the Kraft Music Hall, his highly popular radio show. America mobilized for war; men enlisted in record numbers. The song's lyrics took on a new meaning for soldiers headed overseas.

The film Holiday Inn premiered in NYC in August 1942 and radio requests for White Christmas started in early fall. Crosby's October 1942 recording of White Christmas received heavy airplay not only on Armed Forces Radio but on commercial radio during its first Christmas season and became a No. 1 hit. 

The success of the song, White Christmas, then led to a 1954 film based on that title. It again starred Crosby with Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. The plot once again included an inn and the film was viewed as another version of the earlier Holiday Inn.

The 1946 film, It's a Wonderful Life . .

Started as 1 1939 short story, The Greatest Gift, written by Philip Van Doren Stern who after having no luck publishing it opted to print the story as a 21-page Christmas card and sent it to friends in 1943. An RKO Pictures producer, who saw the card, convinced the studio to buy the  story rights, eventually sold to Frank Capra's production company, Liberty Films. Stern's story was published as a book in 1944. It also was published in the January 1945 issue of Good Housekeeping titled, The Man Who Was Never Born.

Actor James Stewart was not the first choice for the lead role as Cary Grant was selected to play George Bailey. However, after RKO Pictures sold the movie rights to Capra's company, Capra replaced Cary Grant with James Stewart in the lead. Stewart had recently home from serving as a flight leader in WW II, the 1946 film was his first movie since then. According to his biographer, Stewart was hesitant to do the film, his only offer aside from a film featuring his war service.

Foamite "snow" on film set

The movie was shot in the summer of 1946 during a 90-degree heat wave. Before this film, most movie productions used cornflakes painted white for snow. Capra found this special effect was noisy for dialogue and had the special effects department mix foamite (a fire-fighting chemical) with sugar and water. Some 6,000 gallons of chemical snow and the set was transformed into a winter wonderland, that was filmed in CA.

Bedford Falls was one of the most elaborate sets ever built at the time. It's a Wonderful Life had a big budget for its time ($3.7 million). The crew put a lot of effort into constructing the town of Bedford Falls. The set took 2 months to build with 75 buildings stretched out over 4 acres in Encino, CA, one of the longest sets ever made for an American movie.

The swim-gym floor that opens to reveal a pool in the film is real. This one-of-a-kind facility was built in 1939-1940 and is located in Beverly Hills High School and still in use.

It's a Wonderful Life was not a box office hit and put Capra into debt. Receiving mixed reviews, the film only made back $3.3 of its $3.7 million budget at first. It struggled at the Academy Awards and didn't win any of the five major Oscars it was nominated for. It placed 26th in box office sales for all films released in 1947, ahead of Miracle on 34th Street.

The FBI flagged the film "communist" in 1947 issuing the following statement: With regard to the picture 'It's a Wonderful Life,' [redacted] stated in substance that the film represented rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a 'scrooge-type' so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This, according to these sources, is a common trick used by Communists.

Thankfully, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) opted not to call in the film's writers and director. The film continued to be shown unimpeded. (The HUAC was a congressional committee that investigated alleged disloyalty and subversive activities in the U.S. from 1938 to 1975.)

In the late 1970s, it rose to popularity because of a clerical error. When its copyright elapsed in 1974, copyright holder, Republic Pictures, failed to file a renewal application with the U.S. Copyright Office. This caused the film to enter the public domain and it could be broadcast by any station that wanted to air it, royalty-free without paying licensing fees.

In 1990, the film was added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. 

Santa Baby Has Two Versions . . .

It was originally recorded by American singer Eartha Kitt with Henri René and his orchestra at a NYC recording studio in 1953 and again in 1954. Kitt said that it was one of her favorite songs to record.

In August 1953, songwriters Joan Javits and Philip Springer were commissioned to write a
holiday song for Kitt. The result was a tongue-in-cheek look at a list sent to Santa Claus by a woman who wants extravagant gifts because "she has been good all year." Here's what was on that 1953 Santa Baby wish list: 

• Sable under the tree
• '54 convertible, light blue
• Yacht 
• Deed to a platinum mine
• Duplex and checks
• Decorations bought at Tiffany's
• Ring (not on the phone)

The song was released by RCA Victor in the U.S. and Canada. To promote the single, the record label purchased page advertisements in Billboard billing it as "1953's Big Christmas Record" It was pressed as a 7-inch single for wide release; a promotional 10-inch single was created for airplay.

Music critics gave mixed reviews to the single, some labelled it suggestive for a holiday song. It's been included on lists of both the best and worst Christmas songs ever written.

Critics aside, Santa Baby became the best-selling Christmas song of 1953 in the U.S. mainly due to the controversy around it. On the US Billboard Best Selling Singles chart, it debuted at No. 16 before rising to No. 10 the next week and peaking at No. 4. In November 1953, Billboard reported that the single had sold 200,000 copies.

Following the mixed reception for Santa Baby, the original songwriters, Springer and Javits, redid the song a year later in 1954 and updated the wish list. In 1954, Kitt recorded This Year's Santa Baby, featuring these new Christmas wish list wants with the preface: Santa baby, I must admit that you were a dear last year, but December is here, so hurry down the chimney tonight:

• Private plane 
• Queen Elizabeth (the ship)
• White mink (replaces sable)
• Most of the FL coast
• Pet charity - naturally that's "me"
• Big box filled with plain ordinary common stock
• Trim tree with large pear-shaped swimming pool

The tune concluded: There's only 365 days til Christmas

Sadly, on Christmas Day 2008, Kitt, 81, died at her home in Weston, CT, of colon cancer. 

This was a long-ish post, if you made it to here, Thank You. 

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're going to RI for grandson's 18th 🎂

Wizard of Menlo Park

While in our home state of NJ for the recent holiday, we went to a site we'd never visited during all years of living there. Considering that it's dedicated to one of the state's most famous residents, this was definitely a much-belated road stop.

Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, NJ, museum and tower

The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, which includes the Edison Memorial Tower and Menlo Park Museum, is located in the Menlo Park area of Edison, Middlesex County, NJ. Edison has been credited with inventing for so many technologies of modern life, not just the phonograph. 

By the time of his 1931 death, Edison held 1,093 patents covering the creation or refinements of devices in telegraphy, telephony, electric power generation, lighting, sound recording, motion pictures, storage batteries and cement technology. He was also a successful manufacturer and businessman who marketed his inventions to the public. Today, there are inventors who have surpassed Edison's number of patents.

Thomas A Edison Memorial Tower

The 131-foot tall Thomas A. Edison Memorial Tower marks the location of Edison's laboratory (nothing remains today). The tower, designed in 1937 by Gabriel Francois Massena and Alfred F. duPont of Wilmington, DE, was dedicated February 11, 1938. This was seven years after Edison's death on what would have been his 91st birthday. The Art Deco style of the tower shaft tapers upward to a 13-foot, 8-inch high replica of Edison’s first practical incandescent bulb which was made of Pyrex segments by the Corning Corporation. Since this design focuses attention to the light at the top, it also enhances the tower's sense of monumental height. 

The tower possesses architectural significance for its stylistic expression, construction techniques and use of architectural concrete. In November 1979, it was listed on the NJ State and National Registers of Historic Places as a significant commemorative landmark. It was closed in 1992 after slabs of concrete began falling from the 54-year-old structure and was put on the list of the state's most endangered historic sites. In 1997, the Edison Township Memorial Corporation started a $3.87 million renovation which ran from 2011-2015. Completion was marked by a re-dedication ceremony which included re-lighting the tower. 

Edison Center Museum, NJ

The small, two-room Edison museum houses a collection of memorabilia including historic light bulbs and portions of Edison's electric train track. In the 1880s, Edison created an experimental electric locomotive and test track at Menlo Park. Powered by electricity sent through the rails, the locomotive operated over a 3-mile track.

The museum highlights many of Edison's inventions including not only the phonograph but many of his light bulbs, as well as photographs of Edison's Menlo Park property and family. The museum is staffed by volunteers with limited hours and unfortunately, it wasn't open the day of our visit. While tours are free, the Edison Tower Memorial Corp. recommends a $5 per person donation. Hopefully, on a future NJ trip we can visit during opening times.

Menlo Park, NJ, was named after the town of Menlo Park, CA, which was the site of an unsuccessful real estate development. In 1954, the township of Menlo Park was renamed Edison Township in 1954 to honor its former resident. Over the next few years, the existing train station was renamed Edison, a post office was established, and all the fire companies in the various neighborhoods were consolidated into the Edison Fire Company.

An inventor and businessman, Edison resided in NJ for over 50 years, not only in Menlo Park, but also in Newark and West Orange. Menlo Park was his home from 1876 to 1882 and it's where he set up his research laboratory and later created what became known as the Invention Factory, the first research and development facility in the world. 

In the early 1870s, Menlo Park was a sparsely populated rural area. Edison purchased two parcels of land, about 34 acres in late 1875. He built the main laboratory building on the block south of Christie Street and built other ancillary buildings including the glass house, a carpenters’ shop, a carbon shed, and a blacksmith shop. By the Spring of 1876, Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory was the world’s first such research and development facility. 

Menlo Park Laboratory Site, Winter 1880-1881

Edison's extensive lab facilities and large staff gave Edison a major advantage over other inventors. He could work on different parts of a system or different inventions at the same time. He's credited with over 600 inventions including the phonograph, which led to Menlo Park being called the "Birthplace of Recorded Sound." The first words that Edison successfully recorded on the phonograph were “Mary had a Little Lamb.” By 1878, this invention was known all around the world and Edison became known as “The Wizard of Menlo Park.” 

Christie St became world's first street lit by lightbulbs in 1879

After the success of the photograph, Edison's next big invention was a successful incandescent lightbulb. Others  had been working on making light bulbs before. None of these earlier bulbs worked for more than a few minutes. On October 21, 1879, Edison’s bulb burned for a continuous 13-1/2 half hours. The next bulbs lasted 40 hours. By Christmas, Edison and his team worked to light the laboratory and his home with several of the new light bulbs, and on New Year’s Eve, Christie Street became the world’s first street to be lit by incandescent light bulbs with the aid of a power system designed by Edison. There's always a NJ connection; this was a very good one.

By the summer of 1880, Edison had perfected the incandescent bulb enough to be able to produce and sell it in large quantities. He remodeled a wooden building to serve as a Lamp Factory, established the Edison Electric Light Company and began working on using electricity for other purposes.

In 1887, Edison moved his laboratory out of Menlo Park into a new and much larger laboratory in West Orange, NJ. He spent the remaining 44 years of his life there, continuing to improve his earlier inventions and creating new ones including the motion picture camera. He died on October 18, 1931 at the age of 84. U.S. President Herbert Hoover on learning of Edison's death broadcast a nationwide radio address on Edison's great achievements and contributions to the progress of mankind.

Foundation outline of Edison's Office and Library, 1879-1884 

After Edison left Menlo Park, the property was abandoned; many buildings were occupied by squatters. The laboratory building was used as a theater, a dance hall, and a barn. Edison’s office, library building and home were used as private residences. The carbon shed was used as a chicken shed. Buildings continued to deteriorate and  completely fall apart. Edison’s home was destroyed in fire in 1914; his office and library building met the same fate in 1919. The laboratory, machine shop and other buildings were scavenged for building materials. By 1926, most of the buildings had either collapsed or burned.

The only two buildings left were moved to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, MI, where industrialist Henry Ford, a close friend of Edison, constructed a replica of the Menlo Park complex. Ford hired experts to locate surviving material belonging to the original Menlo Park laboratory and a reconstructed model of the building is now located there.

Greenfield Village is a collection of nearly 100 historic buildings on a 200-acre site. It was established in 1933 by Ford, who relocated or reconstructed buildings there from throughout the U.S. On a future road trip, it's definitely on our list of must-see places.

How about you — are there places in your area that you have never visited?

Friday Funnies

Why this ladder was here . . .

I have absolutely no clue. It was on a sidewalk with nothing nearby and no one near it.

Sometimes, things are just plain curious.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback on my previous post about the increasing amount of spam comments. I appreciate that many folks shared that comment moderation has helped, but still undecided about going that route.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We're still in NJ on our 🦃 holiday road trip. 

If you celebrated, hope your holiday was a good one.

A Day of Thanks

Today is Thanksgiving, a holiday that's most often shared with special people, family and friends alike.

Our Best Wishes to everyone celebrating today as we are be doing in our home state of NJ. 

At its core, the day includes gratitude for those we love and for what we have — giving thanks for all.

Many will spend the holiday with a gathering of loved ones, other folks will celebrate alone, some by choice, others by loss or other circumstances.

Thankfulness is a good thing, kindness even better. We can impact each other's lives in the simplest ways by a card, call, visit — or holiday dinner invite. 

Once home we'll host Thanksgiving for friends who will have celebrated alone and will do the same on Christmas at home.

Tis the season for thankfulness and kindness. 

Thanks to all for your blog friendships.

Enjoy the holiday (no comments today).

Enough Already !

A question today, more of a rant — not against fellow bloggers — but spammers.

Has anyone else been bothered by an onset of spammers in recent days/weeks ?

A fellow blogger recently commented on this issue posting that she had been bombarded with over 80 spam comments in a single week. 

It's been happening here too. Recently, on the pull down menu above published comments, there were some 50 that blogger had flagged as potential spam — Most of these were actual spam, others that were not flagged were more of the same.

Nearly all spammers spew their garbage overnight, many contain links to online betting. Daily morning checks show postings within the past 4-6 hours of a 7 am check.  

Unfortunately, actual blogger comments are sometimes marked as spam. These need to be checked as OK to publish. It's become a morning routine to check comments, delete spam, OK legitimate comments to publish. 

Seriously, do these spammers think anyone in his/her right mind would click on any of the included links? 

• WHY do spammers bother; paid commissions on the number of spammed sites?
• WHY if blogger can ID a comment as spam is it still published?
• WHY when marked as spam and deleted, a spam comment returns on another post?

What I've been doing

As mentioned above, many recent spammers hawking online betting come from a specific source(s). These sites have been reported to blogger for inappropriate comments. When a spammer is reported, blogger will send this reply: 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

Thanks for flagging potential policy or legal violations on Google. 

We’ve received your report under the following abuse category: spam or unwanted content.

The Google Team

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whether or not this will limit or prohibit future spam is yet to be determined.

Here's are several sites recently spewing spam comments. If you find any in your post comments, the best advice would be to delete immediately.

• Laser247
• ReddyAnna Book
• Online CricketID
• Arman
• Bet bbhi
• Online Cricket ID

In addition to spam containing links to online betting, spammers will use flattery and offer positive comments on how well the post was presented, etc. It's all smoke and mirrors (something that seems good but is not real or effective). It's best to delete these too.

Many bloggers moderate comments in an attempt to control spam, possibly for other reasons. If you do this, does it work?

Your turn — If any blogger has other solutions that work, please leave a comment. 

Friday Funnies

My most recent post described sights visited on a day trip to Florence during our Tuscany tour in early October. 

While the best way to get around this city is on foot, we did see alternative methods such as bicycles, horse drawn carriages and this ⬇︎.

No cash handy? That would not be a problem; this rickshaw operator also accepted credit cards and contactless payments. (We didn't take advantage of this mode of transportation.)

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We leave today for a road trip and week-long visit in NJ

Thanksgiving will be celebrated with family

A Renaissance City

Florence, the world's art capital, (Firenze) is also the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region. This is a city best explored on foot. It overflows with history, culture and landmarks. boasting architectural grandeur and world-class museums. One of the most readily recognizable sights is its terra cotta-tiled cathedral dome.

Our tour group of 42 travelers arrived in Florence on a Saturday morning where we met our local guide (above). As most travelers know, weekends are never the best time to visit any popular tourist destination, U.S. or abroad, as everyone is doing the same. We saw a small part of this artful city, including two world-famous cathedrals.

Piazza del Duomo, Florence, Italy (Internet source)

The cathedral complex in Piazza del Duomo, includes the cathedral, baptistery and campanile (bell tower). These buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic center of Florence and are a major tourist attraction.

The Florence cathedral, Duomo, as it's called, is the most commanding structure in this complex and has been called the crown jewel of Florence. This overwhelmingly impressive structure has multicolored marble walls, golden doors, and a dome that dominates the cityscape. The official name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower (Cattedrale di Santa Fiore) and it's the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence. 

Considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Gothic art, the Duomo is regarded as a symbol of the wealth and power of the Tuscan capital during the 13th and 14th centuries. In its day, it was the largest cathedral in Europe holding up to 30,000 people. Today it's the fourth largest cathedral in the world surpassed in size by the Basilica of St. Peter in Vatican City, St. Paul's Cathedral in London, the Cathedral of Seville and the Cathedral of Milan. 

The cathedral was built as a basilica on the site of a 7th-century church, remnants can be found in the crypt.  Construction started in 1296 and didn't complete until some 140 years later in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. 

The reason it took so long is because of the immense complexity of the cathedral's design especially the large dome, which required advanced techniques that didn't exist when construction started. It wasn't until Filippo Brunelleschi, a founding father of Renaissance architecture, developed a groundbreaking solution which took over a century to complete.

During the cathedral's construction, architects from all over the world attempted to figure out how to erect a dome that would be nearly 150 feet wide and that would begin 180 feet above the ground, atop the existing walls.

Brunelleschi solved the problem of how to build the dome by including horizontal and vertical chains to further strengthen the dome. These chains were made of stone and iron within the brickwork and acted as tension rings, holding the dome together and preventing it from collapsing under its own weight. The result has been called an architectural masterpiece. This icon dominates the Florence skyline.When it was built in the 15th, it was the largest ever built in western Europe. Although it was later overtaken by St Peter's Basilica, it still remains the largest dome built of bricks, an estimated 4,000,000 were used. When Brunelleschi died in 1446, he was buried beneath his achievement and remans there today..

The bell tower designed by Giotto di Bondone in 1334 was the most impressive feature of the cathedral before the dome was completed. It is over 49 feet wide and stands 275 feet high. Giotto died before the tower was completed in 1387 according to legend he was upset over a design flaw in that he made the tower's base too narrow. His fears proved correct and the tower was renovated after his death to allow the full height of the construction to be supported at the base. (It's possible to climb the bell tower, all 400 steps to the top; we did not.)

The Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista, the oldest building in the Duomo complex, is considered as one of the city's oldest places of worship. Built between 1059 and 1128, it was named for St. John the Baptist (San Giovanni Battista), the patron saint of Florence, who replaced the Roman god Mars, the god of war. Why? Christianity was attempting to overtake the Pagan religion and to to make this conversation easier, replaced a Roman god for a Christian saint. St. John the Baptist was considered less holy than other saints (not sure of that reasoning.)

Bronze was the primary material used for the baptistry's four entrances (portals). The eastern door, main gate, designed by Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti, was renamed the Gates of Paradise (Porta del Paradiso) by Michelangelo Buonarroti because of its striking beauty. It took 27 years to complete (1425 to 1452) and 70-year old Ghiberti installed the last bronze panels The panels consist of 28 scenes of the life of Jesus Christ from the New Testament. 

Over time, the 17-foot high, 3-ton bronze door became one of the most famous works of art in the world praised by generations of artists and art historians for the compelling portrayal of scenes from the Old Testament. It remained in place for centuries, well preserved due to Ghiberti’s high quality of work. It was dismantled in 1943 and hidden in a gallery due to WW II bombings and returned to the baptistry in 1948. After flooding in 1966, some panels were removed for repair. 

We only viewed the exterior and didn't tour the interior of the Florence cathedral or the baptistry and didn't climb the bell tower. This was because of limited time on our visit and lengthy waits. Instead we toured another iconic church.

Piazza di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

The Basilica of the Holy Cross (Basilica di Santa Croce) is a minor basilica and the principal Franciscan church of Florence. Situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce, about a half mile southeast of the Duomo, it's also one of the more prominent and recognizable churches in the city. It's associated with St. Francis of Assisi, Italy's patron saint.

Santa Croce was built in 1294 by Arnolfo di Cambio Ugo Foscolo to replace an earlier church. It's the largest Franciscan church in the world, noted for its tombs, cenotaphs (empty tombs honoring someone whose remains are elsewhere) and chapels.

Santa Croce has 16 chapels many decorated with frescoes by Giotto di Bondone. Years ago, well-to-do families had chapels built and decorated in their honor and dedicated to a favorite saint (either to appease the church or seek forgiveness for sins).

Tomb of Michelangelo in Santa Croce Cathedral

Initially housing the graves of Franciscan friars, it soon became the burial place of choice for wealthy families, who were commemorated by gravestones on the floor. But, it was with the construction of the tomb of Michelangelo Buonarroti that the basilica became a resting place of Italian notables. The Temple of the Italian Glories was what poet Ugo Foscolo called Santa Croce in 1807. 

When Michelangelo, a Florence native, died in 1564, he was laid to rest in a church in Rome. His body was later stolen by his nephew Leonardo who brought them back to Florence. While efforts were made to keep the news a secret, word spread rapidly. The church became so full that it was difficult to move the body into the sacristy. There, it lay in state to allow people to pay tribute to the artist who had been away for 30 years.

Tombs of Rossini and Galileo in Santa Croce Cathedral

Other notables interred here are Rossini, Machiavelli, and the Pisan-born Galileo Galilei, tried by the Inquisition for his beliefs about the earth revolving around the sun, and not allowed a Christian burial until 1737, some 95 years after his death. 

Dante Memorial in Santa Croce Cathedral

There's a memorial to Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet, writer, and philosopher. Dante is buried in Ravenna after being exiled from Florence for political reasons that included corruption and financial wrongdoing.

Fountain of Neptune, Florence, Italy

The Fountain of Neptune (Fontana del Nettuno) is situated in the Piazza della Signoria  in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The fountain was commissioned by Cosimo Medici in 1559 to celebrate the marriage of Francesco Medici I to Grand Duchess Joanna of Austria. Cosimo Medici, Duke of Florence from 1537-1569, was responsible for many architectural and artistic elements in Florence that still exist now. The fountain has sustained a great deal of damage over the years due to vandalism. It underwent a major restoration completed in 2019.

The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria, where there's a replica of the sculpture, David, by Michelangelo.

Within walking distance of town hall is the Piazza della Signoria which features the fountain of Neptune. This sea god was sculpted between 1563-65 to celebrate the opening of a new aqueduct. According to our tour guide, the sculpture is called the Biancone (great white) due to of the brilliance of its marble.

Our city tour of Florence was too short and on a very busy weekend on a day when there was no rain in the forecast, unlike previous days. To fully explore the city would require several days which unfortunately wasn't in our tour schedule. 

There are other ways to explore other than walking, here's a couple we saw like this one above. 

Despite the shortened visit time, we spent an enjoyable few hours in this amazing city. Before leaving, we shared a photo opportunity with our Nashua, NH, friends.