Let's Learn Some History, Edison

Another busy week just passed by and it's time to show off some pinks and go sightseeing. As you know, I host Sightseeing Saturday and although I do not have many participants, I intend to keep going, hopefully more people will be interested in the future and get used to linking. For those who participate, I thank you with my whole heart and I really do appreciate you. I will have Mr. Linky available below. You do not have to travel to exotic places to join. You can even just show us your hometown.

Another person whom I truly appreciate is Beverly of http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ who graciously hosts Pink Saturday week after week. Thanks, Beverly! Please visit her and her other participants and look at the many precious pinks shown in Blogland today.
Today, I would like to feature another figurine from my Lladro collection. It is called Waltz Time, reference # 4856. It was first issued in 1974 (Hey! That's when my first son was born!) and retired in 1985. They have this in glossy finish too but I have the one with a matte finish.
Don't you just love the boy's expression trying to steal a kiss?
Thanks, Beverly for another fun pink day.

And of course, it is time to take a trip. If you want to participate, please copy the logo on your blog so readers will know you are a participant. Then enter your name and permalink on the spaces below, after your post is published.


And now, for a little education. You probably heard about Thomas Edison, a great American inventor, scientist and being the founder of General Electric, is a talented businessman. He was born on Feb. 11, 1847 and though left us on Oct. 18, 1931, he surely cannot be forgotten for all his many useful inventions that continues to influence our lives today. That of course, includes the phonograph (remember the gramophones?), motion picture camera, stock-ticker, and of course, the light bulb and many others. Edison did not invent the first electric light bulb, but instead invented the first commercially practical incandescent light. He has 1,093 US patents in his name, not to mention many in UK, France and Germany also.

In school, Edison's mind always wandered and his teacher called him "addled", which ended his 3 months of official schooling. His mom who truly believed in him home schooled him from then on. He developed hearing problems from scarlet fever and untreated ear infections at an early age.

There is so much to read about him so please go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison if you want to learn more.

But for now, I would like to show you his winter retreat in Fort Myers, FL. My youngest daughter, Tina, lives in Cape Coral with his family, which is about 20 minutes away so on one of our visits, we decided to tour and learn more about Thomas Edison. We did not go in the house so this is all I can show you. He bought property in Fort Myers in 1885 and you will still see the palm trees that he planted lining the streets.
But, we decided to go visit his Botanic Research laboratory. Outside the lab, you will see an abundance of humongous Banyan trees. The tree was given to Edison by Harvey Firestone after he visited India and it was only 4 ft at the time. Now it is the largest in the continental US, third in the world and is a Florida Champion tree. Instead of growing underground, the banyan tree's roots sprout from branches, strengthens as they take in water and food, dropping on the ground to form a sort of prop for the linb. Edison experimented with different trees and plants for use as rubber and filaments.

This resembles an elephant with its trunk.
I thought I would hold on to Mr. Edison hoping for some of his intelligence to rub off on me.
Edision, Firestone and Henry Ford were good friends. This is the 1916 Model T Touring car that Henry Ford gave as a present to Edison.

Gramophones

Thomas Edison was a workaholic. He worked all the time so he added a cot by his desk in the lab so he can just "cat nap" there whenever he gets tired. He is quoted as having said, "I owe my success to the fact that I never had a clock in my workroom." He also said that his deafness was an asset, explaining that it allowed him to work with less distraction and to sleep deeply, undisturbed by outside sounds.

Here are some of the chemicals found in his lab.

Lab counter, instruments and more chemicals.

After we left the Botanic Research Laboratory, we just drove and walked around Fort Myers, which is a very charming town. I was happy cause I had both grandkids with me. I am sure most of you already know AJ. She travels with us a lot.

And look at Brendan, Tina's only son (but one more on the way now). He has always been

happy and always smiling even when he was a baby. See? I told ya!

I hope you enjoyed the tour with a little education. Come back again next week for another travelogue.