Castles and country manors

A Scottish castle brimming with European antiques is not what you would expect to see in Northern Douglas County. Nor would you expect to run into over 3,000 acres of pristine undeveloped land just east of Castle Pines Village. Even odder, this castle and the land was owned and governed by a Southern belle who raised cattle. Colorado's beauty and sunny days attract all sorts of people with interesting pasts and Tweet Kimble brought her life steeped in European culture to our Rocky Mountain State. Englewood author Corinne Joy Brown was one of the last writers to interview Tweet before she died in 1999. ... Read Full Story

(View from Cherokee Castle in Colorado. Sorry, I don't have a picture of the castle itself. I'll have to take one later. This view; however is still quite grand.) In the 1950's a woman of refined European taste fell in love with the vistas and dusty buttes of south west Douglas County . The open space and rugged individualism of Colorado ranchers must have nipped at her because Tweet Kimball soon called the Cherokee Ranch and Castle her home. While not every rancher can boast a full armoured knight, a Titian painting, or royal guests, this distinguished art collector became an award winning cattle ... Read Full Story

Japanese castles (城, shiro?) were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their most well-known form in the 16th century. Like European castles, the castles of Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into their defense. Though they were built to last, and used more stone in their construction than most Japanese buildings, castles were still constructed primarily of wood, and many were destroyed over the years. This was especially true during the Sengoku ('Warring States') period ... Read Full Story

In Japanese tradition a tea house (茶室, chashitsu lit. "tea room") can refer to a structure designed for holding Japanese tea ceremonies. Tea rooms for tea ceremonies are also called cha-shitsu, but they are located within a dwelling. The tea house was created for aesthetic and intellectual fulfillment. In Japan a tea house (お茶屋, ochaya) can also refer to a place of entertainment with geisha. These kind of tea houses are typically very exclusive establishments. Aikijutsu Academy of Indianapolis | Senso-Ryu | Ted Hanulak Sensei Read Full Story

Not often thought of as a great European destination, I have been finding out a bit more about this large and historic country. Having only travelled through a small area the north of the country bordering the Netherlands, I was a bit disappointed with what I found and seemed to be constantly passing road signs saying ‘Centrum’. I got stuck on a never-ending ring road and ended up driving straight back into Holland without stopping for the night! Since my recent studying of the country, however, I have found out where I went wrong on my journey (I was driving through the most industrialised ... Read Full Story