Laurel A. Rockefeller's Blog, page 11

Delaying the Tower. Excerpt from chapter two: Second Person. Queen Elizabeth Tudor: Journey to Gloriana

The reign of Queen Mary I Tudor was a tumultuous time for England. As protestants raised their voices and risked their lives opposing Mary’s religious reforms, younger sister Elizabeth became a frequent focal point for protestant rebellions, much as their cousin Mary Stuart would over twenty years later.

In March 1554 Queen Mary ordered Elizabeth arrested on suspicion of conspiracy against her throne. Terrified, Elizabeth wrote desperately to her sister, a letter historians refer to as the ...

Greater Johnstown Restaurants: Where to Go and Which Ones to Avoid.

I love to eat out. I also love to photograph and review restaurants, even though I’ve only done so in the last several months. When traveling, it’s always helpful to check out available eateries in advance. Here are the places I’ve been to and what I think of them. Among my criteria: price and value for the price paid, quality of the food, decor, comfort of space including table/chairs, service, and overall quality of my dine-in experience. When available, links to an extended review of the ...

Greater Johnstown Restaurants: Where to Go and Which Ones to Avoid When Price and Quality Matter Most

I love to eat out. I also love to photograph and review restaurants, even though I’ve only done so in the last several months. When traveling, it’s always helpful to check out available eateries in advance. Here are the places I’ve been to and what I think of them. Among my criteria: price and value for the price paid, quality of the food, decor, comfort of space including table/chairs, service, and overall quality of my dine-in experience. When available, links to an extended review of the ...

Greater Johnstown Restaurants: Where to Go and Which Ones to Avoid

I love to eat out. I also love to photograph and review restaurants, even though I’ve only done so in the last several months. When traveling, it’s always helpful to check out available eateries in advance. Here are the places I’ve been to and what I think of them. Among my criteria: price and value for the price paid, quality of the food, decor, comfort of space including table/chairs, service, and overall quality of my dine-in experience. When available, links to an extended review of t...

Review: Hidden Valley Buffalo Ranch sauce

Ranch dressing is delicious on almost everything. Especially chicken. Like so many of us, I love chicken wings drenched in buffalo hot sauce, then dipped in ranch as I eat them.

Enter Hidden Valley Ranch company’s newest innovation: combining buffalo hot sauce with their classic ranch dressing. Though few of these sauces hold up to their promise (in particular the copycat of McDonald’s mac sauce), This one actually does. It tastes just like a good buffalo chicken wing dipped in their r...

Review: Johnstown Wendy’s Fails to Impress

I love writing restaurant reviews. There’s something really fun about checking out a place, taking photos, and telling you all about it.

On October 19th, 2024 I went with my neighbor to the Wendy’s at 1251 Scalp Ave in Richland PA. Zip: 15904. The restaurant is reachable by automobile or you can take the #17 Camtran bus to it from downtown Johnstown.

Wendy’s is located right next to Arby’s and across a parking lot from New Dimensions Dental. The bus stop closest to it is awkwardly ...

Review: Dish Drying Rack, Mainstays Expandable Dish Rack with Utensil Holder for Kitchen Countertop

Dish drying racks are one of those things we often take for granted. When we have a decent sized kitchen and sink shopping for a drying rack is a simple matter of browsing and then picking the one that fits our budget best while looking good too.

But living in small spaces complicates the matter – as many of us are finding out with high housing prices often forcing us into smaller homes than maybe we would prefer.

Since moving from the midwest twenty some years ago, all of my apartments h...

Cymraes ydw i. Extracto de Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, La Princesa Guerrea de Deheubarth

“Cymraes ydw i.  No tengo necesidad de las modas inglesas.” Pocas palabras pueden resumir mejor el corazón galés. Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, nacida en 1097 en el castillo de Aberffraw, en el norte de Gales, se convirtió en inmortal gracias a su inspiradora vida y a su impactante muerte a manos de los normandos.

En esta escena del capítulo dos, Gwenllian conoce por primera vez a Gruffydd ap Rhys de Deheubarth.

Cymraes ydw i. Extracto del capítulo dos de Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd, La ...

La Kaiserin Matilda regresa a Londres. Prólogo de Margarita de Wessex: Madre, Santa, y Reina de los Escoceses

De todas las mujeres medievales que he estudiado, pocas superan la fascinación que siento por la emperatriz Matilde de Inglaterra. La única hija del rey Enrique I de Inglaterra y su esposa Edith Matilde de Escocia que sobrevivió a sus padres, era normanda, sajona y picto-escocesa.

En este prólogo de “Margarita de Wessex: madre, santa y reina de Escocia”, Matilde regresa a Londres para primero confrontar a su padre y luego explicarle las complejidades de la Inglaterra normanda a su dama de com...

Review: Great Value Decaffeinated Iced Tea Bags Outperform national brands.

I do not like to drink water, especially tap water. With fraking affecting the local water supply, the water here is yellow coming from the tap and tastes like something to fuel your car. Drinking bottled water is one option. But I prefer to make iced tea, especially in warmer months.

Normally I buy the Lipton brand; Walmart’s Great Value often has quality and sometimes safety issues (see my post on hash brown patties). But recently I decided to give the GV brand a try on the iced tea ...