Podcasts about old schoolhouse museum

Due to the government-shutdown emergency, your host must entertain an audience at the Old Schoolhouse Museum in Twentynine Palms with a series of Strange & Unusual Facts about our desert lands. Support the show.

  Sue's first experience with the desert was accompanying her husband, Pete, to a job interview in 29 Palms for a teaching position in 1957.  At first blush, Sue was not impressed with the place, sitting under an elm tree in the June desert heat and then moving from Texas, in the middle of August, with their three young children. But, she agreed to try it out for two years - 60 years later, she's still here.   After discounting the pink desert mountains in a John Hilton painting as artistic license, her mind was changed when she witnessed them with her own eyes. The beauty of the desert and the kindnesses of its community members kept her here.   Sue spent 40 years as a substitute teacher in the Morongo Unified School District, gaining a reputation for being tough - her husband nicknaming her 'Mrs. McMean'. These days, she loves filing historical data in the Research Room of The Old Schoolhouse Museum and giving tours to the third grade classes who come to see a classroom with an actual chalkboard.   In this episode, Sue shares memories of the annual Weed Show and talks about some of the books, by local authors like Art Kidwell, available in the gift shop of The Old Schoolhouse Museum and the current expansion of the museum to accommodate the growing interest in historical programs hosted there by The Desert Institute.   Sue's children, two of whom are also now retired, left the area long ago and worry a bit about their mom remaining in the desert at her advanced age. Sue understands, but loves the place and the people with whom she has made a life and feels strongly that she is still fulfilling her purpose. Sue's not ready to leave her desert home any time soon.

'Dem eyes ~ they almost got Lizzie and her sister into acting a whole lot sooner than she may have wished. And she comes by it honestly... her grandfather was a double for a very well-known actor. Now, Lizzie is gracing the stages in the Hi- and Low Desert and beginning to make her way to Los Angeles for auditions.   Born and raised in Joshua Tree, growing up she loved that she lived in a 'village'.  School field trips were hiking and learning in the national park. Lizzie entered Joshua Tree's Copper Mountain College with the idea of being a nurse, but after taking most of her general education courses and recognizing biology was not necessarily her forte', she took a different path, majoring in history. Lizzie loves museums and has visited many, including our local Hi-Desert Nature Museum in Yucca Valley and The Old Schoolhouse Museum in 29Palms. A recent visit to the Tolerance Education Center in Rancho Mirage made an impression on her. She says she not only appreciates the physicality of the artifacts but believes they each carry the energy of their time and place in history. In this episode she speaks of spending hours in antique stores, how, in their own way, they are like museums and tells of a recent find that left her imagining all kinds of scenarios about the original owner.    When asked if a move to LA is in her future, Lizzie believes it's possible, depending on the direction of her acting career. She admits to a sense of homesickness, but recognizes this place she's called home for so long will always be here for her to come back to.   Copper Mountain College   Hi-Desert Nature Museum   Old Schoolhouse Museum   Tolerance Education Center

Dana was born & raised in Twentynine Palms, met and married her husband here and has made a life for her and her family in this desert town.  In this episode, Dana reminisces about running through rain floods and the desert in general in her bare feet, much to the chagrin of her mom, Marilyn, whose episode aired last week.  Dana is involved in her community, preserving the history of the town volunteering at The Old Schoolhouse Museum and having served on board of the Twentynine Palms Historical Society.    With her kids grown and gone, Dana and her husband hosted exchange students, making life-long bonds with them, traveling to visit them and attend some of their weddings. She tells the story of one young man who, while initially not keen on the California 'desert' experience, came to enjoy his time here, particularly after watching some of the Bowden family pull the car over during a rainstorm, then proceed to get out of the car and get into the rain.   The entrepreneurial spirit doesn't fall far from the tree - Dana, like her mom, had her own business - a framing business in Twentynine Palms for 19 years. She has a passion for mosaic and spends most of her spare time creating them in her studio, sometimes inviting friends to join.     Twentynine Palms Historical Society   The Old Schoolhouse Museum on Facebook  

Mari Collier, Author   As a young girl, Mari & her mom traveled to Arizona because of Mari's health and after several summers traveling back to Iowa, the whole family eventually moved. After a number of years in the Pacific Northwest, with 130+ inches of rain a year, Mari and her husband moved to 29Palms, joining their daughter.   In this episode Mari talks about her early writing in school and for the local newspaper in Audubon, Iowa and how she ended up working for Nintendo. Mari also let's us in on a bit of her writing process. Her science fiction books can be found on Amazon, Kindle and at Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree.   A member of the Desert Writers Guild of 29Palms, Mari also writes for the Old Schoolhouse Journal, a publication of the Old Schoolhouse Museum, where she also volunteers in the Library.   Mentioned in this episode:   Mari and her books on Amazon   The Old Schoolhouse Museum on Trip Advisor   29Palms Historical Society   Space Cowboy Books Joshua Tree