Choose Wisely my Son

Wanna buy a castle?

Down a weedy avenue to lower Westonderry Woods stood an abandoned castle, tumbling down stone by stone.  But once, this castle had been filled with light, music, and laughter, along with copious amounts of alcohol.

Lord Brandon Quentin Fielding-Larson,a charismatic bachelor, had inherited a massive fortune which opened many doors to him, including the world of high society.  Lord Larson swept newly debuted young ladies off their feet.  And, if his charm succeeded, he swept them onto their backs.

 Soon he was swimming in debt.  All of his creditors were folding up his mortgages and moving in on him.  Also, many outraged titled fathers of pregnant young debutantes were circling their carriages around him.

Seeing no escape and not being one to cower  before the angry men, Lord Larson hastily buried the ledger notebook under heavy wood planks, and stormed to the stables, saddling the fastest horse there.  Off he thundered, applying a riding crop with a heavy hand.

The horse came back alone, a wise decision on Lord Brandon Quentin Fielding-Larson’s part, probably the only one he had ever made.

This post was from 2015 and I really enjoyed writing it. The italicized underlined words are Wednesday Words, originally established by Delores as a way to challenge writers to play with words. Losing too many computer battles, Delores passed the baton to creative bloggers, Elephant's Child and River.

Pleased pop over there and check the Wednesday Words. You will not regret it.

Ludlow, Shropshire, England OR Ludlow, California, off Needles Hwy

In 2004, our youngest daughter, Mary married Richard McKinley, whom she had met at a Cambridge, England. It was a beautiful wedding in April, when everything was green, so green.

Source

We stayed in Ludlow for a week, and then in Cambridge for the wedding. (A delightful blogger lives in Ludlow/Shropshire, Carole AnnCarr.)

Certificate of Excellence

1066 or 1183 AD

Ludlow is one of those English towns where roses and geraniums grow everywhere, over stone walls, spilling into fences, and along roads--So amazing that I almost wanted to cry.

I have recently discovered there is a “city” here in California also called Ludlow.  Boy howdy.  Could there ever be such diametrically opposed cities?

Source

We discovered this Ludlow, California, as we drove along Needles Hwy.  We had stopped for petrol/gas and were immediately hit with hot desert wind, blowing sand-like bits of black lava, from an ancient lava flow, which is now being graded and ground. 

In 1883, Ludlow was once just a water stop for trains. After gold and copper were discovered, the town's population grew dramatically. The town now has ten residents left, after the gold and copper mines ceased to produce, in 1940.

Once Interstate 40 was built, the town slowly disappeared.  Now there are many empty boarded up buildings, all that remain of the former boom town. In fact, the towns along the old Route 66 also slowly faded away.  Ah, well.

Walter Feller-Digital Desert.com

Ragtown-Ghost-Town

It is a “gold mine” now for geologists and history buffs.  Remnants and pieces of old mines and rails are very inviting to lead those interested through the Mojave Desert to Death Valley Junction, passing through towns named Baker (Home of the world's largest thermometer) and Zzyzx. 

It does exist.

We lived in Victorville, California, for seven years in the Mojave Desert.  A desert has its own beauty, especially when the sun goes down, and the bluffs turn the colors of glory.

Source

Depending on your interests, please visit either Ludlow.  Both will astound you. 

Please note that the desert photos are copyrighted by Walter Feller - Digital Desert.com. and Mojave Desert Photos . He has several books available for sale on Amazon.  His photos capture incredible desert beauty.