If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.

He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him; or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

– Henry David Thoreau

Old map showing a bird’s eye view of Moosup, Connecticut in 1889

This old map shows Moosup, Connecticut in the late 19th century.

Historic old map shows bird’s eye view of Bethel, Connecticut in 1879

Historic bird’s eye view of Bethel, Connecticut in 1879

San Juan, Puerto Rico once had snow delivered by plane for those who had never experienced it

Felisa Rincón de Gautier was the first woman to be elected Mayor of a capital city in the Americas.

The fly fisherman’s ideal estate, a vintage map from 1931

This map by the satirical artist John Held shows the perfect “estate” for the fly fisherman.

Baby Whale Jumps for Joy After Escaping Death

This baby whale is an orca named J50. Two weeks before J50 was born…

Beautifully restored map of Guilford, Connecticut from 1881

Historic bird’s eye view of Guilford, Connecticut in 1881