I LOVE MAPS. I always have. One time when I was in college, my friend Kent and I drove from Atlanta to his parents’ house in Missouri. I don’t really remember why — spring break, maybe? — but I do remember that I entertained myself on the long drive by flipping page-by-page through one of those big road atlases. (I may or may not have annoyed the crap out of Kent as I spouted random factoids and interesting town names in various states.)
I attribute this love of maps to at least two things. First, in elementary school we occasionally had geography quizzes and I ROCKED them, and that made me happy. Second, my dad bought a huge world map and hung it smack on the big wall in the den. We used it for all kinds of things. Homework assignments? Random questions about where so-and-so is? Arguments about capitals, or spelling, or location? All solved by the big map on the wall.
For Christmas, my dad bought us a world map or, to be more accurate, he promised to buy us a world map and bring it down when he and mom visited this summer. I loved the idea, and knew it would be perfect for the angled corner of our recently improved bonus room! I made sure to remind my dad a couple times that he owed us the map, and sure enough, he delivered it when they came to visit two weeks ago.
Extreme map closeup!
My parents’ map is old enough that the USSR is still the USSR, and there are two Germanies instead of one. Ours is new and therefore accurate — at least for now! (Isn’t it weird to think about how maps actually change over time?) It came from The Map Shop in Charlotte, which is a very cool store. As you can see below, Jose is excited about our awesome new map. And I am too!
Mounted maps rock. Our World Map is ~1980 and has USSR, two Germanys, Eastern Europe post WWII, India cities with old names (Bombay, Calcutta), Burma, and who knows what all else. Our Australia Map is 1982 and probably still dead on.
awesome color in the bonus room. what is it called?
Someone else asked me that too, and I don’t remember. It’s Valspar brand from Lowe’s. I’ll see if I can find the paint chip.
Found the color name! It’s called Secluded Garden.