Museum Studies

Things Ephemeral and Real

A passion for tangible things

As a young man, I was drawn to the world of sports collectibles, building a large collection of sports cards, memorobilia, and autographs from my favorite sports stars. This interest became more than a hobby as my family opened a baseball card shop "Cooperstown" which grew into a beloved local hangout for kids of all ages. We expanded the scope of our operation into all types of sports & collectors cards, comics, and fantasy art and games. This abiding love for the practice of collecting, over time, morphed into a larger and more general pursuit of the world of collecting, organizing, and exploring the vast world of human-made creations.

As I got older, I became less interested in collecting sports stuff and shifted toward comics and fantasy art, then later as an adult, I started collecting and cataloging many other types of items including mineral specimens, rare vessels, automotive and rail antiques, musical instruments, historical documents, art, maps and photos. In this section of my web site, I will share some details about my passion for collecting, organizing, authenticating, and researching all manner of antiques, ephemera, documents, art, architecture, and relics of the past.

Museums

I love museums and have had the opportunity to visit and explore some awesome places in the pursuit of a deeper understanding of the field of museum studies.

Some of the Notable Museums, Monuments, and Places of Interest I have visited include:

Art Museums
  • Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
  • De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
  • SF MOMA, San Francisco, CA
  • DiRosa Art Preserve, Napa, CA
  • SRJC Gallery & Native American Art Museum, Santa Rosa, CA
Maritime, Rail, Auto & Aviation Museums
  • USS Constitution "Old Ironsides", Boston, MA
  • SF Maritime Museum, San Francisco, CA
  • USS Pampanito, San Francisco, CA
  • Pacific Coast Air Museum, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Nantucket Whaling Museum, Nantucket, MA
  • Reno National Automobile Museum, Reno, NV
  • Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, MA
  • Mayflower II, Plymouth, MA
  • Chatham Lighthouse, Chatham, MA
  • Tomales / Pt. Reyes Lighthouse, Inverness, CA
  • Lighthouse Field, Santa Cruz, CA
  • California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento, CA
  • Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area & Lighthouse, Newport, OR
Famous Buildings & Districts
  • Boston Commons & State House, Boston, MA
  • Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA
  • Skydeck Chicago, Willis Tower, Chicago, IL
  • Brewery Blocks, Portland, OR
  • Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
  • Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL
  • Gaslamp District, San Diego, CA
  • The French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
  • Hopi Mesas, AZ
  • St. Louis Arch, MO
  • Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
  • Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, OR
Zoos & Naturalist Attractions
  • SF Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
  • SF Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
  • LA Zoo, Los Angeles, CA
  • Oakland Zoo, Oakland, CA
  • SF Zoo, San Francisco, CA
  • Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley, CA
  • Aquarium of the Bay, San Francisco, CA
  • Reid Park Zoo, Tucson, AZ
  • Petrified Forest, Calistoga, CA
  • The Geysers, Geyserville, CA
  • Humboldt Redwoods State Park, CA
  • Mercer Caverns, Murphys, CA
National & State Parks & Monuments
  • Grand Canyon National Park, Crand Canyon, AZ
  • Yellowstone National Park, WY
  • Yosemite National Park, CA
  • Crater Lake National Park, OR
  • Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, SD
  • Golden Gate Parks, San Francisco, CA
  • Wupatki National Monument, Flagstaff, AZ
  • Hawaii Volcanos National Park, Volcano, HI
  • Virgin Islands National Park, St. John, USVI
  • Desolation / Eldorado National Wilderness, CA
  • Anderson Marsh State Historical Park, Clearlake, CA
  • California State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA
  • Fort Ross State Historic Park, Fort Ross, CA
  • Fort Christian, Saint Thomas, USVI
  • Fort Klamath, Klamath County, OR
  • Petaluma Adobe, Petaluma, CA
  • Carrillo Adobe, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Death Valley, CA
Seashores, Lakes, Rivers & Waterfalls
  • Cape Cod National Seashore, MA
  • Pt. Reyes National Seashore, CA
  • Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, NY
  • San Francisco Bay, CA
  • Lake Erie, OH
  • Big Sur, CA
  • Burney Falls, CA
  • Forks of Salmon, CA
  • Lake Tahoe, NV
  • Twin Falls, ID
  • Klamath Falls, OR
  • Yosemite Falls, CA
  • Lake Siskiyou, CA
  • Aloha Lake, CA
  • Clear Lake, CA
  • Lake Shasta, CA
  • Cache Creek, CA
  • Umpqua River, OR
  • Willamette River, OR
  • Depoe Bay, OR
  • Yaquina Bay, OR
  • La Quebrada Cliff Divers, Acapulco, Mexico
Cultural History Museums
  • Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
  • JFK Museum, Hyannis, MA
  • Museum of Sonoma County, Santa Rosa, CA
  • West County Museum, Sebastopol, CA
  • Charles M. Schulz Museum, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Luther Burbank Home & Gardens, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Jack London Museum & State Park, Kenwood, CA
  • Petaluma Historical Library Museum, Petaluma, CA
  • Mt. Shasta Sisson Museum, Mt. Shasta, CA
  • Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth, MA
  • SF Presidio, San Francisco, CA
  • Tomales Bay / Sir Francis Drake Museum, Tomales, CA
  • Petaluma Adobe, Petaluma, CA
  • San Xavier Del Bac Mission, Tohono O'odham Nation, AZ
  • Chapel of The Holy Cross, Sedona, AZ
Science & Technology
  • Lawrence Livermore Laboratory & National Ignition Facility, Livermore, CA
  • The Geysers Geothermal Fields & Power Plants, Middletown, CA
  • Fleishmann Planetarium, Reno, NV
  • Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, NV
  • SRJC Planetarium, Santa Rosa, CA
  • Meteor Crater Museum, Winslow, AZ
  • The Metreon, San Francisco, CA
  • Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR