Dracula

In this morning's edition of "links and news" I noted a WSJ book review regarding Dracula.

Bram Stoker

... did most of his research and writing while on holiday, holed up in the public library at the Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby. The thin historical background to the character appears to have been stitched together from a handful of references. From an article on Transylvanian superstitions, Stoker took both his setting and various details of vampire lore, including the tradition that the creatures are best killed with a stake through the heart. He invented other tropes, not least the inability of a vampire to cause a reflection, cross water or endure sunlight.

I had the wonderful fortune to actually spend a full day at Whitby, Yorkshire, some years ago.

A friend and I walked the English coast from Robin's Hood Cove (north of Scarborough) to Whitby.  It must have been a 15-mile trek along the very tortuous coastline. After walking about two hours, and very, very tired, we came across a Yorkshireman, and asked about Whitby. He said we were almost there. It was another two hours of walking.

Coming back, we took the main road, back to where we had parked the car -- that was a 5.5 mile walk.

At Whitby, I was also introduced to "jet" -- from wiki:

Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. The jet found at Whitby, England is of early Jurassic (Toarcian) age, approximately 182 million years old.

Jet as a gemstone was fashionable during the reign of Queen Victoria, during which the Queen wore Whitby jet as part of her mourning dress. Jet was associated with mourning jewellery in the 19th century because of its sombre colour and modest appearance, and it has been traditionally fashioned into rosaries for monks.

I bought a small Whitby jet Christian cross for our younger daughter who, at the time, had spent several successive (and successful) summers as a missionary in Africa and Peru. I wish I had bought much more Whitby jet at the time as gifts or as artwork for our apartment walls, but I was already transitioning into my downsizing lifestyle.

Speaking of which: I updated my new address with my insurance company with regard to rental insurance. The agent asked if $75,000 was enough coverage for personal property. I had to laugh. I had trouble, as I looked around the one-room apartment, to think if I could come up with $50,000 in personal property. A tenth of $50,000 might be closer to what I really need.