I Confused Ganna Walska with Helena Modjeska
The LA Times had a big spread on Ganna Walska (born Hanna Puacz)--a Polish opera singer (1887 - 1984)--and her garden Lotusland (Montecito, CA) a few years ago. I've not yet been to her Lotusland (every time I go to Santa Barbara the "usual" things take precedence): http://www.lotusland.org/ . * Yesterday, trying to name my Mont Sainte-Victoire, I came across Modjeska Peak (one of the two peaks forming the Saddleback in Orange County) and thus Helena Modjeska (1840 - 1909). And so, at least until today, I had made the two women one. * Helena Modjeska was born in Krakow, Poland (her birth name was Jadwiga Benda) and she was a renowned Polish Shakespearean actress who emigrated to the United States in 1876. Her home from 1888 to 1906, Arden, is located in Modjeska Canyon, CA (eastern Orange County) and is a registered National Historic Monument. Modjeska Peak is also named after her. * Wikipedia mentions that Modjeska plays a part in several literary works. Th...