Mount Vernon--Design Challenge 2010

Hello,

For those of you who were concerned that I would be lonely after Tom, Gareth, and Dalen left, fear not! Tom and the boys got on the road on Saturday about 12:30, and I met my sister, her husband and one of their daughters at Union Station about 2:00. My other niece is in Europe on the same trip that Dalen took two years ago with the Indiana Music Ambassadors. She is having a great time so we have to make sure her sister has a great time while she is here.

It is still HOT here and very humid--not a lot of fun to be outside so on Sunday we went to the Smithsonian. All of us went through the U.S. History Museum. It was my third time to be there, and I think the last for the summer. I originally thought that one day-long trip would be enough, but then I saw a few new things when I went with my family, and this time I checked out a few things in more depth that I had only glanced at before. It is nice to be able to go back to things more than once. Still, I think that is enough. They also went to the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum, but I chose to take care of a few other things instead. It worked out really well.

Today we went to Mount Vernon. It is still ridiculously HOT, but we survived. Thank goodness it is supposed to cool off by Wednesday. Traci and I had been to Mount Vernon as children, but we really didn't remember much about it so it was fun to go back, and it was something on my list that I wanted to see. It is amazing how much influence HGTV and all of the design shows have had on us. First, Traci and I pretty much decided how we would "modernize" the house. It is a nice size house, but it needs to have the kitchen moved inside and we decided on 3 bathrooms. Also, I think George might have been a bit colorblind. He got to choose the paint colors in most of the house and let me say that only a man could have picked them. I know these shades were impressive for the times and showed his wealth but yuck! I normally like green, and I have quite a bit of it in my house. However, I would never pick the shades that he had! The only room that Martha got to decorate was their bedroom and the walls were white with a light blue trim--very different from the rest of the house. The porch facing the Potomac, though, stays just as it is. Although we felt like we were melting as we walked around, sitting on the porch with the breeze and the view were heavenly.

The other problem I had with his design was he placed the wash house and clothes-drying yard between the smokehouse and the stable. Which way would you like the breeze to blow? Which would you prefer your clothes to smell like? My other question is why is the blacksmith's shop at the opposite end of the yard from the stables? Wouldn't most of the work the blacksmiths be doing deal with things for the horses and carriages? I am sure he had his reasons, but they don't seem obvious to me. Yet, when you see what it took to keep Mount Vernon working- plus the four additional farms surrounding it and the Distillery and Grist Mill- it is amazing he also found the time to win a war and be president. Just think what he could have accomplished with our technology!

I would post pictures, but we were in such a hurry to catch our train that I ran off without my camera. I think Traci's family got some good shots. I promise to post pictures soon!

Tami

TTT vs FTT

Hello again,



I know it has been a while so I will try to get everyone caught up to speed.



First, I always wanted to bring the boys to Washington DC, but I planned to wait until they were old enough to appreciate it and not whine about all the walking involved in touring the city. Somehow they got to the ages of 19, 21, and 23 and we never made it here. "The best laid plans..." I was lucky and felt grateful that Gareth and Dalen were still willing to come this week even though they were old enough that I couldn't force them. Ian just wasn't interested and at the age of 21 there wasn't much I could do about it except accept his decision (and tell his brothers to punch him in the arm a few dozen times:)). I missed having him around this week, but it was great to see the rest of my family.



I saved some of the most important tourist sites for while they were here--The Capitol, Pentagon, and White House were at the top of the list of tours I scheduled for this week. Even though the 3rd Congressional District no longer has a representative, the office is still open and we had a very nice intern give us a tour. The new Capitol Visitor's Center is open and it is pretty impressive, but it is also where I was reminded of the difference between TTT (Tami Touring Time) and FTT (Family Touring Time). One of the points I made in my proposal for the Lilly Grant was the desire to be able to take my time and really see everything that interested me. If I had been at the Visitor's Center by myself I would have spent a lot more time there, but we were working on FTT so we left before I was ready. I will have to try to get back there before I leave. We also went to the Supreme Court building where operating on FTT was fine because I had already been there, and we went to the Library of Congress on FTT because I will be going back there to do a workshop in July.



Now before you being thinking that FTT and TTT are mutually exclusive, let me tell you that they aren't. When we toured the Hirshhorn Art Museum TTT and FTT were the same, and it worked out well. Sometimes I actually like FTT better than TTT. If I had gone to the Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum by myself I would not have spent as much time there and I would not have gotten as much out of the experience. Being on FTT was definitely an advantage.



Thursday night, however, was TTT all the way. I arranged a date night for Tom and I. When I was planning this before I left Fort Wayne a friend of mine from school and I called this "Little Black Dress Night" or LBD night for short. I am happy to say it all worked out the way I envisioned it would. We went to a very nice restaurant for a meal like I have never had before--or spent as much for in my life. It was very nice and everything tasted wonderful. Afterward, we went to the Kennedy Center to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company perform their show One Hundred Ninety Seven Movies in One Hundred Minutes. This is the same company that originally did the Shakespeare play that I directed a few years ago. It was really funny, but I still like their Shakespeare show better. During the intermission we went out to the terrace and were able to watch the sunset over the Potomac River and Roosevelt Island. Aaahhhhhh.......

After the show I wanted to go to the bar at the Willard Hotel for a drink. For those of you who don't know the story, the Willard Hotel is just a couple of blocks from the White House and President U.S. Grant (1868-1876) liked to walk down there after a hard day at work and get a drink. Well, people who wanted to talk to him knew he would be there and it would be a good chance to plead their cases so they waited for him in the long central hallway leading to the bar. This hallway became known as "peacock alley" because anybody who was anybody wanted to be seen there, but President Grant complained about all these people in the lobby who were keeping him from relaxing (and drinking) so he called them (negatively) the lobbyists, and that is where that term originated! The hotel fell on hard times and was almost torn down, but it has been restored, it is still a hotel, and peacock alley is still there as is the bar. I will say this for DC, the drinks are expensive, but they make sure to put enough alcohol in them so you get your money's worth! Whew!! I ordered my first martini (yum) and my evening was complete! My loving husband agreed to be on TTT, and I had a wonderfully memorable night. sigh.....(What a guy!)

The Pentagon runs on Pentagon time so that worked out well, and I have already been to the White House so FTT was fine. I couldn't let them leave town without seeing the National Cathedral, all the monuments lit up at night, and Arlington National Cemetery so we went to these places also. All in all, I think they had a good trip, and I was able to show them the things they really needed to see. Of course I wish they had more time here and I will miss them, but they have to get back home. I will have to go back on Tami Touring Time, but at least I won't have to change any clocks!

Tami

Family Reunion

Hello,

I have company! Tom, Gareth, and Dalen are here! Ian couldn't make it :(

They got here last night after only getting lost once! I am sooooo proud :) It was a long day of driving for them, but it was a long day of waiting for me. I passed some of the time at the Kennedy Center at the matinee performace of Ballet Across America II. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, and now that I have figured out the best way to get there it wasn't difficult at all :)

Today was a beautiful day but HOT so we decided to find a nice cool museum in which to start their vacation. I wanted to start with the Washington Monument, but the tickets were already sold out so we went right to the Smithsonian museums. I asked them if they wanted to go to the U.S. History, Natural History, Air and Space, or National Archive. Gareth, God bless him, said all of them! That's my boy! We started at the U. S. History museum because it is closest to the Washington Monument. Needless to say, we didn't spend as much time as I did when I was there by myself, but I did see a few things I didn't see the first time like Clark Gable's uniform from W.W. II!! Dalen was kind enough to take a picture of it for me with his camera. Yep, I'll claim him today, too--God bless him also. After that we went to the Air and Space museum. I hadn't been there since I was a teenager. Next door to the Air and Space museum is the Hirshhorn Museum of Contemporary and Modern Art so we decided to go there next. I am going to apologize to any of you who are able to appreciate the unique aesthetic of modern art because, quite frankly, we can't. I have failed as a parent. However, I will say that we had a lot of fun in a "you-had-to-be-there" kind of way and laughed a lot. Gareth was pretty sure we were going to be thrown out, but we managed to make it through the whole collection.
After that we came home, ate dinner, and the boys decided to use the apartment complex's pool. I hadn't been there yet so I went along to see it. It is very nice and even has a lifeguard which I was not expecting. It was a good way to end the day.

Happy father's day to all of you and/or your dads.
I love you, Daddy!
Tami
P.S. Tom and I are working on my photo album so that you can see all of the pictures I have taken, but now I can't seem to put any in my blog posts. Hopefully, we'll figure it out soon.

Pensions and Punishments

Hello,

Somebody told me that I should check out the National Building Museum while I was in DC. I think it was the band director where I teach. By coincidence, he also is a tour bus driver and has taken groups to DC. Anyway, I am going to give him the credit and thank him when I get back to school. This really is a neat place! The above pictures show you a little about it. The building was originally the Pension Office, and it was designed by Montgomery Meigs--the same guy who designed Arlington National Cemetery. It was the largest brick building in the world at the time-15,500,000 bricks. The band running above the door is a frieze of the Civil War as this was where veteran and their dependents came to get their pensions. Maybe you have heard the story about how their pension records were not kept in file folders but were bound together with red tape-hence, you had to cut the red tape to get anything done! Many of their records were also kept in a warehouse that the government bought from a family of three brothers named Ford after their business was forced to close. Yep, for a while after President Lincoln's assassination Ford's theater was a warehouse that housed pension records, but then the floor collapsed killing several workers and they had to be housed somewhere else. You may also know the Pension building because there have been 19 inaugural balls held there since Grover Cleveland had the first one there in 1885, and Barack Obama had one here too. The best exhibit was one showing how the city of DC has changed over time. Because I have been to many of the areas of the city that they highlighted, it was interesting to me, but I don't think anyone who doesn't know the city would find it as cool. However, they do have the biggest, cheapest, best tasting chocolate cookies I have ever had, and everyone can get excited about that! :)

I also found the Crime and Punishment Museum. I really think my students would like this place. It traces the history of punishment in America starting with things that look more like instruments of torture in the colonial period all the way to lethal injection. It also has a really neat CIS lab and a case for people to solve. A lot of it is interactive which is fun to play with, also. There were a couple of references to the Natalee Holloway case which is a bit eerie considering the authorities just arrested the man they think did it in connection with another murder in Peru.

All in all, a good day!
Love,

Tami

The Greatest statue of a Man You Have Never Heard Of and the Prettiest Fountain That Isn't There

Hello,

Last night was the perfect evening to take a walk. It wasn't too hot or too chilly, it wasn't raining, and I hadn't done enough during the day to totally wear myself out.

I went to my handy-dandy notebook to look for something that might be a good evening excursion and I found the perfect thing--The Bartholdi Fountain in Bartholdi park. It was one of the first illuminated structures in DC (1881) and the garden is supposed to be really beautiful. For those of you who don't know--including me-Frederic August Bartholdi was the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. He also created the fountain in this park.

I walked to the Metro station and took the Blue Line to Metro Center where I transferred to the Red Line and got off at Union Station. As I was walking I found the National Japanese American Memorial which is dedicated to those people who were interred during W.W.II. The centerpiece of the memorial is a bronze Japanese Crane wrapped in barbed wire. It is very moving, but it so difficult to find that I wonder how many people have seen it. It looks like a part of the entry plaza to the office building behind it, and I almost missed it even though I was looking for it. I stopped for a few minutes before moving on to find Bartholdi.

As I passed the Capitol I found another statue that I had sort of been looking for--the one in the first picture. Yep, Robert Taft himself!! Who is Robert Taft, you ask? What did he do to deserve such a wonderful statue with a bell tower that chimes located so close to the Capitol? Your guess is as good as mine! Yes, he was the son of President William Howard Taft, and yes, President Taft was the one who got stuck in the White House bathtub. He also went on the become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and he is the one who managed to get the current court building approved and funded by Congress. Nobody seems to remember that part. Anyway, what did "Sonnyboy" do to deserve all of this? Well, he was a Republican senator from Ohio who sponsored the Taft-Hartley Act that regulates collective bargaining between labor and management, but I think what did it for him was his (and I quote) "Honesty, indomitable courage, and high principals of of free government symbolized by his life" (Douglas W. Orr). So, there you go!!

On to the park!

Bartholdi park isn't too far from Senator Taft, but you won't see it all lit up because the fountain isn't there! The garden is beautiful, but as you can see from the picture, the center area where the fountain should be is surrounded by construction equipment because the fountain is being refurbished. Oops! I saw this park mentioned in several resources and none of them mention that the fountain was not there. Kind of a big oversight on someone's part.

So far tonight I have seen a beautiful but hidden memorial to Japanese-Americans, a wonderful statue to a man no one has ever really heard of, and a park without its signature fountain. Before you begin to think this was a bit of a wasted trip, let me remind you that it was a beautiful evening, I was in DC, and all of these places are within site of the U.S. Capitol where the U.S. Air Force band is playing! Yep, I could just hear the band from each of my stops so after admiring the little garden without its fountain, I crossed the street, walked up the Capitol lawn, and sat on the steps to hear a concert. Not to shabby.

After it ended I went home feeling great!
Love,

Tami

a couple of strikes and a couple of hits

Hello,

When I started researching my trip one of the first things I found out was that sessions of the Supreme Court are open to the public. If you are here from October-April you can sit in when lawyers are arguing their case, and if you are here in June you can see the judges handing down their verdicts. That sounded really interesting so I put it on my list of things to see and do. Well, that information was a bit misleading. Yes, you can tour the building and go into the courtroom when they aren't in session which are definitely worth doing. However, getting into the Release of Opinions isn't so easy. The courtroom really isn't all that big so once the lawyers, people whose cases are being decided, friends, and guests get into the room there isn't much space left for the public. In fact, when I went back yesterday (Monday--and they only do this on Monday) there weren't any seats open for the public. Of course no one said anything about this until 10:00 when the session started. So I made sure I was there early, I got a little yellow ticket that said it didn't guarantee me a seat (it didn't say it didn't guarantee I wouldn't even get it in), and I waited in line for about 40 minutes and DID NOT MOVE. At 10:00 the guard said sorry there were no seats and that was that. Very disappointing.
As I was leaving, I walked around The Capitol to The Mall side and the first museum on the left is the National Museum of the American Indian. A perfect place to make me feel better! I have toured this museum before, and it always seemed a bit confusing and difficult to navigate and I didn't always have a lot of time. Yesterday, I finally had the time (about 4 hours). The Smithsonian worked very closely with various tribes to make sure the museum was as inclusive as possible. We tend to want to lump all tribes together and think they have the same culture--not true. The museum has exhibits about 24 specific tribes plus others that look at common themes among other groups and relations with the U.S. government. It made a lot more sense this time! A miss and a hit so I batted .500 for the day--not too bad.

Today, I got up early to tour the State Department Reception Rooms. I also found out about this tour during my research and had to put in my request back in March. There was a lot of security involved, but it was definitely worth it. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable which helps. When Secretary Clinton wants to entertain foreign dignitaries she certainly has an impressive place in which to do it. It qualifies as a hit.

Another tour I found out about was the one at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, also known as the Old Executive Office Building. I confess one of the main reasons I wanted to tour this place is because it is also called the OEOB for short, and they mention it on the West Wing tv show--I LOVE that show! Well, they are in the middle of a restoration project so they aren't giving tours right now, and it is not open to the public..Strike two! At least I took a swing at it.

I decided to come home after the tour and eat lunch at home and catch up on a few things--including my blog :). I also wanted to check all the places I have been and decide where I still want to go. You would think I would be running out of sites after being here for two weeks. Not so! First, my family will be here next week and there are a lot of places I have been saving for them-The Capitol, The White House, The Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery, etc. Then there are places like Mount Vernon which will be a day trip, and places that sounded interesting like the National Building Museum--hey, I have heard good things about it! Plus, there are a few places I want to visit again--like the Portrait Gallery (for the third time:)) and some sites I managed to miss in Georgetown. There is a lot to do!

Love,
Tami

Sunday--not a day of rest

Hello,

One of the things I specifically wanted to do while I was in DC was attend a church service at the National Cathedral. We take students there every year, but we never get to actually see a service. I even mentioned this in my grant proposal so today was the day! Getting there isn't the easiest thing in the world, though. I managed to get to the right Metro stop, but once again the bus system was my downfall. When I had to transfer to the bus I was at the wrong stop, and by the time I got to the right one the bus was gone and the next one wouldn't come until after the service started at 10:00. I thought I gave myself plenty of time to get there, but no luck. By the time I got to The Cathedral it was 10:15. There was another service starting at 11:15 so I figured I would kill some time (I've gotten good at that) until then. The usher, however, told me to go right in. The service was being held in one of the smaller chapels near the gift shop in the basement. The Episcopal service is very similar to the Catholic mass so I felt very comfortable. I got there just as they finished reading the Gospel so I was prepared for the Reverend's homily, but this was the Contemporary Folk Service so the homily was actually a discussion. The Reverend engaged the congregation and asked them questions and for their thoughts. It was a very small chapel so it was very intimate and interesting. After that, I also attended the more traditional service in the main church. Wow! If I can figure out the bus system I would love to go to another service.

After church I could catch a bus that would take me down Wisconsin Avenue and into Georgetown so I decided to give it a try. This trip went much better...thank goodness! When I was researching my trip I looked at a lot of guidebooks and one had a 90 minute/3 mile walking tour of Georgetown that I made a copy of, and I had it with me so I decided to follow it. It is beyond me how they thought this tour would only take 90 minutes, and I think it was closer to 30 miles--not 3. Did I mention it was also about 95 degrees? I decided to do it as a scavenger hunt and take a picture of each location as I found it. The directions were good, and I am proud to say I found everything. Here is the list of what I saw and I have the photos to prove it! :)

Dumbarton Oaks (the gardens are amazing), Tudor House (take the tour--it is great), Montrose Park that connects to Rock Creek Park of NCIS fame, Oak Hill Cemetery, Evermay Manor (not open to the public), Dumbarton House (worth seeing and different from Dumbarton Oaks), Mt Zion Church (first African American Church in DC) and Cemetery, Jackie Kennedy's house after leaving the White house, Martin's Tavern (there is a toy store across the street that I ducked into for about 10 minutes while it rained. Then it quit and I was on my way), old street car tracks that haven't been torn up, St. John's Episcopal Church (first picture at top--this is where Thomas Jefferson worshipped when he was in DC), the Kennedy's house that they were living in when he was elected president, a couple of nice kids with a lemonade stand (not in the guidebook but definitely worth the stop and $.50), Georgetown University, the steps from the movie The Exorcist (picture 2), Francis Scott Key bridge and park, Dean and Deluca fine deli and store, Georgetown Park shopping complex that used to be a tobacco barn, the towpath for the C&O Canal, Thomas Jefferson Street which isn't all that impressive, Washington Harbor, and the Old Stone House (picture 3). Whew! Could all of that have been in just one 3 mile area including walking from one to the other? I didn't stop at many of these places for any longer than it took to take a picture, and it took me about 4 hours. Did I mention it was about 95 degrees?

After all of that I caught a bus that took me to the Metro without any problems and the Metro brought me home. A very good, but tiring day. :) Time to relax!

Tami

Samantha Brown moment number 1

For those of you who don't know who Samantha Brown is, watch the Travel Channel! She is awesome. Among the series that she did/does is one called Great Weekends, and she spent one episode in DC. Confession time--one of my silly little goals for this trip is to do the things that Samantha did on her trip to DC. I originally thought about trying to do them all in one weekend like she did, but I thought that was a bit much. However, she started out at Eastern Market on a Saturday morning so guess where I was this morning! Yep! I even saw the same craft booth from which she bought something. I didn't, but I did buy other things. I haven't talked much about shopping because I haven't done much, but this place is a great farmer's market/arts & crafts fair/ flea market all rolled into one. I bought some wonderful baked goods that I am sure don't have any calories in them and a lovely bracelet. The artist who made it was really interesting to talk to. She is a native of DC and lives just two blocks from the market. She gave me a list of places that I have to visit, and she gave me her card and told me to call her if I had any questions about DC. I thought that was very sweet of her. I also bought a photo series of the tidal basin and Jefferson Memorial that shows the same scene in all four seasons. I have told some of the students on our DC trip that if I am ever homeless there is a bench near the FDR memorial that looks out over the water and Jefferson Memorial that I think would be the perfect place to live. This photo series shows almost that exact same view. I am home :).

One Samantha Brown moment down, many more to go!
Tami

Live from the kennedy Center

Hello,

No, I am not writing this live from the Kennedy Center so the title is a bit misleading, but I was at there last night for a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra. My friend Jenny, remember her from the Dupont Circle Museum Walk, told me about a way to get free tickets to events at the Kennedy Center so I signed up and was notified that I could go to the Symphony for free. Well, you can't beat that with a stick so I decided to go. The bonus was Jenny was going to be able to go also. The biggest problem was how to get to the Kennedy Center. It isn't a Metro stop so there would have to be a bus involved as well. I went on the Metro's Trip Planning website and it listed about 4 different ways I could get there. I chose the one that I thought would be the best and started off. Now, I do have to say that the route the Trip Planner gave me did get me to the Kennedy Center, but it involved a train, two buses, and a LONG wait in traffic. In fact, I was almost late. Yikes! Come to find out there was a MUCH easier way to get there! Gggrrrrrrr. Oh well, lesson learned.

As for the concert, Oh My Goodness! It was awesome! I am now a low to moderate groupie on the Official Groupie Scale (one being low and ten being high--yes, I did make this up but feel free to use it. I haven't copyrighted it.... yet :)) of an Estonian conductor I had never heard of before last night! The music was wonderful and there was a world famous percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennis of whom I also have never heard, who did a wonderful solo using about 30 different instruments throughout one of the pieces. For me, though, the director made the entire evening. He conducted with such energy and personality that it made the concert a wonderful visual as well as auditory experience. He even led the orchestra in a bit of a jam session for the encore! Afterward, he and Dame Evelyn came out with a moderator/interviewer and they talked about the concert and answered questions. It was a great evening.

As I was leaving I decided to try the easier way that Jenny had told me about so I asked one of the guards which way to start out, and she pointed me in the right direction. Another person was asking the same question so we decided to walk together. Her name is Heidi, and she teaches dance at the University of Montana in Missoula. She was there to see a different program so we talked about what we saw as we walked. It was a beautiful evening in DC perfect for walking and there was actually a Metro station close enough to walk to! Not only that, but there is a free shuttle bus from that Metro station to the Kennedy Center!! Like I said, lesson learned!

Sorry no pictures this time!
Tami

P.S. The Groupie thing, well I am also about a 5 on the Groupie Scale for Graham Hamilton. He played Hamlet at the Folger and in the program he had a website listed so I looked it up and there was an email address. I sent him a short "great performance" email, and he emailed me back! I think that definitely rates at least a 5, don't you?? :)

Anchors aweigh

My mother's father served in the Navy during W.W. II, but I never really got a chance to talk to him about his service. I know he was a motormac and worked on submarines while stationed in Saipan and that is about it. We have pictures of him in uniform, and we even found a uniform when we were cleaning out my grandmother's house after she passed away. Most of the rest of my family were farmers during the war which was so important that they didn't join the service and weren't drafted. My mother's aunt did serve in the Coast Guard, but I don't know very much about that either.

It was a surprise to come across the Navy Memorial while just walking down the street. It is on the "back side" (opposite The Mall side) of the National Archive where the Declaration of Independence is kept. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about trying to find one. I mean there had to be one somewhere in DC, and I hadn't seen one on the trips I take with the students so I should have been on the hunt for it. No such luck.

I stopped to take pictures of it..it is very nicely done, and I asked a man who was setting up chairs in the middle of it what was going on there. He told me one of the Navy bands was going to be playing there later. Well, lets get to that Post Office Tower, take some pictures, and get back in time to see a band in dress white uniforms play some jazz!

It was the perfect evening to be outside, and the music was wonderful--a mix of classic and new jazz. While I was sitting there I started talking to one of the ladies who works at the Memorial's information office, and I confessed that I didn't know much about what my grandfather had done while in the navy during the war. She told me how I could get access to that information! There was a form I needed to fill out and then the military would send it to me! Jackpot!!

I have the form, and I can't wait to send it in and learn more about my Grandfather. It is amazing to me how different parts of this trip has made me think of a lot of different people. While I was touring Woodrow Wilson's house and looking at his walking sticks I thought about my husband's brother who has collected some also-especially from his trips to England. While I was at the DAR I thought about my friend from school who has talked about wanting to do family research there. Whenever I see anything about Iowa I take a picture of it to send to my mom and sister, and I do the same with things from Indiana. I also try to remember to take pictures of things from Ohio for Tom's family. Just about everywhere I go I can't help thinking of who might enjoy this experience also. I may be far away physically, but my thoughts are often with all of you.

Love,

Tami

Why it took me two hours to walk six blocks..or just another day in DC

O.K. Let me explain.

When I got up Tuesday I was tired and had the world's worst blister on my right foot so I decided to take it easy. As you can tell, the big white building at the top of the picture is the Capitol, but if you look on the left at the clump of trees the first building closest to you is The Newseum. It is a museum dedicated to our First Amendment right to a free press, and it is wonderful! There are a lot of great exhibits there and many of them are interactive so you walk through them slowly, stop often, and sit down. Perfect if you are tired and have a blister! I am going to encourage anyone who comes to see me to go there because I think they will really like it. I spent about two hours there and didn't see everything so I really want my guests to go so that I can go back :)

Anyway, just 6 blocks from there is the Old Post Office with a great bell tower from which to see the city (and to take this picture). My guidebook said it was worth going to, and since it was only 6 blocks away it wouldn't hurt my blister too much. So I started walking. If you look on the left in the picture again and see another indention with green space you might also notice that there are two white poles sticking up. This is part of the Navy Memorial! I have never seen it before and since my grandfather was in the Navy I decided to stop for a minute (more about that in another blog). Behind the memorial is 8th street, and I spotted a drug store a couple of blocks away so I started walking up the street just far enough to stop and get a few things, but there was a really cool building at the end of the street, and I was curious to see what it was. I found out it was the Portrait Gallery! One of my favorite places in DC! I had to go there for just a few minutes (more about that in a later blog, too).

After spending some time in the Portrait Gallery I came back down the street, past the drug store, to the Navy Memorial and continued down the street to the Old Post Office where I did go up into the bell tower, see the view, and take pictures. It only took me two hours to get there!

Tami

killing time in DC

Monday--

Monday was Supreme Court day. The Court hears cases from October -March/April and then starts handing down their decisions in June. Each Monday in June they hand down those decisions that are ready at that time and the public can be in the court room while they do it. Well, I missed the actual handing down of decisions by about 15 minutes, but now I know what to do so I can be there on time next Monday. I did get a chance to tour the building and hear a lecture about the court so it worked out just fine.

I was also planning to go back to the Folger Shakespeare Library to take a tour after I left the Supreme Court building because they are so close together. I saw the play there on Sunday, but I didn't get a chance to tour the rest of the place. I had some time to kill so I decided to walk. On Sunday I went north and found the Alice Paul house so on Monday I decided to go east. That is one of the most wonderful things about this city everywhere you go there are interesting things to see. It really pays to be early so that you have a chance to explore. My father, whose motto is "if you aren't at least 15 minutes early then you are late", should be proud of me!

Anyway, about 10 blocks from the Supreme Court is Lincoln Park. It is just a little neighborhood park with a statue of Lincoln "freeing" a kneeling slave at one end and a statue of Mary McLeod Bethune at the other. There is a playground and some benches and that is about it. But, as you can see from the pictures, it was a beautiful day--sunny and not too hot or humid. It was a nice place to sit, relax, and watch the world go by...sigh... As I was walking back toward the Court and the Library I found the Eastern Market which is great because that is on the agenda for Saturday.

When I got back to the Library I almost had a private tour as I was the only one waiting, but four other people joined in so it was a good sized group. The tour guide was very nice and knowledgeable. They were going to have a lecture there Monday night with a couple of people who worked on the movie version of Hamlet with Kenneth Brannaugh, and I was able to get a ticket! It was interesting to hear them talk about the play because the two actors had both done it on stage and on film so they had some real insights into the characters.

I have now been to the Folger Shakespeare Library 3 times in 2 days. I think I can take that off my list of places to see!

Tami

My new address?

As you can see the real estate market in D.C. is dooming. The house on the left is on Embassy Row about a block away from Dupont Circle. The house on the right is across the street from the Supreme Court. I was practically standing on the court's back steps to take this picture. Which do you think we should buy???

I have to admit I am leaning toward the house on the left. I found it on Saturday during the Dupont Neighborhood Museum Walk. Ten museums in the Dupont area were hosting a weekend when people could visit for free, and they provided a shuttle between them. My first stop was Woodrow Wilson's house. Hey, where else would an American history buff start? I managed to make it to Dupont Circle even though it required transferring Metro lines which was a piece of cake and riding backwards on one train which I don't recommend. There was supposed to be a table set up in the park to provide information, but I didn't find one. There was a handy tourist sign with the names of various local attractions including Wilson's house so I just decided to start walking. It was quite a hike, and then it seemed as though I was getting into a residential area, and the only other person on the side walk was a girl. I was beginning to think I was in the wrong place when one of us asked the other if we knew where we were going. She was looking for the Textile Museum, and I had no clue where that was. It so happens that there was a man in his front yard so we asked him and he told us we were within a couple of blocks of both places because they are right next door to each other!

Well, Jenny, my new friend, and I toured the Wilson House first, and they had a really cool exhibit of his walking sticks. Now, you wouldn't think that this is very interesting, but he had over 30 of them, and they were all unique. Making walking sticks used to be quite the art form. Then we went to the Textile Museum where children could do block printing or weave little mats or make bracelets out of yarn after watching it being carded, spun and dyed. They let big kids like Jenny and me make things too so she made a block print bandanna and I made a bracelet.

Next we took the shuttle to Dumbarton House which is really interesting. It is staged as the family's home circa 1800 and had things I hadn't seen before such as an ice cream pot, an ingeniously designed commode, and finger bowls that were used to rinse wine glasses between courses. After that we took the shuttle to the Anderson House. Larz Anderson was a diplomat who was our ambassador to Japan for a while. His house is staged as it would have been in 1905 when he was in diplomatic service. He was quite the robber baron! After his death, his wife gave the house to the Society of Cincinnati to use as its headquarters. Google the story of Cincinnatus because it is pretty interesting.

Our next stop was the Phillips Collection art museum. This place had some interesting art and some nervous employees. It was wonderful to see pieces by Monet, van Gogh, Cezanne, and Picasso all in one place, but when one of the workers practically slapped Jenny's hand for pointing too close to the art we decided maybe it wasn't the type of museum for us! I was near here where I found "my house". I have seen how hard it is to drive around the area, but the metro is right there so I think it would work out o.k.

There were five other museums we could have explored, but by this point we were tired and the last shuttle would be leaving soon so we decided to leave the tour. The National Geographic Society has a museum that isn't too far away, and Jenny really liked it the last time she was in DC so we decided to go there. Jenny is 21 and a biology major from Florida. She is here working for 10 weeks as an intern at the National Institutes of Health in cancer research. This is her second internship. Last summer she spent 13 weeks working on a different project for the NIH. She was full of good advice from her last trip here that she shared with me, but next year she is hoping to intern with NASA so this could be her last extended trip to DC. A lot of things on my list to do are also on hers.

We toured the National Geographic Society museum which focuses primarily on their work to help third world countries with shelter, transportation, education, and clean drinking water. Sometimes it feels like there is nothing that can be done to end poverty, but there are wonderful things being done. It is just a matter of getting these things to the places where they can do the most good.

After this last museum Jenny and I said good-bye, but we might try to hook up again. She has weekends off and likes to go exploring. The other interns she has met so far aren't interested in things like the Dupont Museum Walk so she was by herself and didn't mind hanging out with someone old enough to be her mother! She didn't make me feel too old, though, bless her.

Today I found the other house. I went to the Folger Shakespeare Library to see Hamlet. Wow!The actor playing Hamlet was wonderful! It made me remember how much I really love live theater. Not enough to start directing high school theater again, but I really need to go see more shows. I got to the theater a little early so I decided to walk around a bit. I went past the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court where I found "my second house". I also found The Sewall-Belmont House close by which I think is miss named. It was actually owned by Alice Paul who fought for years for the passage of the 19th Amendment to give women the right to vote and the ERA Amendment. I took a quick tour of her home and made it back to the theater in time for the play. Today was a much easier day :)

Well, which house do you think I should buy?

Tami

The best laid plans

Hello again,

The plan for Friday was to go to the Decatur House. It is located across Lafayette Park from the White House making it the President's closest neighbor. It was built in 1819, and a lot of famous people have lived there over the years. I didn't have any problems getting there. I am beginning to feel like a Metro pro (famous last words). The problem was they had to evacuate the house because they were having problems with their gas meter. Ooopps! They only give tours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and they were going to be closed all this weekend. Well, I can reschedule for next weekend.

Now, what to do since my plans didn't work out? I decided to start walking, and I found the Blair House. This is where the President-elect stays before his inauguration, and it is also where guests of the White House stay--if they aren't invited to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom :) I had always wanted to find it. Anyway, after that I found the Renwick Art Gallery. It is part of the Smithsonian, but it is not located on The Mall. They have a wonderful collection of art produced by Japanese people who were interred during W.W.II. They used anything they could find to produce their works including the back of their detention notification letters. I often tell my students that humans are a strange species because we crave beauty and art. We look at a sunset and don't think of the pollutants bending the sunlight to produce those colors, we just see beauty and it feeds something inside of us. Imagine having to leave everything you own behind to move to some isolated area where you are surrounded by guards and barbed wire. The landscape is barren, the camp is crowded, there is no privacy, and art is what helps keep you sane. Many of the detainees were artists who had been successful before the war and now they were teachers who helped others pass the time and express themselves. Some of the detainees had never been artists before but they produced beautiful works while in the camps. Many of them stopped once they got out because they associated their art with the camps. There were paintings, sculptures, carvings, and handcrafts that were beautiful.

After spending time in the Renwick I decided to keep walking. I really didn't have any destination in mind. Sometimes I walked with a crowd and sometimes I walked away from them. There are still a lot of school groups here. As I was walking I came to the DAR Headquarters and Museum. My mom had talked to someone she worked with and this person said I should definitely check this out if I had the chance, and a friend of mine from school is interested in visiting the DAR when she comes to DC. I decided to go in. It is really a neat place! I was able to get a personal guided tour by a very nice lady who worked very hard to see if I couldn't become a member. I don't think we qualify,but I will have to check with my mom. I think one of our ancestors on her mother's side might have been here during the colonial period. I know one of my Dad's ancestors was a horse thief so I know he wouldn't qualify! :) In the DAR Headquarters 31 different states have decorated a room that showcases their state at a particular period in their history. Iowa was the first state to "buy" a room, and it is decorated as a parlor during the 1840s. Indiana's room is also a parlor, but it is from the 1930s. Ohio has a parlor from the early 20th century, but other states have decorated their rooms as bedrooms, dining rooms, or something else. New Hampshire got an attic space, and they decorated it as a children's play room. They also had an exhibit of quilts that were really beautiful. It is really a fun place to visit. Some people go there to do genealogical research. Their library is very impressive. I was able to find a book about the history of the church where my parents got married in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The book was published in 1932--before my parents' time, but it was still interesting to look at it. I didn't recognize any names in it, but I think that is because my dad's family belonged to a different parish.

After I left the museum I was close enough to the Washington Monument to walk there so I decided to go. It is nice there because it is high enough to catch any breeze. It really felt nice because it was hot yesterday! I stopped there to take in the view--including some of the Smithsonian, and I decided to go to the Smithsonian Castle. I have never been there so I spent a little time there before catching the Metro which just happens to have a station nearby.

This wasn't the way I planned to spend my day, but the best laid plans can often be those that you make as you go! :)

Tami

The view from my roof deck

Hello!

I am safely in D.C. My flight out of Fort Wayne was delayed, so I missed my connection in Detroit, but I finally made it.

I am in a great location with everything I need nearby. I took the pictures above from the roof deck of my condo building this evening. (I am quite proud of myself. I was able to add pictures to this post with only one call to my hubby for help!) I am very pleased with my home-away-from-home. Making the housing arrangements was the hardest part of planning this whole adventure so the fact that I am staying in such a great location takes a huge load off my mind!

Today I spent about 6 blissful hours at the American History Museum. I am sure there are those of you out there that just cringed when you read that, and that is exactly why I am here by myself. I spent 6 hours (blissful, no less) in the American History Museum, and I didn't get to see everything so I am excited to get to go back. Besides there are things I want to see again :)

As I was getting off the Metro this morning I have to admit I had a pretty goofy grin on my face, and I couldn't keep from giggling a little bit. This is such an amazing place! I watched the tourists in the museum and I thought to myself that I may be a tourist but I am not rushing around trying to fit too much sightseeing in to too little time. It was an interesting feeling. I am looking forward to tomorrow!

All in all, a successful first day!

Thanks for the comments,

Tami