The last day

Hello,

Well, today was my last full day in DC. Tomorrow Tom and I drive home. This has been an amazing experience that I still haven't quite processed yet. I am sure as I write my report for the Lilly Foundation I will gain more insight into what it is I actually accomplished. Off the top of my head, I think the thing I am most proud of is the fact that I did this at all. It all seemed like such a pipe dream when I started. Thanks to Terry Burns who gave me the idea in the first place and was my greatest cheerleader, Deb Johnson who helped with the original proposal, and my family most of all who let me go. I couldn't have done this without knowing they were going to be o.k. at home. Of course they did better than o.k. :) Thanks to all of you who read my entries and asked for more. I have never kept a blog before and this was a lot of fun and a great way to keep track of everything I did. It was a great experiment that worked out well.

All of this was a great experiment, and it turned out better than I ever could have imagined. I am going to continue to post entries for a while so watch this space! :)

Tami

Odds and Ends

Hello,

The count down to going home in now being measured in hours. It is hard to believe that I will be home soon.

But until I leave, there is still time to see a few more sights--like the Postal Museum. This is another one of those places that sounds a little weird but is actually an interesting place to spend an hour. It is located right next to Union Station so it isn't hard to get find. It has been so hot and humid here lately that after spending the day with the trees we needed to go somewhere that wouldn't require a lot of energy. This fit the bill.

Also, Tom wanted to see the inside of the Freer Gallery and the Native American Museum. He has been looking at my book about Smithsonian architecture and these two buildings interested him. The Freer Gallery is mostly Asian and Egyptian art, but it also has the famous Peacock Room. It was originally a dining room, but it was dismantled and put in the museum. I can't even imagine being able to dismantle a whole room and move it! We walked around The Mall and then went in search of the Octagon House. It is located near the DAR, Red Cross, and Organization of American States buildings. (Hey, did you know that the Organization of American States has an art museum? I didn't either! It takes about 2 minutes to go through it, but there are a couple of interesting pieces there. By the way, the Organization of American States was originally called the Pan American Organization and its purpose is to foster good relationships between the countries in the Americas-North, Central, and South America) Back to the Octagon House, I have been at the DAR more than once so you would think I would have seen this before--Nope!! It was originally built by John Tayloe, a friend of George Washington's, as a retreat from his plantation. It really isn't shaped like an octagon, but the foyer is circular and to create that effect they framed it as an octagon and then plastered it smooth so it looks like a circle. The doors leading off of the space are curved to fit the walls which is kind of interesting. It was in this house that James and Dolley Madison lived after the White House was burned during the War of 1812. They also signed the Peace Treaty ending the war in this house. It only took about 30 minutes to tour, but it was on my list of places to find so it feels good being able to cross it off. I also crossed off the Adams-Hays hotel. I have actually walked by it about a dozen times but because it has been undergoing a renovation there has been scaffolding covering it up so I didn't know I was actually seeing it! It was one of the premiere places to stay in the Roaring 20's.

Tomorrow is my last day in DC. I am not sure how I am going to spend it yet, but I know some packing is going to be involved!

Tami

Tree Day

Hello, Today I took my tree loving husband to the National Arboretum. We actually DROVE there. This is the first time I have gone anywhere by car in the DC area. My little trip out of the city doesn't really count because I didn't have to navigate DC traffic. He drove--I followed the map. We make a pretty good team :) Anyway, I told him that no trees were allowed to "accidentally" follow him home. He was a good boy and left all the trees in the park. I didn't tell him this, but there were so many there that he probably could have brought one home and they wouldn't have noticed. This place covers a lot of ground. There is an Asian garden and Bonsai museum which is really cool. They have one Bonsai that is almost 400 years old. There is an Azalea collection, another one for Dogwoods, Fern Valley, Friendship Garden, Holly and Magnolia Collection, Boxwood Collection, herb garden, perennial garden (with lots of different varieties of lilly which are my favorites) and a children's garden. We saw them all (whew!) It was a full day in the heat and humidity. To celebrate we went to Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner. This is one of THE places to eat in DC. There are a lot of pictures on the walls of famous people who have eaten at Ben's--Hilary Clinton, Bill Cosby, President Obama. We didn't recognize anyone while we were there, but that isn't saying a whole lot. The food is really good, though.

After dinner we were going to listen to the Navy band on the steps of the Capitol, but they canceled because of the weather--it looked like it was really going to storm, but then we got just a light rain. Oh well, it was nice to come home and relax.

Tami

The beginning of the end

Hello,

My husband, Tom, is back and that means my time in DC is almost over. We will start driving back to Indiana on Friday with a short stop in Gettysburg. I know I have been here for 6 weeks which should be plenty of time and I should be ready to go home. There is so much to see and do here that I don't think 6 years would be enough, but I got to see A LOT. I will be happy to get home, but it will be hard to leave. I have had a great experience here, and I am grateful to whichever gods or guardian angels are watching over me. I am also going to give a shout out to Karma because you just never know for sure! There were so many times when things could have gone very badly, but instead those things that didn't quite go as planned still worked out to be happy accidents.

Anyway, we still have a few days here so we are going to make the most of them! Today we went to the Smithsonian Botanical Garden. When we win the lottery and move to our fabulous row house in DC with the garden space that Tom wants we now know which plants we are going to grow. There are a lot of great plants that thrive in this climate that wouldn't do very well in Indiana. Of course, our fabulous row house will also have a conservatory to grow all of those plants that need a more protected environment so Tom can have those plants that don't like the DC climate, too. We aren't asking for much are we???

After the Botanical Garden we went to the art museums--east and west buildings. The east building has all of the older art and the west building has more modern art. The west building is beautiful, and there seems to be plenty of space to expand their collection. It didn't seem to have very much. The east building, on the other hand, seems to go on forever.

Our last stop of the day was Eastern Market. Tom likes flea markets so we decided to go, and I wanted to get some more goodies from the farmers' market. The peaches here are to die for! After that we came home and made a feast of a dinner. It was 98 degrees here today so we are going to take it easy this evening so we have energy for tomorrow!

5 days to go!

Tami

Busy Day

Hello,

My friend left for her family reunion this afternoon, but we had a good day yesterday. She is a member of the DAR, but she has never been to their headquarters so we had to fix that! It really is a cool place, but I don't think it is somewhere we could take our whole group of school kids. If a smaller group or some of the chaperons wanted to go while we have free time at the Smithsonian that would probably work.

After that we went to a lecture at the National Archives. The author of Declaration:The Nine Tumultuous Weeks When America Became Independent, William Hogeland, was going to be speaking about his book. I found out about this a few weeks ago so I had a chance to read it and it was really interesting because it talked about a third group of Americans at the time of the Revolution that I hadn't heard anything about. Everyone knows about the Revolutionaries who wanted independence and the Loyalist (Tories) who wanted to stay with England, but then there was a third group that Hogeland calls the Reconciliationists who were loyal to America but didn't want to go to war against England. His talk only lasted about an hour, and then we spent some time on the Mall. My friend hadn't been to DC since the American History museum reopened and she had never been to the Castle so she decided to go there, and I took care of a few things that I wanted to do. I am glad she had a chance to see what she wanted at her own pace.

Today before she left we decided to go to Dupont Circle because we are both fans of the movie The American President and Annett Benning's character mentions that she keeps getting lost at Dupont Circle. It is no wonder because there are no less than 4 lanes of traffic around the circle and 9 different streets that come off of it! Now we can both nod in a knowing way when that scene comes up in the film. I also got a chance to take her to the Portrait Gallery (my favorite place, as you all well know) for a short visit and then it was time for lunch and for her to get going.

It was nice having company again!

Tami

The 90 minute walk of Alexandria that only takes 7.5 hours!

Hello,

My friend is a tourist after my own heart. I asked if she would like to spend the day in Alexandria, and she was game to go with me. I had another one of my infamous walking tours that are only supposed to take 90 minutes and off we went! Now, I have done two of these walks before--Georgetown and U Street and neither one of them was even close to 90 minutes in length. It is nice to know that this one fit the pattern. The editors of the guide book I got these tours from needs to seriously reevaluate their time frames!

Anyway, we were able to take the Metro to Alexandria and then ride the bus to the Visitor's Center. This town really welcomes its tourists. There is a free trolley service that goes the length of the main drag--King Street--and most of the sights are within a few blocks of this street. It would have been possible to take photos of everything we saw because it is all so picturesque, but we were trying to stick to the guide (yeah, right). We were able to see the church George Washington attended, the school he helped support for free African Americans, and a reproduction of the house he used as his surveyor's office. We also saw Robert E. Lee's childhood home and where he received his elementary education. There are still cobblestone streets that are really cool, but I don't think I would want to drive on them. We also toured the Carlyle House and gardens and ate lunch at Gatsby's Tavern. Eating at the tavern is a very touristy thing to do, but the owner was very nice and actually sat and talked to us about sights we should make time to see. The last place on the tour is also the last thing on King Street before it ends in the Potomac River--the Torpedo Factory. It really was a torpedo factory during W.W. II, but now it is a place where artists-painters, potters, jewelry makers, etc-- have studio space and sell their work. It's a really neat place to walk around and check out all the different art work. All this only took 7.5 hours!

Our day wasn't over though! We had to leave Alexandria in order to get to the Marine Corps Sunset Parade. There is a shuttle bus from Arlington National Cemetery out to the Iwo Jima Memorial where the Commandants Own Drum and Bugle Corps played. They are a really impressive marching band! It reminded me a lot of watching my boys perform with their high school marching band. After the band played, the Silent Rifle Drill Team performed their maneuvers. It was a great night, but just as the Marines were finishing the Marine Corps Hymn it started to POUR down rain. It had been overcast and humid all day, but as we were leaving Alexandria the sky looked like it was clearing. The clouds had actually helped keep it from feeling too hot as we were touring. Well, our luck didn't hold and we got drenched! Thank goodness we were only two Metro stops from home and dry clothes!! My friend said that even with the soaking it was still worth going, and I can't argue with that!

Tami

Geek moment with a good friend :)

Hello,

I have company again! A friend of mine from school is here. She is on her way to a family reunion in Virginia, and she came a few days early so that she could visit with me. She got here early enough on Sunday that we could go out. She has never been to the Eastern Market so we decided to start there. The neighborhood around the market is full of row houses with beautiful architecture so it is a neat place to walk. At Eastern Market we went to a farm stand and got peaches that were to die for and some corn on the cob. We also got some fresh baked bread which helped make a great dinner.

Before going home to eat our goodies, I took her to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. She is a big Notre Dame fan so I knew she would like to see this Catholic church. While we were touring there was an organ concert that was really amazing. This church is huge, but the music seemed to fill the entire space. Some of it was heart breakingly sweet, but some of it was booming and so low in tone it seemed to shake the floor. Those parts felt a little like the music that used to be played during silent horror movies (don't open that door!).

We got home in time for a late dinner and had a nice visit, but we had to get to bed so we could get up early on Monday. We had registered for a research class at the Library of Congress. Major Geek Moment! After the class we were able to get our Reader's Identification Cards so we could go into any of the Reading Rooms including the Main Reading Room. This is what tourists can see when they tour the library. I knew exactly what my first research project was going to be. My father's mother had a children's reader called The Rose Primer that was published in 1905. My grandmother's copy was really beat up and many of the pages were torn or missing so it was impossible to read the whole thing. Once in the Main Reading Room I was able to request the Library's copy and read it. Imagine sitting is this beautiful setting reading a book published 105 years ago that you could see and touch but not read. Even now it seems unbelievable and yet I really did it!

After that we took a quick walk through the new Congressional Visitors' Center which is across the street or accessible through a tunnel from the Library of Congress and then we went to get some dinner. We had big plans for the evening. The National Theater, which is about 3 blocks from the White House, is a lot like the Embassy Theater in Fort Wayne. It does have stage shows--Dreamgirls will be there soon- and it shows classic movies for free on Monday evenings. They choose a movie star each summer and show some of that artist's films, and this summer it is Cary Grant. They were showing An Affair to Remember--so romantic...sigh. Anyway, we got to the theater in time to get two of the free tickets, and we were ready to go into the theater when we found out they don't show it on the big main screen. Instead, they set up plastic lawn chairs in the upper lobby and show the film on a screen that is not much bigger than a large screen tv. Very disappointing!! We decided not to stay so instead I took her to the Old Post Office where we could take the elevator to the observation deck and get a great view of the city from about 12 stories up. That was a better way to end the day!!

Love,
Tami

The Shaw Shuffle

Hello,

I have to admit that after the last few days I decided to take it a little easy today so I decided to follow another walking tour that I found during my research. This one took me through the Shaw area of DC--you might know it better as U Street. This is the area of DC that was the main African American neighborhood during segregation. It is still predominately African American today. This walking tour wasn't as difficult as the one I did through Georgetown, and it wasn't as hot so it made for a nice afternoon.
The Shaw area was actually named for Robert Gould Shaw, leader of the 54th Massachusetts of Glory fame. U street happens to be the main street through the area. Duke Ellington lived in the area as a child and his former home is marked, as is the Whitelaw Hotel. This was the best hotel and one of very few where African Americans could stay in the days before hotels were desegregated. Howard University is also in the neighborhood as is the African American Civil War Memorial (pictured). There is also an African American Civil War Museum--sort of. It is really two rooms run by a guy...not much to see. Near by is Ben's Chili Bowl which you may have heard of. It is "the" place to go in the area. Unfortunately, I was there after lunch so I am planning to go back and try it out. It is across the street from the Metro which makes it very handy. The last stop on my tour was the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House. It is located in the middle of a block of row houses and marked so that it is easy to find. However, it doesn't say if it is open to the public, but I decided to ring the bell beside the front door anyway. I am glad I did! It is run as a museum by the National Park Service and there was a very nice man there to give me a personal guided tour of the place. Sometimes it pays to be a little nosey!

It was nice to be back in DC and have an easy day.

Tami

Presidents Madison and Monroe are pleased to make your acquaintance

Hello,

President James Monroe (number 5) lived just 2 1/2 miles from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, but it could have been a world away. Quick, think of everything you know about James Monroe! I'll wait....Oh, done already? That is exactly the problem. We know all about the other founding fathers-Washington, Adam, Jefferson, and Madison, but then things get a little fuzzy. Monroe was their "go to" guy. There is a famous portrait of George Washington crossing the Delaware River and there is a guy standing behind him holding a flag. Forget for a moment all the historical inaccuracies in the picture, but the guy holding the flag is James Monroe. He survived Valley Forge with Washington, also. Thomas Jefferson was the president when the Louisiana Purchase was made, but who was the guy in France actually talking to Napoleon--that's right-James Monroe. He held a lot of government positions besides being president. Anyway, it is the same case with their homes. At Monticello there is a very nice visitor's center with a museum, theater and gift shop; timed tickets for the tours; and lots of people everywhere. Go two miles down the road and there is a little gift store that also sells tickets for the house tour and there are a few people wandering around. The difference is night and day. Why??? Good question. I have to admit, I don't teach my students a lot about Monroe (I did buy a book about him so maybe that will change). The original political parties that formed around Jefferson and Hamilton during President Washington's administration had weakened to the point where there really weren't any when Monroe was president (Jackson would divide people and the parties would make a comeback), and it was called the "Era of Good Feelings". He was able to get some treaties with European powers that helped to define our borders, but Monroe's Secretary of State John Quincy Adams usually gets the credit for those. Adams even gets the credit for the Monroe Doctrine--you would think that Monroe would at least get the credit for something with his name on it! Anyway, while his house is very nice, it is nothing like Mount Vernon or Monticello. It is bigger than most houses were at that time but then again most houses of the period were smaller than our two car garages today so that isn't saying much. I think I am going to have to look into Monroe a bit more; I am curious to know more about him.

After leaving Monroe's humble abode, it was time to visit President Madison's home, Montpelier. He lives about an hour away. O.k. it is probably less than that, but I am including the time I spent lost in Charlottesville. Uuuugggg! Madison has the big, impressive house on a hill with a state of the art visitor's center like Jefferson, but because it is a bit off the beaten path and he isn't as famous as Jefferson the crowd was more like it was at Monroe's house. Madison is probably most famous for marrying Dolley, but the Constitution should be his claim to fame because without him we probably wouldn't have one and the country would have collapsed under the Articles of Confederation and we would be back calling Queen Elizabeth our leader. Maybe that is a bit of an overstatement, but you get the point. Anyway, he has a lovely home and they are still doing archaeological work on the outbuildings such as the slave quarters. In fact, anyone can take an "excavation vacation" and help them! It looked interesting, but it was over 100 degrees and I was glad I was just visiting!

After leaving Madison's home I left the Blue Ridge all together and drove across the state to Virginia Beach. It wasn't too far or difficult. I have never been there and there is nothing in this world that a trip to the beach can't make better. I got there just after dark, but I still got some sand between my toes before calling it a day. aaahhhhhhh.

I spent this morning on the beach, but then it was time to get back to DC. I have to admit I was nervous at the thought of driving in DC traffic, but I got home before rush hour and in spite of missing my exit so I was pretty proud of myself. It is good to be "home"!

Tami

Greetings from Charlottesville, Virginia!

Hello,




It is supposed to be close to 100 degrees in DC everyday for the next few days so I decided maybe it would be a little cooler in the mountains and I should go visit Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. Yeah, good idea, too bad it didn't work. It was still about 100 degrees, but I like to think that it wasn't as humid.


Monticello is about 2 -2 1/2 hours from DC so I decided to rent a car and stay for a couple of days. A friend of mine from school is going to be driving out to DC next week to stay with me, and she offered me the use of her car, but I thought this might work better. I am driving a Volkswagon Beetle! It is black and doesn't have the flower in it, but it is still cute and it drives really nice. I haven't driven in over a month, and I haven't really missed it.


I have always wanted to see Monticello, and it was one of the first things that went on my "to do" list when I got the grant. There is no way we could ever bring students here because it is too far from DC. Jefferson was a self-taught architect who actually built two houses here. The first one was partially torn down after he went to Europe as the first U.S. ambassador to France, saw their architecture for himself, and decided to make changes to his own home. It was supposed to be this wondrous house, and I have seen pictures of Monticello, or "little mountain", but I never really understood what made it so great. The pictures don't do it justice.

When my sister and I went to Mount Vernon, George Washington's house, we had fun redesigning it for more modern tastes. I don't think we would have to do that with Jefferson's home. Granted, Jefferson built his home later than Washington did, but still he "finished" it by 1809. This house has the cathedral ceilings, skylights, and wall colors that work in 2010 (except maybe for the yellow in the dining room. I don't mind it, but it is pretty strong). The layout also works well; although, now that I think about it, I am not sure where we would put the kitchen. It was pretty easy to move one in at Mount Vernon.


There was also a garden tour of the grounds that I know my husband would have LOVED! The second picture is for him--a golden rain tree. You are welcome, honey! It was HOT walking around the gardens, but the guide was very personable and knowledgeable so it interesting even as I was sweating.

I was still there when they closed so that was the perfect excuse to go cool off at the hotel! President James Monroe lived in the neighborhood so I am going to visit him tomorrow!



Think cool thoughts,
Tami

Red Line Adventures

Quick! What does The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and a Woolly Mammoth have in common? (Hint: check the title of this post) That's right--both of them are on the Red Metro line!!

The Basilica is farther north so let's start there and work our way south back into downtown DC.

The Basilica is located on the grounds of Catholic University which I am sure is a great school. The campus is beautiful, but the neighborhood seems a bit rough. The Metro stop is just across the street so it isn't too bad. It is the second largest Roman Catholic church in the Unites States. It is not a parish church or a cathedral, but it does offer mass multiple times everyday. Because it is not a parish church, the only other sacrament offered is Reconciliation. Sorry, no weddings or funerals. Although, a wedding in this place would be pretty spectacular. The tour was pretty amazing, but I recommend buying the guide book. It is probably the best $3.50 I have spent since I have been here. (I won't tell you how much more I have spent because my husband might be reading...Hi, honey!) Besides the main church, or as they call it the Upper Church, there is a second church in the basement--which is actually not below ground but at street level. Then there are multiple chapels and oratories--which are chapels without alters so mass isn't offered in them. (I never knew that before) Each of these spaces is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and decorated to express some aspect of her unique relationship with those who sponsored it. For instance, there is an oratory dedicated to Mary, Queen of Ireland that is done in shades of green marble with an alabaster window depicting scenes of Catholics living the faith in the face of the English persecution. There is a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe done with a fabulous mosaic. The amount of mosaic in this church is amazing. For all of its dedication to Mary, the Christ in Majesty mosaic behind the main alter of the upper church emphasises who it is that is central to the faith--Jesus Christ.

Now that we have toured the church, it is time to get back on the Red Line Metro and head back towards downtown and the Woolly Mammoth. This is a theater that does a lot of new, cutting edge or avant garde theater. Tonight was the opening night of a more mainstream piece that is a one man version of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy as filmed by Peter Jackson performed in about 70 minutes by Charles Ross. I have a friend who saw the show in Toronto when Ross first started it, and she really liked it so I felt lucky to find out about this production. What makes it even better is new shows at the Woolly Mammoth are called "Pay what you can" shows. For the first few shows the audience pays whatever they want for their tickets. The lady I spoke to at the box office said usually people pay between $5.00 and $10.00, but she has had people pay with change out of their pockets also. You just have to be there when the box office opens two hours before the show and usually a line starts forming about an hour before that. Thank goodness the line was inside the theater lobby or I probably would have melted. I got there about 5:30 and the line moved quickly. It was a really good show, but you definitely have to know the story, or better yet, know the movies. There were people in the audience who hadn't read the books or seen the films and I am sure they were hopelessly lost. Ross plays it for laughs and some of the jokes everyone could have gotten.

Well, that was my day on the red line. I got home about 10:00, it is still really hot and sticky, and now I am going to bed.

Good night,

Tami

Happy 4th of July!!

Hello!

This has been a very successful 4th of July because I have achieved the "Big 3"--Sunburned, Sweaty, and Sleepy (it has been a LONG day!).

It started out this morning with the parade. I had a seat on the marble curb in front of the National Archive. Since it was just me I was able to find a spot in the front. It was hot and sunny without a cloud in the sky and the parade was 2 hours long (and that marble curb was hard!)--hence the sunburned and sweaty parts. There were a lot of marching bands from around the country--Ohio, Washington state, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Connecticut-- Who do I have to talk to about getting an Indiana band in next year--Mr. Klee? Mr. Beuter? I would agree to help chaperon if necessary. I am all about helping out whenever I can :)

After the parade ended I had some time to kill so I went to the Newseum. It is a museum dedicated to the first amendment--especially freedom of the press. This is where George Stephanopoulos does his Sunday morning news show for ABC. I even got to tour the studio where they film it. Don't get too excited; it is very small.

As it was getting closer to the evening I had a decision to make--The Navy band was going to start a concert down by the Washington Monument at 6:00 and then after that the fireworks were going to be shot off over the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial at 9:15. However, The Capitol 4th show that you see on TV was being held at the Capitol (duh) which is at the other end of The Mall. I could watch the Navy show until the Capitol show started at 8, go watch the Capitol show, and then watch the fireworks being shot off from behind the Washington Monument or try to make it back over there. That seemed like too much work because by this time I was also starting to get tired (the third "S"--sleepy). I decided to stay at the Washington Monument. The Navy concert was great and the fireworks were AMAZING. I swear some of them were 3D because one would light up and then another one would come from the center of it which came closer, and then another one came out of that one which was closer, and then another one and another one. It was incredible! The show only lasted about 20 minutes, but every one of those fireworks was huge and filled the entire sky. It was overwhelming.

Once the show was over it was time to try to get home (it sounds so easy, right?). I need to find a t-shirt that says "I survived the Metro on the 4th of July" because it was crazy! The good news is I did make it home safe and sound and in one sunburned, sweaty, sleepy piece and it was sooooooo worth it!!!

Happy 4th!
Tami

A Top 10 List Not Created By David Letterman

The Top 10 Reasons The Portrait Gallery Is My Favorite Place in DC (so far)...

10. There is a Metro stop on the corner of the building--very convenient.
9. It doesn't open until 11:00 a.m. so I don't have to be an early riser to get there, and it doesn't close until 7:00 p.m. so it can be my last stop of the day.

8. It is actually two museums--The Museum of American Art and The Portrait Gallery in the same building.
7. Because it is part of the Smithsonian, it is free and I can go as often as I like. (which is a lot!)
6. There is a little something for everyone-portraits, paintings, landscapes, modern art, sculpture, folk art...
5. They are currently running an exhibit of Norman Rockwell pieces that are owned by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas (That's right! They like my museum enough to lend their own private art to it!!) There is also an exhibit by an Iowa artist who returned to her hometown of Maquoketa (where is that, mom?), put up signs around town that she would paint a portrait of anyone who would come for a setting, and then put together the exhibit of her community.
4. As part of the Rockwell exhibit opening this weekend they had the Air Force Jazz band play hits from the 1940's in the atrium.
3. The Atrium is fabulous!
2. It's sense of history--this building was one of the first constructed after the White House and Capitol. It used to house the Patent Office, and to get a patent an inventor had to bring a working model of the invention to the office for display. The public got to see the latest and greatest technology of their day. It is also where President Lincoln held his second inaugural ball. Plus, Walt Whitman worked as a nurse in this building while it was a hospital during the Civil War.
1. It is awesome!!

In case you need one more reason...Because it is! That's why!

I didn't even mention the free WiFi (which is harder to find in this town than I thought it would be), the behind the scenes tour showing how they restore art, and the building itself it a beautiful example of Greek Revival architecture--columns and all! :)

Last but not least, the CBS program Sunday Morning will have a feature on the Rockwell exhibit this Sunday morning. My sister and I were there while they were filming the segment. We didn't get to see anyone, but we were only allowed to see a few of the sculptures right outside of the gallery if we promised to be quiet. I can't wait to see what they filmed!

Ladies Day

Hello,

My sister and her husband wanted to take a Segway tour while they were here (so do I, as a matter of fact), but their daughter wasn't old enough. So, while they did their thing, my niece and I got to hang out together. She wanted to go to the aquarium so that is where we went. As we were heading that way we found the Woodrow Wilson Memorial. I didn't even know there was one! She was a good sport and walked through it with me. There was even a short video about his life that she watched with me. What a good kid! The National Aquarium is in the basement of the Commerce Department building, and unlike the Smithsonian Museums, it is not a free to tour. I thought it was a bit disappointing, but my niece liked it--especially the toads (yuck!) and they did have piranhas, which are her favorite, so it was all good.

After that we met up with her parents and went out to the Twilight Tattoo at Fort McNair. First, no one received any souvenirs in permanent ink upon their skin. This was an opportunity to see a program put on by the U.S. Army. There was The Old guard Fife and Drum Corps and the Army Drill Team plus a review of the Army throughout American History. Being on a military base and watching the Old Guard--3rd Infantry Division which was founded by George Washington himself was pretty impressive. This is the unit, stationed at Fort Myer which is attached to Arlington National cemetery, that does all of the funerals there. The Army band that plays for the president and ceremonial events is also stationed there. For once it was not too hot, the sky was blue, we were close to the river where we could see sailboats, and it was a lovely evening.

Today we got to see the Old Guard again because we went to Arlington National Cemetery. The weather was beautiful for a second day in a row. One of the things I specifically wrote about in my Lilly proposal was wanting the opportunity to reflect on how it must have felt to be Mrs. Robert E. Lee and stand on her front porch at Arlington and be able to see the men working to finish the Capitol dome when her husband was fighting against the government that it housed. It means even more to be there after reading One Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. Poole. You wouldn't think that reading a book about a cemetery would be very interesting, but it is a great book and an engaging story. Thanks, mom for giving it to me! :)

After that is was time to put my sister and her family on the train for home, and I am once again on my own. After having so much company it is going to be very quiet around here!

Tami

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