Enjoying DC

To add a sweet touch to Pesach (Passover), Bennett and his Bubbie made Carol’s Pesach Brownies.  Bennett did an excellent job of mixing all the special ingredients

and making sure the results were delicious.

The next day we explored The National Museum of Women in the Arts, a private museum dedicated to four centuries of women artists.  The museum is housed in a renovated Masonic Hall, a beautiful building in which to view this special collection.

 Women had an almost impossible time gaining training, most of which came from their fathers if they grew up in an artistic family.  They were restricted to portraits because they were not considered capable of landscapes.  In spite of the limitations placed upon them, a few rose to prominence including the artist who painted Marie Antoinette and a couple who were admitted to the Paris Salon.  Elisabeth Louise Vigee-LeBrun was sought after by royalty in Europe and Russia because of her skill with texture.

This modern photograph is a composite of two women so well blended as to not know what each individual looks like.

This sculpture is by the actress Sarah Bernhardt. 

The special exhibit is entitled She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World.  It focused upon life in the Middle East and the conflicts that are part of everyday life.

 We do not have photos of the most captivating series, those of a mother and daughter ranging from clad in all black with sad eyes peering out through gradual changes up to colorful clothing with smiling faces.

Washington, DC with Family

Before we talk about what we have been doing, we want to remember our special friend, Sandy, who passed away last week.  We have many wonderful memories of conversations, dinners out, adventures and travel that we have enjoyed with Sandy and Lois.  We shall miss his fervor, laughter and warmth.

Our cross country travels had a special destination and that is DC where Cheryl, Dave and, especially, Bennett live.  We will be here for several weeks enjoying the roles of Zadie and Bubbie.  The time will be filled with the many fabulous things that this crazy city offers.  We began our time together with a visit to Bennett’s local slide where he showed us how much he enjoys racing cars.

Bubbie’s car won one race.

The next evening, after picking Bennett up at preschool, we all went for a special preview of the movie celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.  Bennett’s criticism of the movie was valid, “I don’t want to go there and climb up the mountains.”  The movie follows the daring adventures of three people who rope climb the steep face of mountains, bike over Slickrock at Moab and ice climb up a frozen waterfall, not things most of us enjoy.  The scenery is, of course, gorgeous, but the promotion rather esoteric.  We explained to Bennett that he could enjoy the parks by camping and hiking and we plan to prove that to him on this trip.

We wanted to do a Seder, a Passover meal, with our family.  Cheryl invited neighbors and the evening was most enjoyable.  One of the traditions is to hide the afikoman, a special piece of matzoh, and the youngest children have to find it.  Bennett and Luke found it and required “payment” for its return.  They each got a slinky that they raced down the stairs.  Anna Lee’s photo is shaky from her laughing so much.

On Sunday afternoon we all went to a special concert at the Kennedy Center.  As part of their Family Series, Lights! Canvas! Action! was a pairing of the symphony orchestra with Dan Dunn’s PaintJam.  Dunn is an extraordinary painter who approaches his creations from odd angles

and even from behind the canvass.

He paints in rhythm with the music and his painting corresponds with the musical selection, ie Ray Charles with “Hit the Road Jack,”

 

Harry Potter with the themes from the movies

and the Statue of Liberty with “America, the Beautiful.” 

This concert was fabulous for adults and children.

After the concert, volunteers held a Petting Zoo, a chance for the children to handle instruments.  Bennett and a friend from school explored a drum

a harp

He tried to blow the trumpet

and tested other sound producers used by the orchestra and in movies.

One of our “obligations” while here is reading MANY stories to Bennett, a great job and we love it.

More Louisville

The Mohammed Ali Center is a museum dedicated to the life and aspirations of the boxer born Cassius Clay.  Like Ali it is beautiful and a bit overblown. 

 The architecture is lovely and the exhibits well done but they get repetitive.  We would have liked a bit more of the young boy and less of the same story told over and over of the great fighter.  Cassius began fighting at a young age when he wanted to beat up the kid who stole his bike.  He reported it to a police officer who said beating up was a bad idea but learning to box might be a good idea.  That officer was Joe Martin who became Clay’s first coach.

Displays are full of photos, videos and excerpts of his poetry which is pretty good.  “I am the greatest,” is repeated in every section of the museum.

Clay won the gold medal for boxing in the 1960 Olympics but returned to the USA as a lesser citizen, a black American.  In searching for a better identity, he converted to Islam and took the name Mohammed Ali.  In reading his story, it is understandable that he rejected the white Christian world and sought a place that he found better.  He used his life and much of his money to help his people and promote peace.  With that view, he refused to be drafted in the US Army and be sent to Vietnam.  He was charge with draft evasion and his World Championship was taken away.  His conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court and he resumed his boxing career.  Diagnosed with Parkinson’s, he continues to support his causes of peace and equality.

The museum has a collection of LeRoy Neiman paintings of Ali. 

Back on the streets of Louisville, we enjoyed looking at the architecture, a mixture of modern, deco and Victorian.

Remember when states/cities had painted symbols all over town?  Well this area is definitely horse country.  This horse, made of horseshoes, was in the Louisville Slugger Museum.

These are all over town.

Glassworks and Flame Run are open to view and enjoy.

And, lest we forget, this is the land of bourbon as evidenced by the Evan Williams giant pour. 

We are now headed to DC (and Bennett).  The drive through West Virginia and Maryland is gorgeous, hilly (they call them mountains) and green.  Through one narrow drive along 70 in Maryland, we could put our left hand out the window and almost touch Pennsylvania and the right out the other side and almost touch West Virginia.

Louisville, KY

First of all, Cecily and Rochelle must fish because they knew the pink on the alligator snapping turtle’s tongue represented a worm.  He just sits back and waits for the fish to “bite” and snaps them up.

We were in Louisville for a RV Caravan a few years ago.  We had a great time but not enough time to see some of the attractions.  We have a list and intend to see all we can in the couple of days we are here.

We started with the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. 

The Hillerich Family first started making butter churns in the mid 1800s.  Bud, the owner’s son, went to a baseball game and the star hitter broke his bat.  Bud asked him to come to the shop and he would make him a new bat.  Though they made the bat, Bud’s dad saw no future in bats, just butter churns.  One hundred thirty-two years later we know who was right.

The tour is led by a practiced but entertaining docent who generally knows when to quit the joke. 
It is amazing how fast a professional bat is made, about thirty seconds.  The company is proud of the customized bats they make for professional hitters. 

 Today they are made on computerized lathes. Making a bat by hand as they did in the old days took about a half hour.  It also required a lot of skill to get the bat right.  Jerry was allowed to take a picture of this hand turning process.

Some players want the wood plain and others want it stained or painted in approved tones.  Fear of “spying” by competitors limits photography in the plant.

For the general public, they will make a personalized bat for about $100. 

The museum has a section on Ripley Believe It or Not baseball trivia.  Here Yankee Stadium is made of 125,000 toothpicks.

In the front of the building leans a scale replica of Babe Ruth’s bat.  It is 125 feet tall, 9 feet in diameter.  The carbon steel bat weighs 68,000 pounds.   

Around town are metal bats representing famous players. 

This baseball appears to fly through the window on the wall of a glass company next to the museum.

The Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts was on our list but it is being remodeled and not yet open.  But we made quite a find at the Museum/Hotel.  A gilded David greets guests and visitors.  Note the red penguins that watch over the street from the roof line.

This upscale hotel has rooms and halls filled with unusual and excellent art.  The first display was disquieting, houses of worship made with weapons and ammunition.  Obviously, it is a protest of violence committed in the name of one’s deity. 

The mosque is damaged by fighting between Sunni and Shia.

 The churches and synagogue have relics or bibles inside them.

The Burnt Church represents the Battle of Verdun and is made of weapons found on the battlefield.

We interacted with this installation of falling letters settling into comments.

These vents were blowing smoke rings.

This red limo awaits guest of the hotel.

We bought tickets for Squirrel Lake at a small theater.  (For those of you who go to the B Street Theater, the Busfields went to university here.)  The ticket seller recommended Dish on Market known for its Big Brown, turkey, bacon and cheese on bread and covered with sauce, a Louisville specialty. 

Jerry enjoyed it, Anna Lee passed, but shared the bread pudding.

Squirrel Lake is a satirical, squirrely production of death, family, crime, inheritance, insanity and love, all blended together with heavy doses of amusement.