Plimouth Plantation, MA (early spelling of Plymouth) - recreation of Plymouth settlement in the early 1620's. This time period was chosen because there is was a lot of documentation.
Wampanoag Homesite Exhibition - A Native homesite consisted of 2 or 3 coastal acres where a family lived in spring, summer, and fall. In winter families moved inland.
This exhibit is a re-creation of the home of Hobbamock - a Pokanoket man who lived in Patuxet/Plymouth Colony in the 1620's. Hobbamock and his extended family lived across the brook on the south side of the Pilgrims' town. They were the only Native People known to have lived alongside the Pilgrims.
Hobbamock was a councilman to Ousamequin, the sachem(leader) known by this title, Assasoit. Hobbamock served as a liaison between England and Wampanoag.
This exhibit is a re-creation of the home of Hobbamock - a Pokanoket man who lived in Patuxet/Plymouth Colony in the 1620's. Hobbamock and his extended family lived across the brook on the south side of the Pilgrims' town. They were the only Native People known to have lived alongside the Pilgrims.
Hobbamock was a councilman to Ousamequin, the sachem(leader) known by this title, Assasoit. Hobbamock served as a liaison between England and Wampanoag.
Unlike the people in the17th Century English Village, the staff in the Wampanoag Homesite are not role players. They are all Native People - either Wampanoag or from other Native Nations - and they are dressed in historically accurate clothing, mostly made of deerskin. They speak from a modern perspective about Wampanoag history and culture.
17th-Century English Village - Plimouth Plantation
The 17th-Century English Village is a re-creation of the small farming and maritime community built by the Pilgrims along the shore of Plymouth Harbor. In the Village, the year is 1627, just seven years after the arrival of Mayflower. The Museum selected this year for re-creation because it is well-documented in the historical sources and shows the plantation (a word that was used interchangeably with the word “colony” in the 1600s) just before the colonists began to disperse beyond the walled town and into other parts of what would become southeastern Massachusetts.
The English Village brings colonial Plymouth vividly to life. Here, there are modest timber-framed houses furnished with reproductions of the types of objects that the Pilgrims owned, aromatic kitchen gardens, and heritage breeds livestock. Well informed actors playing townspeople are eager to tell you about their new lives in Plymouth Colony.
The 17th-Century English Village is a re-creation of the small farming and maritime community built by the Pilgrims along the shore of Plymouth Harbor. In the Village, the year is 1627, just seven years after the arrival of Mayflower. The Museum selected this year for re-creation because it is well-documented in the historical sources and shows the plantation (a word that was used interchangeably with the word “colony” in the 1600s) just before the colonists began to disperse beyond the walled town and into other parts of what would become southeastern Massachusetts.
The English Village brings colonial Plymouth vividly to life. Here, there are modest timber-framed houses furnished with reproductions of the types of objects that the Pilgrims owned, aromatic kitchen gardens, and heritage breeds livestock. Well informed actors playing townspeople are eager to tell you about their new lives in Plymouth Colony.
The colony has numerous costumed role players portraying actual residents of Plymouth Colony. They have adopted the names, viewpoints and life histories of the people who lived and worked in the Colony in 1627. |
Below is an actor portraying William Elder Brewster, my 14th great grandfather, and the spiritual leader on the Mayflower.
Note the dirt floor and unpainted walls with the fine European furniture. These are reproductions of actual pieces that the Pilgrims brought to Plymouth.
Kitchen gardens contained many seasoning and medicinal herbs as well as some vegetables, however, the majority of the food crops came from shared fields outside of the village.
Some homes had fireplaces with chimneys and some had open pits with a hole in the ceiling. They would hang blankets from the rafters to try to keep the smoke in the area by the ceiling hole.
Mayflower II - "The originalMayflower that sailed to Plymouth in 1620 no longer exists. Plimoth Plantation's full-scale reproduction, Mayflower II, was built in Devon, England and crossed the Atlantic in 1957. The details of the ship, from the solid oak timbers and tarred hemp rigging to the wood and horn lanterns and hand-colored maps, have been carefully re-created to give you a sense of what the original 17th-century vessel was like."
Seasonal Campers - Indian Head Campground, Sandwich, MA There is culture around people spending the summer months at their trailer in the woods. People really set up home and decor!!
5 States in One Day & Only Two Photos
The day began in Massachusetts, and then we passed through Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, to end up in Pennsylvania.
The day began in Massachusetts, and then we passed through Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, to end up in Pennsylvania.
Washington, D.C.
Franklin Delanor Roosevelt Monument
This was my favorite monument. I kept thinking that all of the"folks at the Capitol" should stroll through this area and read the quotes.
Franklin Delanor Roosevelt Monument
This was my favorite monument. I kept thinking that all of the"folks at the Capitol" should stroll through this area and read the quotes.
Martin Luther King Memorial
WW II Memorial, Washington D.C.
White House - Tours of the inside are very limited and must be made six months in advance. On the right below you can see the White House in the distance through the fence. Everyone seemed to be having their photo taken in front of the fence.
A new White House Visitors Center opened the day we took the tour. Below is a photo of the virtual tour I was given of the inside. You could click and many items and learn about its history.
The White House Visitor's Center had many exhibits and display of historical items.
Hirshhorn Gallery - Washington D.C.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum in the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was my favorite museum in DC.
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum in the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was my favorite museum in DC.
Speculative Forms
Drawn from the Hirshhorn's expansive collection, Speculative Forms reconsiders the historical development of sculpture since the early twentieth century and its critique of the autonomy of the object. Including more than fifty works, this exhibition collapses conventional art historical divisions such as figurative vs. abstract; still vs. kinetic; representational vs. simplified geometric; and planar (having modeled or carved surface) vs. stereometric (exposing the internal structure). The objects oscillate between these dichotomies, thus turning one's preconceived notions of sculpture inside out.
Inspired by the philosophical notion of "Speculative Realism," which emphasizes an equal relationship between subject, object, and space, the exhibition highlights the importance of installation and the viewer's eye and the body in relation to the object. The selected works - ranging from the well-known to the rarely exhibited - challenge the modernist notion that sculptures exist isolated from their surroundings. The exhibition follows these threads through Surrealism, Constructivism, Assemblage, Ob and Kinetic Art, Minimalism, and Post-Modernism. The materialist and physicality of the sculptures, on one hand, and their more intangible, phenomenological aspects of the other, raise intriguing questions about the potential limited of the perception of objects and the larger world.
Drawn from the Hirshhorn's expansive collection, Speculative Forms reconsiders the historical development of sculpture since the early twentieth century and its critique of the autonomy of the object. Including more than fifty works, this exhibition collapses conventional art historical divisions such as figurative vs. abstract; still vs. kinetic; representational vs. simplified geometric; and planar (having modeled or carved surface) vs. stereometric (exposing the internal structure). The objects oscillate between these dichotomies, thus turning one's preconceived notions of sculpture inside out.
Inspired by the philosophical notion of "Speculative Realism," which emphasizes an equal relationship between subject, object, and space, the exhibition highlights the importance of installation and the viewer's eye and the body in relation to the object. The selected works - ranging from the well-known to the rarely exhibited - challenge the modernist notion that sculptures exist isolated from their surroundings. The exhibition follows these threads through Surrealism, Constructivism, Assemblage, Ob and Kinetic Art, Minimalism, and Post-Modernism. The materialist and physicality of the sculptures, on one hand, and their more intangible, phenomenological aspects of the other, raise intriguing questions about the potential limited of the perception of objects and the larger world.
National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington DC
A little More National Mall Architecture, DC
National Museum of Natural History, DC
Dom Pedro Aquamarine, 10,363 carats, from Pedra Azul, Minas Gerias, Brazil, An immense beryl crystal found in the late 1980's yielded the Dom Pedro - the largest known aquamarine gem. The original crystal was almost two feet in length and weighed nearly 60 lbs. In 1992-1993, gem artist Bernard Munsteiner fashioned the gem and named it after the first two emperors of Brazil. A pattern of tapering "negative cuts" is faceted into the two reverse faces of the obelisk. These facets reflect the light, making it appear to glow from within. The vertical "lines" near the base are hallow tubes that formed naturally in the original crystal.
US Capital
Visitor's Entrance is around the back and through the basement of an adjacent building. After a short mandatory movie we were shuttled from room to room by our group guide. In the two large rotundas there were five or six large groups of people, all with ear phones so they can listen only to their tour guide.
Congressional was not in session so those rooms were not open for viewing.
Statues of people were everywhere and they often crowded the perimeter of large rooms. The Hall of Statues in particular is highly populated with larger than life statues.
Visitor's Entrance is around the back and through the basement of an adjacent building. After a short mandatory movie we were shuttled from room to room by our group guide. In the two large rotundas there were five or six large groups of people, all with ear phones so they can listen only to their tour guide.
Congressional was not in session so those rooms were not open for viewing.
Statues of people were everywhere and they often crowded the perimeter of large rooms. The Hall of Statues in particular is highly populated with larger than life statues.
Power Stances
National Statuary Hall, U. S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. - Location for dinners after the Inauguration.
Alexandria, Virginia - Across the Potomac River from the U. S. Capitol
It is a desired location today just as it was centuries ago.
It is a desired location today just as it was centuries ago.
Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a ca. 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. The buildings are named for Englishman John Gadsby who operated them from 1796 to 1808. Mr. Gadsby's establishment was a center of political, business, and social life in early Alexandria. The tavern was the setting for dancing assemblies, theatrical and musical performances, and meetings of local organizations. George Washington enjoyed the hospitality provided by tavern keepers and twice attended the annual Birth night Ball held in his honor. Other prominent patrons included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Alexandria, Virginia
George Washington's Mount Vernon, Virginia
Mount Vernon near Alexandria, Virginia was the plantation home of George Washington. The estate is situated on the banks of the Potomac River.
The Washington family had owned land in the area since the time of Washington's great-grandfather in 1674, and in 1739 embarked on an expansion of the estate that continued under George Washington, who came into possession of the estate in 1754, but did not become its sole owner until 1761.
Mount Vernon near Alexandria, Virginia was the plantation home of George Washington. The estate is situated on the banks of the Potomac River.
The Washington family had owned land in the area since the time of Washington's great-grandfather in 1674, and in 1739 embarked on an expansion of the estate that continued under George Washington, who came into possession of the estate in 1754, but did not become its sole owner until 1761.
George Washington seems to have had a sharp, creative mind. That was evident at Mount Vernon. He raised donkeys, rotated crops, created fisheries and used numerous new inventions at his residence and on the farm.
George Washington had the opportunity to create a large power grab and possibly he could have become King or President for life. As a country, I believe, that we have benefited from Washington stepping aside and for establishing the concept of term limits.
George Washington freed his slaves upon his death. This was done at a time when slaves were often passed on to heirs as property. The question was raised in the museum as to why didn't Washington free them earlier. It stated that it was very complicated time and the families were sometimes broken apart when members of a family were freed and others were still slaves at adjoining plantations. Some people state that George Washington failed to take a stance against slavery during his lifetime although slavery was morally repugnant to him. I am not sure of the precise laws during Washington's period of office, but I understand that Thomas Jefferson was not able to free his slaves due to the restrictive emancipation laws during his lifetime.
Slave Memorial and Burial at Mount Vernon, Virginia
Visitor's Center - Exhibition at Mount Vernon - Washington's History
"Searching For A Way Up - Young George received little more than what today would be considered a grade school education. That, combined with the small inheritance he received after his father's death, impeded his prospects of moving up in the Virginia society.
But Washington was determined to overcome these setbacks. With help from his older half-brother Lawrence - a military officer who owned Mount Vernon - and the Fairfaxes, a powerful Virginia family, he began molding his early career, expanding his education, and polishing his social graces."
But Washington was determined to overcome these setbacks. With help from his older half-brother Lawrence - a military officer who owned Mount Vernon - and the Fairfaxes, a powerful Virginia family, he began molding his early career, expanding his education, and polishing his social graces."
Washington Life Size Recreations - After using a laser to obtain pinpoint measurements of a life mask and bust created by French sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon when Washington was 52 years old, a team of experts worked backwards to create a figure 33 years younger. He is over six feet two inches tall and would have weighed 175 pounds.
"First Career - Always drawn to adventure, George Washington planned to join the British Navy until his mother refused to let him go. Instead, he embarked on an inland adventure as a surveyor on the Virginia frontier."
Washington began his military career as a major in the service of Virginia. Young, ambitious, fearless, and thoroughly inexperienced, the 20-year-old colonial officer soon found himself at the center of controversy and world war. Despite several major blunders, he emerged a few years later as one of the colonies' first war heroes with a reputation as a natural born leader.
One of the best horsemen of his age, General Washington took great pride in the horses that carried him throuh the war. He especially favored two: Blueskin, a firey hunter with a blue-grey coat; and Nelson, a chestnut gelding with unshakable nerves.
One of the best horsemen of his age, General Washington took great pride in the horses that carried him throuh the war. He especially favored two: Blueskin, a firey hunter with a blue-grey coat; and Nelson, a chestnut gelding with unshakable nerves.
Dentures - Worn by George Washington, Lead base fitted with cow and human teeth. Although George Washington brushed his teeth regularly, by the time he took the oath of office as president at age 57, he was wearing a full set of dentures. Contrary to popular myth, Washington's false teeth were not made of wood, but of human and cow teeth as well as elephant ivory. The dentures required frequent adjust to function naturally and Washington repeatedly sent them to John Greenwood, his dentist in New York City, for repairs. |
Washington as Farmer - There were over 100 crops at Mount Vernon. Growing tobaco in Virginai took its toll on the soil, often forcing planters to let their fields lie fallow for up to ten years. Many simply abandoned their exhausted fields and developed new farmland.
Seeing the futility of the practice, Washington set about developing a "system of agriculture" that would provide fertile fields fo high-yielding crops. He replaced tobacco with wheat, experimented with fertilizers, and created an innovative seven-year crop rotation system that successfully maintained the productivity of his fields.
Washington had many ventures going at Mount Vernon including establishing a series of gristmills and creating a large fishery so he could farm the river. As Mount Vernon grew into an 8,000-acre estate, George Washington sought out new ways to fund the expanding operations. In 1797, he began making whiskey on the advice of his farm manager, James Anderson, a trained distiller from Scotland.
Washington soon built one of the largest distilleries in America. At its peak, it produced over 11,000 gallons of whiskey and brought in so much money that it became one of his most successful commercial enterprises.
Seeing the futility of the practice, Washington set about developing a "system of agriculture" that would provide fertile fields fo high-yielding crops. He replaced tobacco with wheat, experimented with fertilizers, and created an innovative seven-year crop rotation system that successfully maintained the productivity of his fields.
Washington had many ventures going at Mount Vernon including establishing a series of gristmills and creating a large fishery so he could farm the river. As Mount Vernon grew into an 8,000-acre estate, George Washington sought out new ways to fund the expanding operations. In 1797, he began making whiskey on the advice of his farm manager, James Anderson, a trained distiller from Scotland.
Washington soon built one of the largest distilleries in America. At its peak, it produced over 11,000 gallons of whiskey and brought in so much money that it became one of his most successful commercial enterprises.
Arlington Cemetery - Robert E. Lee's family owned the property that became Arlington Cemetery.
The cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee (a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington).
The government acquired Arlington at a tax sale in 1864 for $26,800, equal to $400,000 today. Mrs. Lee had not appeared in person but rather had sent an agent, attempting to pay the $92.07 in property taxes (equal to $1,400 today) assessed on the estate in a timely manner. The government turned away her agent, refusing to accept the tendered payment.
In 1874, Custis Lee, heir under his grandfather's will passing the estate in trust to his mother, sued the United States claiming ownership of Arlington. In December, 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Lee's favor in United States v. Lee, deciding that Arlington had been confiscated without due process. After that decision, Congress returned the estate to him, and on March 3, 1883, Custis Lee sold it back to the government for $150,000 (equal to $3,221,364 in 2014) at a signing ceremony with Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln.
The cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, which had been the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee (a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington).
The government acquired Arlington at a tax sale in 1864 for $26,800, equal to $400,000 today. Mrs. Lee had not appeared in person but rather had sent an agent, attempting to pay the $92.07 in property taxes (equal to $1,400 today) assessed on the estate in a timely manner. The government turned away her agent, refusing to accept the tendered payment.
In 1874, Custis Lee, heir under his grandfather's will passing the estate in trust to his mother, sued the United States claiming ownership of Arlington. In December, 1882, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in Lee's favor in United States v. Lee, deciding that Arlington had been confiscated without due process. After that decision, Congress returned the estate to him, and on March 3, 1883, Custis Lee sold it back to the government for $150,000 (equal to $3,221,364 in 2014) at a signing ceremony with Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln.
Viet Nam War Memorial
One story that was told to us by the tour guide I had not heard before. He claimed that Maya Linn received a "D" grade from her Yale professor for this design concept.
Lin's conception was to create an opening or a wound in the earth to symbolize the gravity of the loss of the soldiers. The design was initially controversial for what was an unconventional and non-traditional design for a war memorial. Opponents of the design also voiced objection because of Lin's Asian heritage. However, the memorial has since become an important pilgrimage site for relatives and friends of the American military casualties in Vietnam, and personal tokens and mementos are left at the wall daily in their memory. In 2007, the American Institute of Architects ranked the memorial #10 on their list of America's Favorite Architecture.
One story that was told to us by the tour guide I had not heard before. He claimed that Maya Linn received a "D" grade from her Yale professor for this design concept.
Lin's conception was to create an opening or a wound in the earth to symbolize the gravity of the loss of the soldiers. The design was initially controversial for what was an unconventional and non-traditional design for a war memorial. Opponents of the design also voiced objection because of Lin's Asian heritage. However, the memorial has since become an important pilgrimage site for relatives and friends of the American military casualties in Vietnam, and personal tokens and mementos are left at the wall daily in their memory. In 2007, the American Institute of Architects ranked the memorial #10 on their list of America's Favorite Architecture.
Gettysburg, PA
Gettysburg National Military Park - The viewing of battlefields was never on my wish list and I could have done without this side trip.
There are over 18,000 monuments placed along the roads in Gettysburg. It has more monuments than anywhere in the America and it is the site of the bloodiest battles on US soil.
The sites of horrific carnage have returned to peaceful fields populated by monuments.
There are over 18,000 monuments placed along the roads in Gettysburg. It has more monuments than anywhere in the America and it is the site of the bloodiest battles on US soil.
The sites of horrific carnage have returned to peaceful fields populated by monuments.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater
Fallingwater or Kaufmann Residence is a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 43 miles (69 km) southeast of Pittsburg. The home was built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill Run section of Stewart Township, Fayette, County, Pennsylvania, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains.
Time stated after its completion as Wright's "most beautiful job"; it is listed among the Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture" and in 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA.
Fallingwater or Kaufmann Residence is a house designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in rural southwestern Pennsylvania, 43 miles (69 km) southeast of Pittsburg. The home was built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill Run section of Stewart Township, Fayette, County, Pennsylvania, in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains.
Time stated after its completion as Wright's "most beautiful job"; it is listed among the Smithsonian's Life List of 28 places "to visit before you die." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966. In 1991, members of the American Institute of Architects named the house the "best all-time work of American architecture" and in 2007, it was ranked twenty-ninth on the list of America's Favorite Architecture according to the AIA.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Kentuck Knob PA, - near Fallingwater
The home is privately owned so interior photos were not allowed.
At 86, and hard at work on the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Beth Shaolom Synagogue in Elkins park Pennsylvania and about 12 residential homes, Wright said he could “shake it (Kentuck Knob) out of his sleeve at will”, never even setting foot on the site, except for a short visit during the construction phase. This would be one of the last homes to be completed by Wright.
The crescent-shaped house curls around a west-facing courtyard, blending into the contours of the land. The anchor of the design is a hexagonal stone core that rises from the hipped roof at the intersection of the living and bedroom wings. The walls of the flat-roofed carport and studio burrow into the knob and define the courtyard’s eastern side. A stone planter terminates the low retaining wall on the west side of the courtyard, and it features a copper light fixture accented with a triangular-shaped shade. To the south, the house extends beyond the hillside on 10" thick stone-faced concrete ramparts. As with other houses Wright designed during this period, the Kentuck Knob plan is based upon a module system, in this case an equilateral triangle measuring 4'-6" to a side creating an outside 240 degree L-plan house.
The home is privately owned so interior photos were not allowed.
At 86, and hard at work on the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Beth Shaolom Synagogue in Elkins park Pennsylvania and about 12 residential homes, Wright said he could “shake it (Kentuck Knob) out of his sleeve at will”, never even setting foot on the site, except for a short visit during the construction phase. This would be one of the last homes to be completed by Wright.
The crescent-shaped house curls around a west-facing courtyard, blending into the contours of the land. The anchor of the design is a hexagonal stone core that rises from the hipped roof at the intersection of the living and bedroom wings. The walls of the flat-roofed carport and studio burrow into the knob and define the courtyard’s eastern side. A stone planter terminates the low retaining wall on the west side of the courtyard, and it features a copper light fixture accented with a triangular-shaped shade. To the south, the house extends beyond the hillside on 10" thick stone-faced concrete ramparts. As with other houses Wright designed during this period, the Kentuck Knob plan is based upon a module system, in this case an equilateral triangle measuring 4'-6" to a side creating an outside 240 degree L-plan house.
Sculpture Park at Kentuck Knob
From this point we were originally planning to turn south to see Memphis and Nashville, but the weather was hot and uninviting. Then we had some friends email us to suggest that we all meet in Kansas City while they were selling at an art fair there so we headed towards Kansas City instead.
The next and final blog of this series will cover our trip back across the country with the major stops in Kansas City, Denver, Arches and Canyonlands, Utah.
The next and final blog of this series will cover our trip back across the country with the major stops in Kansas City, Denver, Arches and Canyonlands, Utah.