Washington and other things
I had a marvelous time in Washington!
I got in on Thursday, and met a number of other Bookcrossers at Union Station
for dinner and a moonlight tour of several monuments. It was quite a tour, with a knowledgeable and humorous guide. I must say that I was pretty appalled by the behavior of some people at the memorials. Despite "Quiet - show respect" signs, kids were running and yelling and climbing on the statues. It wasn't possible to commune quietly with Mr. Jefferson.
(Someone has since advised me that 1:00 a.m. is a good time to visit the memorials!)
However, I balance that behavior with the boy at the Vietnam memorial who looked at his dad and said, "It's so sad how the walls get taller", and another boy who, with wonder in his voice, said, "So many names . . . "
On Friday, I headed out to the Smithsonian Craft Show, at the National Building Museum, where a friend of mine was exhibiting: http://www.carlareiter.com/ I spent quite a bit of time there, admiring gorgeous things that were mostly out of my price range, but I did find a birthday present for my sister, and a small artists' book for myself, by Jody Williams.
The NBM is worth a visit all on its own. It's in the old Pension Office building, which is gorgeous, and they have interesting exhibits. There was one going on of work by Hildreth Meière, an art deco muralist.
I then wandered over to the National Gallery of Art for an exhibit of work by Canaletto and other vedutisti, where I did an excellent wild release.
Then back to the hotel for the BC reception, which was fun, especially because I got to see a whole bunch of people I don't get to see often as well as some I'd never met (in the flesh) before!
Raining, so a good day for indoor activities. GoryDetails and I headed to the National Museum of the American Indian
which has art and artifacts from North, Central and South American tribes. Each exhibit has native American curators. There was also a splendid temporary exhibit of contemporary art.
We met up with some other Bookcrossers at the food court for lunch, and believe me when I tell you that this is the best damn food court I've ever been at. They had foods from several native American cultures, and you could get quite a variety. I had a smoked green apple soup with wild onion and wilted spinach that was awesome, along with blue corn bread and smoked turkey has, and a rosemary and pinenut tart for dessert.
After lunch, I went off on my own to the Sackler and Freer Galleries, for my Asian art and James McNeill Whistler fixes.
That evening was the convention dinner, which was quite enjoyable. I put the vast majority of my "Bally Bucks" inthe raffle for a 2-night stay at a Sheraton (or 25,000 preferred guest points). And won!!!! Helped out at the quiz game which went on forever (and was, if you want my opinion, a bit unfair to non-U.S. folks, of whom there were quite a few), so went exhausted to bed.
Kensington Day of the Book Festival today. Some interesting things, but also a lot of self-published authors. Quite a few antique shops in the vicinity, however, always an enjoyable wander, and I found a small gallery, the owner of which specializes in small trompe l'oeil oils and some really fine altered books.
"Hangers-on" dinner at an Irish pub that night, which I didn't enjoy as much as I normally would because I was starting to come down with a cold that really knocked me for a loop.
I packed my suitcase, and for some reason it was a lot heavier than it was when I came. I wonder why! Couldn't have anything to do with all the books I acquired, could it? Checked out, and checked the suitcase, and then went off for a bit more sight-seeing.
First to the Hirschorn, where more people ignored signs and were climbing on the art in the sculpture garden. Great stuff inside and out. Then to the Renwick, where they were having their 2011 Invitational. I particularly loved the work by silversmith Ubaldo Vitali (the only member of the Roman guild of silversmiths allowed to reside outside the city) and ceramicist (and neurosurgeon) Cliff Lee. No photos allowed, but here's a piece of Lee's from their permanent collection:
I wanted to see the Octagon House, but it was closed, so I went back to the hotel to catch the shuttle to the airport, got home, and went to sleep.
That cold I brought home with me was dreadful. I usually kick a cold within a few days, but it was still hanging on at the end of the week, despite cold meds and swilling of orange juice and chicken soup, so I went to the clinic on Saturday and left with five different meds. I spent all day Sunday and Monday in bed, missing work and class on Monday, but by Tuesday was actually feeling human again, and was pretty much completely back to normal on Wednesday. I hate being sick!
I got in on Thursday, and met a number of other Bookcrossers at Union Station
for dinner and a moonlight tour of several monuments. It was quite a tour, with a knowledgeable and humorous guide. I must say that I was pretty appalled by the behavior of some people at the memorials. Despite "Quiet - show respect" signs, kids were running and yelling and climbing on the statues. It wasn't possible to commune quietly with Mr. Jefferson.
(Someone has since advised me that 1:00 a.m. is a good time to visit the memorials!)
However, I balance that behavior with the boy at the Vietnam memorial who looked at his dad and said, "It's so sad how the walls get taller", and another boy who, with wonder in his voice, said, "So many names . . . "
On Friday, I headed out to the Smithsonian Craft Show, at the National Building Museum, where a friend of mine was exhibiting: http://www.carlareiter.com/ I spent quite a bit of time there, admiring gorgeous things that were mostly out of my price range, but I did find a birthday present for my sister, and a small artists' book for myself, by Jody Williams.
The NBM is worth a visit all on its own. It's in the old Pension Office building, which is gorgeous, and they have interesting exhibits. There was one going on of work by Hildreth Meière, an art deco muralist.
I then wandered over to the National Gallery of Art for an exhibit of work by Canaletto and other vedutisti, where I did an excellent wild release.
Then back to the hotel for the BC reception, which was fun, especially because I got to see a whole bunch of people I don't get to see often as well as some I'd never met (in the flesh) before!
Raining, so a good day for indoor activities. GoryDetails and I headed to the National Museum of the American Indian
which has art and artifacts from North, Central and South American tribes. Each exhibit has native American curators. There was also a splendid temporary exhibit of contemporary art.
We met up with some other Bookcrossers at the food court for lunch, and believe me when I tell you that this is the best damn food court I've ever been at. They had foods from several native American cultures, and you could get quite a variety. I had a smoked green apple soup with wild onion and wilted spinach that was awesome, along with blue corn bread and smoked turkey has, and a rosemary and pinenut tart for dessert.
After lunch, I went off on my own to the Sackler and Freer Galleries, for my Asian art and James McNeill Whistler fixes.
That evening was the convention dinner, which was quite enjoyable. I put the vast majority of my "Bally Bucks" inthe raffle for a 2-night stay at a Sheraton (or 25,000 preferred guest points). And won!!!! Helped out at the quiz game which went on forever (and was, if you want my opinion, a bit unfair to non-U.S. folks, of whom there were quite a few), so went exhausted to bed.
Kensington Day of the Book Festival today. Some interesting things, but also a lot of self-published authors. Quite a few antique shops in the vicinity, however, always an enjoyable wander, and I found a small gallery, the owner of which specializes in small trompe l'oeil oils and some really fine altered books.
"Hangers-on" dinner at an Irish pub that night, which I didn't enjoy as much as I normally would because I was starting to come down with a cold that really knocked me for a loop.
I packed my suitcase, and for some reason it was a lot heavier than it was when I came. I wonder why! Couldn't have anything to do with all the books I acquired, could it? Checked out, and checked the suitcase, and then went off for a bit more sight-seeing.
First to the Hirschorn, where more people ignored signs and were climbing on the art in the sculpture garden. Great stuff inside and out. Then to the Renwick, where they were having their 2011 Invitational. I particularly loved the work by silversmith Ubaldo Vitali (the only member of the Roman guild of silversmiths allowed to reside outside the city) and ceramicist (and neurosurgeon) Cliff Lee. No photos allowed, but here's a piece of Lee's from their permanent collection:
I wanted to see the Octagon House, but it was closed, so I went back to the hotel to catch the shuttle to the airport, got home, and went to sleep.
That cold I brought home with me was dreadful. I usually kick a cold within a few days, but it was still hanging on at the end of the week, despite cold meds and swilling of orange juice and chicken soup, so I went to the clinic on Saturday and left with five different meds. I spent all day Sunday and Monday in bed, missing work and class on Monday, but by Tuesday was actually feeling human again, and was pretty much completely back to normal on Wednesday. I hate being sick!