Cherry Blossom Fest, Washington DC

We went for the CBF in DC right on schedule, in fact it was timed perfectly – unfortunately no one told the blossoms, which went into perfect full bloom about 5 days later. We rode the kiosk rental bikes all around the Lincoln Memorial end of the National Mall, and got our first view of the White House from the base of the Washington Monument. In 2012 the Reflecting Pool was completely rebuilt, and it is fantastic. We planned it so we could be around many of the monuments at dusk, which is a beautiful time of day to view them. The new Martin Luther King Memorial is beautiful, and we will have a longer look at it in the future – same can be said for others. We ended our biking with an intense ride down a pitch black trail between Arlington National Cemetery and our hotel – a very exciting mile. Reward: great pizza and wine at Il Radicchio in Rosedale. The next day we went to the Botanical Garden, walked the steps of the Capital Building, and spent some time in the National Art Gallery.

A new Maryland gardener

As a recent transplant from Colorado, we are excited to see our Maryland garden blossom and grow. These entries are dedicated to the plants, shrubs and tress which cause us delight each and everyday.

To begin with, realize that a native Coloradoan has probably never seen a magnolia tree, or most of the other shrubs and trees we find in our yard. A southwest garden is typically xeriscaped because water is so scarce. When annuals are planted, they require constant watering, particularly to get them established. Soils are usually sandy and drain fast. Adding compost, mulch, peat moss or anything else organic is a must, and requires years to build a viable flower bed. The sun is hot, with UV at 5000 feet intense. In many parts of Colorado the wind is hot and rather constant, and starves plants of their moisture in a day or two. Add low humidity, and you can begin to see why Colorado has experienced so many devastating forest and grassland fires in recent years. When people come to visit we hand them lip balm and a bottle of water as soon as they get off the airplane.

As new Marylanders, Cathy and I have been working to identify the many plants in the garden, while at the same time doing some basic garden maintenance. Our split rail fence needs repairs, and we need to provide some pathways for the dogs. There are several good sized trees and shrubs which need to be moved to new places, and there are three dead trees in the yard which will need to be removed. It is a project, so much so that we had to make a big to do list and prioritize it.

Elfreth’s Alley, Philadelphia, 1736

This is one of the oldest extant blocks of housing still in use in America. Yes, all these homes – tiny as they are – are still inhabited. It is great to get a glimpse of real history still in use. I can imagine perhaps Benjamin Franklin walking through this block on his way to a meeting or supper with friends.

Rodin Museum, Philadelphia

So, way back when, a Philadelphia philanthropist had a crazy passion for Auguste Rodin, the famous French sculptor. He created this museum to feature original castings and carvings, as well as excellent copies of some of Rodin’s best known works. Many of the bronze castings were made after Rodin’s death from molds of the originals. No photograph can do justice to the huge “Gates of Hell” sculpture, which includes some 200 figures in every conceivable pose. It is about 20 feet high, and outstanding in every way. This is a nice first stop on the East Coast Art Tour.

Starr Kempf outdoor sculpture

Starr has had little recognition outside of Colorado Springs, and it is really too bad, because the guy is a fantastic artist and visionary. All of these sculptures are located at the Kempf residence near Cheyenne Canyon, and date back to 1977. Starr was keenly interested in creating an environment where each of these sculptures relate to one another even as they stand alone. The material is painted steel, and there are many moving parts. The sculptures slowly swing back and fourth in the wind, several rotate, and the round parts with fins spin, like a roof vent. He did all of this from a tiny little workshop set along the street, below the house a little bit – eventually each sculpture is too large, and he is out in his driveway for the final assembly. Starr committed suicide in 1995, and some of the sculptures shown here may have been removed due to ongoing legal issues with the city and neighborhood. The house gives some scale, but take my word when I say these are BIG sculptures.

Scottish

If you know that quote your probably over 35, or watch a lot of SNL reruns. I believe Mike Myers says that in one of the skits, “If it isn’t Scottish, it’s crap! “.

I don’t really mean to offend all my Norwegian cousins  – I am half Norwegian after all, and only 1/4 or 1/3 Scottish. The thing is, there are not very many Norwegian festivals, not to mention pubs. In Colorado there are any number of Irish/Scottish/Celtic festival throughout the summer featuring everything from young dancers to trebuchets. Not so for the Norwegians, I guess there is just not enough of a concentration. Perhaps in Minnesota I could find a big Norway fest, but not Colorado.

As a side note, here on the East Coast you don’t see combined Irish/Scottish festivals – they don’t appear to mingle that much. I could probably get beat up in an Irish bar. We will see…

Washington DC

This is our family Christmas present, a long weekend seeing a few sites in DC. Dec 29, 2012

Anvil Graphics at the Pines Building

This is the office for my graphic design business while in Greeley. It features a relaxed seating area, 4 work stations, a medium format proofing printer, two smaller printers, a storage room, and several of my sculptures on display.

Hayden Pass Motorcycle Trip

Brother Mike and I had a really excellent day of cycling near Cotapaxi, CO last fall. It was a gorgeous day and we had no mechanical problems. I was so sore the following days, could barely walk. We ended up buying a new camera because of the focus problems evident in some of these photos.