AisA Academy

My Backyard Ladies November 8, 2008

Back to lighter subjects.

We have had chickens for the past 10 years. Several different flocks, unfortunately, as we worked to be smarter than the racoons and weasels. They actually were the kids’ first pets. When in 4-H, Ben and Eva were in charge of their care, but now they are pretty much all mine, and I love them. I think of them as living lawn ornaments. So silly and dumb, and yet exotic and beautiful.

This is the first set that hasn’t been named. I guess we’ll have to work on that!

Zero and the Devil Doll November 2, 2008

Young Actor’s Workshop and the Haunted House October 29, 2008

Every year,  Young Actor’s Workshop puts on a Haunted House in order to raise money during our town’s pumpkin festival.  The past several years, we have been working out of an old barn owned by the historical society which has added a very realistic background to our spooky fantasy. This year we had a new theme: Pirates!! It’s a wonderful project which involves entire families and somewhat loony community members. the kids are the primary actors inside the house, while the adults act as tour guides. Wish you all could come see it live, but here’s some photos instead. (Because I don’t know how some parent’s feel about having their kids photos up on the internet, I am only including adults, my kids and other kids only if they are sufficiently disguised by costume.  If I get permission, I will add some others later.)

Here are two lovely ladies waiting to send the victims..um..err…visitors through the house.

And below are Ben and Eva. Ben wears a mask as he watches the crowd, interacting with those waiting in line to go through the house. Through a hidden microphone, he is able to talk through Captain Bly, a life-size manikin shown further below. Eva works inside the house operating what are know as “control rooms.”  One of those control rooms operates this skeleton pirate whose eyes light up and jaw moves as Eva, hidden below under the deck of the ship, talks with the tour guide and group.

This is Betty. She usually lives in our garage coming out to spend Halloween on our front porch to welome the Trick-or-Treaters. This year she gained a beard and was put to work in the Haunted House.

Here is “Boris, ” one of the tour guides, threatening Captain Bly with his sword while Miss Shannon looks on.  

Then a few peaks inside the house and out:

And a last tribute to the Grand Masters of the Haunted House!!

Washington DC October 6, 2008

Here’s a peek at my trip with Eva to Washington D.C. Many of the places we visited didn’t allow photos (like the chamber of the House of Reps, the Spy Museum, and the National Gallery of Art – but you can see an image of my favorite painting here, although the internet can not come close to reproducing the incredible detail and accuracy of the painting. It seemed like if I could stroke Napoleon’s skin it would have felt soft, warm and smooth.) We had only 10 minutes in the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. Guess I will just have to go back!

From the Washington Monument

We were able to tour the Capital- well just the House side. The Senator’s offices don’t give tours and the Rep’s aren’t allowed to take tours to the Senate side. I was impressed by the statuary and art work, but unfortunately there wasn’t enough time to appreciate it all. Eva was able to see the originals of several works of art she studied last year through Scott Powell’s History at our House (see link in side bar) including the Baptism of Pocahantas and The Westard Course of Empire Takes its Way.

Here’s something I never noticed before about one of my favorite paintings. Do you see how Jefferson is stepping on the foot of Adams? I find that pretty funny!

Detail from John Trumball's Signing of the Declaration

The House chamber was essentially empty and some poor Rep was blabbing to himself about a project he wanted funded. It really struck home how many laws get passed without anyone truly understanding what they are all about. I think we would be a lot freer if our Congressmen had to sit and listen to everything being said. They would have less time to write up laws– most of which just spend our money and restrict our freedoms– and maybe they would think more about what they were saying if they knew that they had to sit and listen to whatever everybody else had to say. Sort of like batters used to get hit less by pitchers when the pitchers knew they had to take their turn as a target….I mean up to bat.

Dome of the Capital

Eva doesn’t like hiking and the weather was too iffy (rain) to rent bicycles, so I didn’t get to see as many of the memorials as I would have liked. My favorite though was the Korean War Memorial with its ponchoed solidiers slogging through the jungle. The wall off to the side was etched with ghostly images, almost like the souls fo the soldiers were there keeping watch. A beautiful flower wreath from the Ambassador of Korea adorned the memorial with thanks. It was nice to know someone remembered and appreciated what young men from the U.S. have given to the world. Freedom does have a price.

And it is more than eternal vigilence.

I didn’t know that there is more than one copy of the Magna Charta and that one of the originals is at the National Archives. It was exciting to see what good shape it’s in, even after 800 years. The Declaration and the Constitution weren’t as well preserved, but it was still exciting to see them. No flash photos allowed, and the light was dim, but here is what I could capture:

We spent a day at Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. I love this place. They have preserved it so well that you truly get a glimpse of what life was like back then, and of what a remarkable individual Washington was–and all done with privite funding. I regret not taking more pictures of the grounds (none were allowed of inside the house.)

We had a taste Peanut and Chestnut soup for lunch–a bit like drinking peanut butter–and saw the actual key to the Bastille. The educational center has a fascinating exhibit where using computer technology, they reproduced images of Washington at various ages and then made incredibly life-like wax models. All in all a wonderful tribute to an amazing man.

This trip would not have been possible without our hosts and tour guides, the Cardiff family.
My favorite part of the whole trip has can’t be reproduced here as it was the concert Eva and Gwen gave us on piano and guitar.

I gained a lot of confidence on navigating cities and in particular the use of the Metro. It is nice to be home and engaged in a predictable routine for a while, but when the next opportunity for travel arises, I will be ready.