The Fair Facts

A Mes Professeurs de Français!!

2011-08-26T14:47:00.035-04:00

M. Vincent Guillemard - Professeur du cours avancé à l'Institute Catholique

M. Pierre Espagnon - Professeur d'Atlier de cinéma français à l'Institut Catholique

Mon prof M. Beck et moi!

Je viens de revenir de la France et j'ai pris plus de 5000 photos!! Je voudrais dédier ce blogue à mes professeurs parce que j'ai vu beaucoup de choses que j'avais étudié dans mes cours de français! For those of you who don't speak French, I'm dedicating this blog to my French professors who taught me so many things that I saw while in France this summer. I hope I haven't made too many errors in French grammar!! Merci beaucoup!!

Pour Mme. Duke qui est décédée

Mme. Duke étaient mon professeur au lycée et m'a enseigné pendant deux de quatre ans de français. Grâce à elle, je sais la chanson Sur la pont d'Avignon. Dans cette vidéo je danse et chante la chanson sur le vrai pont d'Avignon!

Pour Mme. Laura Franklin!

Merci! Vous m'encouragiez dans tous les cours de français à NOVA. Grâce à vous, je continue à suivre les cours de français et m'a donné une meilleure base de grammaire! Les photos du Jardin du Luxembourg sont pour vous. Vive Paris in Action!!

Pour Mme. Pascale De Souza

Merci! Pendant mon voyage en France, je voyais beaucoup de panneaux que nous étudions dans notre cours de traduction. Aussi, le cours d'identités francophones m'aidais pendant mon cours avancé à l'Institute Catholique à Paris. Le cours de traduction avec le vocabulaire, l'argot et les proverbes m'aidaient beaucoup pendant ma visite en France! Pendant mes séjours aux villes de la France, j'ai pris des photos pour vos présentations!!

Pour M. Gérard Beck

Merci, merci pour un voyage merveilleux!! Les quatres semaines à Paris étaient magnifiques!! Grâce à vous, j'aime l'histoire de France, j'aime des cathédrales avec des arc-boutants, j'aime les chateaux de la Loire, j'aime le sud de la France, j'aime tout!! J'ai pris beaucoup de photos des cathédrales à Paris, à Reims, à Nancy, en Avignon - presque partout!! Je voyais les choses que nous avions discuté dans le cours de l'histoire, la culture et la littérature du Moyen Age au XVIIIe siècle! Mon prof dans ma classe avancée à l'Institute Catholique pensait que j'étais très intelligente parce que j'ai su que les Gaullois ont inventé le savon!! J'étais aussi contente de pourvoir réciter Le Corbeau et le renard pour M. Guillemard. Merci, merci encore!!Pour Mme. Janine Ricouart

Merci! Je suis allée au Cimitière Père Lachaise et au Cimitière de Montparnasse pour voir les tombes des écrivains du XIXe et XXe siècles. Grâce à vous, j'étais très contente dans ma classe avancée à l'Institute Catholique parce que j'ai su toutes les définitions pour les expressions stylistiques et des autres termes comme l'autonomase, la lilote, l'alexandrin, l'assonance, etc. J'ai une appréciation pour ces écrivains français!!

Pour Mlle. Dorothée Polanz

Merci! Grâce à vous, je sais beaucoup d'information sur les affaires français. J'utilisais beaucoup les distributeurs de billets de BNP Parisbas. Merci pour l'information des banques françaises parce que j'avais besoin de ça quand j'ai loué le gîte en Provence. J'ai pris des photos des banques en France pour vous et ici c'est la Caisse d'Epargne!!

Je suis à Paris

2011-07-08T09:19:00.032-04:00

I finally have access to the Internet and can start my blog. I've been here for two weeks today and have had some interesting adventures. The first was getting from the airport to the hotel. I was given a free number to use to contact City Shuttle using France Telecom, but I couldn't get it to work until an English lady tried. I was so excited to find the man driving the shuttle to take me to Paris! Here's a picture down the street from my hotel near the Bastille.

Once in Paris, we started driving down la Rue de Charonne; and when I saw some of the hotels, I was praying they weren't mine. Well, mine did look a little nicer, but it was nothing to brag about - except the location, which was great. Here is a picture of my single room. The French don't know about "climatisation" - air conditioning. Fortunately, there was a big window (no screens), but it was on the street which had loads of cafes (I can't use the accent marks for some reason - darn!) so it was noisy until the wee hours of the morning. Il fait tres chaud samedi et dimanche! It was very hot on Ssaturday and Sunday - even Monday. I thought I was going to roast to death. However, it cooled down and there was a nice breeze the rest of the week. The first day was a lazy one because I hadn't really gotten any sleep on the plane. Saturday, my Parisian friend Olivier came to the hotel and brought the box I had mailed with all my protein powder. He took me to the Orange store to buy a French cell phone (needed for class) and then to the Gare de Lyon (one of the train stations) to make my train reservations to go to Nancy and Avignon. We took the subway (metro) everywhere and I was glad he knew where we were going, but it's not really too difficult. There a beaucoup de lignes, but there are good signs. We then went to Notre Dame. Unfortunately, it was closed for some reason. We walked along the Seine waiting for the "jardin" to open so we could take some pictures. From there we decided to eat lunch so I had a crepe avec jambon, fromage et champignons. It probably had too many carbs, but I had been walking and standing forever so I figured I deserved it. From there we went to the Cimitiere Pere Lachaise where a lot of famous French people like Colette and Balzac are buried. There are some other famous people buried there like Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. Unfortunately, we didn't go in the gate where they distributed the maps so we didn't find too many. The place was completely crowded with tombs and mausoleums that were very old. It didn't look like anyone takes much care of the area. I'm hoping to go back to see some of the famous tombs. Here's Balzac - one of the authors we had to read this year in French 371.

When we returned to the Place de la Bastille, it was super crowded and then Olivier realized that there was a gay pride event going on. It was definitely a site. I saw a lot of people with feather wings, different color hair, and very different attire. I also saw one fellow who had a sticker on that indicated he was a homophobe. Nervy, I guess. We returned to the hotel without indicent and Olivier left. I was ready to go to bed!! Here's the top of the Bastille monument.
On Sunday, I found my way by metro to the paroisse de Paris of my church - the Church of Jesus Christ des Saints de Dernier Jours. I was so excited to go to a church service totally in French. It was nice to sing the "cantiques en francais" (hymns in French) and to listen to the lessons and have sacrament in another language. And ... I understood!! Saturday afternoon, I just relaxed and watched some French TV.

Monday was an exciting day. I took a tour with Cityrama to Mont Saint Michel - a dream come true for me. We traveled from Paris into the region of Normandy which was a flat patchwork of greens and browns - fields of green corn stalks and wheat - with lots of cows. Normandy is known for its dairy products and is the home of Camembert cheese. A woman made it from brie. We stopped in a small town called Bevron en Auge which is famous for its apple juice, cider, and a type of wine made from apples and pears. I drank a glass of cold apple juice which was delicious.

From there we continued our journey to Mont Saint Michel. We stopped at Le Relais de Mont Saint Michel for lunch and had salmon which was very tasty. I was so disapapointed I couldn't eat the cheesecake that was for dessert! Finally, we could see the abbey from the terrace of the restaurant. It was a cloudy and very overcast day, and I couldn't get my polarizer on the correct lens so many of my photos had to be adjusted. But ... my dream to see this famous place had finally come true! I knew there would be stairs - that's why I had to lose weight to come - but Paris' metro stairs are nothing compared to the stairs we had to climb at the abbey. I'm so glad I made it all the way!!! I couldn't believe how many pictures I took. Unfortunately, it's not furnished well, but there is a city on this mall island. There are two other islands near this one - one of which served as a prison where Fouquet, one of Louis XIV's treasurers, was sent.

We got back late that night, but it doesn't get dark here until 10 pm, which makes one feel like it's much earlier. The CItyrama office is near the Tuilleries. When we got off the bus, I realized that there was a gigantic ferris wheel there so, of course, I had to take some pictures before getting on the metro and heading back to the hotel to collaps! Here's a picture of the ferris wheel which was lighted with the status of Jeane d'Arc in the front.
All in all the first three days in Paris and Normandy were a success!

Spring Has Sprung in DC!

2011-03-31T21:16:00.039-04:00

This is the most beautiful time of the year in Washington. When you drive into the city over the 14th Street Bridge, you can see all the cherry blossom trees in full bloom. I went on a Photo Safari Tuesday morning and wanted to share some of my photos - ones taken with my new Nikon D90 camera!! The only bad part of this was having to be at the Tidal Basin at 6:15 am and having to park 1 mile from the meeting point. Needless to say, I didn't get there in time. Here are some pictures of just the blooms. I found out during the shoot that the idea for the trees came from a woman photographer who had been to Japan and taken pictures of the trees. She had tried for many years to get the National Park Service to do something like this. It wasn't until she talked to Mrs. Taft, wife of the President, that something was accomplished. The city of Tokyo gave the tress to the US in 1912. The first tree was planted by Mrs. Taft and the second was planted by the wife of the Japanese ambassador. Some of the pictures show older trees - you can tell because they are so gnarly. Some of the shapes of the trees are very interesting. One is called the "Maid of the Blossoms." The tree looks like a woman throwing the blossoms backward over her head into the basin. Here are a few views of her. Another lady, Jean, her daughter, and I finally met the group near to the paddle boats. There were many photographers around - not just the ones with our group. Ohio Drive filled up quickly with cars. I took about 250 pictures in the two hours we were there. I like so many of the pictures, I might just make a Creative Memories book just for the Cherry Blossoms! We walked from near the paddle boats around the basin to the Jefferson Memorial and continued on to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. As we journeyed around, we almost froze to death. After a few nice days of warmer weather, Old Man Winter tried to come back! The sky cleared and turned a beautiful blue while the sun rose. The trees were in full bloom so everything was just beautiful. Here are some pictures taken while walking around the Tidal Basin.

One of my favorite memorials is the Jefferson. It's is modeled after the Pantheon in Rome which was also Jefferson's model for his home in Charlottesville, VA - Monticello. The architect was John Russell Pope who also designed the National Art Gallery. Even though Jefferson was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States, he always said his main accomplishment was founding the University of Virginia, which also has a building like the memorial. The cornerstone was laid by President Franklin Roosevelt on November 15, 1939. It was dedicated in 1943. Roosevelt was instrumental in the development and completion of the memorial. He wanted to be able to see it from the White House so he had all the trees cut down to make sure it was visible. In one of the pictures taken from the memorial, you can see the White House and the open space.

Rudolph Evans was the sculpture for the statue of Jefferson, which looks out between the columns toward the White House. The statue is 19 feet tall and weighs five tons. Around the inside of the memorial are quotations from speeches made by Jefferson. I love taking pictures of the inside of domes - as you can see! When exiting the memorial, some helicopters flew by so I caught an image!

We continued on the path as the sun rose. Unfortunately, my polarizing filter didn't fit, but I continued taking more and more pictures. Here are some photos of the gnarly trees. Hope you enjoyed the Photo Safair and the cherry blossoms as much as I did!!

Behind the Scenes - Capitol Visitor Center

2011-02-24T18:02:00.048-05:00

I just love my hometown - Washington, DC. What a privilege it is to live in the nation's capital. Your local news is the national news. You're right in the midst of all the action. And ... it's such a lovely, beautiful city. Every time I go to DC, I have to take my camera for pictures. I was lucky again last Thursday when I went to the special tour of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC)with the Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, DC. The sky was so blue - a great morning for pictures. I love being a tour guide - to share my city with other Americans and with the French-speaking people who come to pay us a visit.

On my way from the Capitol South Metro Station to the CVC, I pulled out the trusty Nikon and started taking pictures. You'd think I would have enough, but that's never the case. There's always a unique way to look at the buildings. For example, here are the sides of the Madison Building (part of the Library of Congress) (second picture and the Cannon House Office Building (first picture). It's interesting to see the older architecture across from the street from the new. On the old, you can see the columns and on the new, the modern straight lines. I lean towards the "old."

Just before crossing Pennsylvania Avenue, I had to take some new shots of the Jefferson Building - the original part of the Library of Congress. It has such a unique dome. The front is also beautiful with its columns and steps. If you haven't been there, you should go. Inside is a great example of Italian renaissance architecture.

Finally, I approached the CVC. As I was walking down to its entrance, I had to take some photos of the Capitol - again! It seems like I've been visiting the Capitol all my life. The CVC, which is underground, does not take anything away from the beauty of its architecture and Frederick Olmsted's landscaping. Our guide, who works for the Architect of the Capitol, told us about the trees that had to be moved and all the work that took place to ensure the landscaping stayed mostly the same. Many of the trees are original or were planted by Congressmen who have since passed away so this was an important task. He also told us that the roof of the CVC had to be built first. So, instead of building the center from the ground up, it was built from the ground (roof) down!

Once you enter the CVC, you can still see the Capitol from inside - through a roof of glass. It was fun to try to take "cool" pictures through the roof. Since this was a tour "behind the scenes," we were able to go to a part of the CVC used only by Congressmen and Capitol employees. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures in some places because of security, but where I could, I did. Since the original Capitol was built with imperfect sandstone that Bulfinch (one of the architects) painted white, the official Architect wanted to make sure that the "new part" had the same imperfect stones. Although there is no longer any stones left in the Aquia Creek, the builders were able to find matching stones from Boyer, Pennsylvania. I've included some pictures of the walls, the statuary, and the columns.

Each state is allowed to have two statues at the Capitol. Before the CVC, most were displayed in Statuary Hall (the original House of Representatives), the rotunda, and throughout the halls of the Capitol. Now many of them are in the CVC. One statue that needed to be moved to a better space was the one from Hawaii - King Kamehameha - who weighs 12,500 lbs.

There's a replacement statue for Alabama - Helen Keller. It is the first statue of a child and the ninth female statue.

Felix de Weldon, who was the sculptor for the Iwo Jima Memorial, was the sculptor for the Mother Joseph statue. De Weldon is the only sculptor to have a statue on every continent including Antarctica.

One of the newest statues is that of Jack Sweigert representing Colorado. It is one of the first statues in color. If you look at the helmet in his hands, you can see a reflection of the Capitol.

To me, the most impressive statue is the plaster model of Freedom Triumphant - the statue that is on top of the Capitol dome. On the Capitol website you read : "The statue is a classical female figure of Freedom wearing flowing draperies. Her right hand rests upon the hilt of a sheathed sword; her left holds a laurel wreath of victory and the shield of the United States with thirteen stripes. Her helmet is encircled by stars and features a crest composed of an eagle's head, feathers, and talons, a reference to the costume of Native Americans. A brooch inscribed 'U.S.' secures her fringed robes. She stands on a cast-iron globe encircled with the words E Pluribus Unum, the national motto at the time of her placement atop the dome." Here are several views. The sculptor was Thomas Crawford. He was commissioned to do this and made the plaster model in his studio in Rome. The statue was cast by Clark Mills in five parts in 1860 at his Bladensburg, Maryland, foundry under the watchful eye of his slave Philip Reid. Work was stopped in 1861 because of the Civil War, but it was finally completed in 1862. The statue was raised and put in place on December 2, 1863. Philip Reid was a free man at this time. Some of the pictures of Freedom looked better as black and white!
I had to rush home to go to French class so I couldn't take anymore pictures. Maybe next time!

400,000 Lights!!

2010-12-21T12:58:00.017-05:00

It was a Photo Safari again, but this time it was at night and at the Washington, DC, LDS Temple. As I walked toward the Visitors' Center, I thought I wouldn't need gloves or a hat, but after about one hour my right hand and both feet were frozen! I was glad to finally go inside the Center to see the beautifully decorated trees and the Christus surrounded by all the white poinsettias. The line for the nativities was way too long!

This is such a special time of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. The Washington Temple is always a beautiful spot to see in Washington, especially when you're driving around the beltway from Georgia Avenue to Connecticut Avenue. The temple just appears out of nowhere. But ... at Christmas time, it's even more beautiful. There are 400,000 lights around the center and on the trees leading up to the temple. There's also a manger scene which used to have live participants, but not any more.

I took a lot of pictures, but it was really hard to focus at night. I had the same problem when I went on the night-time photo safari to the DC monuments. Here are a few of the scenes I saw. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and an even happier New Year! As the French say - Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!!

Learning to Use My Flash!!

2010-11-23T18:18:00.039-05:00

Finally! I'm getting to add something to my blog!! Last Saturday, I went on a photo safari to the Franciscan Monastery in northeast Washington. It's a familiar place to me because I've been there many times - mostly when I was younger. My grandmother used to live near Catholic University in northwest Washington so there were times on Sundays when we would visit the monastery - even though we weren't Catholic.

It's a very interesting place. It's run, of course, by the Franciscan monks. I didn't realize, though, until I went there with my DC tour guide class, that this order is responsible for the Catholic churches in the Holy Land. The monk that was our guide had just returned from several years in Jerusalem.

Inside this monastery is a replica of the Roman catacombs and the tomb in the Church of the Holy Scepulchre (in Jerusalem) that "they" think is Christ's tomb. Having been to Jerusalem (in 1963 when I was 15!!), I prefer to think of the spot that was discovered in 1948 as Christ real tomb. If you're in Jerusalem, I assume you can still go inside that tomb and see the hill nearby - called Golgatha meaning skull - where Jesus was crucified. The rock hill actually looks like a skull. The replica is behind the curved entry in the middle of the picture on the right.

Anyway, I took this class to finally learn how to use my Nikon flash attachment. Reading the instruction manual is like reading Greek!! I think the course was successful. It was the first time I'd used my new tripod so some of the pictures weren't straight, but I experimented and could see the difference when I used the flash, the flash with the diffuser, and both ways with the flash tilted up to a 45 degress angle. The ceilings inside the church were much too high to reflect the light, so those pictures turned out rather dark. We also played with having the flash off the camera and shooting it multiple times while the camera lens was open for up to 4 seconds. You can see one without the flash and one with the light under the arch from the flash pointed and set off there.

I'd really rather take pictures outside so some of these are outdoors before the class began. There was a rose garden around the church, but most of the roses had had it! I did get a few closeups that were nice.

We also tried using a colored gel strip in front of the flash to change the color of the picture. There are some pictures here of the ceiling under the dome of the monastery - one with the flash and one with the flash plus an orange gel strip.

Here are some more inside pictures - one of the altar in one of the chapels and the other is the underneath of the cover over the main altar.

I had fun, the teacher was great and funny - hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Vacation - Finally!!

2010-08-09T19:09:00.017-04:00

Aimee and I finally got a chance to take a vacation together this summer. It's my first since I retired in 2007 so I was really excited to get out of the Washington, DC, area and take some pictures somewhere else.

My cousin Wayne Lidman, Sandra Cox, and Billie McBride (friends of Mary Ruth) gave a surprise 70th birthday party for my cousin Mary Ruth who lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She was so surprised, and it was lots of fun to see everyone in SC again. I realized that I hadn't been there for about 12 years. It was the first time that Judy (my sister) and I could go to something out of town at the same time. It was the first time in forever that all the cousins were together so we made sure we took pictures to prove it!! Below is a picture of the cousins - me, Wayne Lidman, Jack Dunker, Mary Ruth Dunker, Judy Henderson, and Aimee Calissie.

After spending a couple days in Spartanburg, Aimee and I headed for Myrtle Beach, SC. It's our favorite beach and we stayed in our regular place - Blue Water Resort. We got there on Monday and finally got into the room about 2:30 pm. Right after we brought everything in the sky opened up and there was a terrible thunder and lightning storm. We hoped that this wouldn't happen for the two other days we were going to be there. We wanted to improve our tan!! Below is a picture of the beach with the rows of umbrellas at about 10 am in the morning.

Fortunately, Tuesday was mixed with sun and clouds. One thing that was interesting was that all the lifeguards were foreign instead of American college hunks as it was when I was younger. Our lifeguard was Max from Kiev, Ukraine. We had some good conversations about language, living in the US, etc. Aimee and I enjoyed laying on the beach, reading books, and getting HOT because it was so hot and humid. I had to get into the ocean, but Aimee didn't want to get stung by sea nettles. We also went to Broadway on the Beach and Barefoot Landing. We wish we could have stayed longer, but ... Below is a picture of our lifeguard Max!

Below is a picture of the statue in front of the SC State House - check the Confederate flag!!

On Thursday, we traveled west again and went to Columbia, SC. I had traveled through the city before but had never stayed there or done any sightseeing. Aimee's former bosses from Golds Gym in Utah - Ron and Mary Littlebrandt - now live in Columbia and run five Golds Gyms there. We stayed in their beautiful house and had so much fun just talking about old times. On the way to finding the cemetery in which my maternal grandfather was buried, we stopped and took pictures of the State House. Check out the Confederate flag in front!! After that, Aimee and I went to the cemetery also and put flowers on his grave. That evening I finally found the Columbia LDS Temple and went to a session there. We here in DC are so spoiled by our beautiful, large temple. I almost missed the temple because it was among houses on a road - so small! But ... as one of the sister said - the Spirit is still there and the same as in any other temple.

Above is a picture of Mary and Ron Littlebrandt with Aimee in their beautiful living room! Below is a picture of the Columbia, SC, LDS Temple.

Saturday, we headed back to Spartanburg to see Mary Ruth again. She has the cutest dog - Bentley - and we had so much fun with him. We had a great southern dinner with fresh tomatoes and fried okra! Unfortunately, since I had my operation, I can't eat all the "good stuff," but Aimee did which was great! We also put flowers on my mom's mother's, aunt's, and grandparents graves in the Oakwood Cemetery there in Spartanburg. Mary Ruth is a Twilight buff as Aimee and I are so we went to see "Eclipse" together. Aimee is "Team Jacob," but Mary Ruth and I are "Team Edward!" Below is a picture of Mary Ruth with Bentley, her precious Bichon frise!

Unfortunately, the next Monday we had to come home. It was a world wind trip of SC, but we had a great time. Thanks to all our hosts!!

La Neige, La Neve, THE SNOW!!

2010-02-07T13:21:00.025-05:00

It seems to really snow, snow, snow every four or five years in the Washington, DC, area. AND ... this is the year!! I thought the snow on December 19, 2009, was bad; but this is ridiculous. While some of my friends are blogging that they are going to the beach in Thailand or having beautiful, summer-type days in Ethiopia, we're covered, and I mean covered, with lots and lots of snow!!! I think we've probably had at least two feet or more.

It finally stopped snowing yesterday afternoon. Thank goodness Aimee is here!! I think she's been kinda bored so she headed out during the day yesterday, while it was still snowing, to dig a tunnel to the car.

Of course, when the plows come through, what do they do? Do they move the snow to the side of the road where there are no cars? No, they put the huge mound of snow right behind all the cars. Later in the evening, she journeyed out again to try to move the mound. Here's Aimee doing more today!! NOT a happy camper!

At least it's sunny today, but nothing is melting!! Before Aimee tried her luck again, I took some more pictures from the house. The second one is through the sliding glass door looking out the back of the house.

After a while, others decided to venture out in an attempt to find their cars. Everyone has been raising their windshield wipers to avoid them freezing to the glass. You'll notice that the snow almost hid my wipers!
And, my neighbor's car made a face again!!

I finally decided I should do my part so I went into the backyard. You can see how high the snow was. I knew I needed to move the snow from around the heat pump and the window well. I'm now terribly exhausted. I'm just going to take two vicodan for my knees and lay on the couch!! It better not snow again on Tuesday!!!!!!!!!

Snow, Snow Everywhere!!

2009-12-21T12:54:00.006-05:00

My last class was Thursday, I finished my visiting teaching, and I was ready to get started on Christmas. My throat and nose had a different idea!! The body decided to get sick so I've been coughing and blowing my nose while I watch about 20+ inches of snow cover the outside of our townhouse. I was all alone because Aimee was in Philadelphia, but it was nice and cozy inside.

Saturday morning the snow had stopped but everything was covered. I looked out my kitchen window and saw a face the snow had left on my neighbor's car so I took the picture. I thought I'd better record this record snowfall which fortunately only happens every four or five years in the DC area. There's no way I would live any further north than here. My pictures aren't that great because they were taken through the window. No, I'm not going out in that snow!!

My sister in Maryland was watching the snow while she was shut in for days with my 97-year-old mother! Judy got some good pictures, too.

My home teacher, Brother Seeley, came over yesterday and cleaned off my car and my sidewalk. YEAH, Bro Seeley!!!! Today, my neighbor Bob cleaned the pile of snow behind my car left by the snow plow. YEAH, Bob!!!!! I went to Costco and got some supplies and the turkey for Christmas dinner. Carrying in heavy objects from the car to the house was not fun with all the black ice, but I made it. Wednesday, Rick and I got to get Aimee in Philadelphia. She's healthy and doing well!!! YEAH, Aimee!!!!

It will be spring before the snow melts in front of my house - no sun during the day - but I don't have to go to work anymore. YEAH, Retirement!!!!

Hope you all are enjoying the weather where you are. I know some of my friends are enjoying summer-type weather in Thailand and Ethiopia. Well, just don't brag! Happy Holidays!!

Bienvenue à Washington!!

2009-08-14T14:16:00.019-04:00

Hier, mes amies Marie-France Weber and Nicole LeTellier et moi, nous sommes allées à Washington avec deux amis français de Nicole - Warren et Sadi. Depuis que je sois un guide touristique à Washington, j'ai donné un tour de la ville à eux. Nous nous sommes amusés et nous sommes allés partout de la ville. Nous avons vu le Capitole, la Cour Suprème et la gare (Union Station). Après nous avons mangé au bâtiment de Ronald Reagan, nous sommes allés au Mémorial à la deuxième guerre mondiale, au Mémorial de la Corée, au Mémorial pour Lincoln, et au Mémorial au Viet Nam. Il faisait très chaud hier!! En chemin de retour, nous avons passé le Mémorial pour Thomas Jefferson et nous nous sommes arrêtés au Mémorial de Pentagon. Warren et Sadi se sont amusés.

Now I'll change to English for those who don't speak French!! My friends Marie-France Weber and Nicole LeTellier took French friends of Nicole's sightseeing in DC yesterday. We had a great time. First, we drove into Washington via the 14th Street Bridge passing by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving and the Holocaust Museum. We turned onto Independence Avenue and continued past many of the Smithsonian museums up to Capitol Hill where we passed by the House and Senate Office buildings, the Library of Congress, the Capitol, and the Supreme Court. Even though our trains aren't as wonderful as the TGV in France, we dropped Warren, Sadi, and Nicole off at Union Station to see that magnificient building.

Since the boys hadn't eaten yet, we went down Constitution Avenue to the Ronald Reagan building so they could have a taste of an American food court!! Of course, we all had hamburgers from Flamer's along with great "French fries"! After that, we went to the World War II Memorial and walked around. It's nice to have a handicapped parking pass so we could park right there!! We then went to the Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Viet Nam War Memorial.

I love DC in the summer, especially now since I'm a tour guide, because you meet so many fun people. While I was waiting for them at the Lincoln Memorial, I started talking to a lady from California. She said she'd seen everything in Washington in two days. I thought to myself - No way, José!! I asked her if she'd been to the Capitol? No! Library of Congress? No! Ford's Theatre? No! And ... I went on and on. She now has much more to see.

Later while I was waiting at the Viet Nam Memorial for everyone to get water - it was super hot yesterday - I sat down next to a lady who didn't speak English. Her friends came over and guess where they were from? ITALY!! So, I started talking in fratalian - my mind was in French mode so I was having a hard time speaking Italian. I answered some questions for them about getting around DC. It was fun to meet this group from Milano.

While we were at the Viet Nam Women's Memorial, I heard a couple speaking French. So ... I asked in French - Etes-vous français? Oui, they replied. D'òu venez-vous? (From where do you come?) De Toulouse!! That was exciting because Marie-France's son Matthew (Matthieu) had served in Toulouse during his mission to France. Of course, we continued to "parler français" and I told this family - the children had shown up - about the Viet Nam Memorial.

Since it was sooooo hot and humid, we just drove by the Jefferson Memorial and stopped (thanks again to the handicapped parking pass) at the Pentagon Memorial. When Warren was here last year, this memorial wasn't open yet. Both fellows were interested in what had happened on 911.

We had a great time speaking French all afternoon. Even though I haven't been able to go back to Europe, Europe has come to me in DC!! Please enjoy the pictures at Flamer's, WWII, Lincoln, and the Pentagon.

Andiamo all'opera!!

2009-07-25T18:59:00.006-04:00

Ieri molti studenti del mio corso di italiano sono andati all'opera a Wolf Trap a Vienna in Virginia. Era l'ultimo giorno del corso dunque il teatro era una grande fine! Quella mattina abbiamo avuto anche il nostro esame ultimo. Venerdì era una buona giornata. La prima foto mostra le due professoresse - Laura Vinti (a sinistra) e Donatella Melucci (a destra). Loro erano eccellenti!! L'opera era "Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria" per Monteverdi - una opera barocca. Era il mia prima opera italiana!

I should probably change to English for those of you who haven't studied Italian!! My three-week intensive Italian class, called "Little Italies" at George Mason University, was wonderful! I pretended that I was in Rome instead of Fairfax. Since it was almost every day for three weeks, I finally started thinking in Italian. Now when I'm driving anywhere, I talk to myself in Italian instead of French. I'm even dreaming in Italian!!

Our two professors - Laura Vinti and Donatella Melucci were great! We had lots of fun learning Italian, eating Italian lunches, and watching great Italian films like "Divorce Italian Style," "Ciao, Professore," "The Boy's Room" (very sad), and "The Night Before Finals" (quite funny). We had our final exam Friday morning and most of the class met in the evening at the Barns at Wolf Trap to see "Return of Ulysses," an opera by Monteverdi. I went early with my new friend from class, Maria McKay, to listen to the talk about the opera. I'm so glad we did because I think I better understood what was happening. Of course, there were supertitles because the entire play was in Italian, but I was excited to actually understand some of the Italian. During the opera, I even recognized the use of the verb "vergognarsi" (to feel ashamed) which was a verb I hadn't know on the test!!

Here's a picture of us after the three-hour opera. Another great thing about the class was being with all the "real" college students - makes you feel young again. We had a great time; and going with everyone, including the professors, to the opera that evening was a wonderful end to a great class! Viva Italia!!

Ciao, Tullio!!

2009-07-11T18:39:00.016-04:00

Venerdì, degli studenti della mia lezione di italiano, la professoressa, sue figlie, sua madre ed io siamo andati alla Galleria Nazionale d'Arte a Washington, DC. C'era una mostra delle opere di Tullio Lombardo. Lombardo è stato un scultore del Rinascimento e ha abito a Venezia. Ecco una photografia di una sculture di Lombardo.

For the rest of my friends, I guess I should change to English. I'm taking an intensive three-week Italian class this summer at George Mason University, and it's GREAT! As part of the class, some of us met at the National Gallery downtown to see an exhibit of Tullio Lombardo's sculptures. Lombardo is a Venetian Renaissance sculptor. Unfortunately, we couldn't photograph anything inside of the exhibit because it was on loan.

I arrived at the Gallery a little early so I decided to take pictures, as usual. Here's the outside of the Gallery which was accepted by President Roosevelt in 1941. Most of the original collection was donated by Andrew Mellon who was a financier and lived in the city. He didn't care for modern art so the West building, the original building, doesn't house any modern art. The building was designed by John Russell Pope who also designed the Jefferson Memorial. He was very fond of the Pantheon in Rome, as was Jefferson, so many buildings were modeled after it.

I also took some photos of some French sculptures - couldn't leave out les français!! We waited for the professor in the Rotunda so I took photos of the fountain with Mercury. Our class is very lucky to have two professors - one is Dr. Donatella Melucci from Taranta, Italy, and the other is Signora Laura Vinti from Napoli e Roma. We met the latter at the Gallery. She brought along her two daughters and her mother - all who spoke Italian. The last picture is of the group - from left Maria (student), Signora e sua madre Silvia (back), Noami e Tullia (front), Josh, and Olga (students). Fortunately, I was taking the picture so I wasn't in it. Marie, another student, had already left.

We also saw the Beffi Triptych which is on loan from L'Aquila, Italy, which is where President Obama was this past week. There was a terrible earthquake there earlier this year. The triptych escaped damage and was offered for display at the Gallery until Labor day as a gesture of gratitude to the US which was one of the first countries to offer assistance. Unfortunately, the window behind the photographer is shining on the glass. All photos were taken without flash!! Si diverta!! Ciao!

Maryland is for Crabs!!!!!!

2009-07-01T19:00:00.009-04:00

Today was a treat. I've been at my mother's this week while my sister is volunteering at the AT&T Golf Tournament. This morning Judy met Tiger Woods and drove Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys) and his girlfriend Jessica Simpson to and from the tournament! Well, while Judy was stargazing, I went to Chesapeake Beach, MD, to visit my girlfriend from high school - Mercine Moutouris Marshall and ... WE ATE LOTS OF CRABS!!

Summer in Maryland and Virginia is so wonderful because of our great Chesapeake Bay blue crabs. Sitting at a table of newspapers or brown paper and opening those delicious crabs just makes my mouth water. And ... it brings back fond memories of my childhood. I remember summers with my Henderson cousins at Fairview Beach sitting on the screened-in porch of the Iron Spoon rental cottage eating crabs that my Uncle Willie and Dad had cooked. I even remember when my great uncle Lewis cooking crabs on a fire on the beach. Later, we'd mosy down to the dance pavilion and jitterbug to 50s music (because it was the 50s) playing on the jukebox while our parents went out on the pier to play the slot machines (they were legal in MD and the Potomac (where the pier was) was MD). Those definitely were the days!

Well, Mercine and I did a number on the crabs today as well as the hush puppies we ordered. If you live in the DC area and have never eaten hard shelled crabs, you have to try it! If you want to go to Chesapeake Beach, go where we did - to Abner's Crab House. Here are the remains of what we devoured!!

My Mother Turns 97!!!

2009-06-09T11:30:00.009-04:00

Yes, yesterday, June 8, 2009, Mother turned 97 years young. Can you believe it! We're sure she's going to make it to 100. It was finally NOT RAINING in the DC area so we decided to go to King George, Virginia, to celebrate. When we go down to Igo (the original name for the area from which my fraternal grandmother lived), we always meet up with cousins Jerry and Dorothy Purks. We're related to Jerry two different ways. Jerry is a first cousin to my father because my fraternal grandfather and Jerry's mother were brother and sister. We're also cousins with Jerry through the Purks line and my fraternal grandmother. I'm so glad that my Grandmother Henderson told me so much about my genealogy on the Henderson-Stevens side of the family.

Anyway, Mother loves to eat at Wilkerson's which is a seafood restaurant in Colonial Beach, Virginia. As usual, mother and I had imperial crab! YUM! YUM! She also had a slice of pecan pie with a candle, and the whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday!! Afterwards, we went to Potomac Church where my father and grandparents are buried to put flowers on the grave. Unfortunately, Mother couldn't get out of the car because she has some trouble walking. All in all we had a great day. Here are some pictures of Mother and Judy and me with Jerry, Dorothy and the Birthday Girl!

Mother's Day 2009

2009-05-15T13:45:00.005-04:00

Aimee, Judy (my sister), and I are so glad we still have our mother/grandmother with us. Mom will be 97 on June 8. Unfortunately, her energizer bunny battery is starting to slow down, but she still has a real spirit about her.

Here's a picture of Mother all "dolled up" in the new outfit Judy gave her for Mother's Day. There's also a picture of the Edible Arrangement Aimee and I gave her. I mean - what do you give to someone who is 97? Hope all our friends who are mothers had a great day!!

Un beau samedi

2009-04-25T15:58:00.013-04:00

Aujourd’hui, les étudiants de mon cours de français et moi, nous nous sommes bien amusés chez notre amie Lois. Nous avons rencontré pour faire un dîner breton. Nous avons mangé des moules, une salade, du pain, des pommes de terre frites et un far breton. Nous parlions français tout le temps !! Notre chef était Isabelle Tran qui vient de Bretagne comme mon amie Marie-France.

Of course, not all my friends who are reading this blog speak French so I'm going to revert to English! Lois and her husband bought their house less than a year ago and are remodeling it. Her husband makes furniture and has made everything in the house that's wood - all the furniture, kitchen cabinets, bookcases, tables, chairs - everything!! It was absolutely lovely. I can't wait to go to one of their stores - Hardwood Artisans, in case you're interested.

The first picture is of Lois' abode. The next picture is of the class, along with Isabelle (in the pink sweater), cooking the wonderful Breton dinner. We had mussels, a salad with homemade vinaigrette, French fries (naturally), French bread, and a special Breton cake called "far breton." The next two pictures are of the group (couldn't get everyone in one picture) getting ready to sit down and enjoy our lovely dinner. Our professor is in the picture at the left in a blue top.

Thanks to our professor Mme. Bull for arranging this outing. Thanks to Lois for sharing her house, and a special thanks to Isabelle for sharing her expertise. Merci beaucoup pour un bon samedi!

The National Cathedral

2009-04-19T18:43:00.093-04:00

The National Cathedral in Washington, DC, is the sixth largest cathedral in the world and one of the most famous. The land of Mt. St. Alban was purchased by the first Bishop of Washington Henry Yates Satterlee. The construction started on September 29, 1907, when the cornerstone was laid using the same shovel George Washington used when laying the cornerstone of the Capitol. President Theodore Roosevelt was in attendance. The Cathedral was completed 83 years later on September 29, 1990, with President George H.W. Bush in attendance.

In Pierre Charles L'Enfant's original plan for the city, he had indicated there should be a house of prayer. The National Cathedral has become that - a house of prayer for all people of faith and no faith. The actual name of the church is the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. It is an Episcopal church and follows the Anglican liturgy during its services. However, many important national events have taken place in this building. Ministers from other religions have preached from its pulpit, funeral services for US Presidents have been held here, and Inaugural Prayer Services are held here every four years.

The Cathedral is a beautiful piece of 14th century Gothic architecture. The masonry is stone upon stone with no steel reinforcements. The Cathedral is not a replica of any other church or cathedral. The iconography inside and outside the building follows the story of creation (west front) to Christ's second coming at the High Altar in the east end of the building. You can see from these pictures the sculpture of man being formed, the creation over the middle doors, and the sculpture of St. Peter, the fisherman, at the left door of the west front.

As you approach the Cathedral, you see many of the characteristics of Gothic architecture - the flying buttresses and the great height of the bell tower. As you enter the Cathedral, you can see other characteristics - pointed arches, ribbed vaulting, and stained glass windows. In front of you is the High Altar at the far east end. Turning around you can see the beautiful west rose window made of thousands of pieces of glass - some prisms - that reflect light because in the beginning God said, "Let there be light!"

The interior of the Cathedral not only has artwork reflecting stories from the Bible; but there are statues, stained glass, and other artwork reflecting the history of the United States. There are statues of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and others.

As all Gothic cathedrals, this one is built in the shape of a cross - cruciform. On a sunny day such as the one when I went to the Cathedral, the morning sun radiates through the windows on the south side of the nave, and you can see the beautiful reflection of the colors from the stained glass windows on the Indiana limestone on the north side - just under the other set of beautiful stained glass windows on the north side of the nave. One of the stained glass windows on your level as you're walking is called the "Space Window." A piece of moon rock is embedded in the window and the artwork reflects space.

On the right side just past the space window is the tomb of President Woodrow Wilson, the only US president buried in Washington, DC. The picture I took again shows the light shining through the stained glass and reflecting on the tomb and the floor.

As you continue walking forward into the church, you reach the crossing transept which is where the transept (short arm of the cross) and nave (long arm of the cross) meet. To the right is the Canterbury Pulpit which was carved from stone from the bell tower of the Canterbury Cathedral. The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last public sermon from this pulpit the Sunday before he was assasinated.

In many cathedrals on either side of the High Altar are chapels - to the right for St. John and to the left for St. Mary. In both these chapels in National Cathedral are reredos of Christ on the cross with Mary and John the Beloved below. I have included pictures of the altars in these two chapels. St. John's Chapel has handmade needlepoint kneeling cushions depicting famous people in US history. The color in St. Mary's Chapel is blue because that is the color associated with the mother of Christ. The chapel was constructed using donations from Larz Anderson III whose house on Massachussets Avenue is now home to the Society of the Cincinnati. The walls are covered with tapestries from his estate which he purchased during his world travels as an ambassador. He and his wife are buried in this chapel.

At the High Altar, you can see the beautiful reredos of "Christ in Majesty" surrounded by sculptures of people of faith who lived during the past 20 centuries. Also to the left of the High Altar is the cathedra or bishop's chair. A church must have a bishop and a cathedra to be a cathedral. By the way, the cross on the altar is 6 feet tall. Turning around from the altar, you can see where the choir sits on either side of the aisle. Above that are the 10,650 pipes for the magnificent organ. It is one of the largest organs in the world, but it isn't bigger than the pipe organ in the Mormon Tabernacle which has 11,000! Again you can see the colors reflected on the pipes as the morning sun shines through stained glass windows.

The National Cathedral has so much to see and the regular 30-minute tour only covers the main level of the church. Visitors can go to the crypt level and see the Bethlehem Chapel - theme is the birth of Christ shown on the reredos over the altar - at the east end. The Bethlehem Chapel was the first part of the Cathedral that was completed and is used for services and weddings. It is also the burial place of Bishop Satterlee - behind the altar and directly above the foundation stone laid in 1907.

At the west end of the crypt is the St. Joseph Chapel - theme is the burial of Jesus in the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea. The architecture of the chapel is more Romanesque - the precursor architecture to Gothic - with its curved features and lack of light. The ashes of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie Sullivan are buried in this chapel, and there is a plaque in Braille indicating that. The reredos shows Christ being taken to the tomb and is painted with gold.

Most of these pictures were taken in February 2009 when I went to the Cathedral to take the test to become a certified guide there. I passed!! The first picture was taken last summer - duh! from the green leaves on the trees. The last two pictures were taken in January when I went to the Guild class to learn about becoming a certified guide. The hall is on the seventh floor of the Cathedral where you can see the whole city by walking around the various outside hallways. The other picture is a closeup of the bell tower which is supported by four pillars set deep into the ground.

Although my Christian religious beliefs are not exactly what is taught at this cathedral, it is definitely an important site to see in Washington, DC. People of all faiths are welcome, and people of all faiths should take a tour!!

More Arboretum - A Bonsai Experience

2009-04-14T17:22:00.027-04:00

While my friend and I were at the National Arboretum, we decided to go to the bonsai exhibit. The Arboretum has one of the best bonsai displays in the US. One of the trees dated back to 1795. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the dates with the photos, but I wanted to share some pictures of these amazing trees. In the level above the bonsai exhibits was a pool with these colorful fish. It was fun watching people try to feed them. You can see they were all together very interested in getting some food!

The exhibit is actually divided into Japaneses bonsai and Chinese bonsai. The buildings reflect an Asian decor as you can see in the first pictures above. Not only are there bonsai, but there are also other beautiful vegetation.

Here are some of the bonsai that are shaped differently and appear to have different colors. The trunks of the trees are very interesting. Inside some one may actually see a large stone around which the trunk is growing. Some are designed to make the scene like a minature forest, island, or whatever. Some have leaves that look like a maple or oak where others look like small evergreens. There are so many pictures that it's hard to decide which to put in the blog.

I hope you don't find this too busy with photos, but I wanted to show the different types of trees, the interesting trunks and types of leaves as well as the beautiful flowers that were interspersed within the display of bonsai. Personally, I couldn't tell the difference between the ones in the Japanese pavilion or in the Chinese pavillion (the one with the red flowers).

I like the photo of the red flowers because you can see water dripping off one of the petals. The other picture at the right shows more of the area within the pavilion with other types of greenery.

Cherry Blossoms at the National Arboretum

2009-04-06T18:42:00.019-04:00

On March 30, 2009, my friend Shauna and I went to the National Arboretum to see the cherry blossoms. I hadn't been there in ages and actually don't think I was ever on the grounds - only passing by to go to my grandmother's house. So, I wanted to go there - not as busy as the Tidal Basin which I photographed last year.

It was supposed to be a sunny day; but as we approached, the gray and white clouds were covering the sky. I wanted to take great photos and there was no sun!! First, we went to the Capitol Columns. These were taken from the east side of the Capitol in 1958 when that side was enlarged. Finally, they were placed on a hill in the Arboretum some 20+ years later. You can see the ornate detail of the Corinthian columns in one of the pictures. The first picture shows the clouds which finally went away. I had to go back to take pictures again with the blue sky!!

There are about 18 different variety of cherry blossoms in the park. We drove around the various roads so we could make sure we got pictures of all the different types of trees. There were even magnolia trees in blossom - white and pink. There were other areas of the park dedicated to conifers (evergreens), areas with daffodils on the hills, and areas with small lakes and bridges with forsythia blooming. Shauna and I can't wait to go back to see the dogwoods and azaleas in late April or early May.

In one picture you can see the sun finally peaking through the clouds to make its appearance and to enhance my photos. From the other pictures I've posted, you can see the deep yellow of the daffodils and forsythia and the beautiful pinks of the cherry blossoms.

If you're in Washington now, you should go before the blossoms are blown off or washed away by the rain. If you are planning a trip for next year, this is a good time to visit. The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin are gorgeous, but there were no crowds at the Arboretum. We could park just about anywhere which is what I like when I want to take pictures. The grounds of the Arboretum are so well kept and it's surprising the amount of color even though spring as just sprung! If you're wondering about the picture with the lake and the spikes coming out of the ground - well, that's a cypress tree. Shauna and I assumed that the roots must spike up like stalagmites in the Luray Caverns. Fortunately, I was able to capture the image of the trees in the lake.

My Sister Judy Retires from IRS

2009-03-26T20:27:00.003-04:00

Judy is now the third person in the Henderson family to retire from the Internal Revenue Service. My mom retired in 1975, I retired in 2007, and Judy retired January 3, 2009. I'm sure Judy and I never thought we would spend so much time in that agency, but it proved to be a good and secure job with great benefits - no discount on taxes, though! Here's a picture of Mother and Judy at her retirement party. Congratulations, Judy.

Christmas at the Calissies

2009-01-01T19:38:00.005-05:00

Christmas doesn't seem the same anymore because Aimee isn't a little girl, but she still racked in the presents!! Mom, Judy, and Rick came over for dinner and we had a nice time. Here are some pictures.

Christmas is Near

2008-12-17T14:57:00.009-05:00

Christmas is right around the corner, but Aimee and I have not put up any decorations. I have been putting all my time into the Fairfax Ward Christmas party - "Christmas Around the World" - which was a great success. I had my Italian final today, and tonight is my French final. Tomorrow we can start decorating! I have, however, taken some great pictures this fall for my photography class so I'll be posting some soon.

Just Starting

2008-08-28T20:46:00.012-04:00

I've never done a blog before; but I'm brave, I know computers, I can do it! I retired from the Internal Revenue Service last June (2007), and I've been having some adventures that I wanted to share with friends. So ... here goes!!