Some Rain Must Fall

Virginia is overcast and rainy this weekend so it is a good time for indoor projects like washing some windows. The rain and overcast skies actually feel very good for a change. We got an email from Kuwait from Jeanine's beau who has now left Iraq and who hopes to be home in just two short? weeks. Bryan says that it is very hot there. I read the other day that it can get up to 140 degrees in that desert starting in early July. I just can't imagine what it would be like to live in that kind of summer heat. I thought Phoenix, Arizona at 116 degrees in the summer of 1989 was bad enough. And our Baby Jack pictured here moving along with his standup walker has been listening to lots of noise at his house. Part II of the kitchen renovation was on Thursday when the new granite counters were installed. Part III will be this Monday when the new wood floors get installed. Jack plans to visit Grandpa Jack to escape the noise.

The Nation's Birthday Celebration 2008

Put a candle on the cake and sing Happy Birthday. If you are a history buff and want to be accurate, put 232 candles on the cake because we are now 232 years old.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday to you.

Happy birthday, dear America.

Happy birthday to you!

Then make a wish for our nation and blow out the candle/candles.

Some Fourth of July Trivia For You.

In 1771 Bristol, Rhode Island celebrated the first birthday with a 13-gun salute both in the morning and in the evening.

In 1778 George Washington celebrated the second birthday with a double order of rum for his troops fighting the Revolutionary War.

In 1826 both Thomas Jefferson of Virginia and John Adams of Massachusetts died on July 4.

In 1831 former President James Monroe of Virginia died on July 4.

In 1863 the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was coping with the task of burying over 7000 soldiers and caring for 30,000 wounded soldiers from the three day Battle of Gettysburg on July 4. The battle had ended on July 3, 1863.

In 1946 Ron Kovic, disabled Vietnam vet was born on July 4. Tom Cruise played him in the movie, Born on the Fourth of July.

In 1959 Alaska became a state and the 49 star flag was unfurled on the Fourth of July.

In 1960 Hawaii became a state and the 50 star flag was unfurled on the Fourth of July.

In 1976 the United States celebrated its bicentennial.

What's Happening Here?

Jack and I were going to the Gateway Shopping Center to get a new gas tank for our grill and to have a cup of coffee at Starbucks when we ran into blocked off streets, crowded parking lots and people rushing with kids and babies in tow. Did Obama return to Prince William County? No. It was someone even more exciting to all these folks. It was Flumpa the Amphibian. I think he was a big green frog and he may be coming to a place near you because his frogmobile says he does nationwide tours. At any rate he drew quite a crowd of babies, kids and young moms on a warm July morning at Atlas Walk. Just eight years ago this very spot near the Southern Railway tracks along route #29 was a depressing abandoned iron works business named Atlas Works. Atlas Works was one of the suppliers for the iron beams that were installed in the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City. Every American remembers seeing these twisted iron beams lying at ground zero. Well, some of those iron beams came from this very spot in Gainesville, Virginia. And today some of those twisted iron beams that were hauled away from ground zero were reused in the making of a new Navy battleship that was launched this year---the U.S.S. New York. And our decrepit and abandoned iron works has been reborn as an upscale shopping mall with a small town main street appeal and it sports the name Atlas Walk.

Just Me and My Shadow

Just me and my shadow out taking pictures of things now in bloom in the gardens. Here in the herb garden it is every man (herb) for himself to grab the most space. The lemon balm is fighting the purple sage and the parsley is going into the seed business. So...........just me and my shadow outside enjoying this summer morning. If you are too young to recognize the phrase just me and my shadow as a line from an old classic Billy Rose tune, go to this website and listen to the song: http://www.peteyandpetunia.com/MyShadow/MyShadow.htm

The Smithsonian Castle

The Smithsonian Castle was the very first Smithsonian building on the National Mall in Washington D.C. It is the building to use as your compass to keep from getting lost on the mall since with its red exterior and nine towers it is very unique. This building was built and completed before the Cival War began thanks to the generosity of James Smithson, an English scientist. James Smithson loved America even though he never visited here.

Buildings Hiding Underground

This tranquil setting of lawns, a fountain and saucer magnolia trees is actually the roof top of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art which was built underground at the mall. Likewise for the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art which was built underground. I need to add to this post that I read on a sign that this African "roof garden" was laid out in Muslim design since it is above the African Museum and the Moors of North Africa practiced the Muslim faith which believes in the four rivers. Muslim gardens are shaded areas laid out in four quadrants each with a water channel that flows into the central fountain. The four rivers are water, wine, milk and honey. This garden was laid out in this fashion. The Asian garden above the Asian Museum was laid out in Asian fashion but I don't have a photo of it.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2008

This couple was one of the few adults willing to try some Texas swing dancing on the dance floor in the Texas Dance Hall tent. The lady who had to be in her middle seventies danced with all the willing old guys. Her t-shirt said Oklahoma but the Texas band let her dance. In fact, they dedicated a number to her.

This black folk group was from Austin, Texas and was called Le Amis Creole and as the name implies they sang in French songs that you would more expect to hear in Louisiana than Texas. But I guess music travels and knows no borders. The gentleman in the middle with the little squeezebox could really sing and hit the high notes.

Click on pics to get a better view of the people.

Country and Western Music

If Tennessee is the center of country music, then Texas must be the center of western music. Here are some songs I learned yesterday at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival that have to do with the lone star state.

"The Yellow Rose of Texas," by Mitch Miller

"You Can't Get the Hell Out of Texas," by George Jones

"Deep in the Heart of Texas," by Moe Bandy

"El Paso," by Marty Robbins

"Luckenbach, Texas," by Waylon Jennings

"New San Antonia Rose," by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

Now who is your favorite country and western singer? Mine is Willie Nelson. I like how he combines "outlaw country" music with east Texas delta blues.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2008

Click on pictures for more detail in the pictures.

Every year around the time of the Fourth of July Celebration on the Washington D.C. Mall the Smithsonian Museum hosts the National Folklife Festival. Each year's festival highlights at least one foreign country and one U.S. state. Last year's festival was outstanding. Northern Ireland, the four countries that border the Mekong River (China, Vietnam,Cambodia and Laos) and the state of Virginia were the themes for the food, music, dance and displays. This year's featured places all in some way have a connection to Texas the featured state for this year. Texas I assume was chosen as a tribute to President Bush's last year in office. I didn't know NASA was a country or state but it was chosen because of its 50 anniversary this year. And of course, it has a Texas connection with the Houston Space Center.

The one foreign country featured this year is the little known country of Bhutan which is wedged between China to the north and India to the south and which stretches from tropical jungles in the south to cold Himalayan mountain passes in the north. And if you want to go to a place in the U.S. to learn about Bhutan, go to the University of Texas at El Paso where all the campus buildings are built in the style of Bhutan Buddhists architecture. (Who knew! Not me!) In the pictures posted here you see the U.S. Capital and the Mall and a replica of a Bhutan Buddhist Temple. A brochure I picked up shows the campus of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) with the same style of architecture. Kathleen Worrell, UTEP's first dean, had the campus's first building built in this style in 1917 and nearly all other UTEP buildings followed this style of architecture. The top photo shows a group of Bhutan dancers doing a skull dance. We also had the opportunity to see an antler dance and the Buddhist monks black hat dance.

The fifth picture down was taken inside the tent labeled the Texas Dance Hall. Jack and I were transposed in our minds back to 1975 when we attended the wedding of an army auditor at El Paso whose post wedding reception was held at El Paso's Red Dog Saloon. The two artists up on stage playing and singing are Lloyd Maines and Teri Hendrix. Lloyd Maines besides being a Texas country artist in his own right is now probably best known as the father of Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks who had a few strong comments to make about President Bush's invasion of Iraq when she performed in London in 2003. Final note. We try to attend the Folklife

Festival each year. On a scale of one to five stars I would give the 2008 festival four stars and the 2007 just five stars plus. Jack and I both noticed that while there were many local people and tourists in town for this annual event there seemed to be a lot less then in previous years. I think gas prices and food costs are having a big impact on tourism.

The Botannical Play Act 2, Scene 2

Every good story or play needs some tension. Well, we have tension big time today. The deer have returned and destroyed the beautiful soft lilac blooms on all my blooming hosta and have stripped the buds off most of the remaining hosta. See the two photos. Last night Jack and I ate dinner on the patio. We grilled hotdogs and had baked beans and fresh tomato salad with a glass of red wine while admiring all the hosta in bloom by the patio wall. Good thing we enjoyed it last night because in the wee hours of the morning the deer finished their golf game and headed to our club house for a little snack of hosta blossoms. So there is tension big time today. Shall I have Jack put down more deer repellant today or go to the bathroom outside today. These are suppose to be two good ways to deter deer from eating your flowers. Watch Act 2, Scene 3 to see how the plot thickens between Jack, Joann and Bambi and his golf course friends.

If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words describe my daughter Jennifer's new blog. This past week the entire family was at a lost when we discovered that Jennifer's old blog had disappeared from the web and it would take a hundred dollar bill to reclaim it. Then Jenn decided to use the same blogsite service that Jack and I use and started to create a new blog from her reservoir of photos of Baby Jack. Luckily she had previously printed out her monthly summations of Baby Jack's growing experiences since his arrival last July 16 (Which by the way is just around the corner once more.) so she had these "letters to Jack" to post. And she had all these wonderful photos of Baby Jack so she started a Flicker account to post them. Yes, this is what the entire family was so concerned with---you mean you have lost all those wonderful pics of Baby Jack that we love to go back and look at again and again and AGAIN! Let's face it grandparents and aunties get a little anal about baby photos being available at all hours of the day. Like when you are down and out and feeling a little blue just look at the baby photos and you will soon be smiling and laughing your fool head off. So if you would like to smile and laugh your fool head off, head on over to daughter Jenn's new blog.
http://jennandterry.blogspot.com/

Remember Dinah Shore?

I know some folks do Skywatch Fridays. I don't but if I did, I would choose this photo which shows how blue our skies in Virginia usually are in the summer. Everyone have a great weekend and remember that when the last week in June is here it is officially summer vacation time and so drive carefully and enjoy our great country. I wish somebody these days would sing that great Dinah Shore lyric: See the USA in your Chevrolet.

Diabetic Workshop

For the last three weeks Jack and I have been attending weekly sessions on diabetes at the Prince William Hospital in Manasas. Jack was diagnosed with diabetes in December of 1983 and in January of 1984 Jack and I attended our first diabetic workshop. First of all, why we have waited so long for attending the second I don't know but we are back and learning many new things. And like anything else in the medical field we know that you have to play the devil's advocate to get good treatment and results. Spouses play a big role in diabetes management because of the diet concerns and the exercise/movement component of this disease. Jack began taking insulin shots in January of 1990 and now takes four shots a day. We have learned a lot over the years but we definately have much room for improvement. Over the years as you get older you tend to give in to more temptations food wise and you forget to exercise every day. So this workshop that we have been attending is a good wakeup call for us to get back on track with this disease. And internet addict that I am I recently went looking for a good site or blog for diabetes education and I think that I have found one that is excellent. So if you are diabetic or know someone who is diabetic, do yourself a favor and go to this blog: http://www.diabetesmine.com/ This woman has an extensive blog and it covers everything and more that we have learned in our recent diabetic classes.

Family Celebration

Jack, Jeanine and I drove to the planned city of Reston, VA and met up with Jennifer, Terry and Baby Jack at Clydes Restaurant. This restaurant has three sections, each decorated in a different style: airplanes, sailing ships and horses. We were seated in the horsey section so Baby Jack was fascinated by this huge black horse above his head. The reasons for the June family celebration: two birthdays (Jennifer and Joann) and Father's Day. Our waiter was a Bulgarian young man here for two years on a work visa. He was very helpful and volunteered to record the event by taking a group photo with our camera. Jack Aidan didn't dance on the table like he did for Jeanine's birthday celebration in March but he did cruise the restaurant once or twice on Grandpa's shoulders. The family is beginning to learn that putting the two Jacks together at a social event is just asking for Trouble with a capital T.

Asiatic Lilies

The yellow Asiatic lilies in bloom are at my daughter's home. In 2006 Jack and I did a "While You Were Out" front yard makeover while Jenn and Terry were at work. When they got home from work they had a new look to their landscape. I'm glad that these Asiatic lilies keep coming back each year bigger and better. This past Friday morning Jenn was giving Baby Jack a see and smell introduction to Asiatic lilies. Friday afternoon I had an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor for my vertigo problem. I now have vertigo exercises to do. This may be a case where the cure is as scarry as the vertigo since the cure requires bringing on the vertigo to fight it. Anybody got any experiences with vertigo that you would like to share? Anyway this is my song for this week: There Is Nothing Like A Dame. A Dizzy Dame!