NYC Trip - May 2010

I love NYC; that is I love to visit NYC. There is so much going on: the crowds (I know I’m not too keen on crowds but...), museums, great restaurants, and exploring different parts of the City. If there be a drawback, it is so expensive!

This trip was made primarily to see Peggy and attend the stationery show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Peggy had several of her new designs on display by Crane & Company, as a result of winning a nationwide contest to find three young designers. In her they found the best! I'm told that they are going to market these three designers under "Studio Stationery Designs" and not part of Crane & Company. I went of the web site and I cannot see it, but maybe later.

Of course we had time to check out some museums and explore the City, again. We went to The High LIne Park in the former Meatpacking district. Check it out! Although not finished, we thoroughly enjoyed the area. Of course what was more important was the dinner at the Standard Grill. Just an enjoyable night. See Peggy’s May 28th blog “Friday Yumminess” post. She really makes you hungry!

Peggy at the Crane Booth with her designs on the top row on the left.

Jenny & Peggy in front of the Crane & Co. display.

Speaking of exploring the City! We went to Flushing to check out the area. I got to see the Mets Citi Field, but no game. The Chinese food left something to be desired.

We checked out the National Academy Museum, but unfortunately they had a special exhibition, so we were unable to see the permanent collection.

Mother and daughter trying to see who is the tallest!They are standing in front of the American Building of the Metropolitan Museum. Oh, the Picasso Exhibition is great! It continues until August 15, 2010, so don't miss it!

A hidden treasure! I saw the Morris Jumel Mansion on a NYC travel show several months ago and wanted to check it out. It is located Upper Westside, but worth checking out if you are a history buff. We also went to the Gracie Manor located on the Upper East Side; but don't go without reservations.

Photo of the Week #21 - South America

Although I have to admit I haven't been very diligent in posting to my blog especially "Photo of the Week" since it has been a number of weeks, maybe months, since I have posted a picture. But tax season is over and now I have more time.

One of the many side streets in Cusco, Peru. Picture was taken in 2006 on our cruise around South America.

National Gallery of Art - DC (NGA)

By Now, all of my readers, six I think, know that Jenny and I are avid museum goers. We have been to so many museums in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South and North America that I cannot count them. My son, Robby, one day asked how did I become to enjoy art so much and especially going to museums. I had to think on that one for a while!

I don’t remember anything special happening in my childhood that would have piqued my interest in art, so I have to fast forward to when Robby was about ten; we use to visit the Greenville County Museum of Art and I fell in love with Andrew Wyeth’s paintings and have been of fan of Wyeth and the art world ever since. I Also learned a lot from Chester, my brother-in-law, who talked about the many museums he and my sister Joan visited. He told me about many of the smaller museums in the US that he would visit when he was on a business trip. I now think that before he left to visit customers, he would find out what museums were in the area. I will always be thankful for his sharing his love for art with me.

Today I want to write about our recent visit of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; I have to say DC because as many of you know there is a great National Gallery in London, which Jenny and I were privilege to visit in 2006, along with the Tate Modern and Tate Britain.

This was our second visit to the National Gallery in DC; we were there about ten years ago and of course we had to go again, especially because of the current exhibition; From Impressionism to Modernism; The Chester Dale Collection. This exhibition presents eighty-three paintings of some of the finest paintings from this era. It also was the first time this Exhibition was shown in over forty-five year.

Dale made his money on Wall Street and in 1962 shared his love for art with the Nation by donating his portfolio to NGA. If you want to see it, you must go to DC because it does not travel.

Just one of the pictures of Jenny and the "Gardens" inside the West Building.

The East Building, designed by I. M. Pei and opened in 1978.

Andrew Wyeth, American, 1917-2009, Wind From The Sea, 1947. The painting was painted in the Olsen House attic in Maine. You can almost feel the wind can't you? This is one of two paintings in the NGA; there are also about fifteen watercolors, prints and drawings in the collection.

Just a note; we took many pictures of the exhibition and the collection because we were told, for the first time ever, that you could take pictures, even with a flash. As many of you know most museums do not allow you to take pictures and NEVER with a flash. Interesting!

Washington DC - Cherry Blossom Festival

The plans were made and they looked great: we go to North Carolina for the Methodist Orphanage Reunion and then for a visit with the family in Johnston County, NC. From there we (sisters Shirley, Joan, Frances and her husband Jan, their grandson Michael and Jenny & I) would go to Washington, DC primarily to see the Cherry Blossoms, but of course also to see many of the other sites. Except Michael, who recorded many “firsts” on the trip, we had all been to DC before (although it had been a very long time since we were there). Our brother Billie and his wife Patsy, who lives in Fredericksburg, Virginia decided to meet us there, even though they have been to see the sites many, many times. It was planned as a mini-family reunion!

We stayed in the Hampton Inn at National Harbor, MD, a new community on the Potomac just outside of DC that opened in 2008; so new that my GPS system didn’t even show it, therefore of course I got lost! The community includes the Gaylor National Resort and Convention Center, said to be the largest hotel on the east coast without a casino.

BUT the bottom line is that we were a couple of days late for the Cherry Blossoms. We had a great time together anyway. The crowds were so large that we couldn’t even get into some of the sites; we did do the obligatory walk down to the Tidal Basin to check out the “trees” without “blossoms”. We all had different itineraries so on most days we went to different sites. Jan took Michael to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and to couple of the great Smithsonian Museums. Jenny and I went to the Library of Congress and the US Botanic Gardens on one day and National Gallery of Art another day.

Shirley, Joan, Frances, Jenny and I drove to the National Cathedral on the last day, since it was on all of our list of “things to see”.

The Family: Jan, Frances, Shirley, Bobby, Joan, Michael, Billie & Patsy (Jenny took the picture), enjoying a little refreshment.

Did I say there were no trees in bloom? Well maybe on or two!

Shirley, Joan, Jenny & Michael ready for a big day sightseeing!

Jenny at the US Botanic Gardens just off the Mall and southeast of the Capitol.

Jenny in the East Building of the National Gallery

Bobby, Frances, Joan & Shirley in front of the National Cathedral.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

As indicated in my previously posting, we stopover in Philadelphia to visit the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art on our trip south to North Carolina. It rained most of the three days we were there, but not to worry in the museums it didn’t brother us!

The Philadelphia Museum was featuring "Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris" Exhibition. I’m beginning to appreciate modern art more; I guess the more I learn the more I can appreciate all art. We plan to be in NYC in May and we just might take in the Metropolitan’s exhibition of Picasso, which will feature over 300 works of the Museum’s collection of Picasso’s paintings. Should be really interesting.

Thomas Eakins, The Agnew Clinic, 1889.

As I indicated in my previously posting, we were unable to see The Gross Clinic painted by Eakins in 1875, but this one is great also.

One of the galleries that Jenny like a lot. Beautiful tapestries.

Philadelphia Museum with the tourists in the foreground!

Pennslyvania Academy of Fine Art (PAFA) - March 2010

Jenny and I just returned from North Carolina for a MO/MHFC Reunion (see previous posting dated April 13, 2010) and for a visit with family in Johnston County, NC. We normally drive down, but we try to visit other cities on our way down and on our return. This trip we made a stopover in Philadelphia for three days, primarily to visit the PAFA and the Philadelphia Museum. We had visited the Philadelphia Museum before but not the Academy.

Since we had visited Philadelphia several years ago, we didn’t do the “history” tours, although as usual our first day we did hit the streets and walked around the city. The second day was spent in the Academy. We had heard there were many of Thomas Eakins’ paintings there, but as it turned out there are more of his paintings in the Philadelphia Museum. We miss The Gross Clinic, but we did see The Agnew Clinic at the Philadelphia Museum. The Academy’s staff said The Gross Clinic was at the Philadelphia Museum and the staff at the Philadelphia Museum said it was at the Academy! I think that it just wasn’t on display or traveling!

The Academy, founded in 1805, is the oldest art school and museum in the country. Some of the artists trained at the PAFA: Thomas Eakins, Robert Henri, Charles Demuth and Charles Harnett. The current building opened in 1876 was designed by Furness and Hewitt and has been designated as a National Historical Landmark.

The building in the center is the PAFA.

Inside the Museum. It is a beautiful building!

Jenny soaking it up!

Of course we had time to eat! This is The Fish restaurant; the food was very good.

Check it out! Looks good doesn't it?

Methodist Orphanage Reunion - 2010

Just a little background for anyone reading this blog for the first time: I spent ten years in the Methodist Orphanage in Raleigh, NC when I was a kid (Second Grade through graduation from high school). It was unfortunate that my two sisters, a brother and I had to go, but from my perspective my experiences there were nothing but good. I learned so much about being responsible and to give back to others who are less fortunately than you. And yes, as my Mother always said, “Look around and you will always find someone worse off than you”.

Anyway the Orphanage, now call the Methodist Home for Children, has a reunion in Raleigh,NC each year at Easter. It is something that has been going on for as many years as I can remember. When I was a kid, fifty plus years ago, I remember the events well and always looked forward to the reunion see our big brothers and sisters, although then we use to call it “Homecoming”.

The Orphanage as I knew it doesn’t exist today. It has transitioned into the Methodist Home For Children with a mission much different than when I was a kid. Today the Home’s mission is more to the family and temporary care of children when possible and then adoption as the last result. Check out their web site to see more on their mission.

Early this year, through the efforts for many, a historical site marker was erected where the Orphanage was located on Glenwood Avenue. It commemorates over 100 years of service to needed children and families in Central and Eastern North Carolina.

This was the entrance to the Orphanage and the site were the marker is located; the road was called, "The Long Hill" by us but today it is Washington Street.

The building in the back is the administrative building for the MHFC. The bell in the marker is the bell that was rung while I was at the Orphanage to call us to meals, school and other activities.

This is the Borden Building and is one of only two buildings standing from the Orphanage. The Borden Building has been completely renovated and is part of the Fred Fletcher Park and is owned by Raleigh Parks and Recreation. The Garish Building is the only other building standing from the Orphanage but it hasn't been restored. The Borden Building was the first building built in 1900 and the Garish Building the last, I think built in 1951.

So this is enough, Maybe a few pictures from our reunion (Homecoming):

Some of the happy "orphans" enjoying the reunion.

Re-hashing and embellishing old memories!

Happy Orphans! They don't look like "orphans" do they?