Roadie: Women's Rights National Historic Park

The Wesleyan Chapel, site of the First Women's Rights Convention in 1848. (10/8/18)

Though less than a sixty minute drive from our home in Rochester, New York, Anne and I had never been to the Women's Rights National Historic Park. During last October's Columbus Day long weekend, we took our day off from work to drive out to nearby Seneca Falls where the "park" is located. As (relative) locals, and residents of the hometown of suffragist Susan B. Anthony, it is easy to overlook local historic sites in one's own backyard, even those with such significance to Unites States History. More a series of interconnected museum displays than a traditional "park" (no hiking shoes required!), there is quite a bit to take in over relatively short square footage that comprises the Visitor's Center and nearby sites. The town of Seneca Falls, the basis for Bedford Falls from It's A Wonderful Life, includes a quaint Main Street with other tourist sites to investigate.

Inside the restored Wesleyan Chapel. (10/8/18)

Declaration Park lies between the Wesleyan Chapel and Visitor's Center. (10/8/18)

The Waterwall on which the entire text of the Declaration of Sentiments 
and it's signers are inscribed. (10/8/18)

Green space at Declaration Park. (10/8/18)

Entrance to the park Visitor's Center at 136 Fall Street
 next to the Wesleyan Church. (10/8/18)

Juliette Gordon Law (right), founder of the Girls Scouts of America. (10/8/18)

Display depicting the history of Girl Scouting. (10/8/18)

Replica of The Declaration of Sentiments. (10/8/18)

(10/8/18)

The First Wave statue exhibit inside the entrance of the visitor's center. (10/8/18)

Me with statues of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Frederick Douglass. (10/8/18)

Displays leading to the second floor of the Visitor's Center.(10/8/18)

A myriad of images, artifacts and media representations 
documenting Women's Rights Movement. (10/8/18)

(10/8/18)

One of many engaging pieces for clarifying
necessity for equity. (10/8/18)

Incredible photography capture reality that these
historic events are not really ancient history. (10/8/18)

These pictures taken during our trip do little justice to the scope and power of the displays and sites at the Women's Rights National Historic Park. Each display includes quite a bit of great reading offering a wide range of perspectives on the Women's Rights Movement from both participants and those impacted. Having recently read and analyzed the Declaration of Sentiments with my students, it really is incredible that it took another 70+ years for women to fully gain the right to vote nationally. The images, statues and site at the Women's Rights park serve as powerful reminders of how far our nation has come relative to delivering equity, and in light of recent political environment, how far there is yet to go.

Roadie: Downtown Ketchikan, Alaska

Set at the southernmost entrance to Alaska's famed Inside Passage,
Ketchikan is thought of as the beginning of to "The Last Frontier."(6/30/2019)

My wife and I have not previously thought of ourselves as cruise-type travelers, but after spending five of a seven day cruise "in" Alaska (including three on port excursions to Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway), I am unsure there is any other way to comfortably scratch the complex surface of this non-contiguous state any other way.

Each city was geographically isolated from one another by large bodies of water and lush woodlands. Cruising by ship from port-to-port was much more cost effective and efficient than taking prop planes or small water craft. This mode of travel also allowed for multiple opportunities to view the natural wonders of Alaska's temperate rain forest (as well as glaciers and the resulting mountains) from a distance. First stop, after flying out following a single one night in Seattle, Washington, Ketchikan.

Once a Tlingit fishing camp, Ketchikan is now a sleepy town
and tourist attraction. (6/30/2019)

Ketchikan is located near the southern most tip of Alaska's pan-handle on the eastern coast of Revillagideo Island at the heart of the Tongass National Forest.

"Ketchikan" is Tlingit for "Thundering Wings of an Eagle," hence the statue that greets
visitors immediately after entering town. (6/30/2019)

Numerous totem poles, some of which tell stories and others that
memorialize historic figures are plentiful throughout the village. (6/30/2019)

The majority of totems are replicas of those previously destroyed
by settlers and missionaries. (6/30/2019)

Settlers built their homes, stores and brothels on stilts which have since
been reinforced. (6/30/2019)

Original home of famed "lady of the night" Dolly Arthur. (6/30/2019)

(6/30/2019)

Two of Alaska's most significant financial forces: salmon fishing 

and tourism. (6/30/2019)

Ketchikan Creek Waterfall. (6/30/2019)

Guess what secret path husbands would use to go home following a 

night out? Married Man's Trail, of course! (6/30/2019)

It was good too see that totems were in ready 

supply. (6/29/2019)

Only about 90 minutes of our stop in Ketchikan was spent in the town. There we walked the streets took in some of the local art and partook of some famous coffee. A recurring motif that we first became aware of in these tourist towns was the pervasive presence of (too) many jewelry stores on Main Street. These are apparently owned by the companies that run the cruise ships operations). We were much more interested in the history, wildlife, and landscape than tchotchke, though we did pick-up a few odds-and-ends for family back home.

Painted Utility Boxes Project, Part 1

Corner of Culver Road and Norris Drive. (7/6/15)

Whether walking, running, bicycling, or (especially) driving, it is easy to miss objects of potential interest. It is not unusual to overlook statues, storefronts or flags in the sensory overload that can occur as one makes his or her way down any urban area. Sometimes we are too involved in our own world at the time to recognize or notice that which is present in the environment around us.

Easy to miss; the utility box
above in context. (7/10/15)

With summer break in full swing, I find myself looking for "projects" to keep busy. There is only so much yard to mulch or grass to cut, so I recently began working on a photo project I've long had in mind. Just as there has been a recent increase in the number of Free Little Libraries in our neighborhoods, it is difficult not to take note of the many painted utility boxes that continue to brighten many of our Rochester community's street corners. The majority of them have been on display (seemingly under the radar) for more than five years, and last week I notice a few utility boxes sporting new-looking industrial brown or green camouflage, signaling that I need to get started before it's too late.

Despite the number of painted utility boxes in our community, a quick online search reveals very little concrete information about the public art initiative that resulted in their creation. Only one (not pictured here) was even noted in a newsletter dated a few years ago. I have also noticed that utility boxes that had featured artwork have been recently repainted industrial light green.

Corner of Monroe Avenue and Suter Terrace. (7/6/15)

Do you see what I see? (7/6/15)

Corner of Monroe Avenue and Rosedale Street. (7/6/15)

Some, like those pictured here, are utility boxes that I have passed frequently while running or bicycling in the past. The pictures posted today are on the Southeast side of the city, the part of Rochester in which I reside. In most cases, the artwork is unsigned and therefore anonymous (only the one at the top of the post had any signature, which was indecipherable). Solely based on the angular style, however, the three below (all on stretch of Monroe Avenue) appear to have likely been painted (or at least designed) by the same artist.

n

Corner of Culver Road and Monroe Avenue. (7/6/15)

Over the next few weeks, I will be using my "cross-train" and "rest" days to bike the hoods searching for utility boxes in hopes of finding those that are decorated to digitally document them. With any luck, there will be other unplanned photos to be taken... it's up for me to just pay closer attention.

Corner of Oxford and Monroe... the "color" of things to come? (7/10/15)

Roadie: Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC

Arriving before the crowds, we quickly gained entrance. (8/31/14)

Last weekend, while returning my stepson to Columbia University for  his sophomore year, my wife and I found ourselves with some free time and used it to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Anne and I went into the experience fully aware that we would be hard pressed to see even a portion part of the museum's extensive collections in the 3 hours we had set aside to tour. The weather in New York City that day was especially humid, and with the building being air conditioned, we also recognized the likelihood of many others seeking to be both nourished by the art and to escape the heat. These factors (time and attendance did nothing to hamper our enjoyment f the pieces we did get to see, and further increased our desire to return for some other exhibits when we go back for Parents' Weekend in October.

The wide array of requires that each person's tour of the museum to be an individualized one--it would be impossible to meaningfully walk the entirety of the Met in a single walk through. For today's trip, in addition to the Delaware painting, I hoped to see the collection of European armor as well as whatever else we could take in.

As artistic movements reflect the development of cultures as well as the ebb and flow of history, the Met is as much what one would think of as a historical museum as an art one. Despite being on a mission to see Washington Crossing the Delaware, much of our time was spent wandering exhibits that, while influential on the development of the United States and Americans, could not rightly be considered the products of either. What follows are some pictures we took of just a small portion of what we had a chance to see on our first trip to the Met. In many cases, rather than try to capture the image on film, we chose to simply take it in. Once again, much of the factual information is from Wikipedia.

No admission is required a $25 donation is suggested; the donation cost is well worth it.

The Temple of Dendur. (8/31/14)

The Temple of Dendur is an Egyptian temple that was built by the Roman governor of Egypt, Petronius, around 15 BC and dedicated to Isis, Osiris, as well as two deified sons of a local Nubian chieftain, Pediese ("he whom Isis has given") and Pihor ("he who belongs to Horus"). The temple was commissioned by Emperor Augustus of Rome and has been exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 1978.

The Temple of Dendur interior. (8/31/14)

From the Arms and Armor collection. (8/31/14)

From the Arms and Armor collection. (8/31/14)

From the Arms and Armor collection. (8/31/14)

Sallet in the shape of a lion's head.(8/31/14)

The sallet was a war helmet that replaced the bascinet in Italy, western and northern Europe and Hungary during the mid-15th century. In Italy, France and England the armet helmet was also popular, but in Germany the sallet became almost universal.

The eggplant samurai helmet from the Arms and Armor collection.(8/31/14)

The statuary at the entrance to the American Wing. (8/31/14)

Part of The American West in Bronze collection. (8/31/14)

Part of The American West in Bronze collection. (8/31/14)

Part of The American West in Bronze collection. (8/31/14)

(8/31/14)

(8/31/14)

View of NYC across Central Park from the Roof Garden. (8/31/14)

Close-up of Hercules with Beard. (8/31/14)

After a fantastic tour through just a floor-and-a-half of only the Northern half of the building(!), we look forward to returning soon to check out more.