Happy (belated) Pop Art Day

I am very traditional in my decorating choices. The furnishings in our house are conventional and not cutting-edge, in any way.  For example: 

An example of my traditional style.  This painting and bench are at the top of the stairs  in our house.

But, inside me exists a contemporary, modern, trend-driven sensibility longing to escape.  

That’s why I'm glad to know that yesterday was National Pop Art Day and that there's a special day to acknowledge the works of artists like Lichtenstein and Warhol.  

Too bad, I missed it.  If I hadn't missed it, however, I would have mentioned that pop art is art based on modern popular culture and the mass media and I’ve always really loved it.  

This pop art version of our dog, Libby, was a gift to our daughter for her 13th birthday

Here are a couple of the best known works of the pop art movement:

by Andy Warhol
(It's funny that January is also National Soup Month)

by Roy Lichtenstein

I found this cool free pop art app on my iPhone.  Look what I did.  

Hey, I think I'm on to something and it's cheaper than redecorating. 

Celebrating LEGO

Fifty three years ago today, in 1958, the LEGO company patented the design of its LEGO bricks, which is still compatible with bricks produced today. 

The Danish word LEGO roughly translates to “play well.”  I love that. 
 
LEGO has provided countless hours of quiet, really enjoyable entertainment for our son (and millions of others) over the years.  

We have shelves of LEGO creations at our house - some explicitly following the directions, but most improvised.  They are held in high regard and represent hours and hours of thought and creativity and "engineering."

An "attack boat"

This is a cute storage container for Lego bricks.  "Attack tank" in the foreground.

An "attack bomber."  Notice a theme here? 

This past Christmas my son got this really cool White House model, from the new architectural series.  It took 2+ hours to create.    

If you Google LEGO and birthday you will see countless ideas for parties, cakes, etc. from fans the world over and the inspiration LEGO has given to children to become  engineers, architects, builders, designers etc. of the future.  

When I was a in second grade, my class memorized a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.  Despite my poor memory, I am able to recall good portions of it today. And, though Stevenson wrote Block City in 1913, well before the plastic injection mould was utilized by Ole Kirk Christiansen to create the first LEGO,  it seems too perfect not to quote today.

What are you able to build with your blocks?
Castles and palaces, temples and docks. [and attack vehicles?]
Rain may keep raining, and others go roam,
But I can be happy and building at home.

 

The Louisiana Purchase - It was a Bargain

Louisiana has a rich and varied history; a fur trading center, Jefferson’s savvy acquisition, the Battle of New Orleans and one hundred and fifty years ago today its secession from the Union;  as well as its roles as the birthplace of jazz, as epicurean mecca and, of course, in Hurricane Katrina.


I fell under the spell of New Orleans (no Louisiana voodoo was involved) when we spent a long weekend there last October.  It was a first-time visit for 3 of us and my husband’s first trip back in more than 10 years. 


We especially appreciated the World War II Museum and a tour of the Katrina ravaged neighborhoods that are making some recovery. 


A quick side trip to Baton Rouge to see my husband’s old high school, Mike the Tiger at the LSU stadium and the Huey Long assassination site (no kidding) were fun too. 

Here are a few photographic highlights:

Jackson Square Park, with statue at center, and Saint Louis Cathedral

Fats Domino's house

A beautiful home  in the Garden District.

 

The inside is not as nice as the outside, but Hansen's is not to be missed.  Delicious!

Our kids on a stone bridge in New Orleans' City Park.

My husband at his Alma Mater.  "Look here, we're great.  We're the class of '78."

Rather Interesting

My memory is pathetic.  No kidding, my sister gave me Nora Ephron’s book I Remember Nothing (only partially as a joke) for Christmas.  Perhaps that’s one reason I started this blog -- so that when the little bit of recall that I do have is gone, I can read about my life. 


Oddly, one event I do remember vividly occurred on January 25, 1988 .


Then Vice President George Bush, a candidate for president, and Dan Rather, anchorman on the  The CBS Evening News,  had an 11 minute run-in (okay, a verbal altercation) regarding Bush’s role in the Iran-Contra affair on the news that night. 


I was living in Washington, D.C. at the time and one of my two roommates worked for CBS News.  I don’t know what her job was exactly, but we were in our early twenties so I’m certain she wasn’t the executive producer or anything.  But the day before she told me that I should be sure to catch the news the next night, that it was going to be really interesting. 


Never a big Dan Rather fan (I had read his autobiography, The Camera Never Blinks - I’m weird, I know-- several years earlier), in my opinion, and that of many Americans at the time, Rather completely disrepected the office of the Vice President with his behavior.  Some even believe the incident was critical to Bush winning the nomination that year. 


Below is the YouTube video.  While the entire thing is interesting and a fascinating part of history, I can understand if you don’t want to watch the whole eleven minute interview.  To me, the really memorable part begins at about the 6 minute  and 20 second mark.

FDR

Seventy nine years ago today then New York Governor Franklin D.




 .

Roosevelt announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination. 

The election would be held just 10 months later (my how things have changed) and Roosevelt, with John Garner (I know, who?) as Vice President, defeated incumbent Herbert Hoover. 

FDR went on to occupy the White House longer than any other president.
 
Though he was a New Yorker, FDR also had a long relationship with the state of Georgia.  Eleanor, his wife, had an uncle with a home here. And, even prior to his inauguration and many times during his presidency (a total of 41 visits) Roosevelt made the long train trip to Warm Springs, Georgia, hoping to find a cure for his polio (which may or may not have actually been polio, but that's a post for another day) in the natural springs there.

The Little White House

Last September, we made the 90 minute journey south to the charming and modest "Little White House" as it's called.  It was really fascinating.  

The Unfinished Portrait -- I love that it is a  watercolor.

It was in Warm Springs, while posing for his portrait on April 12, 1945 that FDR suffered a stroke and died. The “Unfinished Portrait” is still there, as are his 1938 Ford convertible with hand controls and many other items of historical significance.  

It is a surprisingly unassuming and plain vacation home for a president.  It's furnishings and fixtures, including the tiny servants' and guest quarters, all remain in tact.   

In the 20s and 30s, an entire rehabilitative hospital was built just down the road from the Little White House.  

The pools utilized by the hospital were built above the springs and are normally left empty to preserve them. But, twice a year (as a fundraiser for the historical site) the pools are filled and a limited number of visitors are allowed to wade into the 88 degree water (not as warm as you'd think) that  FDR found therapeutic, if not curative.  

It is like stepping back into time to visit his home and then wade into the pools that held so much hope for many.

My husband and son leaning against what was once used as a therapy chair.

Our kids at Warm Springs.