arse poetica

Le Week-End

A smattering of images from the weekend, during which there was not near enough slouching around, though these pix seem to tell another story.

Finny always finds the best seat in the house.

How much money does C*ca-C*la have that they can make all new bottles for a seasonal campaign? And what brave new world is this that I bought this because I simply had to blog it? Ha. (Now who's going to drink it?)

Menu at Super Taqueria where the platillos are indeed muy delicioso. And this time I had horchata, mmmm.

Marketing hysteria. Found in the travel section of the local big box store. On principle of my love for civil liberties I refuse to employ these symbols of our national disgrace. Maybe I'll use them for dog poop or something equally fitting.

A walk in the tall grass. Man, that felt good. (I'm mighty pigeon-toed here.)

Richmond a Go Go

Guest post by db!

After many, many years of heading up and down I-95 only to get a glimpse of the beautiful skyline, we were finally afforded the luxury of spending a couple of days in Richmond, VA, thanks to ae's conference.  After starting the trip in DC, with the requisite stop at Ikea, we hit Richmond late Thursday evening.  After a good night's sleep in our snazzy hotel room on Canal Street, ae headed to her conference on Friday morning while I hit the town for a early morning sightseeing walk.  My first stop was the 3rd Street Diner, which I had read about before we arrived.  The place is more bar than restaurant, and my eggs and bacon were lacking flair.  The pitcher of beer that the booth behind me was enjoying looked much better (it was 7:45am!!).  I then headed away from town on Mayo's Bridge and looped back across the 9th Street Bridge (?).  I stopped at the VA War Memorial and then met ae back at the room.

After some quick email checking, we headed to lunch at Millie's near Church Hill.  The restaurant is in the middle of the new construction zone near the canal, and we parked amidst a throng of construction workers eating from a taco truck.  Here was our Plan B if Millie's was either packed or not so inviting, but no worries, our lunches were great and the restaurant had a great funky vibe.  We will go back.

We then headed to the Museum of the Confederacy, which they apparently do not want you to find because it is nestled right in the middle of the VCU Medical Center.  We finally found the parking deck where the elevator literally stopped on floor 7 for Emergency and floor 8 for the museum.  We skipped the museum (way too much Confederate flag memorabilia in the gift shop; neither of us had the stomach for it) and opted for a tour of the Confederate White House, which was quite nice and informative.  The tour guide presented everything in a even tone (I never once heard "The South will rise again!").

Then we were off for a quick driving tour of Monument Ave., where we both enjoyed the statue of Arthur Ashe a little more than the ones of Lee/Jackson/Stuart.  The townhouses in that area are very nice and we said often how nice it would be to live there (if we won the lottery!).  We then did a quick tour of the VA Museum of Fine Arts, which is mostly closed due to a large renovation project opening next year, though we saw a nice mix of African masks and Faberge eggs, which should always be paired, of course. 

We did a quick walking/driving tour of VCU's main campus (alas, no t-shirt for db) and then hoofed it back to Shockoe Slip for a boat tour of the canals.  It was fairly cold and windy out (TS Noel was churning off the VA coast) so we had the boat to ourselves, and a nice kid as a tour guide.  It was about a 40-minute ride which gave nice views of the city as well as up close and personal anecdotes about the James River, the locks, and the flood wall surrounding the city.  Our boat captain let slip that the best pizza in Richmond was at Bottom's Up nearby, so of course we headed there as soon as we hit dry land.  It was close enough to walk, so we headed over, ordered up, sat at the bar while we waited for our order and people watched, then carried our pizza back to the hotel room for a happy supper in.  Went to sleep with the sounds of ae laughing at "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

We woke up early the next morning to get a jump on our final day.  We headed through the Fan to Kuba Kuba, a funky Cuban place recommended to us by a tweet from Ruby.  I had eggs over Cuban hash that was deeelish.  Our final sightseeing adventure was a quick up and down along the Canal Walk.  We were able to head out over the water and read a little bit more about Richmond history.

We headed home soon after on the never before traveled (for us) VA hwy 288, my new favorite road in VA. All in all, a very enjoyable quick visit away from home.

Atrium, National Gallery

It's so pretty! I want to take all of my coffee breaks there.

Hopper at the National Gallery

Up in Richmond, VA, for a conference, and it's about time we got a closer glimpse of the city. We've flown by on I-95 at 70 mph about a bajillion times and neither of us have ever stopped in. No longer! While I was at my mtg this morning db walked along the canal and got the lay of the land. He promised me a guest post -- the pix are great.

I took the excuse of a trip to Richmond to plan my getaway to Washington, D.C., for the Edward Hopper exhibit.

Go, friends. It runs through mid-January, and it's worth the trip. Forget what you know from the now familiar postcards and parodies/tributes. We all know Hopper was interested in the play of light, and many of these paintings are now familiar, but there is nothing like seeing them up close. They're incredibly vibrant and deceptively simple in technique and material, but  you end up wondering less how he did it than how he saw it. How does an artist create an entire visual vernacular? I can't fathom.

How many times have we seen "Nighthawks" now? A trillion? Still, when you stand in front of it, you marvel. The colors, the scene, all that it does and says (and doesn't say). We stared at it for 5 minutes just drinking it in, and it's not near my favorite painting of his. Before seeing it yesterday, I was bored of it, frankly. Another familiar painting -- "Early Sunday" (below) -- was a highlight.

High on my list of favorites at the show were two of Hopper's notebooks in which he recorded sketches of and general notes about his paintings, including size, medium, materials, to whom he sold them and at what price (including his cut!). The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a nice interactive look at one of his notebooks here.

36 Hours in Vancouver

My list of dream trips is long, long, long, but this is one city I would revisit in a heartbeat. db and I had a wonderful vacation there in 2004. 

36 Hours in Vancouver.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, is two cities rolled into one. For outdoorsy types, this western Canadian city is a nature paradise, with miles of scenic hiking trails and bike paths that sweep along the Strait of Georgia, the pine tree-lined waterway that connects Vancouver with the Pacific Ocean. For urbanites, Vancouver is a sophisticated destination, with thriving immigrant enclaves, an ever-expanding restaurant scene, quirky neighborhoods, distinctive shops and lively bars that party all night. Part of the fun is weaving your way through Vancouver's two sides, and realizing that's why the city ranks as one of the world's most livable places.

All true. Maybe I should forget visiting and just move there. What say, db! I should keep this option open in case the news in Nov. 2008 ain't good.

Like a Duck to Water

Off to grandma's for a visit -- a little lunch, a little running of errands, a dip in the pool. db's half-fish now, having spent about 112% of his time at the beach riding the waves like a porpoise. Bonus: no jellyfish stings this year! I'm not sure how the fair, healthily pink db managed to ward off the rays of the sun, which felt like it was hovering about 15ft overhead, though the fact that we bought out N. Myrtle Beach's supply of sunscreen level 5 trillion may have had something to do w/ it.

What's the opposite of bellyflop?

Unintended (?) consequences of backflop. Mm hmm.

Two quacks.

Now that's a handsome devil. And the guy's not bad either.

Beach Bumming

A week of reading and lounging, warm, sun-kissed, fat-n-happy, actually relaxed. What is this foreign state I find myself in? (No, not South Carolina, though yes, South Carolina.) This is the life! Which always begs the question: how come we only live The Life once a year? Dang.

Best pix from the beach were of a thunderstorm. Showers are common in the summer, as we all know, but this one had the strength (though short-lived) to actually drive folks off the beach, and that, my friends, is an accomplishment.

And then the whole world tilted on its axis!

Not really, but it did stop me from wondering Why Didn't Libby's Defense Team Focus on Cheney? for about 2.6 seconds.

Like I Need Another Excuse to Visit

Paris Leads in Wi-Fi Access.

Paris currently boasts more Internet connections than any other city in the world, and it will soon have even more because city officials plan to create 400 free Wi-Fi access points in parks and other public places during 2007. Frugal travelers can put these (or one of the 200-plus sites already listed at www.free-hotspots.com) to good use by clicking on Paris' tourism website and downloading a free audio guide.

UPDATE/P.S. My, how times have changed! Last time I was in Paris (7 yrs ago), I would have laughed in anyone's face who would have dared suggest I spend a nanosecond checking email/trolling the interwebs/blogging while I was in Paris! Hah. What a ridiculous thought ... ridiculous no longer.  What is this mediated sensory experience now? This feeling of being unconnected when disconnected (or disconnected when unconnected)? I mean, I can imagine that if I went to Paris now that I would bring my laptop and find a nice cafe and what? What?? Okay, it does still sound a little crazy, so maybe I haven't yet fallen off the deep end. Phew.

Tulip Mania

Lovely! I read an article (in the NY'er maybe?) about tulip culture and of the vast sums the Dutch paid in the 17th c. for a single bulb. I thought it would make for a fantastic movie. Check out this photo! And I was proud of our 8 little tulips in the front bed. Ha.

Tulip Mania.

SINCE 1637, when the irrationally exuberant Dutch tulip bulb market collapsed, it has been a cliché to say that the satiny, ephemeral blossom is the only thing that can drive the sensible Dutch to heights of fancy. “We went mad,” confirms Karin Hoogland, a manager at the Keukenhof, the giant spring garden near Lisse. “People really lost everything they had.”

But even a 10,000-florin bulb produced a flower — more than can be said for an interest-only mortgage. It's this quality that has given the tulip staying power in Dutch culture. “We have these very dark, wet winters,” says Ms. Hoogland, “so when the tulips start blooming, it's emotional.”

Spring visitors can't miss the bright fields: flights approach Schiphol Airport over the sandy soil behind the Netherlands' coastal dunes, perfect tulip country, roughly from Haarlem to The Hague.

[snip]

Mania is also in the air at the Keukenhof (open this year until May 20; admission 13 euros, or about $18 at $1.39 to the euro; an 18-euro ticket includes bus fare from the nearby Leiden train station; www.keukenhof.nl). Sharp, massed beds are set in emerald lawns beneath big, newly leafed beech trees. Tulips riot with billowing rhododendrons and azaleas, wisteria cascades, late daffodils and pavilions of orchids and cut roses. Peacocks wail in envy before the seven million bulbs.

The flower-to-visitor ratio is even better just outside the Keukenhof's boundaries, where fields of tulips stretch to the flat horizon — the dabs of color visible from the air — the mother lode that produces bulbs for the whole world's gardens.

The Glass House

Ooooooooooooooooh.

The Glass House.

The Philip Johnson Glass House will open to the public for the first time in its 50 year history this spring. This 47-acre site, with buildings designed in each decade of Philip Johnson’s life, represents a survey of architecture, art, and landscape design from the second half of the twentieth century. Preview months of April, May, and June will precede the Inaugural Gala Picnic to be held on Saturday June 23, 2007.