Jaybird's Jottings

Anthony Pitch Lectures at The Lyceum

In the world of great authors, there are two kinds.   One gives riveting presentations, and the other doesn’t.

Anthony Pitch, author of “The Burning of Washington” and “They Have Killed Papa Dead”), is clearly in the former.    I saw him last November at the Lyceum, lecturing on the War of 1812.   This past Wednesday night he spoke there once again.

Before a rapt audience, mostly members of the Alexandria Historical Society, Pitch detailed the events of April 1865.    He drew parallels with 9-11, noting the way Lincoln’s assassination shocked the nation, and signaled a passing of innocence.

The author said he believes Mary Surratt should have been found not guilty, but he also said deathbed confessions by the co-conspirators revealed she was “deep in it.”

Pitch also talked about the title of his book.   When Lincoln’s twelve-year-old son Tad, returned to the White House, he told a White House staffer, “They have killed Papa dead.” 

The author is now working on a book on the killing of four African-Americans in Georgia in the summer of 1946.   One of the victims was George W. Dorsey, a veteran of World War II.   A grand jury said they were unable to identify the identity of any person or persons who participated in the murders.

Pitch has poured through 4,000 FBI documents recently released.    His book will be published in 2015.

Prior to his talking, Pitch told me a good book on the subject is Laura Wexler’s Fire in a Canebrake: The Last Mass Lynching in America.

I’m about half way through reading it.    If Pitch can improve on her account, it will have been quite an achievement.  And if you do read this one, all I can say is be prepared to be shocked and saddened.

Anthony Pitch is drawn to tragic events.    Because of that, it would be easy to decline seeing him lecture.    Sometimes, however, the best way to handle these haunting situations is to face them.   And when your guide is mesmerizing, the journey back in time is not as difficult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D.C. Golf Fan Creates Helicopter Service to “AT&T National” Tournament

By Jaded Roberts, Special from The Garlic Times

 

Luther Freeman loves the game of golf.   Late next month, golf fans in the D.C. region are going to love him.

Freeman, who lives in the Fort DuPont neighborhood and is a big fan of Tiger Woods, has set up a unique transportation service for the upcoming “AT&T National.”    Scheduled for June 28^th – July 1^st in Bethesda, Maryland, the tournament, hosted by Woods, returns to Congressional Country Club after a two-year hiatus.  The famed layout hosted the U.S Open last year.

Walking into Langston Golf Course’s clubhouse grill, Freeman sits down at a table, takes a sip from his cup of his beer, signs his scorecard, and hands a five-dollar bill to one of his playing partners.

“Nice putt at 18, dog.”

A few minutes later, we walk over to an empty table in a quieter part of the room.   A set of black and white photographs hangs on the wall.   I see Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder, and Calvin Peete, pioneers all.

Freeman looks down at the Spectator Information Sheet he has pulled out of his pocket.

“The transportation options,” he laments, “for getting to Tiger’s tournament are pretty bad.”

“$45 for VIP parking.   No Metro bus service to and from Bethesda on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”   

“What about satellite parking?” I ask.

“Not bad if you live in Montgomery County.”

 Freeman said he has attended every PGA Men’s tournament in Washington since the arrival of The “Kemper Open” in 1980.  

“TPC Avenel had a few fiascos with muddy parking lots, but at least they were located on the grounds.”

Knowing all this, Freeman, a 55-year old scratch golfer, decided to do something about it.    Pulling some strings, he arranged for helicopter service to and from the tournament.  

Details will be released this week.   Freeman is targeting golf fans in the southeast part of the region, including Prince George’s County.   

“Door to tee,” he said, “some of them are looking at up to an hour and a half.”

Freeman lauds the “First Tee” program at Langston, and said he appreciates the things Woods has done for area youth, including the two Learning Centers in the District.

“We got a great host,” he said, “a great course, junior golfers with a budding interest in the game, and an area that supports golf.”

Looking back down at the sheet, he adds, “We just have to find a better way to get folks to the tournament.”

 

 

 

Hot Rails to Hull

It is my distinct pleasure today to present the driving force behind “Hot Rails To Hull.”    From his home in Liverpool, long time fan and band follower “Ralph,” documents the prolific touring career of Blue Oyster Cult (Current count:  3,682), as well as other aspects of the band past and present.

Ralph answered these questions about his website and the band.

 

Q: How did you become a BOC fan?

Well, growing up, I was never much of a fan of UK bands - my school was like a massive vinyl swap-shop - the fact was, you could borrow pretty much ANY LPS by Sabbath, Zeppelin, Purple, Wishbone Ash, Yes, ELP, Bowie, Heep, Genesis etc etc because everyone seemed to have them - so I got to hear all that stuff, but it didn't really do anything for me...

However, one or two rogue souls had more interesting music to loan me by way of American imports like Zappa, Velvets, Doors etc and I always found these to be much more interesting and gradually my musical tastes began to become almost exclusively transatlantic.

During 1972-74 my favourite band was the Alice Cooper group, as well as some (then) lesser known bands such as The Stooges and The MC5, whose records I had to buy myself as no other bugger had them to lend to me - I also remember valiantly trying to like The Amboy Dukes as they were from Detroit too, but that was a struggle as they were a bit hit and miss...

But I think I liked being in my own little cult of one listening to all these American imports - I always hated conforming, so sometimes I'd find myself in the record shop buying something like "Happy Trails" probably for all the wrong reasons...

Anyway, I remember mooching around the record shop one enchanted afternoon when suddenly I saw Bill Gawlik's 1st BOC LP cover in the import racks "across the crowded room" and felt drawn to it instantly.

I wandered over to it and remember thinking "WTF is THIS?" as I stood looking at those song titles - "I'm on the Lamb But I ain't No Sheep" - Blimey!" 

I took it straight over to the counter where you could listen to records before you bought them by putting on a massive pair of headphones which promptly cut off the blood supply to your brain, but at least you could hear a few seconds of music before you passed out... my request to the guy was to play the 2nd track on side 2 - I just HAD to hear what "She's as Beautiful as a Foot" sounded like... so my first aural taste of the Cult was actually Albert Bouchard's magnificent rolling drum intro and I've been hooked ever since...

The only problem was - after that - I was the only person in my class with any BOC records, so I was continually having to lend those first two LPs out to all and sundry - I was pretty glad when others started buying their own Cult records to take the pressure off me and my by now heavily scratched and dog-eared copies...

 

Q: When and how did you get started with your project?

I started the site in 2002 - initially, as a small tribute page after seeing the band play in Sheffield in the summer of that year.  I'd enjoyed catching up with them again after such a long time, and felt an urge to express my appreciation for the years of enjoyment their music had given me. Because my "day job" involved website production, it was natural that this was the form in which that appreciation manifested itself.

For the best part of the first year, the site was purely a celebration of BOC in the UK only - such an undertaking was clearly - albeit narrowly - defined and straightforward to implement as the UK giglist was finite and easily quantifiable. As for the rest of the band's massive thirty-year concert history, that was taken care of by the giglist on the official blueoystercult.com site...

However, I kept getting sent details of non-UK gigs - including a number of shows NOT listed on boc.com - but as they were outside my "remit", I couldn't include them.

Then, one day, on closer inspection of those official lists, I myself noticed some discrepancies surrounding a couple of the UK shows they had listed on there, so I sent along some corrections in hope of setting the record straight, but the errors remained uncorrected.

This began to nag away at me - I hated the idea of there being wrong info available so I decided I'd widen the scope of the Hot Rails site to include ANY BOC gig EVER.

My method of kick starting this augmentation was, perhaps, a wee bit cheeky - I simply "grafted" the entire giglist from the official site onto the Hot Rails site!! 

I do know they were rather unhappy about me doing this - it was thought I was trying to claim some sort of "credit" for passing off their giglist as my own but that was honestly never the idea at all...

Since I obviously couldn't influence the accuracy of the giglists on boc.com, simply by copying and pasting them onto my own site and using these lists as a starting point, I was able to wreak my own brand of havoc upon them, twisting them and shaping them, even throwing some of them in the bin whilst adding many more new shows, as well as inviting fans to confirm/deny these gigs with tales of their own experiences and/or images of ticket stubs, handbills etc.

The aim was two-fold: first - obviously - was a striving towards accuracy.  That was the initial driver - like I said, I hate the propagation of inaccurate info, but for the second reason, I have to go back to the reason why I posted my original tribute page in the first place.

I just love to read other people's experiences of seeing the band live. A simple list of gigs is no more than that - and dare I say it - a bit dry and boring - but tack on some personal memories and testimonies and maybe a photo or two - and the gigs start to come alive and then, for me, it all starts to become much more interesting.

I'd looked around at other bands' sites and couldn't really see anyone else doing what I wanted to do - there were plenty of "gig-list" sites of course, and plenty of forum-type sites where fans posted their memories, but these were never in a structured chronological format - they always seemed somewhat ad-hoc, and I knew that wouldn't do for me as I appreciate order - in short, I crave a timeline.  It's probably something psychological, I dunno...

I do have to give credit to a few people though - first of all, Bolle, Gary & Melne's hard work in putting the initial lists together on boc.com was very important in getting me started, then crucially ex-roadie Sam Judd got involved in helping me flesh out a large part of the structural skeleton, and along the way, other road crew members have helped me out with info, such as George Geranios, Mike Singleton, Ken Welch, Rick Reyer, Rick Downey etc etc, as well as the many hundreds of fans who have made contributions (over 1500 last time I counted)...

 

Q: What's the biggest challenge with your site?

Getting people interested enough to bother to send me info/corrections. The problem is - my site isn't "immediate" - you can't post something and see it instantly appear (like you do with Facebook) - you have to email it to me and, when I get a spare few minutes, I add it to the relevant page.

Talking of Facebook...

I HATE Facebook - I HAD vowed never to set a digital foot across their miserably vacuous threshold but I kept coming across links to tickets stubs etc on there that I didn't have as well as mentions of various shows I needed more info on, so I had to backtrack on that resolution and start to try and get some of those Facebook posters to cough up some of their memories for documenting on the site...

Trouble is - most of them don't seem to be interested - they're happy enough to mention this or that BOC gig in a Facebook post, but when I try to get more info, I always seem to come up empty.

So my biggest challenge is to try and interest enough of these social media devotees to document their experiences on the Hot Rails site.  There are thousands of people out there holding little pieces of the BOC jigsaw and my aim is to try and slot them as much as possible into the bigger picture...

 

Q: What's the site's future?

I can't say for sure - I don't trust "the future" and never seem to plan for it beyond the immediately imminent. The site is somewhat tied in with the active status of BOC themselves as a going concern, of course, and I did notice that site visits dropped off considerably when the band were off the road for 7 months due to Buck's shoulder injury during 2008-2009. 

BOC have only a limited time left from a being "on tour forever" point of view - Buck Dharma has said in the past that he'd pack it in when he's 65 so if that's true we have maybe a year or so left of seeing the band live. BOC as a creative and performing force are definitely on a gently-descending parabolic curve, and it's obviously just a matter of time until they come to a graceful halt.

So once this sad day has arrived, I'm sure it would still be my intention to continue with the site in memoriam.  Health and finances permitting, of course.

And of course, there are also Joe and Albert Bouchard sections on the site, and those guys don't show any signs of calling it a day anytime soon...

 

Q: "Hull" is obviously a play on Hell. What does "Hull" mean and where did you get the inspiration?

Everyone seems to think I come from Hull - but I don't, I'm from Liverpool.  Hull is a grim, now depressed but once thriving, port on the North EAST coast of England whereas Liverpool (where I live) is a grim, now depressed but once thriving, port on the North WEST coast of England - see? - VERY different places...

Whenever I've travelled by rail to the North East, my experiences have almost always been less than positive due to the creaking state (and age) of the trains and tracks... For that reason, the juxtaposition of "Hot Rails" and "Hull" seemed amusing to me when I was trying to think of a title for the original (UK-based) tribute page...

Anyway - now that the site is no-longer just UK-related, the "Hull" part is less relevant and I generally just refer to it as "Hot Rails"...

I mentioned that many people seem to think I come from Hull - people also seem to think my name is "Kirth" just because my site hotmail address is "kirthgersen" (Kirth Gersen is actually the main protagonist in a series of Jack Vance novels).  Anyway, as Kirth is currently "off-planet", he lets me use his email whilst he's away...

Q: Their current gig total is 3,682. Do we know of any other bands with that many?

I've nothing to compare it to - I've not seen any totals given for other bands - BOC in one form or another have been gigging pretty solidly since 1967, so they're bound to rack up some high appearance numbers - and don't forget - I've only been able to scratch the surface of the 1967-1971 gig schedule - there's MANY more from that period I don't YET know about...

 

Q:  Have you ever thought about contacting the band and/or management to ask if they have a list of shows, especially for the early years?

Long story short - the lists they know about, they published on the official site. Their focus - understandably - is the FUTURE, not the past, whereas mine is pretty much diametrically opposite to that.

 

Q:   Have you ever met or talked with the band?

I got my cover of "Secret Treaties" signed when they played Liverpool in 1975 and I've stood outside a number of stage doors to take photos etc over the years... same as any fan, really...

Q: What concerts have you seen?

BOC gigs? My first was the aforementioned Liverpool Empire gig in 1975 and my last was Manchester Academy 2008 - and a number of gigs in between. I saw a bunch of shows (about 8) on the 1978 "laser" tour of the UK that were probably the greatest gigs I've EVER seen... and yet that initial gig in 75 was without question the BEST single show I've ever attended.

 

Q: What is your favorite BOC album and song?

Any of the first three LPs could top my list on any given day, but if you averaged out the results of my playlists, then "Secret Treaties" would come out on top.

Favourite song?  Blimey...

If we're talking studio recordings then it would be "Astronomy" off "Secret Treaties". If we're talking live LPs, then it is without doubt "Subhuman" off "On your Feet" - every member gets to shine in a fantastic augmentation of what is an excellent track to start with, but they take this version off somewhere new and very forlornly special...

If you're looking for the best example of what Buck Dharma can do on his own, then obviously you need to look no further than "Veteran" off "ETL" - I feel a bit of a traitor for recommending this as it's from a BOC Mk2 gig (with Rick Downey instead of Albert), but there's no disguising Buck's mastery on this track...

 

Q:  BOC has not released a studio record since "Curse of the Hidden Mirror" in 2001. Any chance they are working on a new one?   Why have they not done so?

I have no particular insights into the band/management's thinking on this - of course, like other fans, I often speculate as to why BOC always seem to be content to wait for someone to offer them a deal, with advances and stuff like that - just like in the old days...  Maybe they didn't get the memo that things are done differently these days. Plenty of bands are making new music and using the Internet to help promote their endeavours - look at the Bouchard Brothers, for example - not just with Blue Coupe, but also with Joe, who does a lot of great solo stuff etc.

The Bouchards just LOVE to play and produce new music - an artist HAS to create, after all. That's why I think it's such a waste that a band like BOC (OK, Eric and Buck) seem content to sit on their creative hands and simply tread water in the cultural backwater of the casino/county fair "classic rock" circuit where they continue to play the same standard 8 or 9 song set list featuring, of course, their "big three" hits, (including bass and drum solos, despite the fact that it's now 2012)... What's next?  Their own Reaper Theatre showcase in Branson Missouri, with 3 shows daily?

I think BOC could release new material if they wanted - I'm just stumped as to WHY they don't seem to WANT to...

Of course, the purists argue that "Heaven Forbid" and "Curse" aren't REALLY BOC albums, no matter WHAT it says on the cover... there might be some decent songs contained within, but if there's no Bouchard involvement, then it's just BOC Lite...

And that's always the big what "might have been" with BOC - the big question:  what would have happened if they hadn't have sacked Albert Bouchard in August 1981?  After all, they'd put "Mirrors" behind them and released "Cultosaurus" and "Fire of Unknown Origin" just prior to this - who knows what they could have come up with if the creative heart of the band had remained in operation. 

Not "Revolution by Night" and bloody "Club Ninja", that's for sure...

And "Imaginos" would have been the 6-sided grand epic it was always intended to be...

 

Q: Finally, let's talk about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.   Eddie Trunk has done a good job of touting the case for certain bands.   I think his top three are Kiss, Deep Purple and Rush. I would put BOC right there. Anyway, make the case for the band.

Ah well, now see I wouldn't bother trying to make a case for the band.  Maybe it's because I come from the UK where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a pretty meaningless concept, I dunno...  But it's a constant refrain I hear: "Why aren't BOC in the Rock and Roll HoF?" - so I looked into it a bit more to see who exactly IS and who isn't in the bleedin thing and why does it matter, anyway...

The results of my cursory investigations indicated to me that there's nothing "Rock and Roll" about any of it!!  The list of inductees is an ad-hoc and arbitrary bunch, following no logical pattern or consistency of choice, and seemingly generated at random by the capricious whim of whatever strange entity brought it into being...

I think the better, certainly more honourable, place to be is NOT in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at all in the first place.

Like Groucho once said: "I wouldn't want to join any club that'd have me as a member..."

 

Strathmore Unleashed!

Strathmore, Strathmore, we keep saying we want to go to Strathmore.

Finally did yesterday, taking in “Strathmore Unleashed,” an exhibit of paintings and mixed media riffing on man’s best friend.  (Actually, a higher percentage of women are dog owners than men). 

Curator Harriet Lesser assembled the display.   A few works are on the grounds, while the rest are located throughout the two-story mansion.    Bonus time can be spent in the gift shop and library.

We also visited the Strathmore Performing Arts Center, cool with its wavy design and convenient to the Metro.    A few steps over is the Mansion, which falls in line with the others in Washington that were built on Northwest hills to escape the heat of the city.    

In this case, the wealth belonged to the Corby Family, of Wonder Bread and automation fame.    Perhaps your remember their bakery at 2301 Georgia Avenue, one of the largest where they sold “Mother’s Bread.”

Originally built at the turn of the Century, in the Colonial-Revival Style, the mansion’s brick makeover came with Georgian influence.  A standout feature is its handsome curved portico.    Don’t miss the Oak Room, to your right as you enter.

Subsequent residents included the sisters of St Mary’s Academy, followed by Montgomery County’s purchase.   The hilltop property, skirted by Old Georgetown Road, whose bedrock was the Georgetown to Frederick Turnpike, became a center for arts.   The Mansion at Strathmore swung open its doors in 1983, and the impressive new Music Center opened in 2005 for concerts and music education.     

 

The exhibit is free and runs through June 23.   

 

 

 

 

Civil War Sites South of Alexandria

In the early part of the Civil War, the Union Army, on orders from President Lincoln, built more than 60 forts around Washington to protect the city from a possible invasion by the Confederate Army.    On a bluff south of Alexandria, near what became the Huntington Metro station, four of them (Lyon, Weed, Farnsworth and O’Rourke) guarded the southern approaches and protected the Virginia port city.  

On the other side of Telegraph Road, in the middle of what is now the Burgundy Village neighborhood, which lies about a half mile to the west of the Huntington Metro, there lies another wooded bluff.   No forts were built there, but on the top of its heights you will find a century and a half old house once owned by John A. Fairfax.    The house is secluded and serves as a rare vestige of the Civil War days in these parts.

The Fairfax House takes us back to the tense and troubled relationship between North and South during the Civil War.   In many ways, the fault line cut across this part of Fairfax County that bumps up against the Capital Beltway (Apparently, the war is still going on, as the state has built a very tall concrete wall along this line).   

The Union controlled Alexandria and these heights just south of the seaport city, but “The Gray Ghost,” Colonel John Moseby frightened Union supporters and he scored wins at places like Rose Hill.   A unit from Alabama got as close as Cameron Run when they skirmished with Union soldiers patrolling below Fort Ellsworth on Shuter’s Hill (Washington Masonic Memorial).

Suffering from rotted wood, and looking every bit its age, the Fairfax house overlooks the Eisenhower Valley corridor and the Capital Beltway as it approaches the Telegraph Road interchange.   Once resting peaceful on Fairfax’s farm, the antebellum structure is now surrounded by new townhomes currently under construction.  They’re lovely in their newness, but they look like the monster jaws of suburban sprawl, ready to swallow up the old structure that looks so out of place.

Typically in these situations, with an old house in the suburbs that hardly anyone knows about, the house has little chance to survive new development.  

That almost happened to the Fairfax House, but several years ago an eagle swooped down at the last minute.   Don Hakenson, born and raised in Franconia, and the author of several books on the history of Fairfax County, got together with the Franconia Historic Museum and successfully negotiated a compromise.  

Ideally, the Fairfax house would have become a museum, but the cost for that initiative was a huge barrier.   NVHomes, the developer, agreed to rehabilitate the home.   In exchange, they will sell the historic house as part of the Burgundy Woods offerings.

So what about the history behind this house?   Why is it worth saving?

A consulting firm initially told NVHomes the house was built around in 1920.  Thus, they said, no reason to save it.

Hakenson, an expert on the Civil War in this part of the region, and author of, “This Forgotten Land: A tour of Civil War sites and other historical landmarks south of Alexandria, Virginia,” knew better.    Much better. 

In the first chapter of his book, and in a primer he wrote for the Franconia Museum newsletter (Spring 2005), Hakenson details the story of what took place 150 years ago at Fairfax’s farm.

Like many civilians during the war, Fairfax, who owned 27 slaves, had a great concern and worry about soldiers on a supply mission.   

“The Band” wrote eloquently about this aspect of the war in their song, “The Night They Drove Ol Dixie Down.”

Ya take what you need and ya leave the rest

But they never should have taken the very best.

In 1862, Union soldiers from Fort Lyon, walked over to Fairfax’s farm one day and took 280 gallons of whiskey, 400 head of cattle, and corn and oats.   They also carted off 3 acres of his sod.    During the entire time of the war, Union officers occupied his house.

The Fairfax family also had to dodge bullets.  On the morning of June 30, 1861, a Company of Alabama soldiers attacked Union pickets stationed below Fort Ellsworth.

Hakenson’s research found the engagement, called the “Skirmish at Pike’s Creek,” was fought by 33 volunteers from Companies F, K, I and L of the Sixth Alabama Regiment and Zouves who were with Captain Amer’s Company E, Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment.  Casualties were low but this marked “one of the closest penetrations made against the Federal city by any Confederate force during the war.”

In terms of the five-year war, these few pages may not sound like much. In this part of Fairfax County, however, there is next to nothing left in terms of reminders of the Civil War.   Let’s hope, then, this house and the stories it holds will be saved.   

 

Sources: 

 

"This Forgotten Land" by Don Hakenson

 

“Historic Franconia."  (Fairy-Lamp.com/Franconia)

 

Charles V. Mauro’s, “The Civil War in Fairfax County.”

 

"Mr. Lincoln’s Forts" by Wally Owen II and Benjamin Cooling III

 

Also, my gratitude to Hakenson for a 30-minute interview, and the printing out of his article on the Fairfax House story.   

 

 

Quick Trip to Baltimore

Several years ago, Washingtonian magazine listed “26 Reasons To Love Living in Washington.”

Perhaps a 27^th should be, “Baltimore is close by.”

I have to admit I wax and wane on my feelings toward Crab Cake City, but with our out-of-town visitors wanting to go, I got the mojo back this week, happy to go and to guide.  Indeed, we had a great time.

Love the way Bal’more’s skyline comes into view, and the architecture.  Drove by Camden Yards, visited Inner Harbor, although not enough time other than to see it from atop Federal Hill (pretty cool actually).  

Chowed down at Mo’s and took in Ft McHenry.   

By the way, be informed that Mo’s Restaurant has two locations within a short distance of each other, one in Little Italy off the main drag of Presidents, another close by on Albemarle. 

You just know that scores of people have googled “Mo’s Baltimore” and went to one of them oblivious to the fact it might have been the wrong one.  

Then again, what is the wrong one and what is the difference?

Damndest thing I’ve ever seen.   Still, great meaty crab cakes!

 

 

 

Bike to Work Day 2012

They’re in good physical shape, they lessen the road traffic, they’re good citizens for the planet, they wear colorful gear and friendly smiles, and once a year they gather to be appreciated and commune as one.

We’re talking “Bike to Work Day.”  Cyclists across the region spent some time at one of the 58 pit tops for free food and repairs, music, advocacy grouping, and comradeship.

Under blue skies, Alexandria’s Old Town hosted hundreds in Market Square.   Allysa Krupp, an avid biker observed that the event has come a long way, remembering that ten or so years ago there were just a few booths and sparse attendance.

 According to one of the Old Town organizers, 306 signed up this year.    The City also added Carlyle and the Mark Center.      

Looking fit and trim, Margaret Wohler of Del Ray wore a t-shirt that says, “I lost 2,000 pounds in one day.”

“For my own personal transportation,” she said, “I haven’t driven in two years.”

Wohler’s cycling habits reflect the greater trend.   Capital Bikeshare, one of a dozen or so with an exhibit, recently celebrated a two million-ride milestone.  

The DC-based company which began in September 2010 and currently has more than 1,000 red rentals, will install six bike stations this summer in Old Town, with more to come.  The stations are mobile, and will be moved as usage patterns are gathered.

Organizers of the event said 12,000 riders signed up, double the number from six years ago.  The numbers who bike to work is still small (3.1) but also continues to rise.

Bike infrastructure also continues to grow.   At Alexandria’s King Street Metro parking lot, more bike racks will be installed.

All in all, a great day.   If you're a driver, you can do your part by sharing the road with cyclists.

They're good people!  

 

 

 

 

Jake Lee’s "Paintings at Kan’s"

Sue Lee, Executive Director of the Chinese Historical Society of America in San Francisco, is on a mission.   Speaking at the Chinese Cultural Community Center in Washington D.C.’s Chinatown last Friday night, she echoed what she has been telling audiences across the country.   

“Our job is to share our history with the recent immigrant community and also to make sure our story is imbedded in the American historical narrative.”

The job of finding places to share history and cultural heritage is not an easy one.   Chinatowns and Asian-American communities in the suburbs can provide platforms for telling these stories.   Finding a larger audience, however, has proven difficult for curators like Lee.

“Luck is the residue of design.”  I’m sure there is a Chinese equivalent to that old adage.   The wisdom came true for Lee two years ago, when she found a rather special vehicle she hopes will bring that wider audience.  Browsing through emails to the CHSA’s museum, her heart leapt for joy when she read one from an art collector in Southern California.  

A set of watercolors painted by the famed artist Jake Lee (1911-1991) were to be sold at auction in Los Angeles.  Depicting early Chinese life in the United States, the dozen poster-size works of art graced the dining room walls of Johnny Kan’s iconic restaurant in San Francisco’s Chinatown from 1953 until ownership changed in 1972.    For the next 38 years, their whereabouts were unknown. 

Springing into action, Lee secured last-minute donors.   Her winning bid secured seven of the original twelve, with four others going to another collector.    

Still missing was “Deadwood,” an eight-foot long mural.   Upon returning to San Francisco, Lee found it in a car repair shop.  Together again, the eight paintings then graced the Society’s museum on Grant Avenue.    Three are currently in display at their Main Gallery.   Lee said she hopes a touring exhibit is forthcoming for all of them, possibly with a launch here in Washington, D.C.

The majority of Jake Lee’s paintings commissioned by Kan emphasis the Chinese work ethic, while the others touch on cultural institutions such as Chinese New Year’s celebrations.    “Deadwood” stands out not only by its long shape, but also its specific setting.    Lee painted a snap shot of a “Hub-and-Hub” fire hose team racing past spectators in the South Dakota city in the summer of 1888.    

The impact of re-introducing these iconic works to the public cannot be understated.   In “Finding Jake Lee:  The Paintings at Kan’s,” a booklet published by the CHSA, Mark Dean Johnson, Professor of Art and Gallery at San Francisco State University observes,

“They are significant stylistically as much as for their imagery.  Watercolor paintings were especially popular in California during the early and mid-Twentieth Century; it signaled the influence of Chinese ink painting regionally…”

The Chinese Historical Society of America, the largest and oldest such organization in the country, was founded in 1963 to promote the stories of the Chinese-American experience.   Jake Lee’s splendid watercolor paintings offer a great new opportunity for Americans and the world to discover some of this culture and history.    Sue Lee invites you to come see them.

 

 

If They Don't Win It's a Shame...

Day game, National League on grass, sun came out, Strasburg pitching, Harper coming off his first homer, Nats in first, out-of-town guests, good seats, chowed down on a Ben’s Half-Smoke, who can complain about that?

Me.

Well, not really, but we did jinx the Nationals and Strasburg yesterday.   Walking in to the ballpark, I said to myself, he’s due a bad outing. 

Indeed.   The Nats' ace proved to be a mere mortal, lasting only four innings, yielding four earned runs.  

Outfielders Bernadina and Ankiel’s first inning, “I got it, you take it,” invited the misery, and Teddy, Abe and Tom's disasterous collision accented it.

Oh, well, Harper jacked his second home run and our friends enjoyed themselves.    That’ll be the memorable part…

 

Weekend of Political Action in Alexandria

OFA-VA is setting up some work sessions for Saturday, meeting at 1400 Duke Street in Alexandria.    Before you get fired up, you need to get fueled up.

Here’s my coffee spot recommendations, the first set is within a ten to fifteen minute walk, the second further away.   For the first set, you should walk because parking is tough in Old Town (and you’re a progressive thinker!).  If you’re taking Metro, you could take the free King Street Shuttle to get closer to some of these.

So, great coffee, great cause, great weather, great place, come on, we need you! 

Misha’s, Corner of Route 1 North and King

An Old Town institution, some say the best, small, but great people talking and they roast right there.   Locals say there used to be a political divide, lefties in one room, righties on the other.   Can get crowded, but they try to zip along.   Not much on baked goods, but this is quite the place for politicos.

 

Boccato, King between Route 1 North and South

The new kid in town with espresso, gelato and affogato,  which is expensive but to die for.  Service can be a little slow, but it’s a hip space and they are meticulate about serving their coffee.

 

Uptown Café, King and Harvard

Also small, but has some character.   Usually quiet and just folks reading, good baked goods and classical music in the pipes.    

 

Dunkin Donuts, Half block west of Uptowner

What’s that saying, “It is what it is?”  

 

Nicole’s Café, Corner of N. Payne and Queen

Nicole refurbished the old Sgt Restaurant in Parker-Gray.   Usually not too busy.  

 

Others

Buzz on Slaters Lane

Young go-getters with the laptops, mixed with families from Potomac Greens.

Starbucks at King and Union

Best digs around in an historic building along the waterfront.

Grape and Bean, S. Royal, half block from King.

Artists at work with $1200 machine, but check hours.

 

Additional Reading

My reviews from October 2010.