Christmas party animal chat

African Sulcata Giant Tortoises at the Linton Zoological Gardens, Cambridge, England/tigertailfood.com

At a Sierra Club Christmas party I met a woman who told me that she and her boyfriend have a pet ... tortoise.
Really.
They've had him (it's a "he") three years, and he has increased his girth from a three inch circumference to about the size of a dinner plate. 
When he reaches adulthood, he'll be big enough to ride, she said.
To ride?  Where would you ride a tortoise?  To the Harris Teeter and back over the course of a week?  Would you carry along a mini-refrigerator to store cold items?
On the other side of me at the nicely decorated table was a woman who had just come from the zoo after a long, circuitous route into the Tysons Corner jungle which carried her over two hours to Annandale before she could figure out where she was, having left her GPS at home. 
"I'll never do that again," she said, "because once you're in a lane, you're in a lane forever, and there's no escape." 
Don't we all know it, the pitiful who live at Tysons Corner and have to endure the mess?  A dangerous mess. 
The zoo lady took canvases to the zoo, she said, to get "animal art." Animals with painted feet  walk on the canvases, and then she sells them to Sotheby's for $$$.  (Just kidding about the Sotheby's part, but it makes good fodder and it's believable, isn't it?  Modern art.)
What happens to their painted feet? "Oh, the paint just comes off," she said.
But back to the tortoise...his name is Livingstone (with emphasis on the last syllable (?), and yes, his name comes from the African explorer). 
The owners "absolutely adore" him.
Yes, I guess so, if they've got a tortoise under roof!
Livingstone has his own personality (!), his own table/room (?; unclear) and free roam of their apartment.  I didn't ask her, although I must say the thought occurred to me more than once, about uuuummmm, you know.  Does the pet store have tortoise diapers? (Try Googling that. They're there!)
(Since her fiancé was absent from the party, one assumed he was safely at home tortoisesitting which is not far from "torturesitting." Hahaha.)
Do they take Livingstone on trips?
No, her boyfriend's parents have a big house and a separate room all fixed up for Livingstone who is moody and loves to eat lettuce.  He is a vegetarian. 
Join the throngs! 
That's all I wanted for Christmas: another moody person/animal to live with.  (Do plants have moods?)
It pays to get out.

Inside the Christmas White House 2011

Like tall ballerinas dancing pirouettes in sparkling floor length gowns trying to capture the most attention from an awestruck audience, real Christmas trees grace every room, standing shimmering in lights and decorations, ready to receive admiring glances/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Cross Hall at the main White House entrance/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Not far from Aaron Shikler's 1970 portrait of President John F. Kennedy, members of the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir in Harrisonburg, Virgina sing Christmas hymns in the Entrance Hall/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Hushed crowds are captured by the moment and the reality they are but fleeting visitors in the president's home (the People's House) where the unmistakable fragrance of Fraser fir greets them at every entrance. 

None of that fake stuff, if you please.  This is real.
 
In the East Room/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The East Room/Photo by Patricia Leslie
Garlands, real garlands, flow from door, window, and mirror tops to floors. Necklaces of the season decorate mirrors. 

Bulbs grow below a window in the East Room/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Tiny spotlights powered by smaller batteries, brighten the huge gingerbread White House in the State Dining Room/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The State Dining Room and a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln. The banners on the trees say "Shine, Give, Share," this year's White House Christmas theme/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In the Red Room with Henry Inman's 1842 portrait of Angelica Singleton Van Buren /Photo by Patricia Leslie

The biggest Christmas tree, the official White House tree, is found in the Blue Room, the focus of attention upon entering the main White House threshold. Stretching to the ceiling, it pays tribute to the troops whose children made the Christmas cards which hang with military medals from almost every branch of the special tree/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The official White House Christmas tree hung with military medals and Christmas cards made by children of servicemen and servicewomen/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the East Visitor Entrance is a table laden with postcards for visitors to inscribe messages to the troops to thank them for their service, and a few steps away is a mailbox for the deposits of gratitude.

Overhead in the Green Room were two guards chatting.  Said one, shaking his head:  "The question of the day has got to be: 'Is this the real White House?'"/Photo by Patricia Leslie

From the Green Room/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Parties, tours, and open houses galore.  The people are grateful for the opportunities to visit our house, the president's house.  What other nation permits it?

From the East Visitor Entrance Hall on the ground floor/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the East Visitor Entrance Hall decorated on the right with Christmas photos of American presidents and their families/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Just outside the Library on the ground floor is a poinsettia tree/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The China Room on the ground floor with Grace Coolidge presiding/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Seen on the ground floor without his Santa hat was Henry Clay/Photo by Patricia Leslie

  

patricialesli@gmail.com

Wedding dresses extended at Hillwood through January 15, 2012

Have you seen that dumb show on cable (thank goodness I cannot identify the station or the night) about women selecting wedding gowns?
In fancy bridal shops the women come and go, talking with mothers and close friends who tell the brides-to-be how ravishing they look in wedding apparel.

The 60-year-old with the wrinkly arms?

"Darling, sleeveless is perfect for you!"

Who in their right mind would spend time watching such a show?

Velma and I love it.

If you haven't been out to Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens to see Marjorie Merriweather Post's four wedding dresses, you have until January 15, 2012 to see them. The show has been extended to satisfy the crowds bombarding the mansion for this very special exhibition. (Through last month Hillwood's attendance exceeded all of 2010 admittances which had already set a record.)

Wedding Dress, 1905  Worn by Marjorie Merriweather Post for wedding to Edward Bennett Close, December 5, 1905  Hitchins& Balcom, New York  Silk satin, silk organza, open cut lace, rhinestones

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Bequest of Marjorie Merriweather Post, 1973

The show includes not only Mrs. Post's four wedding dresses (none alike), but those of her three daughters, her mother, bridesmaids, mother of the bride, and Dina Merrill's dress she wore as a flower girl (piped in white fox?) in her sister's 1927 wedding.  Ms. Merrill (b. 1925) was the youngest of Mrs. Post's three daughters and the only one extant. Like mother, like daughters: Adelaide, the oldest, was married three times; Eleanor, the middle daughter, six times, and Dina Merrill, three times. It might take an airport hangar to show all of the wedding dresses which may explain why they are not all in the show. Nevertheless...) A 2.5 minute film of scenes from Adelaide's 1927 wedding is included.

Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid Dress, 1935

Worn by Marjorie Merriweather Post and bridesmaid dress worn by Dina Merrill for Post’s 1935 wedding to Joseph E. Davies, photographed in the pavilion at Hillwood. Photo by Ed Owen

Wedding Dress, 1946
Worn by Dina Merrill for her wedding to Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr., March 23, 1946
Saks Fifth Avenue, New York
Satin, tulle, pearls
Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
Gift of Dina Hartley; photo by Ed Owen

The dresses are in superb condition. And accompanying them are hats, shoes, purses, jewelry. (Do not dare miss, as I almost did on first go-round, Dina Merrill's wedding bag with diamonds and pearls.) Without a doubt, Mrs. Post's most elegant dress was her first one.

The costumes are all quite complete and originate from Hillwood's collection of 175 gowns Mrs. Post (1887-1973) left to her estate.

The Adirondack at Hillwood, home of "Wedding Belles"/Patricia Leslie

The exhibition is in a small gallery, the Adirondack, a few steps from the mansion which is also included in the admission price. Hillwood is stunning with holiday decorations up and docents galore to happily answer questions.

Hillwood Estate/Patricia Leslie

If you should wonder why Hillwood is not open every Sunday, it's because the neighbors prohibit it via zoning, a docent told me. Likely, they abhor the traffic which reminds me...

Parking is available on-site, however, the Sunday I went, the only parking was in an employees lot, but, not to worry, friendly parking lot attendants will take care of you.

The $15 admission is well worth it, and do take advantage of the beautiful grounds. I didn't believe the website which advised planning a stay of three hours, but it is true. The café offerings were magnificent and reasonably priced.  An attendant told me large brunch crowds come on Sundays (when open).

What: "Wedding Belles: Bridal Fashions From the Marjorie Merriweather Post Family 1874-1958"

When: Now through January 15, 2012, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and two Sundays, January 1 and January 15, 2012, 1 - 5 p.m.

Where: Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW

"Suggested donation": $15 (adults), $12 (age 65 +), $10 (college students), $5 (6-18 years), no suggested donations for younger than 6 or members

Metro station: Van Ness-UDC and walk a short mile up a hill through a pretty neighborhood (or take a taxi). To shorten your walk or skip the taxi, ride the L1 or L2 bus and walk a half mile from Connecticut and Tilden.

For more information: 202-686-5807

A portrait of Marjorie Merriweather Post at Hillwood

Dina Merrill's bedroom at Hillwood/Patricia Leslie

      The Breakfast Room at Hillwood/Patricia Leslie

A portrait of Catherine the Great of Russia hangs on the stairway at the mansion.  Mrs Post's marriage to Joseph E. Davies took them to Russia in 1937 and 1938 when he was U.S. Ambassador, and there Mrs. Post developed a love of Russian decorative arts.  A docent said Hillwood owns the largest collection of Russian decorative arts in the U.S.

Russian trade and human rights on Capitol Hill

  Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California)/Patricia Leslie

Rep. Dana  Rohrabacher (R-California) rebuked statements from members of a panel at the Rayburn House Office Building on Tuesday for their criticism of human rights violations in Russia when conditions in China are much worse, he said. "The nerve to attack Russia" and ignore what is happening in China is a travesty.  "We talk about Russia meddling in Georgia," he said, but look at what's going on in China which "is a threat to us."
Rep. Rohrabacher was speaking from the audience at a gathering of about 50 mostly congressional aides who came to hear a presentation, "Jackson-Vanik after Russia's Accession to the WTO," sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Russia is expected to be admitted to the World Trade Organization this month which will have enormous trade benefits for the U.S. if it permanently waives provisions of the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment. It was originally designed to pressure "non-market economies," including the Soviet Union, to improve human rights and permit trade advantages.  The law has succeeded with Russia since it no longer restricts emigration, one of the key component of the legislation.  (However, Cuba and North Korea are other targets of the amendment since they do block emigration, said speaker Richard Perle of the American Enterprise Institute.)
Jackson-Vanik is "the single most important human rights legislation passed by Congress," Perle said.  It was "cold war legislation" and its repeal, favored by no one speaking, is desired by Russian leader Vladimir Putin because the "KGB despises" it. Repeal would be a "huge concession" to Russia, Mr. Perle said. The President of the United States can single handedly waive provisions of the law annually, a benefit enjoyed for many years by Russia, China, and Vietnam.

   Randi Levinas of the U.S.-Russia Business Council/Patricia Leslie

Also up  for discussion at the lunchtime session was U.S. trade with Russia. Speaker Randi Levinas of the U.S.-Russia Business Council was happy to make her pitch: Only four percent of Russia's imports come from the U.S., and the opportunities for growth are huge.  Last year California's trade with Russia grew by 40 percent, and New York's, by 75 percent.  Top exported American goods to Russia, she said,  are machinery, spacecraft, cars and parts, and computers. (? Hewlett-Packard says most computers in the U.S. come from China.)
One-third of Russia's citizens are middle-class, 99% are literate, and about half the population has university degrees (about 20% more than found in the U.S.).
Russia's economy will be the ninth largest in the world by the end of this year, Ms. Levinas said.  Forty percent of its imports come from Europe, and 16 percent, from China.
Joining the WTO will mean Russia has to follow the rules, Ms. Levinas said.

 Lara Iglitzin of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation/Patricia Leslie

Lara Iglitzin of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation said human rights violations over the last ten years demonstrate "a culture of impunity in Putin's Russia...We are gravely concerned about the direction of human rights" there, urging that U.S. leaders continue to speak out against human rights violations by the Russian government.
William Pomeranz of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center was moderator of the event, also co-sponsored by Kennan and the Jackson Foundation.  Next year will be the centennial celebration of the birth of Senator Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson (1912-1983) who, in addition to many causes, was particularly devoted to human rights for all. Jackson-Vanik was named for him and for Rep. Charles Vanik.

Blair House is lovelier than the White House

Really. 

It is much lovelier than the White House.

Really.

It is bigger than the White House.

 One butler said it is prettier than the White House at Christmas.

And you thought it was "just" that three story standing behind the "Blair House" plaque at 1651 Pennsylvania Avenue. Au contraire, messieurs et madames: It stretches from the Lafayette Square corner all the way to the Renwick Gallery, encompassing all the buildings in-between, including the Lee House.   It is lots more than the cream-colored building with the flag.  It is all the buildings around it.

One butler said it had 14 bedrooms (17 beds). Another butler said it had 15 bedrooms (17 beds). One butler said, "bathrooms? Oh, my...50?"

They vacuum and dust every day.

Even when visitors are not present?

Even when visitors are not present.

The downstairs walls (we were not invited upstairs where I was hoping to glimpse a shirtless Vladimir Putin ) are painted Williamsburg light yellow and peach. Centuries old wallpaper from China stretches from floor to ceiling in one of many parlours.

In another room General Robert E. Lee faces a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln.

Blair House is much more than just this (photo) with the flag.

Paintings of George Washington hang on several walls. In one of four (!) dining rooms (the Lee House dining room was off-limits due to water damage; now under repair) is a memorials mural which covers all the walls from the chair rail up and includes, but is not limited to, depictions of Mount Vernon, the U.S. Supreme Court building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Washington Monument, and there in a corner, St. John's Episcopal Church, the president's church, on Lafayette Square. (Painted by Robert Jackson in 1988.)

The resplendent and abundant chandeliers!

Andrew Jackson here; Andrew Jackson there, Andrew Jackson was everywhere...on the wall in several places. In a dining room, sculpted in miniature on a bronze horse (a la the Lafayette Square statue). A visitor from the National Portrait Gallery explained that President Jackson had many connections to the Blairs and thus is omnipresent in the house. (She also highly recommended the CSPAN story of Blair House.)

Yes! (Photo) Blair House(s) is all this, down to Renwick Gallery at the far left.

But, alas, ...fake trees! They are in a large, expanded reception area at the back of Blair House which was originally part of the garden. Real trunks, and that is all, the butler told me. Their small pots gave them away. (Size matters.)

The butler said the State Department has jurisdiction over Blair House which is exclusively reserved for heads of state on "official," "state," or "working" visits. Who pays for their food? State works it out with the governments, the butler said.   (The website calls it "the President's guest house.")

The staff we met came from several nations; Spain and Brazil were two. And they have long tenures at Blair House. Of course. 

Some of its famous guests have included President Charles de Gaulle, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, Boris Yeltsin, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Vladimir Putin, Pervez Musharraf, and Muhammed VI.  (Check out the guestbook for more names and nations.)

Does anything mar Blair House?

Oh, yes.

Eyesorish telephones. Really. They sit on various tables in stark contrast to the period furnishings and elegance, rather like slugs atop wrought-iron white furniture beside a swimming pool. That's how much they stand out, and quite ugly things they are.

And, pul-leazz, would someone  cover up the ugly back of that unsightly red thing at the corner of H and 17th which forms the back wall to the Blair House garden interrupting its serenity? (It's like putting a decrepit red devil on stage with Margot Fonteyn, when she was living.) You know the building that looks like it went up in the 1960s and hurts your eyes to look at it, it is so awful? (Like the slugs above.) As a matter of fact, if the entire building could be removed or permanently covered up on all sides, that would be a bonus. Where is Christo when you need him? (At the National Gallery of Art! Or he was.) 

Is Blair House on FB?

The new bishop visits St. John's Church, Lafayette Square

At St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde addressed the Adult Forum/Patricia Leslie

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde at St. John's, Lafayette Square/Patricia Leslie

 The processional at St. John's, Lafayette Square with Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde at the end in red/Patricia Leslie

Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde carried her crozier at St. John's, but where was her mitre? Preceding the bishop is the Rev. Dr. Luis Leon, rector at St. John's/Patricia Leslie

The newly elected Episcopal bishop for the Washington, D.C. diocese,
Mariann Edgar Budde, visited St. John's at Lafayette Square Sunday where she preached at four services and spoke to a packed sanctuary at the Adult Forum.
Energetic, animated, and smiling aplenty, the first woman elected bishop for the Washington diocese, said she firmly believes she was chosen to help the church grow and develop. She said Washington was fortunate to have a healthy economy, especially when compared with the rest of the nation, and she is not worried about financial difficulties at the Washington National Cathedral.  She is "blown away by [Washington's] resources."
The area is a dynamic place for 18 to 34 year olds, she said, but the fastest growing age segment is people over 80, presenting the Episcopal Church with
opportunities to serve persons on "both sides of the spectrum." The difference between a 60-year-old and an 80-year-old is the difference between a 12-year-old and a 19-year-old, she said.

Answering a question from church member Togo West, Bishop Budde said the Episcopal Church is always open to all: "We believe that everyone is chosen."

She quoted from a favorite book, Always We Begin Again by John McQuiston: "'Treat each hour as the greatest of gifts....When we rise from
sleep, let us greet each day with joy and cheer each other on...be
gentle with this life...and live fully within your time.'"

Bishop Budde, 52, comes from Minneapolis where, under her 18-year leadership, St. John's in Minneapolis grew from 100 to 400 members. Last June at the Washington Cathedral, laypersons and clergy elected her the ninth bishop for the diocese.  She was installed last month.

Coming up at St. John's:

December 7 at 12:10 p.m.: Music of the Season with the Madrigal
Singers from St. Albans and National Cathedral schools under the
direction of Benjamin Hutto, director of music ministry and organist
at St. John's

December 18: The Festival of Lessons and Carols

Where: St. John's Church, Lafayette Square, 1525 H Street, NW

For more information: 202-347-8766

Metro station:  McPherson Square

15th century tapestries portray military history at the National Gallery of Art

The entrance to the Pastrana Tapestries exhibition at the National Gallery of Art, framed by Alexander Calder's Model for East Building Mobile (1972)/Patricia Leslie

               The Pastrana Tapestries exhibition opening/Patricia Leslie

King Afonso V and his son, Prince Joao, prepare for battle

                A mother escapes a battleworn city with her three children

 Moth damage before restoration of the tapestries by the Royal Manufacturers De Wit of Mechlin, Belgium

               After restoration by the Royal Manufacturers De Wit of Mechlin, Belgium

                               A 15th century weapon of mass destruction

                    A timeline of 15th century Portuguese history/Patricia Leslie




Whether or not you are a fan of military history, a visual feast awaits you and your family in the East Building of the National Gallery of Art where a stunning display of four 15th century Gothic tapestries never seen together in the United States hang floor-to-ceiling in two galleries.

When the show first went up, no less than the ambassadors from Belgium, Portugal, and Spain came for the briefing to praise the artistry, each other, and the National Gallery of Art in the joint effort to produce The Invention of Glory:  Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries. (If they had taken a side trip up to Capitol Hill, they might have imparted their wisdom about cooperation and a common goal to members of the U.S. Congress. Alas.)

The tapestries of wool and silk threads tell the story of the 1471 advent of Portuguese King Afonso V (1432-1481) to the African coast with his son, Prince Joao, age 16, to successfully wage battle against Muslims in Asilah and Tangier at a time when Portugal and Spain vied to control the region.

If your sons are anything like mine, they will be awestruck by the action, the weapons, the armor and the art, and the huge numbers of soldiers designed and sewn by Flemish artisans who knew little about Africa but gave the Moroccan cities a dash of Belgian flavor with European urban scenes and some monkeys thrown in for good measure.

Standing in the galleries and with just a tiny imagination, a visitor can hear the sounds of battle, the horns and shouts, the clashing of swords and spears, the stomping of horses' hooves and soldiers' boots.

Where is King Afonso? See if you can find him and his son in ceremonial battle garb more than once. Can you find the mother with her three children? Well-written labels will guide you, should you need any help.

In the second gallery is an excellent timeline which spans almost an entire wall and lays out important dates of Portuguese history.  Also, photographs of "before" and "after" the restoration of the tapestries funded by Spain's Fundacion Carlos de Amberes produce more admiration for the talented artisans of 500 years ago and for those of today, as well.

The tapestries measure about 12' x 36' and weigh approximately 135 pounds each.  They are among the rarest and earliest examples of illustrated history for the vast majority of those period tapestries portrayed allegorical or religious subjects.

They are named the Pastrana Tapestries for Pastrana, Spain, 50 miles from Madrid where the works have been located in a church since the 17th century. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), they received special protection.

From the National Gallery, the exhibition will travel to Dallas, San Diego, and Indianapolis.  A handsome color catalogue with cloth covering is available for purchase.

On December 6 and December 8 at 12 p.m. the National Gallery's Julia Burke and Diane Arkin will speak about the tapestries, and the public is invited.  (For location, ask at the East Building information desk.) 

On December 18 at 4 p.m. and December 21 at 12:30 p.m. the 2010 film of 270 minutes (with intermission) by Raul Ruiz, Mysteries of Lisbon, which is based on the 1854 novel by Portuguese novelist Camilo Castelo Branco, will be screened in the East Building Auditorium.

What: The Invention of Glory: Afonso V and the Pastrana Tapestries

When: Now through January 8, 2012, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday excepting Christmas Day and New Year's Day when the National Gallery of Art is closed

Where: National Gallery of Art, East Building, between Third and Fourth streets on Constitution Avenue, NW

How much: No charge. Admission to the National Gallery of Art is always free.

Metro stations: Smithsonian, Federal Triangle, Navy Memorial-Archives, Judiciary Square or ride the Circulator

For more information: 202-737-4215