Public Art #2

Public art sometimes appears in surprising places. 

Recently, we were visiting the roof of our building.   The late afternoon weather was lovely, with a clear blue sky.  In the distance, we could see landmarks like the Washington Monument and the National Cathedral.  

While looking over the roof's edge at Rock Creek Park, we spotted something out of the ordinary.

We spotted large murals hanging in the park.  Since we enjoy art wherever we find it, we decided to investigate.  

What we discovered were more than a dozen large abstract murals painted by a local artist, Kiril Jeliazkov.  Below is a sampling of what we saw.  

The murals are very large,measuring 11' x 22'.  The murals are part of a single composition called Orange Step.  Each mural is "signed" with an orange foot.

The work is a single composition consisting of 128 murals that are being displayed in different U.S. locations, including Washington, D.C.  

The artist is offering the murals for sale; a 20" x 20" square cut from a mural costs $325, with a portion of the of proceeds going to charity.  (You can learn more about the artist by clicking here.)

Music in D.C.: Kennedy Center Youth Council

On the spur of the moment, we recently attended another free performance at the Kennedy Center.  Appearing on the Millennium Stage was a group of local high school musicians, singers and even filmmakers.  The performance was part of week-long series celebrating the Kennedy Center Youth Council and young performers in the D.C. metropolitan area.

We enjoyed the performances.  Some were especially good.  Greg enjoyed the performance by a local glee club of Seasons of Love from the 1996 Broadway musical Rent.  

Seasons of Love performed by the National Cathedral School Glee Club

You can listen to Seasons of Love by clicking here and scrolling to 1:04:00.  

Below is a collage of photos from the event.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for joining us at the Kennedy Center.  

Where do you live in D.C.? #11

Where do we live in D.C.?   

We live near the House of Sweden, the Swedish embassy in the United States.  It is located about 6 blocks away and is situated on the riverfront in Georgetown.

The House of Sweden is an ultra-modern building, with a lot of glass.  

The House of Sweden was designed by Swedish architects Gert Wingårdh and Tomas Hansen and completed in 2006. It is clad in blonde wood, glass and stone.  The "House of Sweden exemplifies the very best of signature Scandinavian simplicity, modernity, and unpretentious elegance, wedded to characteristic Swedish practicality and flexibility."

We recently visited the House of Sweden, which was hosting three exhibits in its lobby and lower floor.  One exhibit, The Creative Nation: Swedish Music and Innovation, featured Swedish innovation over the past 150 years.   

One item in the exhibit caught Susan's attention--the Hovding, an airbag for your head.  You might have seen this invention already.  A bicyclist wears a collar that deploys an airbag in case of a crash.  Below are photos of the collar and the deployed airbag.

To see the inflatable helmet in action, click here.  

Apparently, the airbag doubles as a shower cap.  Perhaps that was what caught Susan's attention.  Susan will be getting a Hovding on her next birthday.  Susan does not ride a bike but she takes lots of showers.    

In the lobby, Susan also discovered a comfy couch,  Check it out.  

Another display caught Greg's attention.  It turns out that the architect of the U.S. Civil War ironclad ship the  USS Monitor was Swedish born designer John Ericcson.  Who knew?

Another exhibit at the House of Sweden featured the photorealistic paintings of Swedish artist Karin Broos.  The exhibition Still Life by Karin Broos included "portrayals of everyday scenes" that express "ambiguous sentiments and universal feelings of melancholia and gloom."  One of Broos's paintings appears below.  

Greg wondered whether the young boy in the painting above is afraid because of what he sees on the computer screen or is afraid of the computer.  Fortunately, the boy has his cat to protect him.  

The third exhibit at the House of Sweden featured costumes from Ingmar Bergman films on the ocassion of the 100th anniversary of his birth.  Some of the costumes were beautiful, while others were fantastical, like the one pictured below from Bergman's 1957 film The Seventh Seal.

  

The House of Sweden is located next to Rock Creek where the creek empties into the Potomac River.  So, when the creek and river threaten to flood, the House of Sweden is at risk.  Fortunately, the building has a temporary flood wall, which was erected when we visited.  

P.S.  While visiting the House of Sweden, we bumped into our imaginary butler Lars, who is Swedish.  Lars has been on an extended vacation traveling the world in search of the best pickled herring.  He was stopping over in D.C. to visit his aunt, the current Swedish ambassador to the U.S.  Unfortunately, Aunt Karin could not recommend a source of quality pickled herring in D.C.  What a shame. 

If you can recommend a good place to get pickled herring, please let us know!

Random Things in DC #9

It's time for some more random spotted during our travels in D.C.  

While passing a designer clothing store, we noticed a jellyfish in the window.  We were not sure what the sea creature had to do with designer clothing, but we thought the window display was eye-catching.  

Some random hottie admires a jellyfish in a store window.

On a warm Spring day, we spotted the dude below.  We guessed that he rode a Big Wheel when he was a kid.

The next scene is a bit mysterious.  Some dude is walking behind a self-propelled box on wheels.  He seemed to control the box with a remote control device in his hand.  We guessed the box might be the prototype of an autonomous delivery system.  In the future, perhaps the robotic box will deliver a 6-pack of beer from a neighborhood store.   

Some dude taking his box for a walk.

Below is a scene that needs no explanation.

Some random hottie and a random dude (aka Susan's brother Sid)

Eat mor chikin!

Churches: Grace Episcopal Church #3

During Years 1 and 2, we made the effort to be in active in a local church.  Here in D.C., we found a home at Grace Episcopal Church, located about 8 blocks from our apartment. 

The people we met at the church were welcoming.  As a result, we have been attending regularly and pitching in here and there.

One activity was helping to decorate the church at Easter.  We visited the local Trader Joe's to pick up a special order of flowers, including tulips, calla lilies, hydrangeas and, of course, Easter lilies.  (Trader Joe's has very nice flowers at affordable prices.)  Then, we had fun decorating the church.  Check it out.   

Sports in D.C.: Washington Nationals #2

We recently attended an afternoon Washington Nationals baseball game.  The Nats hosted the San Diego Padres.  The game was exciting because it was close, even in the ninth evening.  Unfortunately, the Nats lost 3-1.  

A highlight of the game was watching the Racing Presidents, pictured below.  

The presidents are Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington and Teddy Roosevelt, an unofficial mascot of the Nationals.  You might remember Teddy from the Cherry Blossom Parade.

Teddy is beloved by the fans, even though he usually loses the race.  At the Nats/Padres game, Abe won the race.

We also saw the Racing Presidents on Opening Day this year.  The outcome was a happy surprise for the fans, with "honest" Abe playing the role of spoiler.  You can see the race  here.

Run, Teddy, run!

Where do you live in D.C. #10

Where do we live in D.C.?  

We live near a flood zone.  Our building is next to Rock Creek near where it flows into the Potomac River.  When a lot of rain falls, the normally sleepy Rock Creek becomes a racing torrent.  When it rains day after day, like it did for the past eight days, the Potomac River rises high and threatens to flood the riverfront.

One area at risk is the nearby Georgetown waterfront and the restaurants and offices located there.  So, one building complex, known as Washington Harbor, has deployed its many flood gates to prevent the flood waters from reaching the buildings.  

In the photos below, you can see that the level of the Potomac has risen and covered the pedestrian walkway along the river. 

Along the Georgetown waterfront, water covers a pedestrian walkway.  To the left, floodgates(the metal walls) are raised to prevent flooding of the buildings behind the floodgates.  The Watergate appears in the background.  

Some dude in a light blue shirt watches the rain-swollen, debris-filled Potomac River rush by. 

Below, the Georgetown Harbor restaurant Fiola Mare is protected by raised floodgates.   The restaurant's theme of seaside dining foreshadows what could be an unhappy outcome if the river rises too much.

Life goes on behind the floodgates.  Diners enjoy meals al fresco while the Potomac surges by on the other side. 

The same building complex was not so lucky in 2011.  Then, intense rain storms caused the Potomac River to rise quickly before the flood gates could be raised.  The result was flooded buildings, lots of water damage and no dining al fresco.  Check it out.  

Fortunately, our building sits on a bluff above Rock Creek and the Potomac River.  So, the risk of our building being flooded is low  Whew!   Of course, we hope global warming is arrested soon.

Since last week, the rains have ended and the water level has dropped.  The flood gates were lowered and life is back to normal, as depicted in the photo below.

Not everyone is worried about flooding.  Below, some local residents rode out the flood atop their makeshift home.   

Turtles sunbathing atop a log in flooded Rock Creek.

P.S.  You might remember a post from Year 2 in Florence.  We learned that our building sat in a flood zone near the River Arno.  In 1966, the heart of Florence was flooded, including our building.  

So, when we pick a place to live in Paris during Year 4, we will be careful to avoid living in a flood zone or to select an apartment on an upper floor.

P.P.S.  Flooding is not a recent problem for the Potomac riverfront.  In 1972, after hurricane Agnes passed through, the Potomac flooded parts of lower Georgetown.

Georgetown:  a view of flooded K Street, under the Whitehurst Freeway (1972)