Trip to Greece

Tomorrow Joan and I will set out on a trip to Greece. For someone who taught Western History for 35 years this should be a real thrill. We'll fly to Athens and begin a 4-day land tour the next day. We'll get to see sights like Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, Corinth and the fabled monasteries at Meteora.

After that we'll be back in Athens for four nights to take in the Greek vibe and see the remarkable sights there. The Greeks, and the Athenians more than any other, were the originators of philosophy, democracy, drama, rationalism and humanism. Their self-confidence and use of logic is well-expressed in their splendid art and architecture. They established the approach that underlies the scientific method. The museums will be marvelous and I'm told the food is great!

Then we'll set sail on the Aegean Sea to tour the Greek isles. Our 700-passenger ship will go to Mykonos, Crete, Patmos, Rhodes Ephesus and Santorini to take in the culture, the vivid azure waters and, in some cases, the small-town ambience. We will be back in the U.S. around the 18th of October.

Vacation to Oregon and Washington

My wife Joan and I are back from our wonderful whirlwind sixteen-day vacation to Oregon and Washington.  The main highlights were  McKenzie Bridge and Portland in Oregon, Seattle, Washington and Ashland, Oregon.

We spent four days in a cabin on the McKenzie River.  The hamlet of McKenzie Bridge is 46 miles east of Eugene up the McKenzie River in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.  It was four days of restful solitude in the midst of verdant greenery and running water.  We spent many hours just sitting on the porch of the cabin catching up on our reading and watching birds and the occasional river raft expedition go by.  We took a hike one day to nearby Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls.

                                                                   Koosah Falls

Then it was on to Portland to stay with my dear friend from college, Jeff Deiss.  Joan went to the National Handbell Convention for four days while I chummed around with old friends.  One spectacular view was from the top of a hike up the Columbia River Gorge to a point called Angels Rest.  Here's the view facing west back toward Portland.

Columbia River

 

 

 

 

Next we drove the three hours up to Seattle to spend a couple of nights at my sister Toni's.  A highlight was Seattle's wonderful Arboretum and Japanese Garden. 

Japanese Garden

We also took a fascinating trip to the Museum of Flight at Boeing.  It included everything from the Wright Brothers to spacecraft.  We saw their early production facility, World War I and II planes and took a terrific tour of a B-17.  We ventured into the Space Shuttle's cargo bay and saw the Air Force One used from the presidencies from Kennedy to Nixon.

With Toni and Joan beneath a World War II B-17G Bomber

We then went south to Ashland, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  We got to see two plays, "The Taming of the Shrew" and a non-Shakespeare play called "Tenth Muse."  "Tenth Muse" starred Vivia Font, an actress my daughter Marie has worked with in San Diego.  Both plays were superb.  Unfortunately, wildfires near Grants Pass, Oregon, about 30 miles north of Ashland, had filled the air with so much smoke that the two plays we were gong to see in the outdoor Elizabethan Stage theater, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Heart of Robin Hood," were cancelled.  Toni is going to use the vouchers to go back to Ashland and see some more plays when she can get away again.

It was a wonderful trip and provided a great combination of quiet, sightseeing and time with old friends.  Soon enough we will return to the frenetic pace of being back at work, but will start refreshed and with fond memories to look back on. 

Vacation Time

We're on our way to Oregon and Washington for vacation this morning.  We'll stay at Mt. Shasta tonight, and then at a cabin on the McKenzie River for four days.  we'll next proceed up to Portland, where Joan will attend the 4-day National Handbell Convention.  We'll get to stay with a dear friiend of mine from college, Jeff Deiss, and while Joan's at the conference I'll get to chum around with Jeff and my other college friends Tom Reardon, Ron Schlichtenmyer and Dana Brown.

Then it's up to Seattle to meet up with my sister Toni.  After touring Seattle and environs for a couple of days it's down to Ashland, Oregon for some plays.  The two Shakespeare are Midsummer Night's Dream and Taming of the Shrew.  The two non-bard are Robin Hood and one set in Mexico.  It should be a great time!

Being There: The Presidential Inauguration of 2013

I got back home late Wednesday night from my trip back East for the Inauguration.  I am indebted to my friends Greg and Lorene Guernsey for hosting me at their home and providing helpful driving directions and a friendly welcome.  I also want to thank Rep. Devin Nunes and his D.C. office staff.  He graciously provided a viewing ticket to the event.  His legislative aides, Caitlin Shannon and Rocci DiCicco, kept me up to date on the deadlines and procedures and rendered most cordial and accommodating service the day before the Inauguration when I went to his office to pick up my ticket and materials.

I spent the rest of Sunday walking DC.  I reconnoitered the route from the Metro station I would need to use to follow to the viewing area so I wouldn't get lost.  The Washington Metro subway system is excellent and easy to negotiate, by the way.  I  particularly wanted to see the new monuments that had gone up since my last visit to the nation's capital.  That was back in 1996 when Joan and I took our  daughters Jeanette and Marie before Jeanette's eighth grade year.  The three new ones for me were World War II, Martin Luther King and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  I also spent some time at the Lincoln Memorial.  All were well worth seeing, tastefully and impressively done.  At the Martin Luther King Memorial I got to see Jesse Jackson, who was there for the King Holiday.  The FDR Memorial was expansive and evocative of the many challenges he faced during his presidency.

I came away with a number of impressions of the Inauguration itself.  First among these are the numbers.  There were an estimated 900,000 to 1,000,000 in attendance, the biggest second inauguration crowd ever, though about half the number who came to President Obama's First in 2009.  Despite the enormity of the crowd, the mood was cooperative and  patient.  The military and police presence was large and many streets were blocked off.  It took a long time to get through the lines and security searches, yet the folks took it with a positive attitude.  Everyone was bundled up; the temperature was in the twenties when we arrived, going up to a high of about 40.  As might be expected, the African-American proportion of the crowd was large, probably about one-third in my section.  Most everyone there was happy about the President's re-election, but there was a special pride among African-Americans.  Many came with their whole families to be part of the historic moment.

I wound up north of center about 200 yards out at the top of a set of steps at roughly two o'clock from the President's view from the lectern.  There were leafless trees partially obscuring a clear view, not to mention tall people.  But I could get a more direct view by shifting my feet and craning my neck.  Once at the viewing section people were crammed together very tightly.    That was helpful in resisting the cold and potentially could have led to frayed tempers, but did not from what I saw.  The prevailing spirit made for everyone to show consideration.  It was a celebration, after all.  For someone in attendance, much more than watching on television, the entertainment was important.  The Brooklyn choir, James Taylor, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, and poet Richard Blanco were all sensationally good, as of course was the U.S. Marine Band.  When you are standing there for so long it's most helpful to break up the speeches and dead time with art that accentuates the theme.  They all came across as representative of the incredible talent of a great and vibrant nation.  See a collage of the day's activities here.

The crowd enjoyed greeting the various dignitaries as they filed in.  There were jumbo trons set up to get better views and even previews as they approached from within the Capitol Building's corridors.  Senator and Mrs. Kerry, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Joe and Jill Biden and Bill and Hillary Clinton evoked the greatest cheers from the crowd.  The reception for Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama was greater yet, and that for the President himself, accompanied by "Hail to the Chief," was loudest of all.  After the benediction things proceeded rapidly to the swearings in.  We heard the familiar voice of Vice President Biden repeating the oath administered by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  The devout Catholic Veep especially emphasized the last four words, "so help me God!" I turned on my phone's video recorder as Chief Justice John Roberts stepped forward.  He then swore in President Obama, and as he finished the crowd roared.  The army punctuated the moment with a thunderous 21-gun salute from a battery of cannon set up just to our left on the northwest lawn of the Capitol. 

The Inaugural Address itself is harder to follow live than on television.  Caught up with the crowd in the excitement of the moment, I more got impressions of the speech than a lot of hard content.  It struck me as a rather forthright presentation of the President'' progressive values, centered on the pragmatic pursuit of justice and human service.  By mentioning topics like climate change and gay rights within the larger contexts of community, freedom and justice the President came across as someone who will be unafraid in his second term to pursue what he believes.  He called for action and stressed our mutual obligations to each other through programs such as Medicare and public education.  He used the word "together" several times.  He called for action, saying though there will always be disagreements about how best to meet our challenges, we must act now on them and make adjustments as required by developments.  I felt he showed he will be vigorous and less likely to vainly wait for his political opponents to voluntarily accept reasonable compromises.  I got the sense there will be more hardball with Congress in the second term.  The crowd heartily approved.  See President Obama's Inaugural Address as recorded by ABC News here.

Following the fine humanity and evocative imagery of Richrd Blanco's poem and Beyonce's tremendous rendition of the National Anthem the dignitaries recessed out and the throng slowly broke up and moved toward the transportation nubs.  Like many, I meandered about, eating some trail mix and soaking in the festivities.  I took some people's pictures in front of the Capitol and a nice young man took mine.  The sense of community remained strong.  Later on I was able to attend a reception put on by the Claremont McKenna College Alumni Association, my alma mater.  There I enjoyed some stimulating conversation with alums working in Washington, such as Steve Dagadakis, a staffer with the House Democratic Caucus.  It was the cap of a magnificent day.

The next day I took a two-hour drive into central Virginia and visited Monticello, home of our third president, Thomas Jefferson, and Ash Lawn-Highland, home of his neighbor our fifth president, James Monroe.  It was a most fitting and satisfying end to my trip to see the way of life of two of our most important founders.  Enjoying our capital city, being present for a memorable Inauguration and getting in touch with some meaningful history was a wonderful experience.  I felt proud to be a citizen.

  

  


 

Glacier National Park Trip

Joan and I just returned yesterday from a wonderful 10-day vacation to Glacier National Park in Montana.  The "Crown of the Continent" is a magnificent combination of clear skies, spectacular alpine scenery, unspoiled nature at its best and the chance to see plenty of wildlife in its natural setting. 

I've wanted to go ever since as a small child my mother told of her trip before I was born through the American Northwest, including Glacier.  My desire to go has received added impetus in recent years as I've read reports detailing the loss of many of the park's signature glaciers and the shrinkage of all the rest.  I wanted to see them before they are gone.

I was not disappointed!  We spent the first five days on the Western side of the park, staying at Lake McDonald, a 10-mile long lake carved by glaciers in the last Ice Age.  One of our activities was to take a boat tour of the lake.  We also did a 2-hour horseback trail ride (in the rain!) and some hiking.

Lake McDonald

The best hike there was to Avalanche Lake.  The ranger-led activity ended at an awe-inspiring cirque, a natural mountain amphitheater carved by glaciers with four beautiful waterfalls plunging from the heights.  We also spotted a moose on this trek.

Avalanche Lake

The best drive was over the incredible Going to the Sun Road, a 52-mile engineering marvel that took 11 years to build (1921-1932).  It's the only road over the Continental Divide linking the Western and Eastern halves of the Park.  We drove it once ourselves and then again as passengers in one of Glacier's famous "Red Bus" tours in one of their vintage 1936 vehicles.  Not to worry, they've been fully refurbished and run on propane gas.  The road is so precipitous I didn't really get to look at the scenery as much as I wanted the first time through!  Waterfalls were everywhere, complementing breathtaking overlooks.  The snow still lay deep at the top of Logan Pass, and we saw many mountain goats.

Red Bus at Logan Pass

We spent the last five days on the Eastern side of the Park at the Many Glacier Hotel.  We made a side trip to Two Medicine Valley and hiked to Running Eagle Falls, and another to adjacent Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, both worthwhile excursions.  While at Many Glacier we went on a four-hour horse ride and got to see a moose coming toward us on the trail and a mother bear and her cub up close feeding in a meadow nearby.  Fortunately, they paid us no mind!  We did see a grizzly too, but from long range through a ranger's telescope.

Black Bear and Cub

  

The view right out the backdoor of the grand old hotel included Grinnel Peak and several snowfields and glaciers.  It is the jumping-off point for several terrific hiking trails.  We also enjoyed music in the evenings from Montana bard David Walburn and Native American poet laureate Jack Gladstone of the Blackfeet tribe. 

Many Glacier Hotel, Swiftcurrent Lake, Grinnel Peak

All in all, ten days of no news, telephone, television or email was refreshing and good for the serenity of the soul.  And as an added benefit, all the hiking and my every-other day morning running at high altitude made today's workout at home seem like a piece of cake.  This is a trip we will always treasure.

Back From Kansas City

I'm back from scoring AP European History exams in Kansas City. I avoided any tornadoes in the city on the wide Missouri River but couldn't completely avoid the heat. The daily highs ranged from 93 to 97, accompanied by the kind of high humidity we don't get in Visalia. Outside of the work-related, I set up a group trip of 14 of us to take in a baseball game at the very attractive Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals. The home town team fell to the visiting Minnesota Twins 8-2.

I was also able to partake in some famous KC barbecue at Jack Stack's. I had the sampler platter including beef, chicken, a baby back rib and even kielbasa. It was excellent. I came back with some BBQ sauce for home, including from a couple of restaurants I didn't get to, Arthur Bryant's and Gates.

Then there was an outing to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. It has to be seen to be believed--spectacular. Monet's "Water Lilies" were there on tour. It also has Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Medieval, Enlightenment Era, American, African, Asian and modern. Architecturally, the building looks like it might have been put up by an 1890s robber baron, with marble columns in the monumental neoclassical style--very impressive. I didn't even get to the American and Asian collections but if I ever return to KC I'll be back for the rest of it.

On the topic of the work-related, I'll be incorporating some of the material from the AP test in my Western Civilization classes. There were some fascinating documents on England's Queen Elizabeth I and the gender-related challenges she faced when she ascended the throne, including how she handled the potentially fatal (for her) situation. I also learned a lot about the events leading up to the English Civil War. That is the interlude that ended with Charles I losing his head and determining that Parliament would reign supreme in Britain rather than following the course of absolute monarchy that was gaining the upper hand in France, Spain, Austria, Russia and Prussia. The developments of Britain and the Netherlands along constitutional rather than absolutist lines was of immense significance in setting the stage for their rise to prominence and bequeathing important elements of their systems to the subsequent democracies, including that of the United States.

Trip to Oregon

My wife and I have been on vacation since the sixth and got back home yesterday. We went north to Oregon to try to avoid some of the San Joaquin Valley heat for ten days. We did run into some temperatures over ninety in Ashland but most of the trip was pretty comfortable.

We started in Ashland, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. We actually stayed in a very nice bed and breakfast in Medford called Under the Greenwood Tree, about ten miles up the road. The prices there are a lot lower than in Ashland itself. The first play we saw there was "The Merchant of Venice," Shakespeare's intense study of revenge and intolerance. We next took in a production of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" that was very funny. Our final performance was a musical, "She Loves Me." This entertaining musical debuted on Broadway in 1963. It's based on the story "Parfumerie" from the 1930's by Miklas Laszlo that was remade into the 1940 Jimmy Stewart movie "Little Shop on the Corner" and more recently the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan film "You've Got Mail."

As a postscript, if you ever go to Ashland you really must spend a little time in Lithia Park. It's right downtown next to the three Festival theaters and has wonderful trails that follow Ashland Creek through the woods. Between plays we kept cool by dangling our feet in the snow fed creek. Also nearby is historic Jacksonville. It's worth a visit for its pioneer buildings and annual musical Britt Festival. If you're interested in a gourmet dinner you might try the Jacksonville Inn. Very good!

We next visited some friends in Albany, just south of the state capital of Salem. While there we all went over to the coast to Newport to see the Yaquina Head Lighthouse and the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which was surprisingly good. Particularly effective was a glass tube you can walk through to see the sharks swimming around you on all sides. Next day we took in the Oregon capitol building. You can see some pictures here. The "Golden Man" on top was so bright up close we could hardly look at it directly. They have a part time legislature that only meets every other year unless called into special session.

We spent the last three days in Oregon at a cabin at the Cedarwood Lodge on the McKenzie River, about 45 miles east of Eugene. This remote location was good for some peace and quiet in the beautiful forest. Mike, the proprietor, is a joy. The McKenzie is a great trout stream and nearby there are good hikes to waterfalls, a hot spring, a nice golf course and the road up to breathtaking views of the Cascades. It is remarkable how volcanic the Cascade Range is. Lava fields and volcanic cones are everywhere evident. At night, far from city lights, thousands of stars glistened like jewels spread across black satin. This was a great getaway.