Soul Strolls at Historic Congressional Cemetery, 10/27/23

 

On Friday, Ocotober 27, 2023, we attended the annual Halloween celebration at Historic Congressional Cemetery.  The Event is called "Soul Strolls" and tour guides and re-inactors introduced us to some of the residents of the cemetery.  This year the focus was on the not-famous, with one excpetion, so we did not meet the wealthiest madam in DC during the Civil War,  J. Edgar Hoover,  Marion Berry, or many other very famous people buried there.  

Our tour guide.  We began while it was still light.

Our first stop was at the memorial to Col. Cross.

After serving in the Army during the War of 1812, Col. Cross was called up again to serve along the Texas border with Mexico.  After leaving the fort, his body was found the next day.  President James Polk used this death as his rationale for going to war with Mexico.  He went so far in drumming up support for the war as having the Cross' body displayed throughout the country before being buried.  

Our next stop was at the paupers' crypt where we met the former First Lady, Dolly Madison. 

 

Dolly lost her first husband, one son, and other relatives during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793.  Aaron Burr served as her attorney when she had to sue for the funds provided for her in her husband's will that were being kept from her by her brother-in-law.  Burr introduced her to James Madison in 1794 and they were soon married.  After serving as Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of State, Madison was elected 4th President of the United States.  While living in the White House, Dolly created the role of First Lady.  One of her inovations was hosting bi-partisan parties.  Previously Presidents only entertained members of one party at a time.  She was most proud of having saved the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington from the fire in the White House when the British attacked DC.  She never served cupcakes!

She was first buried in the paupers' crypt because her alcoholic son had and driven her into poverty after the death of Madison.  She was kept in the crypt for 2 years, moved into the family crypt of a friend of hers where she stayed for 7 more years.  Then friends raised enough funds to have her moved to Montpelier for a proper burial.

Next we met Sarah Johnson, who was  raised by a family in DC.  She became a school teacher and loved being with her 3rd graders.  She met and married Osborn Allen over her family's objections.  Turn out her family was right -- he was physically abusive.  After 10 years, Sarah moved back to her parent's home.  Her husband continued to stalk her and one day stormed into her classroom and, in front of the students, pointed a gun at her.  She ran out of the room but he trapped her, shot her, and then himself.  While he died instantly, she lingered for a few days.

Next we met two victims of the munitions factory explosion in DC at the Navy Yard during 

the Civil War.

These young imigrant women, one from England, the other from Ireland, responded to the call to help their adopted country.  The work was very dangerous but the explosion was caused by the male supervisor leaving fireworks in the yard outside the factory in the heat of the summer sun.  Of course, he was not injuried in the explosion.  There is a large monument dedicated to those who did die and 17 of them are buried under the monument.  Others were buried in a local Catholic cemetery or in family plots on private property.  Just as the story was getting very dramatic 3 Marine helicopters flew over and everyone assumed it was the President on his way to Camp David for the weekend.  Remaining in character, the Irish lassie ask what were those metal birds.

Lastly, we met Julia Lenox who became a widow on her honeymoon trip.  She and her husband were waiting to board a sloop to Boston, sailing out of Baltimore, when he accidentally drank a toxic cleaning fluid.  She wore her widow's clothing until her death 30 years later.

The tour ended in the dark but under a gorgeous full moon.

Drinks, including special cocktails for the event (1 was a martini with pumpkin and maple syrup), and refreshments were being served in the chapel, thus confirming that the property is owned by an Episcopal parish (management is by a private foundation set up by the parish).

FINALLY -- A Busy Month, August 2023

For way too long, there's just not been anything to report.  Finally my calendar is a wee bit fuller.  Here's what's happened in August 2023:

Marianne and I have returned to the movies.  The independent theater, Cinema Arts, always has terrific lineups and discounted early-bird showings for us geezers.  On 8/3 we saw Oppenheimer at the 9:50 am showing.  I agree with all of the prognosticators -- this movie will get lots of Oscars and other awards.  My preference for Best Actor is Robert Downy Jr. or maybe his makeup artist.

After a very fast 3 hours, we were ready for lunch.  We returned to our favorite place near the theater -- Saba Restaurant.  It's the only Yimini restaurant I've ever been too and I love it.  Not only is the food terrific but the waiters are very helpful and polite.  We had assumed all were from Yemen but our last one said he was from Egypt.  They have 2 areas -- one with tables and chairs, one with large pillows on the floor.  Not a hard choice for us.  Even the natives seem to prefer chairs -- we've never seen anyone sitting on the floor.

Next event was our first return to Wolf Trap since before COVID.  For the 3rd time there we saw Lyle Lovett.  He announced it was 29th year at Wolf Trap and said it felt like home but it was too cool.  Temperatures were in the low 70's with a slight breeze.  

We've also seen him a few times at The Birchmere, which I actually prefer, but this time he appeared with his Large Band and the National Symphony Orchestra.  I've never seen the stage so crowded.  

When Lyle introduced his Large Band (thank goodness he didn't do the same for the orchestra -- we'd have been there all night) I was delighted that the marvelous saxaphone player was a professor from my old alma mater, University of North Texas.  Apparently there were lots of us NT grads in the audience as he got a huge ovation.

The remarkable thing about the Large Band is each is an outstanding performer.

We were definitely surrounded by fellow Texans.  They were easy to spot. 

If you're not familiar with Wolf Trap, I can assure you it's gorgeous and the only performing arts center that's part of our national parks system.  There is lawn and auditorium sitting.  When the weather cools, performances move to The Barns of Wolf Trap.

The Early Birds 

The weekend of the 13th we returned to Staunton for the 1st time since COVID.  We were happy to see the historic district very busy.  They now close the main street on weekends which allows for lots of outdoor dining and strolling opportunities.  The only sad thing was our favorite used book/records store was gone.  The only tiny bit of good news is the young couple who owned it still have their location in Richmond.

Friday night we attended our first performance at the Staunton Music Festival.  The opening night performance was the opera Orlando by Handel.  I was curious how they were going to stage the production in Trinity Episcopal Church.   Turns out not well.  Most of the small orchastra was around the alter and some stage right in the choir area.  

Colored screens helped block the orchestra 

and were moved around during the performance to indicate a change in location.

In the program notes it stated that when the opera premiered in London in 1732 it only had 11 performances.  Then it wasn't heard again until someone in the 20th century discovered and brought it back to life -- why I'll never know.  Handel was suffering from being overly influenced by Italian operas where love can drive you crazy and violence is the only option when confronted with an opponent.  While the music was lovely, the libretto was just silly.

The production was set in modern times with the men in Army camouflage and carrying assault riffles.  When the lead singer portraying Orlando began in a falsetto voice the audience couldn't help but laugh.  Again, the Italian influence of using "castrato" harmed the presentation.

We left at intermission.

Still, being in Trinity offered us the opportunity to look at the amazing Tiffany windows but the lighting was terrible so I didn't get any photos this trip.  You can see them in my post dated 2/9/14.

We attended the Saturday matinee at the American Shakespeare Center.  It was the first time to see the new performers since there has been almost a 100% turnover in the last 3 years.  We saw Measure for Measure and it was excellent.  Even watched a Tom Ellis doppelgänger.

We stayed at the hotel next door to the theater.  It has shed it's Civil War hero name and is now Hotel 24 South which is from its street address 24 Market St.  Here's the poster in the lobby.

Glad to see the hotel promoting the theater.

Oh dear -- there are now apartments catty-corner from the hotel.  I would LOVE to have one.

Now that we've paid off the mortgage -- another major milestone for this month! -- it just might be feasible.  Stay tuned.

On the 17th I joined friends on the WAL (that's Watergate at landmark -- my condo home) tour of Anderson House in the District, the home of the Society of the Cincinnati.  This organization was started by George Washington and other military officers who had served in the American Revolution but had not been paid for the last 2 years of the war.  it was the 1st veterans organization with the purpose of lobbying Congress.  Current membership is limited to male direct descendants of the original members, or those who were eligible to join.

Anderson House with statue of George Washington in front.

Larz and Isabel Anderson had the house built so they could entertain when in DC.  

The inside is gorgeous.

Two areas of one of the large salons.

Commissioned painting at the top of the grand staircase.

The grand ballroom

Isabel Anderson

How could she breath?!

The Anderson's traveled extensively and developed a love for Asian art which was seen throughout the home.  The statue of Buddha origianally was the first thing visitors saw when they entered but during one of the renovations it was moved to the garden.

The shipping costs alone had to be extreme in the 19th Century.

Next on the calendar was my first visit to The Reach -- the new expansion at the Kennedy Center -- along with some of the members of my ROLL group (retired old ladies lunching).

This excellent sculpture was a gift from David Rubinstein, one of the founders of the Carlyle Group.

Before the performance we had time to take the footbridge over Rock Creek Parkway.

We were there for the performance of two members of the Kennedy Center Orchestra.  

Adria Foster

Even though we were under a roof and the AC was on, it was still open air because the wall opposite the stage was open and there were people in lawn chairs sitting in the sun.  It got hot enough that Adria had to excuse herself between pieces to retrieve a mouth protector from her locker downstairs.

Susan Robinson

Because Chris,  a member of ROLL, is also a harpist, we had to come hear Susan.

Margaretha, Iris and Chris

There was one final event in August and it was a panel discussion at Mount Vernon that included the four finalists in this year's Best History Book award given by the Foundation.  One of the authors has been very supportive of George in his research efforts for his book.

All in all, a very good month.

I'm Tired but Now I'm Feeling Better

I'm putting this addendum at the beginning.  It's being written on 11/9/22, the day after the midterms.  What follows was the original post written the weekend before the elections.

The RED WAVE did not happen.  While the question of which party will control either house in Congress is not yet resolved, the margins will be so close that they only way anything will get done is a few having the courage to act in a bi-partisan way.  

I'm also encouraged by what Heather Cox Richardson had to say in her newsletter today:

"I just got a text from a Gen Z voter in Michigan who has been in line to vote for more than an hour and predicts he will be there hours more. He has no intention of leaving.

If there is an obvious story from today with results still unknown, it is this: a new generation is picking up the torch of our democracy."

I'm happy to step aside and let them have at it.

1st post:  The tiredness I’m experiencing is less physical and more psychological and spiritual in nature.

A little background (maybe a lot):

I was born in 1943 in a small, rural town in northeast Texas.  If you’re not familiar with Texas, there are 7 distinct regions and saying you were from east Texas was the equivalent of saying you were from Mississippi.  To learn a little about this part of the state watch Denzel Washington’s Great Debaters.  While it’s set in east Texas in 1935, a decade later things had not changed.  It’s available for streaming on Freevee.

My parents were an example of opposites attract — he was a progressive liberal and a member of the northern denomination of Presbyterians, she was a bigoted, narrow minded Southern Baptist.  These differences played out when I was 16 and elected by my youth synod (that’s Presbyterian for diocese) to attend the first interdenominational and INTERRACIAL church camp in Texas — schools were still segregated.  The director was Andrew Young.  If you’re too young to know who he is read this:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Young. My bunk-mate was a Black girl from Texarkana who attended church at a non-denominational evangelical Black church.  During that week we all read Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin.  (From a book review:  “On October 28, 1959, John Howard Griffin underwent a transformation that changed many lives beyond his own—he made his skin black and traveled through the segregated Deep South. His odyssey of discovery was captured in journal entries, arguably the single most important documentation of 20th-century American racism ever written.”) Our late night conversations by the light of flash lights was one revelation after another.

That week changed my life — Dad was so proud!  Mother was furious!

That was the beginning of my political involvement.  I was a volunteer in campaigns, as an undergraduate I was a member of SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) until I discovered they really were building bombs in the basement.  I scurried over to the Young Democrats.  That led to me meeting my first husband, working as an administrative assistant to state legislators, being a paid staffer at a national convention, and if not a paid worker, I’ve always been a volunteer.

As an aside, I’ve never understood how anyone could not be politically involved.  Many people may or may not vote, and maybe they will try to follow the news, but never volunteer or make campaign donations.  I’ve heard the excuse “politics is so dirty”.  If it is, it’s because not enough people are involved.  Guess I’ve always been judgmental if someone wasn’t as involved as I’ve always been.  After all politics determines what’s taught in schools, how much your morning coffee costs (import duties), how long it takes to fix potholes, and all other aspects of your life.  The flip side of this judgement is I’m against mandatory voting.  Frankly I want the ill-informed to stay at home and NOT vote.  When people decry low turnouts, I’m relieved.

Ever since the shocking results of the 2016 presidential election I’ve been swinging between anger and total despair.  Yet my volunteer efforts continued.  Since the beginning of lock-down I wrote postcards and letters ( two hundred letters for Beto), maintained my membership in the Alexandria Democratic Committee and participated in numerous volunteer activities.

I’m writing this just a few days before the mid-term elections so if anyone reads this it will probably be post-election.  Fingers crossed that the results aren’t as dire as I fear but there seems to be a world-wide move to the right — Brexit, rise of the far-right National Front in France and a win in Italy of the far-right Fratelli d’Italia, China and North Korea’s military aggressions, and Putin being hailed by many in Russia and some of our own US far-right spokespersons as a CHRISTIAN hero who is justified in invading Ukraine, after all President Zelenskyy is a Jew, but that’s never spoken of outright, just hinted.  Actually Putin has called him a Nazi — guess irony isn’t dead.

I’m resigned to what’s coming and realizing all of my efforts won’t make a difference.  It seems I’ve been fighting the good fight over the same issues time and again —abortion comes to mind.  

Next year’s birthday for me will be the beginning of my 8^th decade.  I think I’m ready to act like a turtle and hide in my “shell” (home). It’s time to see what the next generations decide to do.  

As I see democracy as we’ve known it on the brink of extension, I’ve decided maybe we’ll get the government we (that’s the collective and cultural “we”) deserve.  There are people who didn’t get the education they needed to prevent falling for propaganda (how can anyone become a follower of QAnon? How can there be such a large percentage of the population so incapable of critical thinking?)  Racism in order to prevail needs an authoritarian government.  Voter suppression is an example of this position at work. Apparently there are still enough living in fear of losing their White privilege that they are willing to support fascism. Here’s another irony — they probably couldn’t define fascism unless they could find a dictionary. 

So, I’m tired and just may ignore it all.  Note the “may” every day I find myself in a quandary.  Of course I know the ethical position I should take but do I have the emotional energy to engage?    Time will tell.

Living at WAL (Watergate at Landmark)

 I'm in the mood for praising life at WAL.  I kid about the sign at our front gate -- in BIG letters "Watergate" in much smaller letters "at Landmark".  So glad the accepted slang for our home community is WAL.  No way that will be confused with THE Watergate in the District.

For my 1st essay on why I love living here, see the post from December 2013 entitled "How to Survive a Winter Storm Condo-style." (https://grannyburkes.blogspot.com/2013/12/how-to-survive-winter-storm-condo-style.html)

To fight cabin fever during this long COVID epidemic, I can get fresh air out on my balcony and enjoy the view.

Our outdoor pool opened over the Memorial Day Weekend.

While the air temperature was warm the water -- not so much.

We are residents of the West End of Alexandria, also known as Condo Canyon.  All politicians hate the area because it's so hard to canvass unless you have volunteers living on property.  

The most famous neighborhood is Old Town where we first lived but I longed for closet space -- your typical home in Old Town is very small and expensive compared to the other neighborhoods.  When our real estate agent showed us our current home with THREE closets just in the foyer I had to have it.  We have a K unit -- 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths and I have a walk-in closet, George has 2 closets, there are 2 more in the hall, and I converted the 1 in my office into a filing cabinet with shelves on either side -- heaven.  Units in the community range from efficiencies to our unit which is the largest.  

Back to the view from our balcony -- we get some pretty sunrises and sunsets, as well as interesting shots of the thunder storms that have become all too common.

I gave management permission to use the above photo on our web site.  Typical sunrise.

Another sunrise while playing with my wide angle lens.  In this shot you can see buildings 1, 2, and part of 3 out of the 4 in the community.  The building on the right is not part of WAL.

Sometimes during sunrise we get the fog rolling off the Potomac River.  While I can't see the river from my balcony -- too many trees in the way --  I can see across the river into Maryland.

Our view faces east but sometimes we can get spectacular sunsets -- in this instance the sun behind my building was shining on the cloud formation, creating this lovely sky.

Fall  foliage is always spectacular.

. . .and the all too often thunder storms.  We can watch them roll in.  Each year they seem to be more frequent and stronger.

Recently the Science Club for our students and the Social Committee sponsored a Kite Festival that kicked off with the students making their kites.  I had some neighbors over to enjoy my view of the Meadow where the the students were going to fly their kites -- just one tiny problem -- no wind.   Oh well, everyone seemed to be having a good time anyway.

The following photo is from the June newsletter: