This is the California Pillar at the National World War II Memorial. The gold rose in the lower left corner opening is from my garden.

While the National World War II Memorial is a monument for the ages, we are lucky that some of the people it honors are still around to talk about that time.  Herman said he was a sergeant in the US Army during World War II and had landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He also fought in the Hurtgen Forrest, which became infamous because the nearly impenetrable and fiercely defended terrain had essentially no strategic value. History of Hurtgen Forest

Herman told me he could still vividly remember details like the intense smell of pine the and closed-in feeling of the place. He believes leaders should never lose touch with the direct consequences that their decisions have on the people under their command .

Herman was one of the vets talking about his experiences serving in Army during World War II

John is a WWII vet whom I met last year on Memorial Day.  He was a sailor who served  on the USS BALLOU AP-157.  He recalled getting a terrible case of seasickness as he was first sailing out from the CA Coast, but after that, he never had another problem with it – unlike many of his shipmates.

John, USN WWII

As I was heading back from a visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial , I saw two men selling some books. It was Vietnam vet, Major George Durgin and his son (also George). It turns out they are from SoCal. George Sr. proudly showed me his wristwatch which had a bold “SC” in red and gold on its face.

I picked up a copy of his book, The Delta Dogs about his experiences as a commander of a US Army infantry company during the 1969 Tet offensive.  I look forward to reading the book and doing a post on it.

Near the Vietnam War Memorial

With gratitude to all who protect and defend us.

The District of California wants to showcase and understand these dynamics from across the ideological spectrum. This blog is open to ideas as long as they are interesting, authentic and, ideally, game-changers.

That was a long wind up to say that I’ve spoken with someone who is running for Congress in CA who has some very interesting ideas that are worth sharing. His name is Adriel Hampton 10th District (D-Dublin). (I’m not a resident of this district.) What initially caught my attention about him is that he is very active in and attuned to Gov2.0 issues. From what I can tell, his political views are in tune with my own, but even if if they were not, he clearly is doing a lot of thinking about the role of technology in government. A crucial and timely topic.

Here are some comments he made to The District of California. This blog looks forward to following his efforts.

“In terms of the idea of ‘Candidate 2.0,’ I think that what is most powerful about my campaign is outreach to non-traditional actors in an attempt to expand the playing field on issues that are important to each and every one of us.”

Adriel Hampton For Congress

“I am deeply concerned that from Eisenhower to the Free Speech movement to today, we really have been consistently losing the war against ‘the system’ of entrenched and wealthy interest groups and political structures that absolutely don’t care  for the lives and struggles of everyday folks from the middle class on down. In this country we hardly even have a class war, since the upper class has been so well entrenched. And, we’ve been largely bought off, with an ever-present need to look after our individual welfare, with flashy media, with Hollywood – 24 and American Idol.”

“I’m running for Congress because the only alternative I see to deep cynicism is to keep on fighting. As Mario Savio said, ‘you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop’.”

Tim O'Reilly Gov 2.0 Sketch

“I am a futurist, a digital native, and the kind of liberal advocate for issue-based politics and government reform that is needed for these times. I am finding on the campaign trail that President Obama has really helped to awaken non-traditional political actors, and these folks are joining my campaign as volunteers by the day. We are tired of politics as sport, when so many people’s liberties deeply depend on change.”

Dave Sellers, who is a top-flight NorCal artist and sport fisherman, has some unique perspectives on this subject. He is also a friend and I own several of his works. Here are some of his thoughts in words and pictures.

Dave's Word and Image Fly Fishing on the Russian River

In Dave’s words:

“In California, a mighty little fish called the delta smelt has distilled a question of values more than any creature in our state. It is a species of fish nearly extinct but was once abundant. The rapid decline of this species of smelt is viewed by fisherman as a clear indication of the death knell of California’s great anadromous fisheries in our states greatest rivers. It is also viewed by environmentalists and fishers alike as the best tool available to halt abusive water management. To growers, this endangered little fish is seen as an obstacle, without which our “priorities” can be properly redirected toward generating subsidized agriculture income and the jobs that go with it.”

“In the west we still posses a vestige of the frontier spirit in both our mythology as well as our souls. The forces of the wild are the essence of this mythology. Without the direct or even remnant representations of our wild past, we are left wanting. Our souls impoverished, and for me, my work is left without purpose. This is why I spend so much time outdoors when my calculations instruct me that I have many lifetimes of reference at my disposal in my studio and my time is best spent at the easel. But at that point I too would be redirecting my “priorities” toward a shallow end. I fish, I paint, I hike and generally take every opportunity at my disposal to be outdoors. I have grown to learn that our outdoor heritage is not only rich in it’s past but essential for our future and I do all within my power to convey this simple truth in my work. Perhaps I am asking too much of my limited abilities as an artist but my hope is that I can communicate a fragment of the profound inspiration I experience in nature through my work and help those unimbued with a such inspiration to begin to see, to feel, and want to preserve what is our most precious inheritance.”

A great home to visit in SoCal

“The architecture and decorative arts designed by Charles Greene and his brother Henry Greene a century ago in California are recognized internationally as among the finest of the American Arts and Crafts movement. The Art and Craft of Greene & Greene, on view at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum from March 13 through June 7, presents for the first time a diverse range of the Greenes’ work, including furnishings and fixtures long-separated from their houses and from each other. ‘The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery is thrilled to present, for the first time to visitors on the East Coast, the innovative architecture of Charles and Henry Greene, whose progressive ideas about design still influence California architecture today.’ said Elizabeth Broun, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.”

Classic Arts and Craftsmanship

Upcoming Greene & Greene gallery talks:
May 6 and May 20

Waiting for the limo

It is a little early in the season for roses at the Rose Garden

The Famous First Swing Set

The Marines playing up a storm

Nice patio

Full On White House

Sorry no pics of the vegetable garden, but I hope you enjoyed these scenes of Spring.

TTD Chinese Consulate Event in LA

Greg is an attorney in the Washington D.C. area who began Things To Do, Inc. Now, expanding to other cities, he hopes Things To Do will help young professionals from different backgrounds socialize and network in the top cities throughout the United States.

Valentino The Last Emperor is now playing in CA and will be playing in DC soon: (ARLINGTON, VA)….starts May 1 at AMC Loews Shirlington 7

Valentino The Last Emperor

VALENTINO THE LAST EMPEROR is a feature-length film on the legendary designer Valentino Garavani in the wake of his exit in 2008 from the company he founded in Rome more than 45 years ago. Produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine, the film is an intimate, engaging and very funny fly-on-the-wall exploration of the singular world of one of Italy’s richest and most famous men.

At work

Here’s one I took of  California Street with the Washington monument visible in the lower right corner.

If you have anything like this that you’d like to share, please let me know. Your photographic artistry and name may be featured in an online gallery. HW

DC-CA GeoMashupPhoto

This Santa Monica is not the the home of Summer concerts on the pier and The Lobster. No – it’s a women’s prison in Lima, Peru. And what is the connection to DC? That’s where the show by first-rate photographer, Chan Chao, called “Six Years Eight Months” will be held. It is April 18th – May23rd at G Fine Art.

The women of Santa Monica prison as photographed by Chan Chao

Here are more details:

“In his first solo show with G Fine Art Chan Chao presents the new series Six Years and Eight Months. His portraits of the women of Santa Monica, a low-security prison in Lima, Peru were featured in the group show Portraits at G Fine Art in 2008. Now, in 2009 Chao presents a more complete set of portraits from the series.

Santa Monica holds corrupt government officials, murderers, drug traffickers and thieves. Of the 1,125 inmates at Santa Monica, 198 are foreigners. All the foreign inmates were caught at the airport, trying to smuggle cocaine out of Peru. Six years and eight months is the standard sentence for drug trafficking and is the working title of the project. Chao describes the project as a collective expression of a group of women who share the same predicament, “Santa Monica is not so much a prison project, but rather a starting point – a subtext and intellectual component for a humanistic portrait project.”

Because these women are not required to wear uniforms and the common areas don’t reflect a typical prison atmosphere Chao is able to capture portraits that relate true emotions and have open possibility for interpretation. With each project he has undertaken Chao makes efforts to avoid reinforcing a stereotype. In his restrained sensibility Chao unveils what initially drew him to these women, their extraordinary experiences and the sensations that come with those experiences.

Chan Chao was born in Kalemyo, Burma in 1966. He and his family left Burma for the United States in 1978. Nazraeli Press has published two books by Chao. “Burma: Something Went Wrong”, a series of Burmese freedom fighters and “Echo” series of female nudes. His Burma portraits were included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial. Chao’s photographs are in the permanent collection of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, L. A. County Museum of Art and LaSalle Bank Photography Collection. “

By the way, if you are in the Monterey Bay Area, check out Lisa Coscino’s gallery.

In nearby San Juan Bautista, where the bell tower scene in “Vertigo” was shot is Mission Gallery. The owners, Piper and Boykin, have beautiful prints and oils.

Walt Just Doing His Job

California Landscape Painting Workshop with Walt Bartman, Founder and Director of Yellow Barn Studio & Gallery

7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD. 20812

www.yellowbarnstudio.com

Monterey, Carmel & the Big Sur

September 8 – 15, 2009

8 days, 7 nights

Price: $1450 per person, double occupancy.

(single occupancy is available at an additional cost)

CALIFORNIA WORKSHOP Price includes: Seven nights lodging, with breakfast daily at the 4 star Hotel Pacific, Monterey (near Fisherman’s Wharf)… Local transportation to fantastic painting locations such as Big Sur, Carmel, Pacific Grove, Point Lobos, and Pebble Beach, inspirational painting workshop to include demos and lectures.

Does not include air transportation, or meals other than breakfast.
Please let us know ASAP if you are interested.
Interest is growing …there are only 10 spots available. (Half Full)
Enrolling immediately

Please call Robyn at 1-301-371-5593 or e-mail her at brandt4749@aol.com