February Fog

 Politics makes and breaks, especially in the fraught days of a new and bewildering government scene.

So there may be little to do but stand watch and prepare to move, whenever or however.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on good omens, weather, judges.

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As always, I try a bit of underground resistance by currying favor whenever I can with strangers, and especially so with strangers on the street or in stores - those  not too strung out their phones or URL codes that have become annoyingly ubiquitous. Seek 'em out where they are to create an instant community of two or three.   Spontaneity will help save us all sometimes. Hence, on my way home from the local Trader Joe store, I stop two uniformed guys with shovels outside the luxury apartment building called the Residences on Capitol Hill . I want to know what is the substance they are about to put down on the sidewalk, in preparation for a major snow fall likely to happen that night. Is the pink stuff - looks like candy fluff - really ok for animals with sensitive feet?  The chemicals undoubtedly are strong. One of the two goes immediately to the trash can nearby to show me the cover of a big plastic bag that contained the 'poison,' known as ice melt. (So pedestrians won't sue the rental company should anyone get injured in a fall???!!) I see the words pet friendly, or pet safe - what is invariably how the manufacturer covers its bets. I learn from the man in charge that there are basically three levels of such protective commercial covering, dependent on price. The ultimate product is very expensive, he indicates; his team has chosen the middle ground.

My message is something of a cliche - since normally who would argue against strangers meeting up and exchanging civil words.  But these

Right - and at home I've also bought similar stuff from my local hardware store, the only difference being that it is an off white color. So what is its composition and how much should I apply? SUch are the mysteries of everyday life. It turns out (after a long night of falling snow) the medicine only works under certain situations, dependent on temperatures. We guess out way through this life and these times..

My here message is something of a cliche - since normally who would argue against strangers meeting up and exchanging civil words.  But these are not normal times, to judge by public harangues. Why should Apple feel it necessary to add cautionary, even pleading, words automatically  up front whenever a person is dialing/seeking help on Apple Support. The brief but insistent phrase asks a caller to be kind to the person on the other line - a professional paid by the company to help the caller. It implies the company has no faith their customers will be civil - and so a common sense reminder is necessary.

"Hmm, that must be new," said the in-store Apple employe when I quizzed her shortly afterwards about the practice.  So, we have to conclude, manners are in short supply and rudeness reigns.

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"Only connect"  - politely. Which - to continue the theme - is primarily what  Travellers Aid volunteers do when strangers seek their help to navigate what is likely an entirely new and changing scene. Such goodwill messengers are there to invite passersby to use volunteers knowledge of airport layout and services. For many of the public it is a big learning experience to know about the Sunflower program that helps identify passengers with 'special needs,' usually accompanied by someone; that over 1300 lanyards (showing a sunflower sysmbol visible to all) were passed out in 2024. The program still is new and growing.

As for the volunteers themselves, they are as varied on airplane passengers: a 94-year-old woman only recently considered retiring from the job she has had since 2015. Another is a retired eye doctor wanting to be out among people - mindful that his professional background is not really applicable. There are military veterans, single adults wanting company  and liking helping others. Their training is intense, given that many such positions are in sensitive secure areas of the building. True to form, some potential dramas can occur. Such as the time a young new to the job volunteer was confronted from behind her stand (where buttons exist for emergency help in case of need) by a man's seemingly off the wall question:"Where can I turn myself in?"  Was he meaning to report some illegal substance in his carryon or possibly some seemingly more practical question, such as where might he report mistakenly holding another person's property? Ah, the volunteer took no chances and  immediately called on airport police to take care of the man. They came within minutes...

And some peculiar lost possessions might get left behind by people - boxing gloves, for instance - that eventually find their owners when a volunteer knows where such missing objects are housed in the vast territory an airport covers.

------------------------------------------- Preview of coming attractions.....

A garden of delight is promised soon, when the annual camellia show takes place in my yard.

And a reminder that  this blog exists  for two reasons:

    One is to highlight what some people might call lesser attractions to be found in the greater Washington area: programs, exhibits, even behaviors that are unusual and usually welcoming. Just recently while standing on a Metro platform during a three-day interruption of normal service, I was trying to figure out what train I needed to take to a station I seldom visit. Seeing my confusion, a young man nearby asked if he could help and then asked how long  had I been visiting the city.  A startling statement for someone who has lived here nearly 50 years....though, of course, you can always teach an old dog new tricks. I followed up his kindness by offering help to a couple sitting near me on  the next train I took; they seemed bewildered by the system, and suitcases gave me the idea they were real visitors. Smiles ensued...

                                                                A second mission  : share personal experiences living in both rural and urban places  (D.C. and Montana) when it would seem the words rural and urban are out of date and apply only subjectively.  'Urbanities' has a long reach these days.

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   A reminder: What's old is always new again, as a visit to the latest exhibit at the handsome and imposing Folger Shakespeare Library proves. In spades, one could say - if spades include lace ruffs, diamonds, garters and  such ilk. "How to be a Power Player: Tudor Edition" runs through July 22 on Capitol Hill. The address is clue to the exhibit's  theme - one that mirrors the power plays and status games taking place there and down the hill on Pennsylvania Avenue today. (If we didn't really install a new monarch, we have elected someone who acts like a king with courtiers all around.)

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SEIZE THE DAY AND THE MONTH

 

January 2025  - a new year, new possibilities whatever is your outlook on  national and world events. Father (why not Mother?) Time always marching (to the tune of different drummers).

Nearly the New Year as December 's Solstice Beckons...

 

            The advantage of December is the sensation of living both in  past and future time: New Year ahead, old year disappearing. Opportunity to look back and ahead simultaneously. This gives rise in some people to make lists - dos and don't, the 'done' and the 'finished with.'  We are floating...

Continued...as the year moves on to yet another number and letter (N which leads into a D....)...

 NOVEMBER (11)

    More of Continued': The saga of the volunteer  at one of the eight DCA airport Travelers Aid  desks where, invariably,  no question goes unanswered if and when the desk is being staffed, since there are never enough of these good citizens appaarently. Resourcefulness often is required  - at least in one case where the volunteer could not immediately  respond to a question about  names of architects and artists involved in the renovation in the main DCA entry hall.. A passerby wanted to know who was responsible for the design on the ceiling - and how, curiously and probably purposefully, the numerous patterns  high above the glass-enclosed space resembled the shape of the U.S. Capitol. (Photo to come...) Aha, my friend said, I can look that up for you on the spot. Such details are not routine as part of the many hours of training volunteers receive.

    Should she be really baffled by a strange language or encounter, even a worrisome one, there are human resources at hand by phone or,  should a fearful encounter ensue, a tiny emergency button is located a finger away out of sight under the desk.   Not surprisingly either, a volunteer finds he of she is getting an education daily about people and the world around them  that is such a fast-paced environment. 

    Ceiling of Regan National Airport's main entrance: a domed concept from architect Cesar Pelli, said to have been inspired in some respects by Thomas Jefferson;s Monticello. Glorious light and symmetry. The illusion of flying inspace.

t officials don't supply much information for visitors on paper. The sole pamphlet I could find one recent Tuesday afternoon at an unoccupied desk was a small folding map of the National Mall, since that is where a large majority of the millions coming through DC as tourists will end up. Likewise, volunteers are well equipped to give directions on the best way to the Mall, said to be the most popular (in numbers) yearly of all the US National Parks.Also see below: now happening at Reagan National DCA ( and other major airports locally.)

    Sunflower Lanyards

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program was first launched in May 2016 at London Gatwick Airport. This program allows individuals with invisible disabilities to be discreetly identified. It serves as a prompt for someone to discreetly make airport personnel aware that they may need a helping hand, patience, or simply more time.

Lanyards can be picked up from the USO or pre-security Information desks between 10:00am and 6:00pm. New to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is  enhanced living feature known as an optimal dining experience via entrepreneur Jose Andres. Go to Gate D to see The Landing - but take money! 

More than 1300 lanyards  were handed out in 2024.

Back to the TA desk and my friend the ever vigilant volunteer host:  Unexpectedly, she found herself with a stranger coming up to her and asking "where are the police. I want to turn myself in." He was in no way distraught, a calm seemingly benevolent man. As duty dictates, she immediately dialed up the airport police number and soon a squad of ten uniformed men appeared. Nothing untoward occurred -- and she doesn't know the outcome. Had this man come up with some ruse or had guilt suddenly overtaken him? A question to answer...

The monthly newsletter for volunteers (travelersaiddca@MWAA.com  routinely contains fully accounts of the 'strangers' who sit behind the welcome desk for 3 or more hours at a time, waiting to be addressed. The former eye doctor who had retired and found the work satisfying since he felt part of the working world again

EAT UP

Other good news to report on for consumer consumption (literally). The ever-entrancing remarkable Folger Shakespeare Library has at last announced opening of the Quill and Crumb Cafe (November 22,  Friday). Open to the public with varying hours, mostly closing hours, depending on the day of the week.  No need to call ahead to reserve as one must do for a complete tour of the building.

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BACK TO BILLINGS

This  metal statue, an intrigingly sculptural form atop the city's Rim (capitalized always) seems to be taking in the entire landscape in front of him - Montana's largest city laid out beneath him. Or maybe a her - as there seems to be a child in tow, attached as though part of the larger body form. This is whimsy at its best, captivating and mysterious, a pleasing sight along the trail.

The Octo Month

 

    What's to cheer except weather?   Indigenous Peoples Day coming along when many (most?) students are free from school (perhaps not the best way to put it).

    The season also breeds more interest in cooking, with the dark creeping in stealthily and earlier each day. This affliction of mine - a hobby, you might say - takes over when I must face the fact it is really addiction. The reasons why I cling NYTimes Cooking so much are many but doubtless in this 'older age' (when doesn't the term apply?) I am reminded of the importance of pleasure in a fulfilling life. Of the need to be distracted (lest the body speak up with an uncertainty), sure of at least one routine: following a well researched recipe, (NYT is tops at this for sure) - a sense of security there I think, though no certainty I will have good results. I simply am not patient enough, and unwilling to think about the importance of proportions. Dividing the usual four person amount so that just one is satisfied: resistance to having an extra step and the sure thing I will then feel cheated. Oh how deep can I go with this subject: the practice/hobby/whatever forces a person to concentrate and thereby less prone to mindless wandering.

    Plus, at least with NYT, so much learning is involved and sometimes stretching of the mental muscles  brought about by reading a well written formula just like reading a deceptively simple aggregation of knowledge (the NYT both digital and print) and intelligent use of language. At the root of it all, I now believe, is a compulsion for order and for belonging. Why not in sharing recipes with unknown recipients of NYTImes Cooking newsletters, etc.? Bonding with  strangers,  engaging in a 'fruitful endeavor' that might produce some satisfaction of sorts...depending on willingness to comply with the rules. I seem to rush through the occasion, holding back any sense of triumph when I'm seldom satisfied.  

Realistically, what emotion I felt upon the completion wasn't/isn't the point. THe point was to finish the job, to 'have done something' and momentarily stave off a sense of hopelessness and singleness. When company is about, I go in the opposite direction: too much worry over outcomes, being judged, etc.

Ah, the forever anxieties we can invent for ourselves.

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    Not so the friend  of mine who decided, upon becoming suddenly by accident  a widow - a  truly horrible shock. She created her own partial antidote to the feeling of loneliness that followed: by deciding  to not spend a lot of time alone, knowing  that otherwise depression  might take over her life. She volunteered for a host of activities (an old habit she had anyway - so she just increased the kind and number). An acquaintance mentioned working behind the Travelers Aid information/help desks at the airport. In this case, Reagan National - a biggie where security is super important, given that it is US politicians' main entrance and exit to the city. Congress calls the shots here, along with Homeland Security, and other agencies of rank overseeing sensitive vulnerable public arenas. (SEE NOVEMBER)

     To be front person for strangers  requires a wealth of training and, once hired, no money but free parking (supposing enough spots are free) and the promise of  feeling good while helping others. Such people - there are eight desks at Reagan National alone -  get backup security if they need it:  the emergency button only a finger away  behind the desk. It takes patience and savvy to know whom to call if a question or stumps one of them. My friend regularly handles busy Sunday evening shifts  when passengers are returning home or taking late day planes. 

A sense of humor  can be useful: Seeing a Security sign warning passengers they  would not be able to go back through the entry  leading to departing planes, a woman asked if that meant she would not be able to go back that way upon her return home.  "Don't worry," my friend said, easing the woman's fears. "They let you get back into the city."

    Such is the nature of life in an international  city where the word culture also can apply to particular  and unusual habits and behaviors (and experiences) that are germane to that city only.

Ah, the Breath of Autumn

     

Sorry to say but this so-called September note is verging into an early October dateline. Stay tuned below!

     Then embarrassingly enough, the days become a new month and an entirely new outlook: more on future than past. Weather creates a model, a pattern of slow-slow, quick-quick. Temperatures up and down. Hot and cool. Delicious to observe, to enjoy changes.

    Beware: What you see as often as not really can be believed, even more so if music is supplied. But what if what you are dealing with A1 magic and its wizardly rays? What you see then is likely perhaps a fantasy, some mechanical imagination. And, imagine, even when it's happening outdoors!

    So it was on Sunday the 24th on the grounds of Kennedy Center's Reach Plaza, when a so-called data sculpture was on show in an enormous 10 square meter black cube created by digital artist (so the Wash Post said) Refik (could that be 're-fixed?) Anadol (anagram of?) in homage to the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. A soundscape with moving parts that seemed to make sense only to listeners and viewers who already knew the music. The sound blared, the children played - how few of them seemed really curious beyond trying to touch the screen. The tape or whatever it was kept rolling, repeating insanely for a 16-minute run. Ok: so what if a Czech billionaire was the sponsor (and major Kennedy Center donor). The spectacle isn't a new one apparently:  commissions are the artist's forte for dramatic settings such as the opening of the Las Vegas sphere last year. It took a newspaper article to explain what was going on - so pity those who stumbled upon the scene without having done their homework. "Dvorak Dreams" is the title. Results, admittedly - even to critics, are uneven. But long live the creative process in whatever form. 

    The danger I felt is its capacity to anethesize an audience. Spontaneity, live musicality, are naturally elusive in such work. I don't question that my immediate reaction was to pursue more seriously than ever the value of reaching out to people - strangers - in casual encounters, to feel elicit some real contact the way someone might feel listening to a live concert performed by human beings who have mastered the ability to create sound and make it seem spontaneous.

    

    So much of Washington's history and 'culture' (in broadest sense) is lost - or can be - to outsiders, tourists, etc. Residents don't often catch up to the best of it all unless by accident or by paying close attention to the online announcements that proliferate endlessly on emails and gmails. To wit, I grew fond of the still-nascent institution DC History Center (complicated by a better known Washington history section at the  MLK Library downtown) by a casual visit to the elegant former Carnegie Library building that occupies a block of Mt. Vernon Square. Which IS the square, in fact. Apple is spread over the entire first floor. DC History is downstairs with a commanding feature on the still evolving history of so-called home rule.  But this past weekend (we now are talking  October 5, the Center sponsored a number of free tours - one on the building itself and another (both of them an hour long) on the colorful alleys that can be found only by looking off the main streets.

     Think the neighborhood of Shaw, and the name Blagden Alley, one of the best preserved-while-still=evolving landmarks. It is, most of it now, under an historic preservation statute so that a tour such as one I had on a bustling Saturday could only happen under auspices of the Center and their foresight in hiring a commercial business called Off the Mall Walking Tours, led by a spirited Katie Kirkpatrick. She does as many as three different themed tours on peak days each month.. Blagden was a draw for sure. She encompassed history and present day worlds - so that at one time we are hearing about immigration of formerly enslaved people from the South (and before that the fact that  DC land was forested or swampy, never just what famous Pierre L'Enfant brought to bear later). How visual and vital such an area was throughout its slow settlement. Who lived there and how. Up to present day residents in habiting proudly what were formerly stables and even hospitals for horses and dogs, plus the mysterious fronts of several other closein addresses. (Insomniac - a bar? Death reads one plaque: a restaurant or a joke?)

    So much to take in and so lively a scene. Indeed, one sign points to an alley history center all its own - likely encompassing many other similar hidden spaces though few as well maintained as Blagden is today.

    Other thoughts on the season: Skies are clear and air clean enough that sometimes it's possible to hear background noises in a neighborhood that could be equally a political demonstration or a church service, the Marine Baracks on Capitol Hill  playing taps or the sound of someone's car radio through open windows.

 

    

    

August - Prelude to Coming Attractions?

 

    Always the anticipation - will September bring relief from weather and will normal school startups then (mid or late August into  the 9th month) change the country's mood. Or your own.

    Certainly politics has taken a turn that could be either  much better or ?.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES - Now on August 19, Democratic Convention with Ms. Harris charging ahead. 

And what a difference is WAshington DC in August after humidity (rain sun rain sun) of July. It is a cliche to think the opposite. Less traffic more green even sometimes cool nights and mornings for walking.