Tony and Antonia and Friends

A couple weekends ago, our friends John and Dominique drove over from Illinois and joined us for a quick trip to Sterling Heights, to see one of Jim's favorite performers.

Tony Bennett!

Lately, it seemed that every time we traveled, we'd see a billboard promoting a Tony Bennett concert, but it was always sold out. Jim started keeping an eye on Tony's website (yes, we're on a first name basis), and was finally able to purchase tickets to this show.

The show, with Tony Bennett and his daughter Antonia, was at the Freedom Hill Amphitheatre. It was a beautiful evening, and we got there early enough to get food at the concession stand, and relax. (This is because our tickets listed the time as 6 pm. We thought we were late, but it turned out this is when the gates open, so we had time to spare.)

The sun was starting to set as everyone got settled in. 

Jim, Dominique, and John

It was a delightful performance. Antonia sang first, and was a real showman, chatting with the audience, highlighting the band members, and singing great songs. Tony performed a few numbers with her, as well as on his own. He is really amazing. He turned 88 on August 3, but still has a great voice, and charms and delights the crowd. At one point he asked, "would you mind if I sing some old standards?" Would we mind?!? What a silly question...

We spent the night at the Warren Courtyard Marriott, on Van Dyke (once we finally got out of the Freedom Hill parking lot, the hotel was just a few minutes away). (Nice hotel, decent breakfast in the morning.) We enjoyed a late dinner at Buddy's Pizza, nearby (Yum! Great pizza, and a charming waitress).

The next day, we drove up to Frankenmuth, since John and Dom' had never been to Bronner's Christmas store. We wandered around for a good while - they have every imaginable ornament, I swear. Showing great restraint, we bought just a couple ornaments (really, our tree has no room for more ornaments...!).

Bonnie was glad when we got home:

She got a walk, and we humans got some dinner, and then we talked and played Settlers of Catan (Dom' won on Saturday; Jim won Sunday's game).

With all the driving we did (and a late-night push), I finished knitting my hat:

It's reversible; this is the "inside"

The Loveliest Place and the Best People

In May April (where has the time gone?), we made a quick trip to Nauvoo, via Chicago and St Louis.  Sometimes I wonder why we make these crazy drives, but at least we enjoy ourselves! We started with a drive to Chicago, in what was the most amazing traffic we've ever not encountered: there was none. It was a straight shot, zipping along all the way, even when we hit downtown. Shocking!

We met up with Glade and Carolyn Myler, friends of Jim's from his law school days. (In their BYU law class, Glade was the oldest student, and Jim the youngest, and they somehow became good friends.) We spent the night in their timeshare, in the old Hotel 71 where Jim & I have stayed before. (We slept on a pullout bed that may have seen better days - but that night was definitely not one of them!)

The next day, Mylers turned in their rental car, and the four of us piled into our car, and drove to the St Louis airport, so that Mylers could pick up another rental (this convoluted maneuver apparently saved them beaucoup bucks). En route, we lunched at a Cracker Barrel restaurant, which gave us the chance to browse and be amazed.

 

We did NOT buy this beauty

We left St Louis in two cars, and drove to our hotel in Fort Madison, Iowa (a Comfort Inn - very pleasant, comfortable, great staff; I'd go there again in a minute). We ate in the restaurant next to the hotel - no idea what it was called, but Jim & I enjoyed dinner, and Glade & Carolyn enjoyed dessert.

The next morning, we drove into Nauvoo. We spent some time in the Visitors Center, and then took a wagon tour. It was cold, so we happily accepted the blankets they offered.

Glade - but we all looked like this

The wagon took us throughout Nauvoo, and the guide gave us lots of interesting info. Most of my photos from that tour are "meh," but here are a couple by the river:

This view reminded me of all the work that was required, to drain the swamp that became Nauvoo.

One of the horses pulling our wagon was named Nephi (which reminds me, for some reason, of my brother's pet mice, named Lehi and Nephi...)

Watching westerns on TV, I always imagined that covered wagons were huge. But, as this picture shows, this was not the case. They were only 3-4 feet wide, and 11-12 feet long. Once loaded with food and other supplies, I doubt there was much room at all for passengers.

Jim

We walked along Parley St, to the river. This was the path the saints took as they crossed the river and fled Nauvoo. The street is lined with markers that share writings from their journals, poignant, and expressing both hope and loss.

Here are some of the entries that were shared:

How well I remember what a hard time (father) had breaking in the animals to draw the wagon. There were six cows and two oxen. The oxen were well broken and quite sedate. But the cows were wild and unruly...while Father was breaking the cattle, Mother was praying...many nights when we were in bed asleep...she would go out into the orchard...and there pour out her soul in prayer, asking the Lord to open the way for us to go with the Saints.
~ Margaret Judd Clawson

Last evening the ladies met to organize...Several resolutions were adopted...If the men wish to hold control over the women, let them be on the alert. We believe in equal rights.
~ Louisa Barnes Pratt (this entry made me smile!)

My last act in that precious spot was to tidy the rooms, sweep up the floor, and set the broom in its accustomed place behind the door. Then with emotions in my heart...I gently closed the door and faced an unknown future, faced it with faith in God and with no less assurance of the ultimate establishment of the Gospel in the West and of its true, enduring principles, than I had felt in those trying scenes in Missouri.
~ Bathsheba W Smith

The temple today is a reproduction of the original, which was destroyed by arson in 1848. It is beautiful, and I can barely imagine how the saints felt as they left it behind.

I was in Nauvoo on the 26th day of May, 1846, for the last time, and left the city of the Saints feeling that most likely I was taking a final farewell of Nauvoo for this life. I looked upon the temple and City as they receded from view and asked the Lord to remember the sacrifices of his Saints.
~ Wilford Woodruff

The saints took their wagons, animals, families across the Mississippi on ferries like this one - neither very large nor stable! No wonder they were so relieved when the river froze over.

We lunched at Grandpa Johns' Cafe:

Took one more picture:

And we took a look at the statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, which stands opposite the temple, and above the river. The plaque on the statue reads:

"On the morning of June 24, 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum
left their families, homes, and fellow Saints for the last time. Traveling
on horseback, they paused on this bluff. Joseph looked admiringly
at the unfinished temple and the city of Nauvoo and declared:

"This is the loveliest place and the best people under the heavens;
little do they know the trials that await them.

"Joseph and Hyrum then continued on to carthage, Illinois, where
they faced legal charges and eventual death at the hands of a mob."

The Prophet's Last Ride
Stan Watts and Kim Corpany

At the Supreme Court

Just as attorney is admitted to a state bar, an attorney can also be admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court. The former allows an attorney to practice law in that state; the latter allows the attorney to practice before the Supreme Court. The latter is also extremely cool.

On June 9, Jim, and other BYU (J Reuben Clark) law school graduates, were admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court. This was quite an experience. We met our group (BYU) outside the Supreme Court building. Together, we went in, and eventually made our way to a room set up with a buffet breakfast.

The guests in our group were then taken to the Court Chamber, and seated. The process was very orderly and dignified. As more guests were seated, there was a bit of chatter; periodically, one of the officers would ask for quiet, which amused me a bit (although I did manage to hold my tongue).

The group of BYU attorneys was one of the last admitted to the room, and Jim sat just a couple rows in front of me. With his position and height, of course, he had a better view than I. I could see most of the justices when they entered, and a court room artist; Jim could see all the justices, and Nina Totenberg.

Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, and Anthony Kennedy each read a court decision (I found Kagan's case to be the most interesting, and was discussed on All Things Considered by Ms Totenberg) (Yes, we do have our heroes, however nerdy they may be).

James Rasband, Dean of the BYU Law School, introduced the group from BYU, and read the individual names. Chief Justice John Roberts approved the requests for admission to the bar.

The court was then adjourned, and we headed back to our room for photos and congratulations. Chief Justice Roberts stopped by and spoke briefly, and then Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in and spoke for a good bit with the new members of the bar.

It was all very heady.☺

The Authority of Law

The Contemplation of Justice

The Main Entrance, on the west side

Chief Justice John Marshall

Robin and Jim

Jim & Robin, and Janice and Richard Winder
We were the Michigan Contingent
(the Winders are from Lansing)

Chief Justice John Roberts

Jim, and Craig Lundell, representing the class of '81

BYU Law School Group
Dean Rasband is in the front row, 4th from the right

With Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

My favorite attorney

The Court Chamber (after the session)

The Great Hall

Chief Justice John Marshall

The turtle symbolizes longevity, and
the slow, yet deliberate, pace of justice

The Capitol, viewed from the west entrance of the court

Sunday Evening on the Mall

After visiting with Jon and Laura, Jim and I headed back to the hotel. There was to be a light supper and fireside that evening, for the BYU group. We knew we were too late for the supper, but thought we might make it to the fireside. We figured we would drop the car off at the hotel, then take the Metro to the fireside.

But, as we entered Washington, we made a wrong turn, and found ourselves driving along the Potomac. We realized, with delight, that we could park along the road there, and visit the mall. Abandoning plans for the fireside, we did just that. We had no trouble finding a spot to leave our car, and walked toward the Lincoln Memorial.

Jim captured this scene of the Potomac and the Washington Memorial Bridge. I love the different shades of green and yellow:

It was a beautiful evening to be out walking - not too hot, with a pre-storm breeze cooling things down.

Jim, and the Lincoln Memorial

We walked along the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

We also visited the World War II Memorial, new since our last visit to D.C.

A large stone, looking west across the WWII memorial, to the Lincoln Memorial, declared:

Here in the presence of Washington and Lincoln,
one the eighteenth century Father and the other
the nineteenth century Preserver of our nation,
we honor those twentieth century Americans who
took up the struggle during the Second World
War and made the sacrifices to perpetuate
the gift our forefathers entrusted to us:
A nation conceived in liberty and justice.

There was a series of bas relief plaques; this was one of my favorites:

Celebrating the end of war

Looking east

Time to return to the hotel

Art in the D.C.

After visiting Annie, Amalia, and Becca, we turned our attention (and our car) to Washington, D.C. We arrived late Friday night, and I was thrilled to turn the car over to the valet. We stayed at the Washington Marriott at Metro Center, which was conveniently located near a metro station, and which conveniently had lots of pillows and a comfy bed (and other amenities, but it was the end of a long day, so that bed stood out.)

It also had a fire alarm, which went off around 2 am. The alarm was Loud, and the strobe light was Bright. I leapt out of bed, and then struggled to figure out why I was standing there, totally confused and disoriented. As we tried to sort it out, we heard the announcement, "There has been a fire incident. Please exit the building. Do not use the elevators." So we pulled on some clothes, and stumbled into the hallway and down the stairs (we were on the 6th floor). The stairs disgorged us onto a side street; we followed the crowd and walked around to the front of the hotel.

I was surprised that the crowd was rather small - surely the hotel had more guests than these?!? Indeed, some guests were sticking their heads out of windows, looking to see what was going on (Answer: not much). We wandered back into the lobby, where a security guard told us we could go back to our rooms. During the night, a letter of apology appeared under our door, which assured us that the hotel staff were concerned for our safety, and explained that the fire alarm was triggered by smoke in a guest's (non-smoking) room.

In spite of that inauspicious beginning, our stay in Washington was really delightful. Jim had a legal lecture first thing Saturday morning, and met some of the other BYU attorneys that would be attending the Supreme Court session (more on that in a later post). Then he and I headed over to the Metro Station, figured out how things worked, and caught a train to the Smithsonian Station.

We walked to the National Gallery of Art, stopping by the Sculpture Garden. We spent most of our day at the gallery, with a break to enjoy some lunch at the Pavilion Cafe.

Here are a few photos (just a handful of the many, many photos we took...). This first reminds me of my nephew Chris - anyone else see a resemblance?

Biagio D'Atonio
Portrait of a Boy

When I entered a gallery and saw this scene by Pissaro, it took my breath away.

Camille Pissarro
Boulevard des Italiens, Morning, Sunlight

Jim was looking forward to seeing paintings by John Constable. This one reminded me of our trip to England, when we visited this cathedral. As I recall, the day we visited was a bit dreary, but there was a high school choir (from Canada, maybe?) singing in the church, and it was so lovely that I've never forgotten it. (Unless, of course, I've completely fabricated this pleasant memory...)

John Constable
Salisbury Cathedral from Lower March Close

One more lovely that we stumbled on:

Childe Hassam
Poppies, Isles of Shoals

We saw so many wonderful pieces, it was quite overwhelming. The National Gallery of Art is a real treasure; now I want to go back, spend more time, maybe join a guided tour to get some insights and context.

It was a beautiful day to wander through the sculpture garden. The sculptures ran the gamut from whimsical to somber. In the camp of whimsy:

Barry Flanagan
Thinker on a Rock

This next piece seemed rather odd. I later found this information on the National Gallery's website.

 Over the last thirty years, Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz has created a compelling and highly emotional body of work, largely drawn from her personal experience of World War II and its aftermath. She is best known for her "crowds" (as she calls them) of headless, rigidly posed figures whose anonymity and repetitious presentation have been regarded as the artist's personal response to totalitarianism.

Trained as a textile artist, Abakanowicz first used burlap in her indoor sculpture to achieve modulated, deeply incised surfaces for powerfully expressive ends. Each of the thirty bronzes in Puellae is a unique cast, made from a burlap mold that the artist individually worked during the casting process. Each puella's diminutive size is unusual, since Abakanowicz has traditionally depicted adults as life-size or larger. The work refers to an account the artist heard as a child in Poland during World War II about a group of children who froze to death as they were transported in cattle cars from Poland to Germany, as part of the "Arianization" process. Depending on the site, these figures can be arranged in any configuration.

Magdalena Abakanowicz
Puellae (Girls)

We ended tour day with a performance of West Side Story, at the National Theatre.The singing and dancing were splendid, although some scenes were changed to be "grittier" (as this review points out). West Side Story premiered in this same theatre, in 1957, and I think the original, less gritty, version would have been just fine.

Still, we both enjoyed the classical story of star-crossed lovers, in this classic theatre.