Day Tripping

It is great being close enough to Washington D.C. to make a very easy day trip of it, which is exactly what we did this past Saturday. We went down to the metro station and took the metro to Foggy Bottom Station and then walked over to the State Department so that we could finally see where Trent works all day. It was nice to see what his trip is like, where he has to walk etc. etc. (Now we just need to get his Coast Guard legoes to his office somehow. ) We did not have the full metro cars he often has though. We had plenty of room to sit etc. Ashley made homemade newspapers, and the kids read them on the ride in. It was really cute.

Sammy and her newspaper

My cute boys on the Metro

Rather than walk back to the station and go to the Smithsonian, we decided exit via the C Street exit and walk down the mall to the Smithsonian. It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

On the way to the mall from the Department of State, we stopped at the Albert Einstein Memorial. I had not previously seen it. For those who want to know, it is across Constitution Ave. from the Vietnam Memorial approximately. It was a pretty cool memorial. One man there to visit showed the kids that if they stand in the middle of the circles at the foot of the statue and talk loudly up, they can hear an echo. I thought about doing the BSA yell to really test out the echo capabilities, but left it to the kids in the end. It turns out that the circles at Einstein's feet make a map of the universe. It is really a great little memorial, and I am glad Trent pointed it out to us. Besides, the kids love Einstein especially after Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Looking back from the Mall. See the white blocky building? See the kind of dingy grey/brown one behind it? That dingy one is the Department of State. It seems to be a running commentary on how ugly that building is.

The kids and I taking a break at the World War II Memorial

After our slow walk up the Mall, we finally arrived at the Air and Space Museum. This July marked the 40th anniversary of man's arrival on the moon. As part of that celebration, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum put Al (Alan) Bean's artwork depicting the Apollo missions on display. Al Bean was the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 12 and walked on the moon with Pete Conrad. He was the 4th man to set foot on the moon. I have a certain fondness for Al Bean that comes with watching the HBO documentary series From the Earth to The Moon repeatedly. It really is a fantastically done series. The episode about Apollo 12 is done from Al Bean's perspective and is entitled, That's All There Is. There are so many reasons I love that particular episode, but to keep it short I will note that the point of it was that Al Bean noted in the end that the very best part of that mission was sharing it with the two men who had become his very best friends, Pete Conrad and Dick Gordan. There is so much to relate to in the idea that something amazing becomes even more so when we can share it with those we love.

Anyhow, I wanted to see these paintings since I heard the exhibit was opening in July. I would have wanted to see them regardless. I am so happy I did though and was not at all disappointed. They are impressive art. Al Bean started with aviation ply wood and did a plaster technique over the top which he textured with imprints of moon boots and other tools used on the lunar surface. He then painted over the plaster. It is all very impressive. Some of the paintings even have some moon dust in them that Al Bean found in the folds of his old space suit.

There is a little video presentation they play in which Al Bean talks about what inspired him to do the paintings and such. I listened to bits of it as we walked through the exhibit. I appreciated his note that as far as making a contribution to art, his was contributing the perspective he had as an artist having visited a place that few other men have and being, to date, the only man to draw or paint it. I also like the fact that he has painted far more than just his Apollo 12 mission. He has incorporated all of the Apollo missions in the collection. This makes the paintings general impressions given that he wasn't there for each Apollo moon landing, but his perspective is unique, and it shows in his art. One of the quotes from Al Bean on one of the signs in the exhibit says, "we artists are valuable only in so far as we interpret reality in interesting and beautiful ways, and help the viewer see and feel in ways he or she would not otherwise experience." I am so happy to have shared Al Bean's perspective.

Trent now wants an original Al Bean for the house. That would be amazing, but I don't think they are for sale. :)

I took a few pictures of some of the paintings. The pictures can only show so much obviously. A lot of the texture gets lost, and the flash and reflections in glass distort, but I hope they give an idea of some of the work. You can also look at the various paintings here.



One of my favorites. It is titled The Fantasy. The reason for this is it depicts Pete Conrad, Al Bean and Dick Gordan all together on the moon. This never happened, because the Command Module Pilot (Dick Gordon on Apollo 12) stays behind in the Command Module to rendevous later with the Lunar Module before returning to Earth. I love that Al Bean thinks about how great it would have been for all of them to be there together to share in that experience.

When our exploring was done, we headed back home for some work around the house. In a nearly empty metro train and after walking all that way, the Warner children thought it would be more fun to hold onto a poll and stand for the metro ride home. They are so funny.