Heard Museum

JWise Photo of the Day

A Katsina doll of Hopi design at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Jutta and I went to the Heard Museum this morning. To our great surprise, the museum has undergone a dramatic renovation.

Pottery at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

The new layout has cost about $8 million, but it looks as though the money was well spent.

Figurines at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Two new short films about the native people of the Colorado River and the Havasupai are shown on demand, and a longer 45-minute film about native culture is shown continuously. A media center offers electronic research.

Sandal at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

A new garden with native plants is underway. Other parts of the museum are still being renovated, but don’t let that stop you from visiting; the Heard has gone from nice to absolutely great.

Beaded jewelry at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Update: in 2023, I refreshed this post with four new photos that I took back during this visit and updated the top image that was the original that accompanied the post. The text is all original.

California Missions – Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

San Gabriel Mission, California

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in the Los Angeles area was the first mission I ever visited as a kid while on a field trip in Junior High. The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is only about 12 miles west of where I grew up in West Covina.

San Gabriel Mission, California

Twenty-one missions were built between 1683 and 1834 along a 600-mile length of road known as El Camino Real, or Royal Road, from San Diego in the south to as far north as Sonoma, California, and are roughly 30 miles apart to facilitate travel on horseback. This was the fourth mission in the chain.

San Gabriel Mission, California

There are many exhibits and artifacts on display at the mission, which also creates a learning opportunity.

San Gabriel Mission, California

This is Saint Junípero Serra, the founder of 9 of the 21 missions that were built in what was known at the time as the Province of Las Californias, New Spain, before it became part of the United States. It was back in 1988 that Pope John Paul II beatified Serra, elevating him to sainthood.

San Gabriel Mission, California

From San Gabriel, we drove northwest to Mission Hills to visit Mission San Fernando Rey de España. Baby Jesus and his mother, Mary, were figuratively there to greet us.

San Gabriel Mission, California

I’d like to be snarky and say, “Junípero Serra once slept here,” but that would likely be a lie.

San Gabriel Mission, California

Continuing with the snark, I could try, “This is the actual table where Jesus and his 12 apostles…..” I should stop with this.

San Gabriel Mission, California

The altar from Mission San Fernando Rey de España.

San Gabriel Mission, California

The Spanish influence on architecture in California is unmistakable.

La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California

Taking a break from the missions, we headed for a secular museum. Although we were not here to visit the La Brea Tar Pits on this trip to California, we were going next door to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California

Because art inspires us to enter the imagination of someone else as opposed to basking in the beauty of nature that follows certain rules, we see within other’s creations the breaking of rules and making new realities.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California

This work is from Andrès Marzal de Sas (school of) and is titled “Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon.” I can’t help but think of Matthias Grünewald, who painted the Isenheim Altarpiece (currently housed in Colmar, France) when I saw this.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California

This eagle-headed deity is from Iraq in the 9th century B.C.

When visiting museums, there are a thousand things to see, millions if not billions, when you consider the details in each object or painting. We can never see a fraction of what’s here, even if we glance at every object on display. At best, we might learn of something out of history we didn’t know about that acts as the spark to dig deeper into a subject matter we hadn’t considered before these moments.

America – Day 12

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise and John Wise in front of the White House in Washington D.C.

Today will be a walking day, and we are lucky to have the perfect weather for it. Our first stop was the White House. The excitement of being here in Washington, D.C., is palpable. As a child, I dreamed of one day visiting the nation’s capital, and here I am. You might have guessed my excitement level from the smile on my face.

The White House in Washington D.C.

The other side of the White House. Someday, we will have to go through the protocol to request a visit to this historic residence, someday.

The Washington Monument as seen from across the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C.

We walked across the National Mall and made our first visit to the Lincoln Memorial, then walked out past the Vietnam and Korean War Veterans Memorials before heading to the Tidal Basin for this spectacular view of the Washington Monument.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial next to the Tidal Basin in Washington D.C.

I knew a man ever so briefly who cared for President Roosevelt and ensured his smoldering cigarette never caught the White House on fire when he was heading to bed. My great-uncle played a role in the lives of several presidents and always remained loyal to his oath of confidentiality throughout his life. This, though, was his favorite of all the men he served in his time of service to our country and the White House.

Bronze of President Jefferson at the memorial honoring his contribution to the United States

President Thomas Jefferson was and is one of my favorite presidents, not just for his eloquence in crafting documents that have held strong for a couple of hundred years but for his renaissance nature of being curious about many things, peoples, and cultures throughout his life. If only today we had statesmen who had the intelligence, foresight, and ambition this leader had. From draftsman of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Virginia, minister to France, to the man who set Lewis & Clark out on an expedition to the unexplored West, allowed for the Louisiana Purchase, and was the third U.S. president. We make a note to someday visit Monticello in Virginia.

Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C.

The Jefferson Memorial on a beautiful fall day.

The United States Capitol building in Washington D.C.

It was a circuitous route that brought us to the U.S. Capitol building. First, we walked by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing before rejoining the National Mall for an up-close look at the Washington Monument. Next up was the Air & Space Museum, where we took a photo of us standing in front of the Spirit of St. Louis with the plane perfectly in focus and us perfectly out of focus. Then we headed to the Capitol. Have you noticed what an incredibly beautiful day it is?

Inside the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C.

This felt like the perfect metaphor for how things get done here in the United States. The human skeleton represents one side of the population, and the obstinate goat is on the other side; neither side wants to do what the other wants, but somewhere in the middle, a compromise is made. This display was at the Natural History Museum, which is part of the Smithsonian. In our limited time at the museum, we were also able to take in some mummies, dinosaur bones, diverse rocks, and minerals, along with the Hope diamond.

Benjamin Franklin in front of the Old Post Office in Washington D.C.

From Benjamin Franklin, I learned what a polymath was, and from a young age, I knew I wanted to be just like him. His accomplishments are too broad for me to capture here; better if you just go read a Wikipedia article or a book about this great American.

Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C.

The site of the demise of President Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president. Ford’s Theatre is a grim reminder that even great people can be vulnerable to the anger of the person who sees no other way to settle a grievance. We not only visited the inside of the theater, taking note of the Presidential Box where John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln, but we also went across the street to the Petersen House and saw the location where Lincoln passed after he was taken there.

Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

After visiting the sad and tragic site where a beloved president was murdered, it was time to revisit the Lincoln Memorial to take a moment to think about the founding of the United States and the turmoil we have endured so we could be a leading example of what is to be a nation of laws and order.

Abraham Lincoln seated in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

This is the man I learned about, who was a self-taught lawyer, an autodidact who inspired me as a child that I could learn anything and become anything I set my sights on. Lincoln failed twice in business before turning 25 years old; he failed eight times running for public office. Yet he persevered and, with determination, became one of the most memorable presidents in the history of the United States. I had a lump in my throat standing before the statue of this great man, and I again have a lump in my throat as I write this.

The White House at night in Washington D.C.

Dinner, sadly, was not at the White House. We took the Metro to Foggy Bottom and walked the rest of the way to Georgetown for a meal at an Indian restaurant. We finished up the night with one last glance at the Washington Monument and then a slow walk past the White House, hoping for the odd chance we’d see President Clinton out smoking a cigar or something.