Hidden Qualities of Character: George Washington 1st President - Barack Obama 44th President
Image by Wonderlane
Start Chat: San Francisco Bay Area to Fairbanks:
me: Painting of George Washington Crossing the Delaware River at Night on Christmas 1776 www.metmuseum.org/explore/gw/el_gw_bigimage.htm
J: i know that picture
me: yes
do you know the story?
8:40 PM
J: not really
me: Well George Washington was a man = a person like you and me.
He married a rich lady who loved flowers - her name was Martha.
She was a very down to earth gentlewoman.
8:41 PM
She had a lot of land, George took care of it for her and the family and servants and slaves (unfortunately they had slaves). By trade he was a trained land surveyor.
8:42 PM
Not a special man in a lot of ways, just a normal Norman if you know what I mean.
But mad King George of England took bad advice from his councilors.
8:43 PM
They increased the taxes and sent troops to America which was a colony of England - Great Britain as it was known.
8:44 PM
J: you're an awesome story teller lol i love it
me: He was not a trained warrior - just a regular civil servant you might say. His most notable personal characteristics were that he was extremely picky, and noble.
J: i could sit and not move and listen to you for days
me: He was noble in the sense that he really felt for other people, he felt for the common man and for the common good.
8:46 PM
So when the other wealthy people saw what the additional taxes and what the hard boots of the English were doing to the regular citizens - they complained to the Crown - which is what the government of King George was known as.
King George was stubborn and stupider than (insert name such as "geo w").
8:47 PM
He kept sending more troops and generals to America - which they called the Colony. But we weren't the only one at the time - so they were spred a bit thin worldwide.
But back to the main thread.
8:48 PM
George Washington was a noble person and was recognized as such by the really bright men of his time. Also he had Martha's money.
And Martha loved George like nobody's business.
She was the kind of woman who didnt mind if George slept with the help.
8:49 PM
J: i would mind
me: Any way he got deeply involved in the protests against the Crown, and finally he decided to go whole hog.
- thank you for the compliment -
8:50 PM
- any way Martha was a generous soul is the point - in pretty much every way. -
So with the other leaders he and his friends made the proclamation that they would not do anything mad King George wanted, at all, ever.
8:51 PM
This meant he became an enemy of the Crown and a price was put on his head like the other radicals of his day, and this was a dead or alive kind of deal.
8:52 PM
So George, with not much military background was made the head of the army. I think it had something to do with the fact he could afford to pay for things ---
The army was an all volunteer army. He rose up the ranks even after some pretty bad failures,
8:53 PM
but he was dedicated and determined to succeed against the somewhat staggering odds.
Things were going against George and his army.
8:54 PM
They ran out of fuel and food, and clothing and boots and medical supplies which were meger anyways.
8:55 PM
And he was feeling for his troops. They were dodging the military forces of Great Britian - but old crafty crazy King George did something wicked and expectable - he HIRED people (Hessians) to fight the war in America for his solders because it was like a job and his men didn't like the deaths.
8:56 PM
So after a bunch of losses - George Washington - with a price on his head and freedom at stake - and his mens' lives in his hands.
On a cold Christmas eve - December 25, 1776, George Washington and a bunch of his troops snuck across the Delaware River at night and killed the rent-A -soldiers that cruel mad King George sent over to kill Americans, when they least expected he would - on Christmas!
8:58 PM
George Washington when pressed up against it -- he was madder and crueler and more ruthless than King George because he had more guts and more risked and more to lose and he was not going to put up with it any more - he wanted freedom to self-rule.
J: hmm
8:59 PM
me: So when you think about Presidents of the United States you have to consider sneaky nightime on Christmas attacks by the first president done personally when considering the basic quality of what kind of man or woman is in the position.
And George Washington was a regular guy. Just like you and me.
9:00 PM
me: So I know people like George.
So do you.
The thing is everybody is our presidents concern.
I am sure that our Mr. President Obama is much like Mr. President Washington...
LATER:
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28388013/
"Obama asked the country to look to George Washington's improbable crossing on the Delaware River on Christmas Day as inspiration to get through current tough times. The president-elect said in a holiday message that Washington and his army "faced impossible odds" as they fought against the British on Dec. 25, 1776, the day they surprised Hessian forces and won victories that gave new momentum and hope to American independence."
DSC_4140.JPG
Image by Rich Gibson
the rear of the Pantheon, with obelisk.
11/21/2004 Another Day in Rome! The Colossium, and old Roman Stuff.
tags: rome italy heather rich
(these are my fragmented notes from the time...sorry if they suck)
My Plan for day two...
Pantheon to
piazza venezia
to capital hill museums maybe
check out the underground passage to the tabularium
back door to forum?
forum
coleseum
(or do it backwards and have lunch in the pantheon->trevi fountain alley)
Lunch...(that seems way ambitous!)
metro to train station
ATAC 110 bus tour
Cappucin Cruypt
Borghese museum
....that is all I want for tomorrow :-).
What actually happened...
Coleseum
Palatine hill
forum
mediocre lunch
pantheon-wonderful
gellati! wonderful
tried to go to cappucin...failed because it was closed
Borshese-fantastic
got lost trying to get back...finally took a bus.
looked at pictures at the hotel
went to dinner down the street-best meal so far.
great great sex! I mean, great sex.
Incredibly tired out legs!
The Coleseum made passion bubble inside. There was an exhibit, something like 'The city in the present of the Past' or somesuch, that seemed like a post-processional view of the archeology of ancient rome, and how it integrates with the present.
The outer ring was closed off into an exhibit space with a long screen weaving around like a ribbon. Movies and slides were projected onto this ribbon from both sides, so sometimes you could read text, and other times the text was in reverse, so you could read it from the other side. Funny, it was the most moving part of the colloseum to me, and I didn't take a picture...the catalog for the exhibit was for sale in the book shop, but it was only in Italian. It included shots of excavating something old during WWII. Mussilinni was trying to connect the power of Italy in the 20th century with the power of Imperial Rome...or something.
We wandered to the Forum, but first ended up at a convent at the top of the hill, dead ending. I recorded the sounds of birds. then we went up the palatine hill. Both were beautiful, but probably lead to a bit of footsoreness by the Borghese!
Of note...there is an alter to Julius Ceaser marking the spot where he was cremated. There is a mound there, and there are flowers on it...people bring flowers to Ceaser.
We took the metro to the colleseum. You walk out of the station and BOOM! You are there. We tourned the colleseum, up to a convent, up palatine hill, through the forum, up capital hill, down to the pantheon, across past trevi fountain again, up to the capuccin crypts...all on foot. Then a bus to sort of near the borghese, and then 2 hours in the borghese...that was almost, but not quite, enough time. Then a long time being lost, and a 20 minute wait in the cold for a bus. Tuesday night, jumping ahead in our narrative, heather bought gloves in Florence while I checked email, but she didn't have them yet, and she was frozen! Bus back...collapse...rest a bit, then out to dinner then our great sex and bed!
The Pantheon was another big win! One detail of overheard conversation. An older Italian gentleman, talking to what seemed like friends. "Italy had four kings before it became a Republic. the first emmanual... is buried here, and his son was...and is buried on the other side."
The first two kings of Italy are buried in the Pantheon...and so is botticelli? ruben? Someone...who was then disinterred a hundred or two years later to just check up on him...there is a painting of that process.
DSC_4030.JPG
Image by Rich Gibson
Me reflected in the mirror, with sunbeam
11/21/2004 Another Day in Rome! The Colossium, and old Roman Stuff.
tags: rome italy heather rich
(these are my fragmented notes from the time...sorry if they suck)
My Plan for day two...
Pantheon to
piazza venezia
to capital hill museums maybe
check out the underground passage to the tabularium
back door to forum?
forum
coleseum
(or do it backwards and have lunch in the pantheon->trevi fountain alley)
Lunch...(that seems way ambitous!)
metro to train station
ATAC 110 bus tour
Cappucin Cruypt
Borghese museum
....that is all I want for tomorrow :-).
What actually happened...
Coleseum
Palatine hill
forum
mediocre lunch
pantheon-wonderful
gellati! wonderful
tried to go to cappucin...failed because it was closed
Borshese-fantastic
got lost trying to get back...finally took a bus.
looked at pictures at the hotel
went to dinner down the street-best meal so far.
great great sex! I mean, great sex.
Incredibly tired out legs!
The Coleseum made passion bubble inside. There was an exhibit, something like 'The city in the present of the Past' or somesuch, that seemed like a post-processional view of the archeology of ancient rome, and how it integrates with the present.
The outer ring was closed off into an exhibit space with a long screen weaving around like a ribbon. Movies and slides were projected onto this ribbon from both sides, so sometimes you could read text, and other times the text was in reverse, so you could read it from the other side. Funny, it was the most moving part of the colloseum to me, and I didn't take a picture...the catalog for the exhibit was for sale in the book shop, but it was only in Italian. It included shots of excavating something old during WWII. Mussilinni was trying to connect the power of Italy in the 20th century with the power of Imperial Rome...or something.
We wandered to the Forum, but first ended up at a convent at the top of the hill, dead ending. I recorded the sounds of birds. then we went up the palatine hill. Both were beautiful, but probably lead to a bit of footsoreness by the Borghese!
Of note...there is an alter to Julius Ceaser marking the spot where he was cremated. There is a mound there, and there are flowers on it...people bring flowers to Ceaser.
We took the metro to the colleseum. You walk out of the station and BOOM! You are there. We tourned the colleseum, up to a convent, up palatine hill, through the forum, up capital hill, down to the pantheon, across past trevi fountain again, up to the capuccin crypts...all on foot. Then a bus to sort of near the borghese, and then 2 hours in the borghese...that was almost, but not quite, enough time. Then a long time being lost, and a 20 minute wait in the cold for a bus. Tuesday night, jumping ahead in our narrative, heather bought gloves in Florence while I checked email, but she didn't have them yet, and she was frozen! Bus back...collapse...rest a bit, then out to dinner then our great sex and bed!
The Pantheon was another big win! One detail of overheard conversation. An older Italian gentleman, talking to what seemed like friends. "Italy had four kings before it became a Republic. the first emmanual... is buried here, and his son was...and is buried on the other side."
The first two kings of Italy are buried in the Pantheon...and so is botticelli? ruben? Someone...who was then disinterred a hundred or two years later to just check up on him...there is a painting of that process.
DSC_4056.JPG
Image by Rich Gibson
Looking down between rings animate with next
11/21/2004 Another Day in Rome! The Colossium, and old Roman Stuff.
tags: rome italy heather rich
(these are my fragmented notes from the time...sorry if they suck)
My Plan for day two...
Pantheon to
piazza venezia
to capital hill museums maybe
check out the underground passage to the tabularium
back door to forum?
forum
coleseum
(or do it backwards and have lunch in the pantheon->trevi fountain alley)
Lunch...(that seems way ambitous!)
metro to train station
ATAC 110 bus tour
Cappucin Cruypt
Borghese museum
....that is all I want for tomorrow :-).
What actually happened...
Coleseum
Palatine hill
forum
mediocre lunch
pantheon-wonderful
gellati! wonderful
tried to go to cappucin...failed because it was closed
Borshese-fantastic
got lost trying to get back...finally took a bus.
looked at pictures at the hotel
went to dinner down the street-best meal so far.
great great sex! I mean, great sex.
Incredibly tired out legs!
The Coleseum made passion bubble inside. There was an exhibit, something like 'The city in the present of the Past' or somesuch, that seemed like a post-processional view of the archeology of ancient rome, and how it integrates with the present.
The outer ring was closed off into an exhibit space with a long screen weaving around like a ribbon. Movies and slides were projected onto this ribbon from both sides, so sometimes you could read text, and other times the text was in reverse, so you could read it from the other side. Funny, it was the most moving part of the colloseum to me, and I didn't take a picture...the catalog for the exhibit was for sale in the book shop, but it was only in Italian. It included shots of excavating something old during WWII. Mussilinni was trying to connect the power of Italy in the 20th century with the power of Imperial Rome...or something.
We wandered to the Forum, but first ended up at a convent at the top of the hill, dead ending. I recorded the sounds of birds. then we went up the palatine hill. Both were beautiful, but probably lead to a bit of footsoreness by the Borghese!
Of note...there is an alter to Julius Ceaser marking the spot where he was cremated. There is a mound there, and there are flowers on it...people bring flowers to Ceaser.
We took the metro to the colleseum. You walk out of the station and BOOM! You are there. We tourned the colleseum, up to a convent, up palatine hill, through the forum, up capital hill, down to the pantheon, across past trevi fountain again, up to the capuccin crypts...all on foot. Then a bus to sort of near the borghese, and then 2 hours in the borghese...that was almost, but not quite, enough time. Then a long time being lost, and a 20 minute wait in the cold for a bus. Tuesday night, jumping ahead in our narrative, heather bought gloves in Florence while I checked email, but she didn't have them yet, and she was frozen! Bus back...collapse...rest a bit, then out to dinner then our great sex and bed!
The Pantheon was another big win! One detail of overheard conversation. An older Italian gentleman, talking to what seemed like friends. "Italy had four kings before it became a Republic. the first emmanual... is buried here, and his son was...and is buried on the other side."
The first two kings of Italy are buried in the Pantheon...and so is botticelli? ruben? Someone...who was then disinterred a hundred or two years later to just check up on him...there is a painting of that process.
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