America’s Best Idea Turns 100

30 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by in National Parks, Nature, Travel

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Joshua Tree National Park in California (Photo from Joshua Tree National Park)

Joshua Tree National Park in California (Photo from Joshua Tree National Park)

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Yellowstone National Park was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, as the nation’s first National Park. (Photo from Yellowstone National Park)

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Yosemite National Park in California, established in 1890 (Photo from Yosemite National Park)

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was my first visit to a National Park. (Photo from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial)

centennial_npf_logo_webThe National Park Service, created by an Act signed by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916, is celebrating its 100th birthday this summer.

The National Parks is “America’s Best Idea”, according to film producer Ken Burns. Burns’ six-part film series is finishing a repeat airing on PBS this evening. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea is the story of “an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone.”

I first experienced the beauty and majesty of the National Parks during a four-week, cross-country road trip with my dad, mom, brothers and sister. The six of us pulled out of our driveway in Dearborn, Michigan in a 1970 Ford LTD, hauling a pop-up camper. Our first stop was the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. I’ll never forget that trip. Now I live in Washington, DC, with the National Mall and Memorial Parks in my own backyard.

The National Park Foundation and the National Park Service invites everyone to Find Your Park. I hope this post inspires YOU to connect with, enjoy, and support our National Parks!

Arches National Park in Utah (Photo from Arches National Park)

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Badlands National Park in South Dakota (Photo from Badlands National Park)

The United States Capitol is at the east end of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. (Creative Commons Photo courtesy of Tyrol5)

The United States Capitol is at the east end of the National Mall and Memorial Parks. (Creative Commons Photo courtesy of Tyrol5)

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. (Photo from Mount Rushmore National Memorial)

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota (Photo from Mount Rushmore National Memorial)

 

 

Happy Lunar New Year!

05 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Philately, Stamps

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The United States Postal Service's 2016 Year of the Monkey stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler

The United States Postal Service’s 2016 Year of the Monkey stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler and illustrated by Kam Mak

Today, February 5, the United States Postal Service (USPS) celebrates Lunar New Year by issuing its 2016 Year of the Monkey stamp. The stamp art features two bright reddish-orange peonies against a purple background, illustrated by Kam Mak. Peonies symbolize wealth and honor in Chinese culture and often decorate the sides of the traditional drums played during the holiday festivities. Art director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler incorporated elements from previous series of Lunar New Year stamps to create continuity between the series. (READ MORE)

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2016

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Magazine Cover Design: Field & Stream

05 Wednesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Hunting, Magazines

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​Field & Stream Issue: June Circ: 1.25 million Editor: Anthony Licata Design Director: Sean Johnston Publishing Company: Bonnier

​Field & Stream
Issue: June
Circ: 1.25 million
Editor: Anthony Licata
Design Director: Sean Johnston
Publishing Company: Bonnier

 

There aren’t a lot of magazines that feature “regular people” on their covers, but for Field & Stream, that’s business as usual. Still, for its June 2015 issue, the magazine skewed that concept younger—much younger. (MORE)

 

Grounded Architecture

12 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by in Architecture, Environment

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The cabin’s asymmetrical roof is covered in grey slate.

Zecc Architects, along with interior designer Roel van Norel, designed a compact “recreationhouse” in the Dutch province of Utrecht. The cabin’s clean, modern design creates a strong connection to the surrounding woods and features privacy shutters that change its look. Photography by Stijnstijl. All images courtesy of Zecc Architects.  (MORE)

The shutters are opened during the day, illuminating the space within with natural light.

The shutters are opened during the day, illuminating the interior with natural light.

The movable shutters can be shut during the evenings when privacy is required.

The movable shutters can be shut during the evenings when privacy is required.

One long room contains the bedroom, kitchen and dining area.

One long room contains the bedroom, kitchen and dining area.

 

The Fall of Saigon

30 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by in History

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— AARP Magazine for iPad, April-May 2015

In 1965, the first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam. Ten years later, Saigon fell. Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon (now Ho Chin Minh City) effectively marking the end of the Vietnam War. The Fall of Saigon was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by the People’s Army of Vietnam and the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (also known as the Viet Cong) on April 30, 1975. This event started the transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam into a socialist republic, governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam.

The fall of the city was preceded by the evacuation of almost all the American civilian and military personnel in Saigon, along with tens of thousands of South Vietnamese civilians. The evacuation culminated in Operation Frequent Wind, the largest helicopter evacuation in history. In addition to the flight of refugees, the end of the war and institution of new rules by the communists contributed to a decline in the city’s population.

According to the National Archives and Records Administration, the number of U.S. military fatal casualties in the Vietnam War was 58,220 (as of April 29, 2008).

For a detailed view and timeline of The War That Changed Everything, tap here.

Abraham Lincoln ~ 1809 — 1865

15 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Americana, Art, History, Obituaries, Painting, Portraits

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LINCOLN, 2013 by Wayne Brezinka. Collage, mixed media & acrylic on canvas / 48 x 60 in., 4 ft x 5 ft

LINCOLN, 2013 by Wayne Brezinka. Collage, mixed media & acrylic on canvas

 

Abraham Lincoln died at 7:22am, April 15, 1865, one-hundred fifty years ago today. This portrait of the 16th President of the United States by contemporary artist Wayne Brezinka is currently on loan at the historic Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., May 6, 2014 — May 6, 2015. Brezinka’s 4 ft x 5 ft portrait is part painting and part three-dimensional collage of cardboard, rope and several artifacts he collected from the 1860s.

Collage artist Wayne Brezinka spent two months gathering Civil War-era photos and newspapers to use in his mixed media Lincoln portrait. Image courtesy of Wayne Brezinka

Collage artist Wayne Brezinka spent two months gathering Civil War-era photos and newspapers to use in his mixed media Lincoln portrait. Image courtesy of Wayne Brezinka

 

Here’s a fascinating “video tour” of Wayne Brezinka’s “Lincoln”: