Visited: Saturday, October 4th, 2014
Hey, we made it three times before hitting another park twice...
This was a much more satisfying visit than our Winter sojourn, in spite of the misty rain than permeated the day (and our clothing). The top of Cadillac Mountain wasn't very receptive to sunset watching - not only was the wind fierce, getting the rain _everywhere_, but visibility was about 10 feet - but Thunder Hole was _amazing_. In spite of the rain, we stood there for about a half hour, just watching the dramatic waves and counter-waves. Definitely the highlight of the day.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
94) Weir Farm National Historic Site
Visited Sunday, August 31st, 2014
While the Weir Farm is interesting in and of itself - I don't think of "50 miles from Manhattan" being so rural - it was particularly interesting to visit the farm directly after visiting the Twain House in Hartford.
J Alden Weir and Mark Twain, while not exact contemporaries, lived in very similar times - and in very similar ways. Both moved to Connecticut; both enjoyed some of their greatest artistic success in the state. Both had three daughters, who grew to adulthood, and one son who died in infancy. Both hired artisans of future fame for work on their domiciles.
But - there are vast differences between them as well. Twain hosted important people for dinner; Weir hosted artists for months. Twain's was energized by the people he got to see, by coming to Hartford; Weir by the beauty of a simple Connecticut farm. Twain led a hectic life; Weir a far more pastoral one. Both families suffered tragedy, but for Twain it seemed a more regular occurrence.
I've always been more drawn to literature than to art, and thus I'm naturally more drawn to Twain. But - while I think I'd have enjoyed meeting Twain, I suspect that I'd have gotten more out of knowing Weir.
As to the site itself - to really experience the site, I think one has to go with time to paint. That's really the point, in many ways, and the way to immerse oneself. The house tour is well worthwhile, and the studios - oddly enough, particularly Weir's son-in-law's studio - are fascinating.
And - we have now visited all of the current New England NPS units save for one (Boston African American - which we've tried for before but never had the right timing).
While the Weir Farm is interesting in and of itself - I don't think of "50 miles from Manhattan" being so rural - it was particularly interesting to visit the farm directly after visiting the Twain House in Hartford.
J Alden Weir and Mark Twain, while not exact contemporaries, lived in very similar times - and in very similar ways. Both moved to Connecticut; both enjoyed some of their greatest artistic success in the state. Both had three daughters, who grew to adulthood, and one son who died in infancy. Both hired artisans of future fame for work on their domiciles.
But - there are vast differences between them as well. Twain hosted important people for dinner; Weir hosted artists for months. Twain's was energized by the people he got to see, by coming to Hartford; Weir by the beauty of a simple Connecticut farm. Twain led a hectic life; Weir a far more pastoral one. Both families suffered tragedy, but for Twain it seemed a more regular occurrence.
I've always been more drawn to literature than to art, and thus I'm naturally more drawn to Twain. But - while I think I'd have enjoyed meeting Twain, I suspect that I'd have gotten more out of knowing Weir.
As to the site itself - to really experience the site, I think one has to go with time to paint. That's really the point, in many ways, and the way to immerse oneself. The house tour is well worthwhile, and the studios - oddly enough, particularly Weir's son-in-law's studio - are fascinating.
And - we have now visited all of the current New England NPS units save for one (Boston African American - which we've tried for before but never had the right timing).
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
93) Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve
Visited Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014; Thursday, July 24th, 2014
While this is a single NPS unit, there are actually _six_ sites, spread across the state. We had the opportunity to visit three of them.
The headquarters for the site is in the French Quarter, and is small, but a nice typical visitor's center. Nothing to write home about.
The Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery is quite impressive, with a good overview of the Battle of New Orleans and a nice - if short - ranger talk. The ranger argued that, while peace talks were underway, the peace treaty had not been accepted at the time of the battle, and therefore the War of 1812 was not truly - as usually reported - over when the battle took place. The one-sidedness of the battle is truly impressive.
But the highlight was the Barataria Preserve. It's a swamp location, which Lafitte was certainly through if not directly tied to. The most interesting aspect of our visit was the ranger's answer to Ben's question about Lafitte; he noted that the NPS decided not to use his answer on their brochure. Essentially, the Barataria Preserve exists because a local decided that it shouldn't become yet another drained swamp; it was tied to Lafitte, to get it into the NPS. But as the ranger noted - it's odd that there would be an NPS site named for a known illegal slave trader (the importation of slaves from Africa having been outlawed shortly after 1800).
But - the gem of the park is the walkways through the swamp. It's very loud, in a peaceful way, between the frogs, dragonflies - and apparently the occasional alligator, though we didn't see any. (We barely saw any frogs, in spite of hearing them constantly, and Megan discovered that all of the larger frogs were camera shy.)
While this is a single NPS unit, there are actually _six_ sites, spread across the state. We had the opportunity to visit three of them.
The headquarters for the site is in the French Quarter, and is small, but a nice typical visitor's center. Nothing to write home about.
The Chalmette Battlefield and National Cemetery is quite impressive, with a good overview of the Battle of New Orleans and a nice - if short - ranger talk. The ranger argued that, while peace talks were underway, the peace treaty had not been accepted at the time of the battle, and therefore the War of 1812 was not truly - as usually reported - over when the battle took place. The one-sidedness of the battle is truly impressive.
But the highlight was the Barataria Preserve. It's a swamp location, which Lafitte was certainly through if not directly tied to. The most interesting aspect of our visit was the ranger's answer to Ben's question about Lafitte; he noted that the NPS decided not to use his answer on their brochure. Essentially, the Barataria Preserve exists because a local decided that it shouldn't become yet another drained swamp; it was tied to Lafitte, to get it into the NPS. But as the ranger noted - it's odd that there would be an NPS site named for a known illegal slave trader (the importation of slaves from Africa having been outlawed shortly after 1800).
But - the gem of the park is the walkways through the swamp. It's very loud, in a peaceful way, between the frogs, dragonflies - and apparently the occasional alligator, though we didn't see any. (We barely saw any frogs, in spite of hearing them constantly, and Megan discovered that all of the larger frogs were camera shy.)
92) New Orleans Jazz National Historic Site
Visited: Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014
Hmmm... unfortunately, there's not a lot to the site itself. It's just a small performance hall, with almost nothing else - and our timing wasn't right to make one of the concerts. This unit also runs a second performance hall, at the old New Orleans Mint.
To be honest, the New Orleans Mint itself - run by the state - is more interesting, if a quick site to tour.
Hmmm... unfortunately, there's not a lot to the site itself. It's just a small performance hall, with almost nothing else - and our timing wasn't right to make one of the concerts. This unit also runs a second performance hall, at the old New Orleans Mint.
To be honest, the New Orleans Mint itself - run by the state - is more interesting, if a quick site to tour.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
91) Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Visited: Saturday, May 31st, 2014
This year is unlikely to see many additions to our list of NPS sites visited; in addition to being quite busy, we're running out of New England sites. (Specifically, there are two remaining for us to visit.
But there were three, and we had some time, so we visited the Olmstead site. They've recently updated the displays in the house, which was nice, but it's a park that's really not worth visiting unless you take the tour. This was, for one hundred years, a working office, and one with an impressive level of organization.
The site is well worth seeing, but on the whole it's not a site I expect to visit again any time soon. There's something of a split personality to the site, as it's half about Olmstead, and half about his firm; this can work, but here I'd have liked more emphasis on - both, really.
This year is unlikely to see many additions to our list of NPS sites visited; in addition to being quite busy, we're running out of New England sites. (Specifically, there are two remaining for us to visit.
But there were three, and we had some time, so we visited the Olmstead site. They've recently updated the displays in the house, which was nice, but it's a park that's really not worth visiting unless you take the tour. This was, for one hundred years, a working office, and one with an impressive level of organization.
The site is well worth seeing, but on the whole it's not a site I expect to visit again any time soon. There's something of a split personality to the site, as it's half about Olmstead, and half about his firm; this can work, but here I'd have liked more emphasis on - both, really.
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