San Diego Museum of Man

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San Diego Museum of Man
Balboa Park
April 19, 2016

Meredith played hooky from work and went to Balboa Park on a Tuesday afternoon, to take advantage of a couple of the museums offering free Tuesday admission to San Diego County residents. Most of the park’s museums participate in this program once a month, on a rotating basis. This day was a third Tuesday, which meant the participating museums that day were the Museum of Man, the Museum of Art, the Mingei Museum, and the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Meredith had hoped to see the cannibal exhibit, Cannibals: Myth & Reality, but that is a special exhibition with a separate, paid admission, so she decided to skip it this time and see it later when we can both go. That exhibit is scheduled to run through 2018, so there should be plenty of opportunity.

Meredith found the exhibit on race, Race, Are We So Different?, to be particularly interesting. There was a timeline of race perception and laws with good factual information, and a self portrait section with subjective descriptions. She was struck by the woman whose heritage mixed many ethnic groups, who wrote of herself “I’m what’s on the spoon when you pull it out of the melting pot.” The museum’s website advises this exhibit will be temporarily closed from May 20 through June 5, 2016.

Museum_man_Mayan

She strolled through various other exhibits about the Maya, the Kumeyaay, the history of beer, monsters, and primates. Exhibits are well laid out and accompanied by helpful written information.

As noted above, Meredith’s visit was on a free Tuesday. Regular admission is $12.50 for adults, $20 with the cannibal exhibit included. There are reduced rates for seniors, military, youth, and students. There is a small additional charge for those who want to buy timed tickets and climb the California Tower, with views out over the park. Balboa Park offers free parking, but lots can be crowded, and visitors may need to park at a distance and walk or take a tram.

Shakespeare Is Coming to Town!

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April 23, 2016 marked the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and it is the day that the San Diego Library opened up ticketing to see a rare copy of his First Folio. The book will be on display at San Diego’s Central (downtown) Library from June 4 through July 7, as part of an exhibition co-hosted by the library and the Old Globe Theatre. The exhibition will free of charge, but due to its anticipated popularity, the library recommends patrons obtain tickets in advance. Timed admission will run every 30 minutes. Tickets can be obtained at this link:

Folio ticketing

A limited number of drop-in tickets will also be available at the Central Library each day.

What is the First Folio, and what’s the big deal? During Shakespeare’s lifetime, some but not all of his plays were published in quartos, basically flimsy paperbacks. The quartos were unauthorized and inaccurate versions of the plays. After Shakespeare died, John Heminges and Henry Condell, two of his friends, accomplished what Shakespeare had never done for himself — publish a complete, definitive collection of his plays. In addition to the quartos, they had access to materials that no longer exist, such as the original handwritten manuscripts and actors’ prompt copies.

Without the work of Heminges and Condell, Shakespeare might not be remembered today. Certainly, far fewer of his plays would have been preserved, because 18 plays are known to us only through the First Folio and had not appeared in quarto form, among them Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest. The New York Post ran an excellent article explaining how the First Folio was compiled and what its importance is. The book that will be coming to San Diego is on loan from the Folger Shakespeare Library. It is one of just 235 surviving copies.

The exhibition website tells us this about the upcoming exhibition:

Shakespeare’s First Folio will be available for viewing and opened to the page with “To be or not to be” from “Hamlet.” Accompanying the rare book will be a multi-panel exhibition exploring the significance of Shakespeare, then and now, as well as the importance of the First Folio. A supplemental exhibition will showcase original props, costumes, photographs, and ephemera from The Old Globe’s 80-year archives….

In addition there will be a un-ticketed complimentary display in the Hervey Family Rare Book Room adjacent to the art gallery. “Publishing Shakespeare” will present rare and exquisite editions of work by and about Shakespeare. Drawing from the San Diego Public Library’s rare book collection, the exhibition will include more than 50 beautifully produced books and prints spanning four centuries of publishing and book art.

Skirball — Baseball

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Skirball Cultural Center
Sepulveda Pass
April 9, 2016

We took Margaret on her first museum outing for nearly three months, since our January visit to the Southwest Museum. All three of us love baseball, so we were pleased that the Skirball has just opened a pair of baseball themed exhibitions.

Skirball_Greenberg

Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American pays tribute to the American Jews and other immigrants and minorities who played baseball or contributed to it in other roles. Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax feature prominently, as do Jackie Robinson, Joe DiMaggio, Fernando Valenzuela, and many other ethnic minority players. The exhibit includes many pieces of historic memorabilia, such as jerseys, bats, mitts, baseball cards, among other things. We were impressed by the four baseballs autographed by Sandy Koufax to Walter O’Malley after each of his four no-hitters, including his perfect game. Meredith was puzzling over a large photograph of Hank Greenberg with a Yankee player, wondering who the Yankee was, and Margaret recognized immediately that he was Joe DiMaggio. This exhibition will run through October 30.

Skirball_sakoguchi

In a separate gallery we enjoyed seeing vibrantly colored paintings by artist Ben Sakoguchi, The Unauthorized History of Baseball in 100-Odd Paintings. Each painting is done in the style of the old orange crate labels popular from the 1920s through 1950s. Various different baseball players, personalities, and themes are illustrated, some humorous, others poignant. There is an excellent short video featuring the artist, discussing his work and describing his inspiration. A baker’s dozen of images can be seen on the museum’s website: here. This exhibition runs through October 2.

Both of the baseball exhibitions are included with the museum admission, as is the museum’s permanent collection, Visions and Values, Jewish Life from Antiquity to America. Prices are $12 for general admission; $9 for seniors, students, and children over 12; and $7 for children 2–12. Parking is free and generally ample.

We enjoyed our lunch at Zeidler’s Café, possibly our most favorite in-museum restaurant of all the museums we have visited. Margaret and Bob each had sandwiches; Meredith had the spinach and cheese empanada. Margaret was a little befuddled when presented with her options for side dishes, saying simply “too many choices.” We reminded her that she likes the fresh fruit Zeidler’s serves, so she ordered that, and she particularly enjoyed the pineapple. All the food was tasty, service excellent, and the portions were generous. The cost was reasonable considering the quality of the food and service.

Whidbey Island

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Whidbey Island, Washington
March 19-20, 2016

We flew to Seattle to visit with our oldest and youngest daughters and our daughter-in-law. Last time we visited them we enjoyed exploring Bainbridge Island, and we were intrigued by the idea of further island explorations. This year we decided to explore Whidbey Island, and we took the ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton, at the southern tip of Whidbey.

The scenery was magnificent — snow capped mountains to east and west, water, farms, and trees — all very different from what we see in San Diego.

On our drive north from Clinton, we stopped at Fort Casey State Park. This site is now a state park; formerly it was an army base with coastal defense artillery. Two large (10 inch barrel) guns are still in place for viewing, together with their massive carriages, and two of the 3 inch barrel guns are also on display. Our youngest daughter liked the maze of underground rooms and the artillery “dumb waiter” (our term) which was once used to raise the shells to the guns. From the ramparts we could see out over Admiralty Inlet across to the Olympic Peninsula. We were lucky to come on a free pass day; generally Washington state parks charge a fee of $10 per car per day for a Discovery Pass, or $30 for an annual pass.

Whidbey_FtCasey

Within the park, just a short walk from Fort Casey, is the Admiralty Head Lighthouse, built in 1903 and used until 1922. We watched a video with archival footage of live firing practice of the big guns at Fort Casey. Bob and the girls climbed up the lighthouse tower. (Meredith waited on the landing.) There is no lamp in the lighthouse now, but there is a great view from its tower. On the ground floor there are several exhibits, including other lighthouse lenses typical of ones used in that period. Meredith was interested by the wooden library box; every few months the lighthouse service would deliver a box containing an assortment of books, both fiction and non-fiction, for the keeper to read.

Whidbey_lighthouse

We went on to the Island County Historical Society Museum, located near the waterfront in Coupeville, a scenic small town founded in 1852. Family admission worked out to about $2 each. We enjoyed looking at the 1902 Holsman car displayed in the lobby; it was the first automobile on the entire island. There are some impressive baskets on display in the Native American exhibit on the bottom floor of the museum.

In the late afternoon we stopped at the PBY Naval Air Museum in the town of Oak Harbor. On one side of the highway is a retired PBY seaplane, which saw service in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. The museum’s indoor displays are in a building across the road. We found them to be well labeled and very informative. We watched an excellent video which featured local residents reminiscing about life in Oak Harbor before the naval air station and describing the transformation that occurred with the opening of the air base and the all consuming war effort of WWII. Adult admission to the museum is ordinarily $7, but we had picked up discount coupons at the Island County Museum so paid $6 each.

Whidbey_PBY

We stayed overnight at the Best Western in Oak Harbor. The next morning we attended Mass at the local parish then drove to the north end of the island to see the scenic Deception Pass, so called because the first European explorers in the area thought that waterway was the mouth of a river. (Instead it is part of the Salish Sea, the network of inlets and waterways between the Olympic Peninsula and the mainland of Washington State.) We drove south from there, mainly retracing our steps but adding a couple of scenic detours. We enjoyed an excellent locally-sourced lunch at the Oystercatcher in historic Coupeville, stopped to see some mid 19th century blockhouses, and then finished our excursion with a tasting at the Spoiled Dog Winery. Late in the afternoon we took the ferry and headed back to the girls’ home.

Lake Balboa Interlude

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Lake Balboa Park
Van Nuys
March 12, 2016

We visited Margaret and took her out to the local park. She is still weak, and we didn’t want to tire her out with too many transfers from car to wheelchair and back. The weather was nice, so we picked up sandwiches at Subway and went to the park near her board and care residence. Meredith’s sister Kathleen met up with us, and she and Meredith and Margaret looked through an old photo album and reminisced about family members and gatherings. The photo below — one of the ones we looked at — shows Meredith (front right) and Kathleen (back right) with some of their cousins at their grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary gathering in 1980.

Maine 1980 cousins

San Diego Museum of Art

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San Diego Museum of Art
Balboa Park
February 27, 2016

We used our Macy’s Museum Month pass for a 50% discount at the Museum of Art, which we had not visited for several years.

Bob had spotted an article in the Union Tribune about a triptych of paintings on display, the Virgin of Sorrows, an altarpiece painted during or about 1564 by a Flemish artist, Pieter Claeissens the elder. We found the Madonna on display in the gallery devoted to religious art. That same gallery includes pieces by El Greco, Murillo, Sanchez Cotan, and Zurbaran, among others. Meredith lingered in that gallery while Bob moved on to other works.

SDMA

We then viewed the special exhibition of works of Harry Sternberg, a 20th century artist who first worked on the East Coast then moved to Escondido. His paintings are powerful, but the most moving pieces were the simple black and white works featuring the gritty reality of steel mills in Pennsylvania and the artist’s youth in New York City. The Sternberg exhibition closes May 8, 2016.

Margaret has struggled recently with several health problems. Last week we visited, planning to take her for a stroll around the Lake Balboa park. On the way to the park she felt ill, and we ended up taking her to the hospital instead. She spent a couple of nights there, being treated for atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure. She is back home now, this time on oxygen. We visited on Sunday and brought sandwiches in. Meredith read her several Robert Service poems, and all three of us looked through recent letters and photos that Min, Bob’s aunt, had sent to Margaret.

MB_at_home_2-2016

We wonder whether and when Margaret will recover enough strength to resume our customary outings. Or have the many decades of heavy smoking left her heart and lungs too weak to be up to that level of activity? Too soon to tell; we will just have to take things as they come.

National Parks Movie

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National Parks Adventure
IMAX Theater
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
Balboa Park, San Diego
February 25, 2016

Fleet_theater

We went to see the new IMAX movie, National Parks Adventure, at the Fleet and loved it. The movie has stunning footage of various national parks throughout the U.S. We cannot begin to do justice to the photography; check out the movie’s website for a trailer and still photos of some of the sites in the film.

The film is narrated by Robert Redford, and its release was timed as part of this year’s centennial celebration of the park system. It runs less than an hour, following a trio of climbing buddies and then filling us in on John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, and the history of the park system’s foundation.

Our outing was a special preview offered to REI members. The film opens to the general public on March 18, and we recommend it highly.

While waiting for the theater to open, we explored the lobby of the Fleet Center. The current exhibit features microbes and we had fun looking at the various stations and doing some of the hands-on activities.

Fleet_microbe

Macy’s Museum Month

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Macy’s customers enjoy half price admissions to participating museums for the entire month of February. Passes can be picked up at any Macy’s store and then can be used all month long at any of over 40 participating museums in San Diego County, Temecula, and the Imperial Valley.

According to the San Diego Museum Council: Guests with a pass can bring up to three people to participating museums to receive half-off admission for the entire party. Additional fees may apply for special exhibitions. Each pass also features an exclusive $10 coupon off any [purchase of] $30 or more at Macy’s. For more information, including a list of participating museums, visit the museum council website.

Recuperating

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Van Nuys
January 30, 2016

Our latest visit with Margaret was a quiet picnic in the backyard of the board and care home where she lives. She spent four nights in the hospital this past week, admitted for a bleeding ulcer but kept for observation and treatment of cardiac issues. As Meredith’s sister Kathleen wryly observed, it is like taking your car in for an oil change, only to have the mechanic find other problems.

Happy_Traveler

In any event, we did not want to tire Margaret out with an extended outing, so we brought in sandwiches. After lunch we called the Seattle granddaughters on FaceTime, and gave them a chance to chat with Margaret. Then we played a cooperative game of Happy Traveler with her. HT is a long out of print game from the early 1990’s that we enjoyed playing with our kids on car trips in the past. Categories such as “things associated with trains,” “types of vegetables,” “things at a fair,” and “summer things” prompted input from Margaret, and she shared several memories. She told us about her Girl Scout summer camp Wayaka in Maine, and we compared notes about favorite things from country fairs in the past.

Before the hospital admission we had planned to take Margaret to see the new exhibitions at the Craft and Folk Arts museum on Wilshire. We may go there on our next visit, if nothing else comes up in the meantime.

Southwest Museum

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Southwest Museum
Mount Washington
January 16, 2016

Margaret’s passion is Native American culture, and one of her favorite museums back when she used to live in Los Angeles years ago was the Southwest Museum. The location is farther from Margaret’s home than we usually go, but she had mentioned it several times and clearly wanted to see it, so we made it our destination for this visit.

SW_tower&trees

Over the course of the 20th century, the Southwest accumulated the second largest collection of Native American artifacts in the country. Established in 1907, it moved to its beautiful hilltop site above Highland Park in 1914. Unfortunately, the museum fell on hard times. It lacked the financial resources to maintain its collection and aging building alone and merged with the Autry Museum in 2003. There has been controversy over that merger, but we reserve judgment. The critics probably do not understand, or do not care about, the expense involved in preserving the collection and restoring the building. One wonders, how many of them contribute financially to either effort?

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has set up a website Treasure It Together, devoted to the Southwest Museum building and site, to disseminate information and foster discussion about how best to preserve and restore the historic site.

For a time, the Mt. Washington site was completely closed to the public. One gallery is now open on weekends. During the week, Autry employees work in the closed gallery spaces, doing conservation work on the collection. One important component of the conservation work is that pieces are being photographed and digital photos added to a searchable online database.

We guessed–correctly it turned out–that there would be no cafe on site and brought sandwiches and other picnic supplies. We parked in one of the two handicapped spots in the museum’s front courtyard and ate our lunch at one of several tables under the arcade.

SW_lunch

The current exhibition is Four Centuries of Pueblo Pottery. There were some truly impressive pieces on display, from the early 17th century to the present. The explanations which accompany the pottery items set the historical context well. The technical details are explained, as are the differences between the different pueblo cultures.

Southwest_gallery

Admission is free, with donations encouraged. The top level is wheelchair accessible. There is a small bottom area open to the public as well, but the interior connection is only by staircase. We each took a quick look at the lower level but did not try to get Margaret down there, since there is not yet a gallery reopened downstairs. The lower level could be accessed by wheelchair patrons, but one would have to enter from the street below the museum, go up a ramp, through the pedestrian tunnel, then up an elevator. That lower level currently just contains a timeline of the museum’s history, a few display cases showing archaeological techniques, the restrooms, and a video terminal on which one can view digital photos of the museum’s basket collection.

There is a Metro stop right across the street from the pedestrian entrance to the museum. Visitors who come by car drive up a narrow winding driveway. There is a general parking lot, which we did not explore, and two handicapped spaces right in front of the museum.

Our only gripe is that there is too little information about the museum online. There is one page on the Autry’s website devoted to the Mt. Washington campus, but it fails to give practical visitor information such as whether there is a cafe on site (there is not), what parking is available, and whether the building is wheelchair accessible (mostly it is, as noted above). Meredith emailed the Autry asking for more information but did not receive a reply.

After the museum visit we met Meredith’s sister Kathleen for coffee. She showed us and Margaret photos from her recent trip.