National Christmas tree

The U.S. National Christmas Tree in Washington D.C. isn’t seasonal. The decorations are. But the tree itself is a living thing, planted in the President’s Park, permanent enough to be a dot on National Mall maps.

It’s located in the middle of the Ellipse (a big lawn south of the White House), surrounded by the “Pathway of Peace.” During the holiday season, it’s lit up like….well, you know…with model trains and miniature buildings at its base and 57 smaller trees decorated for each U.S. state and territory (plus the District of Columbia) with handmade ornaments from schoolchildren and artists.

– Visiting The National Christmas Tree –

The National Christmas Tree lights are on nightly from approximately 4:30-10pm during the month of December.
The Pathway of Peace is open 10am-10pm.
30-minute music and dance performances take place on a nearby stage for 2 weeks in December.
It’s free to see the tree and watch performances.
There’s an annual lighting ceremony and concert. Watch the 2015 lighting online. (The 2016 ceremony will be televised later this week.)
The National Tree has a Twitter account. It loves Christmas, music, and, apparently, Gilmore Girls.

Getting There

Transit: The closest stops are the same ones you’d use for the White House – either Federal Triangle (blue, orange, and silver lines) or Metro Center (red, blue, orange, and silver lines).
Parking: There’s a parking garage at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Rates vary but plan for about $10/hour weekdays, $15 for weekday evenings or all day on weekends and holidays. Access via 13½ Street (off Pennsylvania Avenue) or 14th Street. Open to the public but visitors and vehicles are screened upon entry.
Street parking is limited.
We ended up walking from our hotel.

November 28, 2016November 27, 2016

Nothing

Know what’s between Phoenix and Las Vegas? Nothing.

I don’t mean it’s totally empty – on the way to Las Vegas, we drove by a Joshua tree forest and ate at an unfriendly hot dog place.

We also noticed a spot on the map off highway 93, between Wickenburg and Wickieup, for the town of Nothing, Arizona. I’m using the term “town” very loosely here.

On the way back, we stopped there, in front of the abandoned gas station that’s the only building in sight. According to the sign painted on the side, Nothing has a population of 4.

But even that may be an exaggeration.

November 24, 2016November 23, 2016

Hidden in the Hills Art Show Returns

This weekend is the annual Hidden in the Hills art show and sale. Here are some of the artists we’ve met and work we’ve seen in past years.

1. There’s something captivating about the vibrant acrylic work of Ravay Snow – it just draws you in.

2. Ken Ryan continues to craft weathered wood into rustic furniture and sculpture.

3. Bela Fidel works in encaustics (a wax technique) and mixed media. Some is abstract, and some incorporates sacred texts and imagery.

4. Robin Ray’s studio is always a hub of activity with demonstrations and work in progress, so you can learn about how her beautiful pieces come together.

5. Peter Skidd, who we found through Instagram, creates steel sculptures with rich, layered colors in his home studio. (Phillip enjoyed chilling on the patio there.)

6. Craig Frankowski likes to experiment with the traditional canvas format.

7. Natalie Keller does western oil paintings and even dressed to match!

Check out the current Hidden in the Hills site to see which artists are participating this year!

November 21, 2016

ArtBar

The ArtBar at UNLV is self-serve.

Instead of mixing yourself a cocktail, you make your own artwork. The block semi-circle in the lobby of the Barrick Musuem is stocked with supplies and a prompt inspired by a current exhibit.

In conjunction with a powerful series of photos now on display – Edward Burtynsky: Oil – the ArtBar invited visitors to “reflect on process and change.”

There were charcoals, pastels, pencils, crayons, and cardstock in a neutral palette of tans and grays, black and white. I decided to take a few minutes to put pastels against a page and see what would come out. So I pulled up a stool, contemplated change and erosion, and made mountains.

Marjorie Barrick Museum at University of Nevada, Las Vegas is free (optional $5 donation), and the ArtBar is in the lobby and open to anyone. There is metered parking in the lot just outside the museum.

November 13, 2016March 29, 2022

When Reason Sleeps

I am writing this the morning after the U.S. presidential election. Confused, sad, grasping for words, and tired already of news outlets’ attempts at explanations and of social media finger pointing.

I keep thinking of Francisco Goya’s work, El sueño de la razón produce monstruos, “The sleep of reason produces monsters”.

I think I first saw the etching in Madrid the same day I stood dwarfed in front of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, which depicts townspeople suffering the horrors of war unleashed by Nationalists. That also seems like a fitting work to contemplate just now.

Today I feel as if reason has been sleeping, and we don’t know what monsters we have unleashed.

Images 1 (public domain) + 2 (fair use) via Wikimedia.