Saturday, September 1, 2012
Advertising Works
After a day in the shadow of sprite billboards in downtown Atlanta, both boys insisted on soda instead of ice cream. Q.E.D.
Toy cars
Eli and izzy realized that from 20th floor, cars look like toys, and start discussing which one they want:
Thursday, August 30, 2012
From Coast to Coast
We arrived at Tybee Island in the middle of a rain storm. We had planned to jump into the ocean and cool off after a hot sweaty night of being bitten by no-see-ums in our Skidaway Island camp site. But the storm was intense with lightening visible just a few miles out from the shore, so swimming seemed like a bad idea. The kids and I went and hung out on the pier under the pavilion roof and watched the rain.
I made the kids walk down the pier with me to the little shelter at the end so that I could be over the ocean and see the storm and the Atlantic close up.
A month ago we were at the Pacific eating dinner with friends. Today we were dancing on the pier over the Atlantic in an amazing thunderstorm. Coast to Coast in three weeks.
When we finished with the pier, and the kids were starting to notice how wet they were, we stopped into a small marine aquarium run by Georgia University, then we headed for Tybee Island Lighthouse. Ever since we stayed a week in a restored lighthouse in Wicklow County, Ireland, I have been in love with lighthouses. The Tybee Island Lighthouse is very nice.
It's tall and narrow, all of the living space is in the buildings around the bottom of the lighthouse.
The hike up the stairs to the top was not too hard.
The view at the top was lovely. We had been told to climb up quickly before the storm came in. It started to rain again right after we got in our car to drive away.
The spiral of the stairs going down always catches my attention. I have to take a picture at every turn.
Tybee Island lighthouse was rebuilt in 1867. It's a very sweet opportunity to climb up and see the island. Later that day we could see it's light from Fort Pulaski across the waterway.
I made the kids walk down the pier with me to the little shelter at the end so that I could be over the ocean and see the storm and the Atlantic close up.
A month ago we were at the Pacific eating dinner with friends. Today we were dancing on the pier over the Atlantic in an amazing thunderstorm. Coast to Coast in three weeks.
When we finished with the pier, and the kids were starting to notice how wet they were, we stopped into a small marine aquarium run by Georgia University, then we headed for Tybee Island Lighthouse. Ever since we stayed a week in a restored lighthouse in Wicklow County, Ireland, I have been in love with lighthouses. The Tybee Island Lighthouse is very nice.
It's tall and narrow, all of the living space is in the buildings around the bottom of the lighthouse.
The hike up the stairs to the top was not too hard.
The view at the top was lovely. We had been told to climb up quickly before the storm came in. It started to rain again right after we got in our car to drive away.
The spiral of the stairs going down always catches my attention. I have to take a picture at every turn.
Tybee Island lighthouse was rebuilt in 1867. It's a very sweet opportunity to climb up and see the island. Later that day we could see it's light from Fort Pulaski across the waterway.
4600 miles later, the atlantic ocean
This afternoon, almost a month after we rented out our house, and with about 4600 miles on the odometer of the new minivan, I got to climb to the top of the Tybee lighthouse and look at the atlantic. I'd say the smithsonian is about twice as far away as I thought it would be, yet another example of why you should never ask a developer to scope a project.
A lighthouse needs to be over 150' tall to be visible 20 miles out: the horizon is only about 9 miles out, and it takes a lot of height get up over the horizon. Given that sunset in Savanah is about 3 hours ahead of sunset in Santa Barbara, I expect a light that could be visible across the country would need to be pretty high up.
Longitude is a trip!
A lighthouse needs to be over 150' tall to be visible 20 miles out: the horizon is only about 9 miles out, and it takes a lot of height get up over the horizon. Given that sunset in Savanah is about 3 hours ahead of sunset in Santa Barbara, I expect a light that could be visible across the country would need to be pretty high up.
Longitude is a trip!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Alabama and Huckleberry Finn
We decided to leave Jackson before hurricane Issac showed up. So we headed out of town on Tuesday morning. Issac was supposed to hit the coast of Louisiana on Tuesday afternoon, in time for the anniversary of hurricane Katrina the following day. We were headed to Atlanta. Jed told us that there were some interesting Civil Rights Sites in Birmingham, AL. It really is amazing to see the actual locations of so much important recent history. I have heard of all of these parts of the south, but never seen them in person. After being treated to such a great civil rights tour in Jackson we thought it would be a great idea to show the kids the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham which was on our way to Georgia.
On the way through the rest of Mississippi and into Alabama we listened to the unabridged Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Earlier that day the boys had Elijah look up the lyrics to Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane" about the unjust imprisonment of Rubin Carter. The song brought up the question of the use of the N word to describe a black man. The boys are very confused about the word because it is not something they have any context for. Later that day while listening to Mark Twain's novel, the same N word showed up over and over again. Mississippi is a strange place for the boys to suddenly be learning the history of racism and its somewhat ironic that it is within the lyrics and literature of progressive voices that we were required to discuss derogatory labels.
The traffic stalled somewhere in the middle of Alabama. An oil tanker truck had rolled over an embankment. Luckily it did not explode. Traffic was backed up for miles. At first I thought it might be people fleeing the hurricane. We had ample opportunity to listen to Huckleberry, but by the time we got to Birmingham the Institute was closing. I took a few pictures of some of the sites around the area, and we moved on our way towards Atlanta, GA and away from the hurricane headed up from Louisiana into Mississippi, following our path.
Eli asked me if Huck and Jim ever get off Jackson Island, guess we have a lot more driving to do before the full impact of the stories message matches the message of the statues in Kelly Ingram Park.
On the way through the rest of Mississippi and into Alabama we listened to the unabridged Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Earlier that day the boys had Elijah look up the lyrics to Bob Dylan's song "Hurricane" about the unjust imprisonment of Rubin Carter. The song brought up the question of the use of the N word to describe a black man. The boys are very confused about the word because it is not something they have any context for. Later that day while listening to Mark Twain's novel, the same N word showed up over and over again. Mississippi is a strange place for the boys to suddenly be learning the history of racism and its somewhat ironic that it is within the lyrics and literature of progressive voices that we were required to discuss derogatory labels.
The traffic stalled somewhere in the middle of Alabama. An oil tanker truck had rolled over an embankment. Luckily it did not explode. Traffic was backed up for miles. At first I thought it might be people fleeing the hurricane. We had ample opportunity to listen to Huckleberry, but by the time we got to Birmingham the Institute was closing. I took a few pictures of some of the sites around the area, and we moved on our way towards Atlanta, GA and away from the hurricane headed up from Louisiana into Mississippi, following our path.
Eli asked me if Huck and Jim ever get off Jackson Island, guess we have a lot more driving to do before the full impact of the stories message matches the message of the statues in Kelly Ingram Park.
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| The 16th Street Baptist Church Where Four Little Girls Were Killed In A Bombing in 1963 |
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| One of the Many Instructional Displays in Kelly Ingram Park |
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| Kelly Ingram Park Was Dedicated As a "Place of Revolution and Reconciliation" and Has Many Amazing Sculptures |
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| One of the Many Sculptures in the Park in Honor of the Children Who Protested In Birmingham |
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| The Children Were Attacked By Police and Dogs |
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| There Is a Great Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. |
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| Part of the Inscription On the Pedestal |
Welcome to Mississipi, part 2
Rebekah:
We went to Jackson Mississippi to visit my God-Brother Jed. Jed works for the Southern Poverty Law Center. He is an amazing warrior for justice. He helps young people, he protests against unjust laws, he organizes to better the community, and he and his labor organizer housemate go around the city and gorilla plant trees in their spare time.
Elijah:
Jed loves Jackson.
His house, in a neighborhood full of beautiful trees, is an adorable white craftsman.
He was thrilled to see us, took us to eat fried catfish, to the capitol, to see several civil rights sites including Medger Evers house.
We learned about how the roads in Jackson are terrible because the mud is alive, and as soon as a road is built it starts to flex and heave.
If you visit someone like Jed in Mississippi, you feel so incredibly welcome that you don't want to leave. And everyone we talked to after the police officer who welcomed us to the state was warm and sociable and a delight.
If you ever get a chance to visit a friend in Jackson, you should seize the opportunity to visit a city that is full of charm and history.
Rebekah:
Mississippi is a fascinating contradiction, as I imagine much of the south is. The legal controls and still obvious race and class issues stands in stark contrast to the generous and friendly character of the people. Most of the time I was in the state I felt like I was holding my breath a little, but my guard went down completely with every human interaction. Even the cop who pulled us over had trouble not being friendly once we got him talking about kids and museums, even with his possibly long list of discretionary possibilities for giving us a hard time. Of course if we had been of color, or if he had noticed the communist propaganda on my purse we probably would have been dealing with an entirely different man. Even so, several times I was almost tempted to take Jed up on his offer to just buy the house for sale down the street from him, near the really cool playground with the zip-line.
The city may be falling apart in a lot of places, and the rest of the state may have serious dislike for Jackson, but the old architecture is beautiful and just around the corner from Jed's house is Eudora Welty's old house, next to a extremely conservative private university, such interesting contradictions.
We went to Jackson Mississippi to visit my God-Brother Jed. Jed works for the Southern Poverty Law Center. He is an amazing warrior for justice. He helps young people, he protests against unjust laws, he organizes to better the community, and he and his labor organizer housemate go around the city and gorilla plant trees in their spare time.
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| This Is Jed In His House, Clearly Busy Organizer Types Live There |
Elijah:
Jed loves Jackson.
His house, in a neighborhood full of beautiful trees, is an adorable white craftsman.
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| Elijah Backing the Trailer Into the Fence-less Backyard, The Neighbors Greeted Us Nicely |
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| There Are Civil Rights Walk Sites All Over Jackson |
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| On The Side Window Of Medgar Evers Old House Is This Display of the Details of His Murder |
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| It's A Brilliant Use of Place, The Information Gains Poignancy By Being On An Average Looking Home |
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| This Is a Civil Rights Monument At Freedom Corner, There Is Another One Across the Street. Jed Explained How This Is Due To Politicking Amongst Different Groups |
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| In Downtown Jackson We Saw the Place Where the Freedom Riders Arrived In Jackson In 1961 |
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| The Building Is Now Offices For An Architectural Firm |
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| A Mural At the Cultural Center Honors Richard Wright |
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| Just Around the Corner Is a Row of Empty Houses, The Contradiction of the City |
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| And Just a Few Blocks Away From That the Capitol Building |
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| Jed Tells Us It Is The Only One In the Country Whose Eagle Faces South, It Also Has the Confederate Flag Flying |
If you visit someone like Jed in Mississippi, you feel so incredibly welcome that you don't want to leave. And everyone we talked to after the police officer who welcomed us to the state was warm and sociable and a delight.
If you ever get a chance to visit a friend in Jackson, you should seize the opportunity to visit a city that is full of charm and history.
Rebekah:
Mississippi is a fascinating contradiction, as I imagine much of the south is. The legal controls and still obvious race and class issues stands in stark contrast to the generous and friendly character of the people. Most of the time I was in the state I felt like I was holding my breath a little, but my guard went down completely with every human interaction. Even the cop who pulled us over had trouble not being friendly once we got him talking about kids and museums, even with his possibly long list of discretionary possibilities for giving us a hard time. Of course if we had been of color, or if he had noticed the communist propaganda on my purse we probably would have been dealing with an entirely different man. Even so, several times I was almost tempted to take Jed up on his offer to just buy the house for sale down the street from him, near the really cool playground with the zip-line.
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| Hannah and I Felt So At Home We Were Able To Really Relax |
The city may be falling apart in a lot of places, and the rest of the state may have serious dislike for Jackson, but the old architecture is beautiful and just around the corner from Jed's house is Eudora Welty's old house, next to a extremely conservative private university, such interesting contradictions.
Welcome to Mississippi, part 1
Five minutes into Mississippi, a police officer pulled up behind us. He sat there, investigating us. That 2-3 minutes where they sit on your tail and let you know you're being investigated.
Lights. Pull over to the shoulder.
Sit on the shoulder for a while.
Finally he ambles over and asks for Rebekah's license and insurance. Calls in Rebekah's license number on his computer. Stares at our meaningless insurance certificate. Asks us if we know why he pulled us over.
My theory? cause he wanted to make sure we knew we were in Mississippi. That he had more power than we did in this situation. "No sir, why?" I asked.
No license plates.
On account of we're in a suspicious looking brand new minivan and we haven't gotten our plates yet. We point to the temporary registration sticker in the front window.
We learn that in Mississippi, out-of-state temporary registration stickers are not held in high regard. The police officer talks about "sovereignty". I point out that in California getting plates can take a few weeks (later, we look at the DMV site and learn that they recommend giving them a phone call if you don't receive plates within 8 weeks).
"So what's the next step?" I ask. I'm thinking about the cousin vinnie movie, the mississippi mud, going to court, Marisa Tomei's biological clock. Yes, I feel like I'm in a foreign country.
When asked, we explain to the police officer that we're on our way to the smithsonian, to show the kids. He talkes about getting stuck looking at dinosaurs with his kids. Almost like we're having a connection? Hard to say.
It turns out he has discretion. He's going to let us go. Which was nice, but it was unnerving to know that driving a new car that doesn't have license plates yet is against the law in Mississippi. What if officer was having a bad day? What if our skin wasn't white? What if our three kids in the back weren't so cute? I'm not a big fan of discretion.
I'm trying to be polite. We're on our way to the capital, Jackson. So I ask him, "So what do you recommend doing with kids in Jackson?"
"Stay in your hotel room" he says. Completely serious. He doesn't like Jackson. We later learn that this is a common sentiment in certain parts of Mississippi. Race and class probably play a role (Jackson is mostly poor and black).
So lets sum up our welcome to Mississipi: we got pulled over for driving a new car, and were advised to stay in our hotel room when we got to the capital. Yes, we were completely creeped out. Yes, we will have mixed feelings about recommending Mississippi to anybody who asks. On the off chance we're talking about people who want to know whether to visit Mississippi.
Lights. Pull over to the shoulder.
Sit on the shoulder for a while.
Finally he ambles over and asks for Rebekah's license and insurance. Calls in Rebekah's license number on his computer. Stares at our meaningless insurance certificate. Asks us if we know why he pulled us over.
My theory? cause he wanted to make sure we knew we were in Mississippi. That he had more power than we did in this situation. "No sir, why?" I asked.
No license plates.
On account of we're in a suspicious looking brand new minivan and we haven't gotten our plates yet. We point to the temporary registration sticker in the front window.
We learn that in Mississippi, out-of-state temporary registration stickers are not held in high regard. The police officer talks about "sovereignty". I point out that in California getting plates can take a few weeks (later, we look at the DMV site and learn that they recommend giving them a phone call if you don't receive plates within 8 weeks).
"So what's the next step?" I ask. I'm thinking about the cousin vinnie movie, the mississippi mud, going to court, Marisa Tomei's biological clock. Yes, I feel like I'm in a foreign country.
When asked, we explain to the police officer that we're on our way to the smithsonian, to show the kids. He talkes about getting stuck looking at dinosaurs with his kids. Almost like we're having a connection? Hard to say.
It turns out he has discretion. He's going to let us go. Which was nice, but it was unnerving to know that driving a new car that doesn't have license plates yet is against the law in Mississippi. What if officer was having a bad day? What if our skin wasn't white? What if our three kids in the back weren't so cute? I'm not a big fan of discretion.
I'm trying to be polite. We're on our way to the capital, Jackson. So I ask him, "So what do you recommend doing with kids in Jackson?"
"Stay in your hotel room" he says. Completely serious. He doesn't like Jackson. We later learn that this is a common sentiment in certain parts of Mississippi. Race and class probably play a role (Jackson is mostly poor and black).
So lets sum up our welcome to Mississipi: we got pulled over for driving a new car, and were advised to stay in our hotel room when we got to the capital. Yes, we were completely creeped out. Yes, we will have mixed feelings about recommending Mississippi to anybody who asks. On the off chance we're talking about people who want to know whether to visit Mississippi.
Monday, August 27, 2012
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