But the most haunting memory of Balaklava is an 1890 wax cylinder recording of Trumpeter Landfrey, a veteran of the battle, who sounds the Charge on a bugle carried at Waterloo. Here it is, in Real Audio format; it's available here as an MP3.
UPDATE - Friend of the Museum Ann Briggs tells me that the tree is actually an American Sumac, an unusual cut-leaf variety of same. But the shape of the trunk, along with the arrangment with boulders, certainly puts one in mind of a Japanese garden, except for the grain elevators. By the way, Railroad Park was recently reclaimed through the efforts of many devoted Washington Grovers, including Ann; it was formerly an unsightly patch of concrete. Now it's an elegant island of serenity, ideal for contemplating life or fate or the passing trains, or what your bill will be when Andy and Kevin finish working on your car at nearby Hanagan's Auto Service.
Socks, also known as Cat Van Beek, is a frequent visitor to Washington Grove's historic Circle. He's very friendly to humans - some might say ingratiating - but can be something of a terror to other cats, recently sending poor Vronsky to the vet following an altercation. He's a bit hard to see, but Cat Leroy can be glimpsed cowering off to the right of the image.
A neighbor just clued me to another Washington Grove blog, Anna Radlinski's Potentate's Reception - please visit and enjoy. 14 October - Suspicious Device at the Checkpoint
Lots of sirens in downtown DC this afternoon as I was walking to Union Station. As I got close to the Capitol Police checkpoint at 1st and Constitution, I was headed off by a Capitol officer who told me that the area was closed, and I would have to walk around the area - he pointed south, the opposite direction from the station. Another officer, clad in tactical gray, zoomed up and told me that the area was closed, and that I would have to walk around the area - he pointed north, so I obeyed him and walked up Constitution to the next crossing. I ran into another officer, who told me that the area was closed and that... I know, I said - I'm walking around the area. I asked what was going on, and he said a suspicious package had been found on a bus at the checkpoint. Several more officers, armed with very serious looking weaponry, were standing around, securing the area, I think. I wanted to take pictures, but, er, decided not to. All of the officers were very polite, and I obeyed their commands with patriotic zeal.
There was nothing on the news about it when I got home - remember, you heard it here first, and probably last, too.
Meanwhile, the Washington City Paper sent out reporters to see what happened when they tried to take pictures and make sketches of various public buildings in DC. Hilarity ensues, along with a merry threat involving breaking thumbs.
Thank you for contacting me regarding security procedures around the U.S. Capitol. In response to your concern, I have been in touch with the Capitol Police.
I have requested that the Capitol Police respond to you directly, providing me with a copy. Please feel free to contact me in the meantime should you have any questions or further comments.
Sincerely,
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator
If the Capitol Police actually respond, I'll post it here. I wonder if their response will be, like, a little note and a box of chocolates, or my door being kicked down in the middle of the night? 12 October
Welcome, visitors from BoingBoing. The tragic account of my blimp-related brush with the Feds may be found down here. 11 October
Glimpsed today in a local parking lot, a fine old Deux Chevaux - the Citroen 2CV. Oh, it's just too cute... You'd think that, as a former owner of a Renault 5 "Le Car" (or "The Le Car", as my mechanic called it), I'd be cured forever of looking twice at a French car - a terrible car; the only list it ever led was that it was the car least likely to be stolen in the US at the time. It's true, 'cos I'd leave it in bad neighborhoods with the motor running and the door open and never got a taker. But I've always hankered after a 2CV. Though I'd really prefer the lovely deco Charleston model.
I just like old stuff, though I'm too far from coolness to be described as a retro kind of guy. But I'd dearly like one of these, too:
The gent holding his sword in the center of the image is thought to be the militia commander, Ernest Peterkin.
Our Latest Installation
Part of our ambitious new installation, Leaf Motif, currently on view scattered on the grounds of The Janus Museum through November.
7 October - Still Thinking about Zeps
I like to devote a browser tab to the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei webcam, and watch the mighty Zeppelin NT float in and out of its base in Friedrichshafen all day. It tends to fly in and depart again quickly, so one should check it often. Oh! Here it is now!
One can book a short excursion flight on the Zeppelin - pretty pricey, though. Our Hong Kong airship correspondant, Emerson Chu, copped a ride last year and loved it. Even Gus Norbeck, the Museum's maintenance specialist, has had an airship ride - in the Shamu the Killer Whale blimp - I think he has a picture somewhere; will attempt to track it down.
Still in a lighter than air frame of mind; remembered Zeppelin, a very bad movie from 1971. An intrepid British officer penetrates the German airship service and discovers a fiendish plot - the beastly huns (and Elke Sommer) plan to fly a zep to Scotland and steal Magna Carta from the castle where it's being stored for the duration. Naturally, British morale will collapse when the precious document is boosted. Well, that's the plan, anyway. The British officer, who speaks perfect German, joins the crew. During the flight to Scotland, he attempts to radio Intelligence HQ, is discovered by a beastly hun - there's a fight - the hun is killed, and the Brit tosses him out the window - "Man overboard!" he shouts, which for some reason I thought to be tremendously funny - why not toss a life preserver after him? A much better film with airship content is Cecil B. DeMille's Madame Satan from 1930, which includes a masked ball on board a playboy's private rigid airship - not to be missed.
Downtown again today, a beautiful crisp fall day - saw a young fellow being busted at the checkpoint. I remembered another bust I saw back in March nearby - a beautiful spring day, and another young fellow surrounded by the forces of the law and having the barneys slapped on him. I took a snap of the spring arrest - but for some reason I didn't feel much like photographing today's bust. The light wasn't right. Yeah, that's it - bad light. I glanced quickly at the perp and walked on, like the good citizen I am. Nothing to see here, folks.
Click for the hilarious full version. I'm a huge fan of Richard'swork, and he's been kind enough to improve and use a few crude gags that I've suggested to him from time to time:
Richard is also the creator of the beautiful poem Make the Pie Higher, compiled from actual quotes by President Bush:
Wish I had taken my camera with me last night, since the Washington Grove Women's Club auction was such fun. The Museum donated a fine vintage Allan Janus image:
... Which went for a respectable sum. I donated a pet portrait session; I will soon be attempting to find the inner beauty of Kokomo, an aged Siamese cat. But the biggest larf of the evening occurred when a lusty crowd of the local ladies engaged in a bidding war for the services of our local handyman, Bruce, for one day - the gavel finally came down at five hundred dollars.
