Saturday, September 20, 2014

Up in The Air

The photo at left is from fourteen years ago. Fall is late in coming to the mountains this year.

My long planned trip to Hope Valley Next Tues. through Friday for photos of the quaking Aspen is still up in the air---literally. To date the King fire above Sacramento is only 10% contained and last night football games in Reno were cancelled because of the smoke. Meanwhile there is plenty on my plate to distract me.
Sessions on the Great War in my Osher Lifelong Learning class the past week have coincided with the Ken Burns story on the Roosevelts. I can't help but recall the day FDR drove by my public grade school in Seattle which his granddaughters attended. It was a spring day and he was sitting in the back of his convertible, slowly waving his cigarette and holder at the assembled student body. From my place on the steps I was about six feet away and I'll never forget it. We had practiced vocal tributes for months. We didn't understand why he wouldn't come in and greet us.
Several years ago at a conference in Atlanta, Lee and I took a tour to Warm Springs. FDR's actual crutches were on display in his tiny bedroom there. I gasped when I saw them. They were monstrous and so heavy and ugly. I couldn't hold back my tears.
Is this Ken Burns documentary the best ever, or is it just that I am old enough to have lived through much of the Roosevelt dynasty?

1 comment:

Tamara said...

Oh! What a darling little goat! We once had baby goats overnight in our basement as they were on their way overseas for Heifer project. What an adventure! They love to nibble on everything. And they are smart too.