Washington DC – Which World Am I In?

History,

Joining a few close friends at the White House Easter Egg Roll
There are times when travel catches up with me, and I cannot remember exactly where (or who) I am. Surely you have had the same out-of-body experience. You wake up early one morning, and wonder whose bed you are sleeping in and how did you get there.

Today I am in Washington DC. I speak at Penn State on Wednesday, and I decided to bring my youngest grandson, Woodrow, with me. Woodrow lives in Palos Verdes (near Redondo Beach), and is enjoying his spring break. We decided to combine business with pleasure on this trip, and we are squeezing in DC before we go to State College.

My grandparents brought me to DC for the first time nearly 50 years ago. How interesting to now be repeating that tradition. I suspect that I am about the same age as my grandfather then, and he did not live long after our trip.

Washington Monument framed by cherry blossoms
Woodrow and I joined the countless thousands crowding the Mall (combination of fantastic weather and the White House Easter Egg Roll). As we neared the Tidal Basin we noticed that the cherry trees were still in bloom. I suspect that we are about a week late, but I still enjoyed the color that remained. Only a couple of weeks ago I photographed cherries in Kyoto, and now I am half way around the world doing the same.

Which world am I in?

Lincoln Memorial

We finished the day at the Lincoln Memorial. This has always been my favorite of the collection (although the Korean War Memorial is extraordinarily moving). While contemplating his monument I thought back to Nara and the Buddha there. Perhaps the Lincoln Memorial is the American version of the Buddha at Nara. America invested over 700 thousand lives to rid the country of the sin of slavery, including the life of Abraham Lincoln. To share this moment with my grandson, like my grandfather did with me, is an American tradition worth repeating.

Pass it on.

Ted
5 April 2010

Austin – Spring Sneaked (or snuck) In

Nature, ,

Wine Cup

While in Japan spring sneaked (or snuck, depending on your origins. In East Texas, use snuck) in through the back door. There were several spring wildflowers blooming along my trail this Easter Sunday in Austin. Although normally suffocated by the various exotic weeds that dominate any space given them, there are still a few lovely spots in the city where the colors endemic to this area may be appreciated.

My favorite wildflower is wine cup. I know; as a Texan I should vote for bluebonnet. But bluebonnets and paintbrushes are ubiquitous and collectively gaudy. The wine cup is subtle, rarely collecting in sizable aggregations. The color of the flower morphs with age, from a dark Cabernet to a light Zinfandel before it fades.

I have placed a folder (creatively named “Flowers”) in My Gallery. These are all IPhotos from this morning in Austin.

Ted
Easter Sunday, 4 April, 2010

More on Dragonfruit

Food,

Since dragonfruit and I only recently met, I decided to get to know it better. To my surprise, dragonfruit comes from a cactus, the genus Hylocereus. The fruit is cultivated in the tropics around the world, and I am not sure why I have not come across it before. In Japan, the fruit is grown in Okinawa.

Hylocereus is one of several cacti genera that are known as “night blooming,” such as in night-blooming cereus or queen of the night. The plant and fruit are also known as pitaya, and apparently several types are cultivated. We commonly see tuna (the fruit of prickly pear cactus) in our markets, but not pitaya.

The Dragonfruited Plain

Food,

Tokyo Fruit Store
Name the grocers in your area. In mine there are Whole Foods (run by a Austin libertarian), HEB, Kroger, Randalls, and a handful of shops with names such as Pic & Pac. HEB bailed Galveston after the hurricane, and we will see how long the others hang on. Whole Foods is no closer to the island than Houston, since they cater to a clientèle not exactly characteristic of Galveston. Funny, but in Austin we shop at Wheatsville Coop and Fresh Plus, both in Austin when Whole Foods began and both who have remained true to “local” food. I wouldn’t be caught dead in Whole Foods (sorry, John, politics do matter).

Japan is awash in neighborhood shops and restaurants. I know we hear about the conglomerates (Sony, Honda, Toshiba), but most Japanese shop for basics at the corner store. In the past there were dozens of corner shops in Galveston. In fact, a book has been published on the variety of neighborhood grocery stores and shops that once proliferated here on the island. For the most part, they are gone. Why support a local merchant, a neighbor, when you can buy cheap merchandise at a chain store owned by an off-islander? For all of the pride our local “born on the islanders” take in their origins (women often wear a BOI pendant), this pride does not extend to supporting local businesses.

Dragon Fruit

At the end of our Japan trip we shopped in Cassady’s neighborhood. There are countless tiny cafe and stores there, and I wanted to see a dragonfruit. We had dragonfruit for breakfast in Kyoto (white meat with minuscule black seeds), and I am certain that I had never seen the fruit before. Within minutes I had located a local shop with crates of the fruit, packed with shoppers preparing for the weekend.
Fruit bowl with dragon fruit

Yes, I agree that Americans have the constitutional right to be obese, ignorant, bigoted, and uninsured. I have no doubt that this is precisely what the founders had in mind. But for those who want a choice, who do appreciate local foods and farmers as an important part of their lives, the choices are limited. In Austin it is easy, in Galveston impossible. Where would you rather live?

Ted
2 April 2010