Monday, January 29, 2018

Moon Rock



This is not a particularly artsy photo, it is more like a snapshot, but it has a lot of significance for me. We listened to the first landing on the moon on TV while living in a basement apartment in Cottonwood, Utah. I remember the whole experience as if it were yesterday. I made an audio recording of the event, which I still have. Sometimes photos have more personal appeal and background than they do to others. This particular exhibit is at the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Maryland.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

My Beloved Desert


I guess I finally got the point while living on the East Coast of the United States when my mind starts to miss the Southwest deserts. It is currently Winter in Maryland and the trees are all still bare of their leaves. But soon, as is inevitable, the leaves will return and everywhere I look, I will see trees. I have had this closed in feeling before many times. I do love weather, snow, and rain. But there is something about the desert that is part of me that rain and ocean views do not address.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Naval Academy Chapel Organ


One of the highlights of a visit to the U.S. Naval Academy is a chance to see the inside of the Naval Chapel. Not only are there some impressive paintings and stained glass, the Academy Chapel also has a beautiful organ. Here is a quote about the organ from the United States Naval Academy website.
The Naval Academy Chapel organ dates back to 1908. The Hutchins Organ Company of Boston, MA built the original instrument. In 1940, the Moeller Organ Company of Hagerstown, MD was contracted to build a larger instrument to support music in the newly enlarged chapel. Through the years, the organ has undergone several enhancements and renovations. Most of these enrichments to the instrument have been made possible through generous gifts of individuals and classes. The current instrument, comprised of both pipe and digital voices, totals 268 ranks and is controlled by two consoles.

Monday, January 22, 2018

Murals at the Naval Academy


The fascinating thing about the United States Naval Academy is that there are so many interesting and beautiful things to see. Obviously, the real business of the Academy is to teach and inspire Naval Officers, but the environment that has been created over the years is full of tradition and much of that tradition is beautiful.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

Stained Glass Window Naval Academy Chapel


A stained glass window in the Naval Academy Chapel on the base in Annapolis, Maryland. This particular window is part of a series. This photo, like the others in this series of photos from our present home in Annapolis, Maryland were taken with my iPhone 8 plus. This window depicts the travels of Paul, the apostle.

Saturday, January 20, 2018

US Naval Academy Chapel, Annapolis, Maryland


One of the most prominent buildings in the older downtown section of Annapolis, Maryland is the Naval Academy Chapel. Here is a short description of the history of the Chapel from the United States Naval Academy website.
The iconic dome and architecture of the Naval Academy Chapel is known throughout the entire Annapolis region as a point of pride in the state capital's spectacular skyline. It is visible throughout the greater Annapolis area and the Naval Academy Yard as a beacon calling midshipmen, alumni, friends, faculty and staff to a point of deeper faith. 
The Naval Academy Chapel pulpit has been used by many great preachers in our chaplain corps and beyond. Although the current pulpit was not installed until a renovation in 1943 it is still notable that the renowned pastor and future Chaplain to the US Senate, Peter Marshall, spoke from the previous pulpit in this same location on Sunday December 7th, 1941 - only hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; he was not actually appointed to the position of Chaplain to the US Senate until 1947. He changed the subject of his sermon at the last minute to a subject much more reflective of the realities that were about to transpire as a result of that eminent attack, which ultimately lead to the class of 1942 graduating in 1941 to support the war efforts.

Friday, January 19, 2018

John Paul Jones Crypt


According to the United States Naval Academy website,
John Paul Jones has been lauded since 1775 as the Father of the US Navy. His influence and leadership were foundational in the establishment of our Navy and in many ways the success of our War of Independence. 
The corporal remains of John Paul Jones were interred into the crypt beneath the Naval Academy crypt in 1906 in a ceremony presided over by President Theodore Roosevelt. From the point of his death in 1792 until then John Paul Jones' remains had been in a grave in France, where he died.
We recently visited the Crypt and the prominent US Naval Academy Chapel beneath which it is located. The pillars and crypt itself are made of marble from France.


Thursday, January 18, 2018

Washington D.C. LDS Temple



The Washington D.C. LDS Temple will be closing down for two years starting in March. We took the opportunity to go to the temple on this very cold and cloudy day. But the photo came out beautifully.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Bust of Lorenzo de' Medici


This bust of Lorenzo de' Medici was probably copied from an original by Andrea del Verrocchio in either the 15th or 16th Century. Here is a description from the National Gallery of Art Website:
Lorenzo de' Medici, the brilliant, learned, and ruthless head of a wealthy banking family, ruled the Italian city-state of Florence in the Renaissance. This bust may copy a wax statue made to commemorate Lorenzo's survival in 1478, when an assassination plot took the life of his younger brother. The simple costume, with a distinctively Florentine padded and draped headdress, reflects Lorenzo's claim to be merely a respected citizen rather than a de facto prince. Cleaning in recent years (completed 2006) has brought out the original bright reds, warm flesh tones, and a light beard. The brooding face suggests the forceful intelligence behind Lorenzo's power. This haunting likeness may have been molded from his death mask.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Gems of the National Gallery of Art



This is a painting by Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch painter who lived from 1632 to 1675. The painting was done about 1664. The original hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Here is an explanation of the painting from the National Gallery of Art's website:
Woman Holding a Balance is a superb example of Johannes Vermeer’s exquisite sense of stability and rhythm. A woman dressed in a blue jacket with fur trim stands serenely at a table in a corner of a room. The scales in her right hand are at equilibrium, suggestive of her inner state of mind. A large painting of the Last Judgment, framed in black, hangs on the back wall of the room. A shimmering blue cloth, open boxes, two strands of pearls, and a gold chain lie on the sturdy table. Soft light comes in through the window and illuminates the scene. The woman is so pensive that the viewer almost hesitates to intrude on her quiet moment of contemplation.
This short quote seems to summarize why I could never have been an art critic. I think it is a lovely painting, but I don't have that much more to say about it. It is not in the genre of paintings that I enjoy owning. But I love to view them in museums and galleries.

Monday, January 15, 2018

Rotunda


There is more to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. than paintings and sculpture. The building itself is a treasure. This is the main rotunda. Here is some history of the building from the National Gallery of Art website.
The National Gallery of Art was conceived and given to the people of the United States by Andrew W. Mellon (1855–1937). Mellon was a financier and art collector from Pittsburgh who came to Washington in 1921 to serve as secretary of the treasury. During his years of public service he came to believe that the United States should have a national art museum equal to those of other great nations. 
In 1936 Mellon wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt offering to donate his superb art collection for a new museum and to use his own funds to construct a building for its use. With the president’s support, Congress accepted Mellon’s gift, which included a sizable endowment, and established the National Gallery of Art in March 1937. Construction began that year at a site on the National Mall along Constitution Avenue between Fourth and Seventh Street NW, near the foot of Capitol Hill.
There is a lot more history on the website. I like to look for photos that display patterns and design. Pattern and design are also important in my landscape photos.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

A Visit to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC


One of the side benefits of working at the Maryland State Archives is that we can do day trips to Washington, D.C. and visit some of the amazing museums and other sights. We began our visits with a trip to the National Gallery of Art. This is a painting by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi called The Adoration of the Magi. It was painted sometime between 1440 and 1460 A.D. I love the color and symbolism of this painting. The detail is incredible. Here is a description of the painting from a Wikipedia article:
The Adoration of the Magi is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Filippino Lippi. It is signed and dated at 1496. It is housed in the Uffizi of Florence
The panel was painted for the Convent of the San Donato agli Scopeti, in substitution of the one commissioned in 1481 to Leonardo da Vinci, who left it unfinished. In 1529 it was acquired by Cardinal Carlo de' Medici and in 1666 it became part of the Uffizi collection. 
Filippino Lippi followed Leonardo's setting, in particular in the central part of the work. Much of its inspiration was clearly derived from Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, also in the Uffizi: this is evident in the disposition of the characters on the two sides, with the Holy Family portrayed in the centre under. Similarly to Botticelli's work, Filippino also portrayed numerous members of the Medici cadet line, who had adhered to the Savonarolian Republic in the period in which the work was executed. On the left, kneeling and holding with a quadrant, is Pierfrancesco de' Medici, who had died 20 years before. Behind him, standing, are his two sons Giovanni, holding a goblet, and Lorenzo, from whom a page is removing a crown. 
The general style is that of Filippino's late career, characterized by a greater care to details and by a nervous rhythm in the forms, influenced by the knowledge of foreign painting schools (as also in the landscape of the background).
I realize that this isn't one of my usual landscape photos, but from time to time, I have uploaded photos from museums and will continue to do so.  You can see more detail in the photo by clicking on the image. By the way, I majored in Fine Art with an emphasis on Painting and Drawing my first year at the University of Utah. I have a rather extensive background in art history. A further note, this photo was taken with an iPhone 8 plus.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

In Memoriam


We drive by this cemetery every day on our way to digitize records at the Maryland State Archives. We think it is fitting that we have the opportunity to help these departed dead and to assure that they did not die in vain by providing information about those who may be buried here or their families and relatives. Here is the information about this cemetery from Wikipedia:
Annapolis National Cemetery 
Annapolis National Cemetery is one of the 14 national cemeteries established by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 to accommodate the dead from the American Civil War. The original plot of land was leased, and later purchased, from Judge Nicholas Brewer. 
During the Civil War, Annapolis was a Union recruit training center. There was also a parole camp nearby (approximately three miles from what was then the city line) where Union prisoners who had been exchanged for Confederate prisoners were held until they could be returned to their own units. The conditions in the camp were crowded and were not particularly sanitary; many soldiers wound up in one of the army field hospitals at the U.S. Naval Academy and at St. John's College in downtown Annapolis. A large number succumbed to wounds they bore when they arrived, small pox, typhoid fever, dysentery or any of a number of other diseases. Most of the original interments were men who died in the parole camp or the field hospitals. Several Confederate prisoners, and one Russian national, also died in Annapolis and are buried in the cemetery. 
Many soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who served during, or died in, subsequent wars - as well as some of their dependents - are also interred there. 
Annapolis National Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.
 We are discovering some very interesting places.

Friday, January 12, 2018

A Rock Character



I am not sure that this qualifies as a sculpture, but it is interesting and imaginative. I seem to find things like this all the time. We have some lovely sculptures in Annapolis that I might find time to photograph, assuming the cold weather, rain and snow ever end. This little guy was found in North Carolina, just like the previously uploaded photo.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Rocks with Character



We call these rocks with character. We miss rocks living here along the East Coast. We saw a few road cuts driving into Maryland that had rocks with character, but since then we haven't seen any to speak of. Much of my life has been spent inside of, on top of or climbing on rocks. There are probably some rocks somewhere around us, we just have to find them. This rock above is in North Carolina.

Monday, January 8, 2018

Summer Flowers in Winter


We arrived in Annapolis, Maryland for our year-long stay at the beginning of Winter. There are no flowers and the trees are all bare except for the occasional evergreen. We have also had a bout of extremely cold weather. So I had to dig into my archive and come up with a beautiful Summer flower shot from Albion Basin in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Here the snow gets sort of dirty looking and slushy and there are no snow-covered mountains in view. If the weather warms up, we will take some outings and see what we can find to photograph.

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Coal Mine Canyon Revisited


It has been a few years since I visited Coal Mine Canyon in Northern Arizona. I thought about it just the other day and decided to add another photo I took at the time of my last visit. There are so many spectacular places in the Utah and Arizona that it is difficult to put them in perspective. Almost anywhere I go I can find something that begs for a photograph. I think I will have to adjust my ideas of beauty to accommodate Maryland.

Friday, January 5, 2018

Coral Pink Sand Dunes in Winter


In the Summer, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in the extreme south of Utah is a destination spot for those racing ATVs over the countryside. Although it is fairly cold in the Winter, it is preferable to the steady drone of gasoline engines.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Naval Academy Chapel Across the Bay


It was a very cold, windy but sun shining day. We took some time to drive around Annapolis and look at the sites. We saw this lovely view of the Naval Academy Chapel across the Spa Creek and the Annapolis Harbor. It was an eye-opening experience but very cold.

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Frank Lloyd Wright Look-Alike


We have been exploring around Annapolis, Maryland and found this Frank Lloyd Wright look-alike house. Designed in the Prairie-style by a local architect, it is noted for its reproduction of the look Wright was famous for. It is a lovely house and if I were to build one today, I would do exactly the same thing.

Monday, January 1, 2018

Winter Forest


It is 11 degrees outside today and I am trying to figure out if I really want to go anyplace or do anything besides sit inside and look out the window and the bare trees. This image is an exact representation of what it looks like outside. I do like the pattern of the branches and the light. This photo turned out to be a great design.