The Graceful Isoult of Edward McCartan

Edward McCartan's "Isoult" stands in one of the lobbies at the National Gallery in Washington DC.  I Googled this piece, and I was surprised to find rather scant information about it.  Many posted much better photographs than mine, but offered virtually no text information.  

Even Wikipedia has relatively little on Edward McCartan.  I suppose "Isoult" fits his style of creating decorative, elegant bronze pieces.  I love the graceful gesture of her hands, especially how the deer mirrors it with its own head and neck.  

I love this 2006 film of the story of "Tristan and Isolde," starring James Franco and Sophia Myles.  The earnest Lord Marke of Cornwall, played by Rufus Sewell, simply could not persuade Isolde to fall in love with him.  Doubly unfortunate for him, the nephew he raised as his son (i.e., Tristan) ended up betraying him, as he (Tristan) and Isolde were already in love, long before Marke married her.  

Battle at Manassas and the Deadly Civil War

My family and I were in the greater Washington DC area last year, visiting with my brother-in-law and his family.  One afternoon, we traveled to Manassas, a city not too far west from DC.  This was the site of the first major battle of the American Civil War in July 1861.  

One display at the visitor's center captures the words of a young soldier, suffused with the patriotism and courage that bordered on romanticism.  Apparently many of them, and their generals, believed this war wasn't going to last very long.  

How wrong they were.  

I was struck by how many American deaths this war alone caused, and one larger display draws up the brutal numbers in comparison.

These were just American deaths.  How much larger the numbers are, if we take into account all people - across all walks of life in many countries - who died in these major wars.

Downtown Chicago, Inspiring

Michigan Avenue inspiration

Nike sports inspiration

Chicago inspiration

"Savor Complexity" in Chicago

These are obviously ads for Amstel Light, and they're scattered in Chicago.  I am a thinking sort, and I love complexity!  

By the way, Amstel Light happens to be one of  my favorites beers, too.  Imagine that.

Chicago Blossoming in the Spring

Spring tulips reach for the skies, as city skyscrapers do.

Purple stars, well below eye level, follow a gentle path we hardly notice.

Purple stars, not 'awesomized' (app).

No, it does not remind me of the Los Angeles Lakers. We're in Chicago, baby.

Chicago Loud on Billboards

To those who may have a need and be so inclined, be loud

To those who may have a need and be so inclined, try SKYN

To those who may have a need and be so inclined, open it

After traveling, consulting and living in the Middle East from 2002 to 2011, I found my return to the US to be a curious experience.  For instance, I walked from the Chicago Union Station to a luncheon meeting near LaSalle and Grand, and ran into sizable billboard ads that I would never see in the Middle East.

Except maybe that first ad.  Women in the Middle East are truly a fashionable lot, and this photo of a young lady is demure enough to pass censors there.  Condoms and alcohol can be had, as they're available in plenty enough of stores, but such bold advertisements are a no-no.  

Chicago Sports as Defining Place

I love sports in general, but because I grew up in the US, I have an especially affinity to American sports. Narrow that circle further, and it's simply Chicago sports.  Chicago is my hometown.

I have had the privilege and pleasure of traveling to cities across the world, and sports have a different game on the field - soccer, rugby and cricket.  I enjoy these a lot better in the company of others who know how they're played.  For example, I was consulting for a client in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, during the FIFA World Cup in 2006, and my colleagues helped me understand the strategy in soccer.  Together we watched several of the matches, and it was great fun.

Now that I'm home again in Chicago, however, it's the following sports teams that define, in large measure, my sense of place:

Chicago Blackhawks (hockey), Stanley Cup champions (2013)

Chicago Bears (football), Super Bowl champions (1986)

Chicago Bulls (basketball), NBA champions (1998)

Chicago Cubs (baseball), World Series champions (1908)

Chicago White Sox (baseball), World Series champions (2005)