June 2004 Archive

30 June


Hanuman demonstrates his bigness to Sita.

Babubhai Mistry's 1980 Mahabali Hanuman (not to be confused with

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26 June - Monkey God and Demon Cat



Leroy, one of the local cats, checks out

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23 June



Debra Paget as Seetha the temple dancer undergoes trial by exotic dancing with the fakiest fake python in movie history. It's the high point of Fritz Lang's The Indian Tomb, AKA Das Indische Grabmal (1959). The thrilling sequel to The Tiger of Eschnapur, both films are packaged together as

These pages and the Janus Museum site received a nice mention in citrusmoon, a very interesting and elegant blog. In turn, I've spent some quality time browsing through its archive and categories - should be in everyone's bookmarks.

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I scored a copy of the Shabdalaya Theatre's version of Sampoorna Ramayan - not to be confused with Sampoorna Ramayana (1961), reviewed here last year. The new version is fabulously performed by children, including the chubby thespian above, portraying the demon king Ravana. Tragically, the DVD stopped dead at the beginning of chapter 20, just after Ravana kidnaps Sita. Must find a replacement disc!

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The Fed Ex guy is caught on the Washington Grove Pacer Farm's Circle Cam as he delivers the Museum's new printer. It's the highly rated Epson R800, and it's a honey. I will send a beautiful sample print of Max and Maxine, our Museum Cats, to the first five requests.

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A few odds and ends from recent visits downtown:

  



I don't know why one would bus in a load of little girls in order to perform Hula Hoop evolutions on the US Capitol Grounds, but it was a mighty pleasant sight - much more cheering than the sweating lugubrious crowds waiting to view the Great Cadaver two weeks ago.




One of the National Museum of the American Indian's Grandfather Rocks arrives from Quebec. In addition to their spiritual qualities, the rocks also serve as perimeter defenses for the museum - like the Jersey Barriers that infest Washington nowadays, only much nicer looking and spiritual and stuff.

Local Democracy in action - Mayor John Compton brings Washington Grove's annual town meeting to order. It started at 8; I, er, didn't make it all the way to the end.

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I had meant to post some of the snaps I took at the big celebration for the dedication of the new World War II Memorial, but the Small Museums shampoosium mentioned below took up more time than expected. Anyway...



This cheery gent was a B-24 gunner in the Fifteenth Air Force - flew the Ploesti raid. His favorite position on the Liberator was waist gunner, 'cos it was easiest to bail out from the waist windows - said he had a leg out the window, ready to bail out, more than once.

He had brought his jeep, beautifully festooned - it was the star of the display:



It's covered with kit and loot, including a jug of vino, a crate of prophylactics, and a captured Nazi flag. It was slathered with mud, which the gunner claimed he had especially imported from Italy, for authenticity. Perched on the hood:



... Was this chicken, equipped with a darling little M1 helmet and a Purple Heart. Also note the OD eggs. More pictures later.

So there I was, minding my own business...

Had to go downtown again this morning, so I paused to take a look at the crowd waiting in line on the Capitol grounds to enter the Rotunda and view the Presidential Relic. And I took a snap; the one above, as a matter of fact. I heard someone behind me shout "You! No cameras outside the perimeter! You in the suit!" I was wearing a jacket and slacks - not a suit, but let it pass. I turned around, and realized I was the alleged perp being addressed. I couldn't tell which of Washington's many police forces the officer was with, but the place, and his noisy belligerent tone meant he was probably with the US Capitol Police. He repeated that I couldn't stand outside the perimeter with a camera.

"I can't take pictures here?" I said.

"Not outside the perimeter", he said. I couldn't tell what "perimeter" he was talking about. I was in a public place without any sort of barrier - I wasn't inside the barriers for the lines of mourners.

"I'm just passing through", I said, gesturing vaguely towards the building I was heading for. Curiously, that satisfied him, and I was allowed to continue to proceed in a westerly direction.



What not to bring to the viewing.

Cringing apologies for the lengthy gap in posting - the Museum was hosting the meetings of the Small Unprofitable Museums Consortium. One hint - when you're host to a herd of whinging impoverished curators, count the spoons, often.

I had to go downtown this morning for a meeting at one of our big brother museums on the Mall, and noted the preparations for the Reagan obsequies. Our streets and parks, usually fairly ratty looking, were being spruced up - more flags were being put up, of course - police and soldiers were all over the place - observant gentlemen were on the rooftops overlooking the route to the Capitol. Large areas of the Mall were fenced off as holding pens for mourners; they'll have to wait for a long time to pay their respects to the Great Cadaver in the Capitol Rotunda. Even a field hospital was being erected, no doubt for the expected sun stroke victims - maybe they're to be offered up as a sacrifice to the Sainted Gipper. My meeting ended early when museum employees were sent home early, due to street closings and expected traffic jams - I would not have been able to cross Constitution Avenue on foot after three o'clock - three hours before the expected arrival of the Body-in-Chief. Here are some snaps:



DC's chief of police Charles Ramsey is interviewed early this morning at 3rd Street, near the Capitol grounds.




Soldiers and a Park Ranger on Madison Drive near the National Gallery East Building.




Long lines of uplink trucks were parked on Jefferson Drive.




One of the mourners' pens near the Air and Space Museum. The long list of regulations lists the things forbidden to mourners - backpacks, cameras, bottles, flowers, etc. Here's information for potential mourners.






Mourners were beginning to gather on Constitution Avenue at two o'clock.