Presidential Library

Saturday, my parents, husband, and self went on a road trip to Grand Forks, Michigan.  Our feature destination was the Gerald Ford Museum.  Have any of you ever visited a Presidential Museum/Library?  They are very interesting places to visit.  I was there before, but my husband wasn't and we have also visited the Nixon one in California, and the Truman Museum in Independance, MO.  What I enjoy most of all is that they ususally focus in on America during that administration--so you can experience the America of that time period.  In this case, it was the late 70s. 

Remember disco?

One of the other things I really like to see are original artifacts--pieces of history.



This is THE ACTUAL letter by Nixon resigning his Presidency.  I'm telling you, the huge impact that this simple sheet of paper had on not just our country, but the world as well, about gave me chills.

You may be wondering why I was so excited about having a quilting experience to share with you, but instead I'm sharing a Presidential museum.  The reason I was looking forward to visiting was becasue of this traveling exhibit:

 It entails three different art quilt traveling exhibits.  While we were there, the Beyond Comfort and Creative Force collections were on display.  As we were buying our tickets, the employees reminded us that there was no flash photography in the Ford area and no photography at all in the quilt exhibit!!!!  Oh, no!  So my whole basis of wanting to share with you was eliminated.  Rats!  I was really excited to share these pieces with you because in the Beyond Comfort exhibit (the premise of this exhibit was to push the artists beyond their comfort zone, but I love how the name also suggests "beyond the comforter" in other words, quilt as art, not just a blanket.)  a friend of mine has three pieces.  I may have mentioned her before.  Kristin LaFlamme was in the same guild as I was in Hawaii, and she is also a fellow Army wife.  She has done an extraordinary series of aprons from the Army Life.  Three of them were displayed.  I've read her blog posts about some of them, but have never seen any up close.  The workmanship is amazing.  I also found that they were quite powerful and they really spoke to me.  I really wish I could have shared them and some of the other pieces in both exhibits. 

I can show two quilts that were in the Ford displays.  Remember that his administration encompassed the Bicentennial?!

 Do you also remember that it was the Bicentennial the helped 'bring back' the interest in quilting? 

I also spotted this poster in the section about inflation and the oil crisis of the late 70s.  I would love a copy for myself.

After we left the Ford Museum, we had lunch and then stopped at this incredible home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is gorgeous!  It is open several days a week, but not on Saturday, so we were unable to go inside. 

 We had parked on the side street.  While sitting in the car waiting for the rest of the party, my Dad pointed out the huge, blue Victorian house that was on the opposite corner of the Wright house.

                                     

 He didn't want me to notice the house so much as what was hanging in the backyard:

 

Heads!  It looked like a mobile made of mannican heads.  How grotesque!  And in back of these stately homes!  I was intrigued by the juxtapostion. 

You know, you just never know what you may see next.  Are any of you having any "backyard adventures?"

Aloha,

JoAnne