FDR's Little White House

On our drive back from Headland I decided to take Kade to see FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA, where I had once been taken on a family trip as a child. Now that I have more knowledge of WWII history under my belt, this second visit was pretty powerful.  This Spring we hope to stop by Callaway Gardens to see the Azaleas and Dogwoods in full bloom.

Random Shots

"Red" Visits Headland

1972

Winton Blount of Alabama was a powerful and influential figure whose philanthropy led to the development of the Blount Cultural Park in Montgomery, AL.  On the park grounds are the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.  My high school English class took several interesting field trips to the ASF.

In the late '90s I took an exchange student from Armenia, who was living in Headland, to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival to show her the grounds.

BBQs & Wagers

This is a summer 2009 video of my friend Dan and me placing a wager on who could lose the most weight in three months. He beat me!

Aunt Frances' Musical Prowess

1922 - Sarah Frances Espy of Headland, AL graduated from Judson College, where she studied piano for three years.  Sarah Frances then began her studies at the New York School of Music and Arts, participating in a piano concert on October 22, 1922.


a letter J.J. Espy, Sr. wrote to his daughter Sarah Frances regarding her Judson graduation and a scholarship she had just received

1923 - In May, Sarah Frances participated in another piano concert at the New York School of Music and Arts. Items from that night are posted below. See if you can spot her in the big group photo before doing it the easy way. Family records indicate that Aunt Frances, upon completing her musical studies in New York, returned to Alabama where she taught high school at Dale County (Ozark). It was during this stint back in the south when she met her future husband, Charles Watson Sidney, incidentally, a native New Yorker. They eventually moved back north to New Jersey, where Uncle Sid had a very distinguished career.

Stefania Van Ness is a musical girl and sings with excellent expression, while Sarah Espy showed singing tone and vigor in piano pieces by Lasson and Bach.  - from the October 26, 1922 edition of Musical Courier (below ).  If you have trouble reading it in that format, click here for the exact web page.

Aunt Frances would be very proud to know that her great-niece and great-great-niece are a couple of a family members who are making music a big part of their lives.  To see them perform, click here and scroll.  After that, click here to see a video of Aunt Marilyn playing a piano that once belonged to Aunt Frances.

Times R Changin'

http://www.eurweb.com/2012/07/anderson-cooper-officially-comes-out/

I am very grateful that we're living in a time when the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered (LGBT)  community can live openly and are protected by the nation's laws.

I have long voiced my opinion on this subject.  It would be a travesty if I indicated, in any way, that being LGBT was anything less than what I am - straight.  Luckily for me, I have had examples of straight family members and friends who, being open to their own examination of the world and not simply desiring to see through the lens of what they'd been taught, reconsidered their old views and perspectives and adopted something new.  It wasn't always necessarily where I was, but they moved a bit....sometimes substantially....and sometimes right by me!  And, in some cases, I was there with them from the start, talking it through.  What I have discovered is that by opening up to more folks - even in my Deep South hometown - I have found clear examples of people from my generation and older generations who actually support the LGBT community and their rights.  It's a powerful thing when parents, friends and a wider community add their voices!  It certainly takes moral courage.

I think about the folks who challenged my preconceived notions and ingrained ideas, ultimately encouraging me to ask questions and explore more.  Truth be told, my views changed more gradually than I would have liked.  The last bit of negative feelings towards homosexuality that was still in me was not discarded until my early thirties.  Although I put up a bit of a fight, the cognitive dissonance that had consumed me for some time ultimately made me change course.  A big, big turning point was just sitting down face-to-face with members of the LGBT community and just listening to them and suspending my judgment.  Someday I intend to complete a book I am working on pertaining to this very subject.  How did I, as a white, straight male, raised Southern Baptist, get to this point, and what advice could I give to others?

As a reader of history, I think about those people in slave society who defied the law by teaching slaves to read or smuggling them to free states.  I also think of Southern white ladies in the Antebellum South who were so repulsed by slavery that they moved away and became strong abolitionist voices.  I think of early Evangelicals and Quakers in North Carolina who opposed slavery and fighting in wars.  Of course, I think of women's rights, and the laws in a patriarchal society that considered women to be second-class at best - not fit to vote, or be educated or own anything.  Some brave souls back then took a stand.  I too take a stand:  I stand together with my family members (from the current generation and on back) who are something besides straight, and I'm grateful for the ones who have felt comfortable and confident enough to acknowledge this (at least to me) and be true to themselves.

Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892--1984) made this statement about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power.  I added the highlighted bit.

First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak up because I am not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I am not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I am not a Jew.
Then they came for the homosexuals, and I didn't speak up because I am not a homosexual.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up for me.

America's Leading Exports

I took this photo on Phuket (island) in Thailand.  The Starbucks brand, along with historical stalwarts, McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, is one of the leading American food brands around the globe.  Starbucks is highly popular in Asia.  On my travel blog, I wrote about Starbucks in Thailand.  Even Russia, which had long resisted permitting Starbucks to open franchises, has now seen a few open.  Overall, American "big business" is all over the place, and truly reflects Western influence and power as much as anything.  As an expatriate in Thailand, life was easier (or more comforting) to me because of the familiar brands I had grown up with:  Haagan Daz, Baskin Robbins, Swensen's, Sizzler, McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola and Pepsi.  Even TGIF, Dairy Queen, Outback Steakhouse and Krispy Kreme have a presence.  And 7-11 has over 6000 convenience stores in Thailand! 

Undoubtedly, Hollywood has a preeminent role in shaping world opinion. Through film, American life is put on the big screen wherever you go. From Uzbekistan, where movies are dubbed into Russian, to Asia, where movies are often sub-titled in the local language, Hollywood is a powerful force.  There's nothing like being in a foreign land and being able to see great movies. They are wonderful escapes. From my experience traveling, Hollywood films can been seen on television, can be rented in video stores, can be sold on street corners through a thriving pirating enterprise, and can be seen the old-fashioned way, at theaters. Bangkok's movie theaters are state-of-the-art with stadium seating and the works. To see a film in Thailand costs a mere $4 per ticket.

Of America's Big Three Sports, NBA basketball is by far most far-reaching around the globe. I will never forget sitting in a hotel in Alma Aty, Kazakhstan way back in the early '90s, seeing an episode of Inside The NBA.  Robert Horry of the Rockets provided the highlight of the day.  A year earlier, in Canada on a summer missions trip, The Dream Team made its debut in the Summer Olympics. Michael Jordan's long-lasting appeal, coupled with Commissioner David Stern's drive to penetrate (pun intended) the biggest market in the world (China) has actually catapulted the NBA to new heights. Of course, just looking at the various teams, it's apparent that perhaps 20% of all players come from overseas, especially from Europe. In Thailand, during my almost four years there, I saw an occasional MLB game and some NFL games. However, on cable TV and ESPN International, many more NBA games were shown.

Typically movie stars, musicians and athletes have the most appeal worldwide, especially in the media and IT age we're in now.  Easily, for two decades or more, Michael Jackson was the world's most recognized and adored icon.  He was a megastar, in fact - perhaps the last of them.  Numerous Uzbeks expressed to me that Michael Jackson was so huge in their country, and this is only a short period after the Cold War was over.  MJ's stardom had transcended barriers.  In sports, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali garner admiration around the world.  In fact, Ali may be the most recognized American of the 20th Century.  Another sliver of the popularity pie is reserved for business titans.  Bill Gates, through his wealth, through Microsoft products and through The Gates Foundation, is arguably the most preeminent America name in this category.  Finally, we have what I call, Movers & Shakers.  These are political giants, religious leaders and revolutionary figures.  In my opinion, the leading Mover & Shaker that America exports around the world is former US president Bill Clinton.  He is widely admired and respected by many.  Part of it is due to his understanding of world concerns and problems, and part of it is just due to his unique capacity to find solutions to problems.  Awareness is certainly raised when he's involved.  When you consider the impact of the Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton could go down as they most influential former US president to date.  For pictures of me meeting Clinton in Asheville, click here.

Reptile Encounter

After several consecutive days of blistering heat, we were very fortunate to have a recent evening of steady rain.  The morning after, Kade and I got up and decided to walk my normal 5 mile (nearly) routine through some North Asheville neighborhoods. It was the first time I had walked since the "Bataan Death March" through Pisgah Forest. My body had mostly recovered, and my mind was set on bouncing back.

Thanks to the rain and its cool after effects, walking was very pleasant! We noticed quickly that we weren't the only ones in good moods. Birds, neighborhood dogs, flying insects and more were also taking advantage of the healthy respite from the heat. One such pleasure seeker was a small snake that crossed right in front of us - literally just in front our shoes. If I just had the video of Kade screaming and jumping - simultaneously, of course - and it causing a similar reaction in me, it would be priceless.

As you will see, my NGEO and Animal Planet TV watching prepared me for the encounter. Who knows? Maybe there's a Steve Irwin program in my future!

North Slope Trail & The English Chapel

One week ago I went on a hike I will never, ever forget.  Although the hike was supposed to be a fairly moderate 4 miles, a wrong turn by our guide made it a very, very difficult 10 miles!  I'm not sure of the elevation we reached, but I know we also had long bouts of climbing.  For a bunch of easy hikers, well, it was unbelievably grueling.  One of our hikers actually had to be rescued by emergency workers because her knee gave out!  I wish I could say that was the extent of our drama and headaches, but it wasn't.  But rather than give in to more negativity and dark thoughts, I want to share some fun moments from our day.  See if you can spot me in the photo below.  Next to me, wearing the backpack, is my friend Stacey, a North Carolinian turned ESL teacher who has spent a few years teaching in exotic lands such as Vietnam, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.  Her next adventure is Taiwan!