Pray for Rain!!!

Here we sit in Washington, DC watching our beautiful Land of Enchantment burn up.  As helpless and distant as we feel, though, we can do some things to help.  Here's what we are doing and hoping others will do as well:

1.  Encourage City Councils, County Commisions, the Legislature, Mayors and Governors (state and tribal) to ban fireworks this year, on an emergency basis.

2.  Encourage responsible retailers to not sell fireworks this year.

3.  Lobby for the passage of legislation that will allow emergency bans on fireworks and open fires in the forest.

4.  Lobby for adequate funding for firefighters and equipment at federal, state, and local levels. 

We are doing what we can.  Oh, and one more thing . . . Pray for Rain!!!

Lincoln and Kennedy: Parallels & Performances

Much has been made of the parallels between the lives and the assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. 

Comparing Kennedy's death to Lincoln's gives you a host of weird coincidences. Here are some I pulled off the Internet:

Both Presidents were shot in the back of the head, on the Friday before a major holiday, while seated beside their wives, neither of whom were injured.

Both were in the presence of another couple, and in each case that man was also wounded by the assassin.

After both assassinations there were loud and insistent claims that the fatal shot must have come from a different direction.

Each President in his thirties married a socailly prominent twenty-four year old girl who spoke French fluently.

While in the White House, each President had a family of three children, and both lost a child through death.

Both Lincoln and Kennedy were second children.

Both had been boat captains.

Both were related to a U.S. Senator, Attorney General, ambassador to Great Britain, and the mayor of Boston.

Each had been elected to Congress in the year '47 and were vice-presidential runners-up in the year '56.

Each was elected president in '60.

Before each was elected, a sister died. Both had a friend named Billy Graham and knew an Adlai Stevenson.

President Kennedy had a secretary named Mrs. Lincoln and President Lincoln had a secretary named John Kennedy.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.

Both were succeeded by vice-presidents named Johnson: Andrew born in 1808 and Lyndon in 1908, both of whom had 13 letters in their names and two daughters.

Both assassins have fifteen letters in their names, and both preferred their first and middle names in everyday use.

Booth shot Lincoln in a theatre and fled to a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theatre.

Both assassins were in their turn assassinated by shooters who used a Colt revolver and fired only one, fatal shot.
*******************************



Moses, Elena, Shelly & Jay
at the Hall of Nations,
Kennedy Center



With Niece Karen Maisel at
Presidential Box, Ford's Theater



Shelly and I have attended performances at both facilities that are known for these famous Presidents:  we were at the Kennedy Center last week for an excellent depiction of the life of Nat King Cole, and were at Ford's Theater last month for a take-off on American history called "Liberty Smith".  Both were excellent performances that took place in famous venues.  End of parallels.



Father's Day at the Vietnam War Wall

David and Jay cleaning at the Wall
Father's Day early morning 2011

Volunteers put roses together
 with Father's Day cards

Father's Day 2011 was a touching experience for Shelly, my brother Jay and I.  We spent the early morning hours of Sunday alone at the famous Vietnam War wall, picking up litter and cleaning the wall itself.  Apparently, the Park Service relies on volunteers to do this once in a while, and we thought we'd provide some service, while remembering our Dad, LTC Robert Campbell, on our first Father's Day without him.  We met with some other volunteers who told us about their service project for later in the day.  A veterans group had collected Father's Day greeting cards and put them with roses for several thousand of the fathers listed on the wall.  After assembling the roses with the cards, the volunteers touched the name for each of the fathers whose families had sent wishes, read the wishes to the wall, and placed the flower and card at the appropriate panel on the wall.  Within a few hours, the famous wall was lined with beautiful red and yellow roses and card bearing sweet, touching sentiments:  "Dad-we miss you still", "Grandpa-I wish we had been able to know you, Happy Father's Day."  All in all, a very touching experience of a special day.  Happy Father's Day, Dad. 

Dip Passport and Orders!

This has been a big week for us---in moving along towards our next move!  We received our Diplomatic Passports.  It has been a document I have thought and dreamed about for years, and now I have one!  We will use this for our official travel, which begins two months from today.  We will depart the United States the evening of August 17, arriving in Mauritius the morning of August 19.  We'll fly through Paris.  The movers will be here to "pack out" on August 11th.  My first day of work in the US Embassy in Port Louis will be August 22nd.  There are so many things to do before leaving, both the required (ship a car, get dog certifications) and the optional (see museums, eat each type of ethnic food) that we don't quite know how it will all get done, but it will.  In the meantime, we both continue in French language training, and prepare for ABQ visitors, including brother Jay and family who arrive tomorrow as a stop on their cross-country RV adventure.  Be well!

Shelly, the "Trailing Spouse"

Shelly at Carnaval
Embassy of Trinidad & Tobago

Mousse dessert at Coco
Sala Restaurant

Some of you out there may be wondering how in the world Shelly is dealing with leaving her professional life running a school and huge educational programs, and becoming (in Foreign Service-speak) a "Trailing Spouse".  Is she staying at home watching TV and eating bon-bons?  Sleeping all day?  Bored to tears?  The Answer:  None of the above. I'm here to tell you she's doing just fine.  Some days, she's way busier than I am, and maybe as busy as ever (including her past work)!  She's been the one to figure out and deal with the State Department bureaucracy when it comes to moving household goods, transporting our dog, Bailey, health and dental plans, and investigating what life in Mauritius will be like. She's also become a trusted friend and companion to several of the other spouses and Foreign Service Officers:  babysitting for some, advising on education for others, and taking others on furniture shopping trips.  (My classmates and teachers are constantly telling me how wonderful my wife is!)  She's also busy doing things she rarely had time for:  Bikram Yoga 2-3 times a week, weight lifting another 3-4 times a week, and . . .  get this . . . cooking!!  As I write this, she's getting us ready for a BBQ dinner with a family who will be working with us in Mauritius.   Her daily regimen also includes taking an intensive French class online and in-person, along with reading everything she can find about our new home on the island.  She's hosted house guests from Albuquerque, and organized elegant dinners in our apartment.  She also keeps up with our far-flung children, calling and sending care packages.  She's also planned some great museum trips and visits to interesting sites in the DC area, everything from riding Segways on the National Mall to spending a day at an outrageously great Korean spa.

Shelly the babysitter for a
grateful diplomat couple

Shelly convinced me (without much trying, I must admit) that we needed to get our SCUBA certification before we leave the States, so next month, we start and finish a series of classroom and diving classes, with a culminating weekend of dives on her birthday!

You may already know that we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary the day the movers drove off with all of our belongings from our ABQ home---now we've got a great start on the next 25.  I am so lucky and blessed to have such a great Trailing Spouse leading the way.  Love ya, honey!

On our balcony in Crystal City

National Museum of the Marine Corps

Just when we thought we'd seen the best museums in the Washington area, now this.  Shelly and I (along with several of our new diplomat friends) went to Quantico today to visit the National Museum of the Marine Corps.  What an impressive place!  The architecture alone is stunning, with a roofline that replicates the angle of the famous Iwo Jima photo and scupture.  Inside, it is clearly the most technologically sophisticated museum we've ever seen.  As a spectator, you are put into the middle of battles---storming the shore at Inchon, fighting in Okinawa, suffering the cold at "Frozen Chosin", and exiting a helicopter onto a Vietnam battlefield.  The exhibits are first rate, and powerfully constructed.  The WWI battle of Belleau Wood happened 93 years ago this week, but the exhibit puts the spectator into the middle of the action with lights, vibration, video and even the smells of the battlefield.  In addition to the museum, the land on which it sits is a place of honor and reflection, with statues and a chapel.

Anyone visiting should plan on about 4 hours minimum to really see this well; and plan to include a meal at the Tun Tavern or the Mess Hall.  The food was surprisingly good and reasonably priced.  More than anything, seeing and experiencing the history of the Marine Corps made us proud of our relatives who served.  In particular, we were able to pseudo-experience some of Shelly's dad's experiences in Okinawa, Japan and Tiensin, China. Marine Corporal Ike Gaunt served well and honorably, and we remember him, his fellow Marines, and their sacrifices.  Semper Fi. 

A City of Statues

Churchill & Campbell at
the British Embassy

With the possible exception of Florence, Italy, Washington, DC may be the city with more statues than anywhere else.  The monuments, the boulevards, the embassies, the important buildings all seem to sport a statue or two.  A dedicated tourist could see nearly all of the capital city, and get a great history lesson in the process, just by setting out to find and admire all of DC's stautes. 

Statue at the Kazakhstan Embassy

Einstein Memorial

Georgetown's founder
Fr. John Carroll

Washington Resigning his Military
Commission; Nat'l Portrait Gallery

Shelly and I are making efforts to see as much as we can of this amazing city in the few weeks we have left here.  It's a rare weekend that we don't visit at least one museum or historic site.  This coming weekend, we head to the United States Marine Corps museum in Quantico, VA with a group of friends.  We'll post some pictures next weekend. In the meantime, here are just a few of the statues (famous and not-so-well-known) we have run across here in Washington. 



Lincoln & War Council



Heather and Thither

For all of you following the adventures of the Campbells "All Over the World," make sure to check out our daughter Heather's blog, Heather and Thither.  Here's the link:  http://heather-renee-campbell.blogspot.com/


Not only has she taken on the challenge of a new job, teaching English to Kazakh high schoolers, she's also learning Kazakh and new cooking challenges.  Heather spent last week giving a bonus class to her Kazakh teacher colleagues who asked for a week-long seminar in English to improve their own skills.  Heather wrote the curriculum, taught the class, and personalized the lessons for each of her teaching counterparts.  Wow!  Are we ever proud of her. 

Happily for us, she's figured out how to update her blog periodically so we can enjoy bits of her new life in a new land.  She would also love to hear from friends and family by email:  heather.renee.campbell@gmail.com or by snail mail (and we DO mean snail mail!) at:

Heather Campbell

5/11 Panfilov St.

Zhetysai 160500

Kazakhstan

OR

Heather Campbell

5/11 Пɑʜȹилoß

Жетicɑй 160500 

Қазақстан  KAZAKHSTAN





 

Georgetown Hoyas Class of '76 Reunion

Fribourg Junior Year Abroad Friends

Fribourg Friends

The Class of 1976 Reunion was this weekend!  My smile muscles had a workout.  It was wonderful seeing so many old friends from college days, and having them meet my beautiful life partner, Shelly.  It was particularly gratifying to have a mini-reunion with my friends from the Junior Year in Switzerland Program. We attended the University of Fribourg in 1974-75, and have mostly stayed in touch over the years.  Naturally, each of us looked great and hadn't changed since college.  I was a bit giddy just thinking about being a School of Foreign Service graduate who FINALLY is in the Foreign Service, 35 years later!

'76 Grad on Healy Circle

It was good to hear from the GU President, John DeGioia, who gave a thorough presentation on the University and the progress it's making.  Just to see the new McDonough School of Business in its beautiful Hariri Building was evidence enough of the tremendous physical additions to the school.  The intellectual stature of the University continues to grow as well.  Faculty, students, and alumni are scattered throughout the world doing the most remarkable things.  I am very proud to call myself a Hoya. 

The National Portrait Gallery: A DC Must See!

Abe's Photo 1865

Shelly and I are taking advantage of living in Washington to see some great museums and galleries.  Obviously, the Smithsonian is probably the best set of museums on the planet.  We have been particularly smitten by the National Portrait Gallery, and been back for repeat visits already.  There's a collection of portraits of all the American Presidents, a great exhibit of contemporary Americans, and (our favorite) the Alexander Calder exhibit featuring amazing 3-D wire caricatures.  

Alexander Calder 3-D Wire
Sculpture

In addition to its beautiful exhibits, the museum also has a clever way of displaying a part of its warehoused collection.  In the mezzanine above the 3rd floor, there are display cases packed with paintings, folk art, and sculpture for viewing.  
A person can get a great history lesson just reading about the various persons displayed, from sports heroes to warriors and writers.  An added benefit is the calm, covered plaza in the center of the museum---a translucent roof allows in natural light while keeping out the elements.  A great place to have lunch or type a blog . . .

MM augmented by Warhol

The Gallery is easy to get to, just adjacent to the Gallery Place Metro stop.  You can spend an hour or days there, and leave feeling inspired and uplifted. Check it out at http://www.npg.si.edu/