Kramer Books

When taking the Metro to the theatre I have learned to pad the time by 30-45 minutes to be safe.  On this gorgeous afternoon I arrived with that time to spare and spent it in my favorite independent book store, one of the best in America, Kramer's Books on Connecticut Avenue.  My exploration ended in three whim purchases.

"The Immeasurable World: Journeys in Desert Places" by William Atkins.  Picked this up on a total whim and popped it open to page 137 and read: "The translation of "Taklamakan" favoured by Western explorers --"You go in and you don't come out"--bemuses the locals."  In one randomly selected sentence I knew two things: 1) Arkins is British, and 2) I wanted to know why they were bemused.  Sometimes falling in love with a book is just that simple.

"How to Walk" by Thich Nhat Hanh.  I've been thinking about my walking a lot lately.  Feeling how my body works in the moment.  The souls of my feet and my weight rockes across them from heal to toe.  The slack and pull of my lateral muscles in rhythm with my hips and arms.  Some call this mindfulness, but I am more interested in simply thinking of it as being alive.  Perhaps this Buddhist master will offer wisdom in this particular moment of thirst.

"Wild is the Wind" poems by Carl Phillips.  I have a couple of his earlier collections and in my opinion his is that uncommon poet that just gets better and better with time.  Reading the opening poem and again I was hooked.  The plain, yet evocative language and the obvious meanings of the words assemble in a way that suggests a labyrinth of meanings while still sounding lyrical to my inner ear.

COURTSHIP

--Both things, I think.  But less the hesitation of many hands
touching the stunned dethronement of the master's body, than
their way of touching it again; again. Each time, more surely.

~ Carl Phillips

"Lincolnesque" @ Keegan Theatre

Saw a wonderful play this afternoon at Keegan Theatre Company in DuPont Circle in the District.  "Lincolnesque" is a farce played with brilliant irony at times, laugh out loud moments, and even a little pathos.  It's set in the fictional re-election campaign of a congressional dullard and the key to his success lies the political transformation that is orchestrated by his speechwrite, campaign director and the speechwriter psychotic (but loveable) brother who thinks he is Abraham Lincoln.  The writing is perfect.  The right amount of heavy with a lot of tongue in cheek plausibility.  It's played by for principals and I was already a fan of three of them from previous work.  All were strong and compelling in their performances.  However a special appreciation is offered for Brandon McCoy in the role of Francis/Abe Lincoln.  The sets were simple and very effective in conveying quick, recognizable scene changes and the lighting and special effects of projecting the typing out of a quote across the top of one of the set pieces and the crew veiled in darkness shifted out the few movable pieces.  I believe the playwright is local.  I sure do hope that this production gets picked up and has the life in regional professional theatres that it richly deserves.

Brandon McCoy as Francis

McCoy with Michael Innocenti as Leo

Innocenti with Susan Marie Rhea as Carla

McCoy with Stan Shulman who played dual roles as The Secretary of War and Harold Daly

Rhea and McCoy

Philadelphia Zoo: Snapshot #11 - PECO Primate Reserve

On my way to visit the PECO Primate Reserve at the Philadelphia Zoo I encountered two of the Western Lowland Gorillas enjoying the sun and some fruit on one of the Zoo 360 Habi-trails.  It was Honi and her daughter Amani.  Nearby the Coquerel's Sifaka were sunning in an exterior habitat and overhead a troop of White & Black Ruffed Lemurs was trotting through another section of the Habi-trails.  The place was hopping!

Then I walk around to the main entrance and discovered that the Ring-tailed Lemurs where super chill, bundling and stretching in the dappled sun on their Lemur Island.  Inside the Sumatran Orangutans were mostly having a lazy morning.  Batu, the adolescent daughter of Tua and Sugi was up and ready to play.  In the large exterior habitat that they share with the White-handed Gibbons, Mercury and Phoenice were enjoying a brunch of lettuce while their boys ran around and disappeared into one of the 360 Habi-trails.  On the other side two of the three adult male Western Lowland Gorillas were also lounging.  Everybody was cranking or chilling on this perfect Autumn day.

Philadelphia Zoo: Snapshot #10 - McNeil Aviary Center

While I may pick a choose between things to see on any given visit to the Philadelphia Zoo, I always stop in at the McNeail Aviary Center.  I love this place.  It is not the largest Aviary I've ever been to at a zoo, I think that honor would go the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington--and of course that's not counting multi-species habitats like the Lied Jungle at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska--it is one of the most well designed and intimate in getting you up close a personal with a wide range of exotic bird species.

The interior includes a large foyer, 4 smaller enclosed habitats, 1 open medium sized habitat, 1 large open habitat and the large enclosed habitat for a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills.  There is usually a keeper or docent present to answer questions and make sure guests behave nicely since in the largest habitat there a few barriers to stepping into the bird's spaces.  On this visit the docent was a high school student who really didn't know much about anything.  As a result I took the opportunity to point out a couple of things that I hoped would benefit her, but her people skills were seriously undeveloped, as well.  The birds were in welcome contrast not disappointing in the least. 

So less words, more birds.

The first medium size space with open viewing.

Golden-breasted Starling

Taveta Golden Weaver

Vulturine Guineafowl

The entrance into three of the smaller enclosed habitats, home to smaller members of the passerine family of birds

Guam Kingfisher (extinct in the wild)

White-breasted Laughingthrush

Bali Mynah

Oriental White-eye

Red-crested Bulbul

White-winged Wood Duck

Victoria-crowned Pigeon

Nicobar Pigeon

Chinese Pheasant

The penguin sculpture in front of the McNeil Avian Center with the Swan pond and fountain in the background.  The fountain looks like its on a island, but it's actually a peninsula that you are welcome to visit, too.