I Am An Atheist In Good Company, Seventh Quote

Signature Theatre: "Assassins"

What an amazing production.  I know this was "Assassins" and not "Passion," yet I have rarely seen such passionate performances!  While the main cast was composed of DMV allstars, even the chorus was to a person, leading actor deep.  To everyone's credit and certainly the director's (Eric Schaeffer) the ensemble functioned with such precision and harmony as they wove their stories together from full-cast moments to trios and duets to solos.  Because I am going to speak directly to specific performances and the chemistry of particular ensembles is not to suggest in the least that there were any weak ones.

Of the nine Assassins featured -- the premise involves all of the major assassins and attempted assassins of United States Presidents -- the single most amazing performance was that of Christopher Bloch as Samuel Byck the wannabe assassin of Richard Nixon that you've never heard of (I hadn't).  Byck was a man whose life was shitty and when the Small Business Administration denied his application for a loan he fixated on killing Nixon.  Get this, he planned to hijack a commercial airliner and fly it into the White House.  In the production he is dressed in a shabby Santa Claus suit as a symbol of the type of work he was force to accept.  A brilliant actor brought a brilliantly written script to life with both gusto and nuance.  I certainly feel this performance is Helen Hayes Award worthy.

Ian McEuen delivered the next outstanding performance as Giuseppe Zangara a disgruntled immigrant who literally took a shot at FDR in Miami and got the Electric Chair for his failed efforts.  The number performed by Ian and the Chorus entitled "How I Saved Roosevelt" ends with his demise in the electric chair, and dare I say it--how can I resist?--it was absolutely electrifying.

Vincent Kempski as John Wilkes Booth gave the third noteworthy solo performance.  His talents as an actor really came through during the scene toward the end of the musical where he leads the other killers in a group intervention on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository aimed at convincing Lee Harvey Oswald to fulfill his destiny.

The majority of the comedy (yes, there are laugh out loud moments in this absurdist, and, I now believe, brilliant musical) was so skillfully handled in the ensemble moments between Rachel Zampelli as Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme and Tracy Lynn Olivera as Sara Jane Moore.  The pothead outcaste and the bumbling, profane housewife become the embodiment of the classic comedy duo whether sharing a joint on park bench, using a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken for target practice, or dealing with Moore's insipidly brattish little boy.

The final shout out goes to the Chorus/Ensemble in their collective moments.  Jimmy Mavrikes, Christopher Mueller, Nova Y. Payton, Christopher Michael Richardson, and Maria Rizzo were seamless in their navigation of those famously tight group numbers for which Sondheim is so infamous.  Anyone of these amazing actors can and have led productions in their own right.

This is the first time in all the many productions I have attended at Signature Theatre where the space was configured like a traditional stage.  The background is made of a floor to ceiling wood slate wall in a decrepit state with a war torn and dilapidated facsimile of the Presidential box from the Ford's Theatre on the right side of the stage.  The imagery seems obvious and the design simplistic; however, when combines with the effects of breathtaking lighting design and thoughtful special effects, the results were stunning.   I predict at least three Helen Hayes nominations:

1) Featured Actor in a musical for Christopher Bloch
2) Outstanding Ensemble musical for the cast as a whole
3) Outstanding Lighting for a musical

Left to Right: Even Casey (John Hinckley), Rachel Zampelli (Lynette "Squeaky Fromme), Bobby Smith (Charles Guiteau), Tracy Lynn Olivera (Sarah Jane Moore), Vincent Kempski (John Wilkes Booth), Lawrence Redmond (Leon Czolgosz), Ian McEuen (Giuseppe Zangara), Sam Ludwig (Lee Harvey Oswald, and Christopher Bloch (Samuel Byck).

Apple Picking Time

I grew up in Michigan.  In Michigan the end of August gets one thinking about apples.  Apple picking time is not far away.  As a kid it meant, my mom's amazing apple pies were just around the corner.  Soon we'd be adding a day devoted to making and canning Applesauce and Apple Butter.

Nowadays, you never have to worry about being able to buy an apple.  There are always apples at the grocery store.  Lot's of them: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, maybe Pink Lady, maybe Honey Crisp.  The abundance could make you think that you are lucky.  You have a lot of choices.  But really you don't, and most people don't even realize that.  Most people don't know much about apples.

Did you know that apples are heterozygotic? Every apple seed creates a unique offspring.  The only way to propagate a specific variety of apple is to graft it.  Otherwise it's a crap shoot--like when two humans make a baby.  And Apples are not unique in this.  Lots of the fruits we enjoy are heterozygotic. 

Today, horticulturalists can fiddle with apples.  More than just crossbreed varieties and with a little luck come up with something new and desirable, they can gene-splice.   But for millennia, all the way back to when apples were first eaten by humans on the woody slopes of the Turgay Valley of modern day Kazakhstan--their place of origin--the apples we know and love had a single progenitor.  A unique tree that grew at a specific time and in a specific place.  That someone found.  Someone liked.  Liked it enough to graft it to other sprouts and share it with others who also liked it that much.  I think that's pretty cool.

Growing up in Michigan, I had so many other choices when apple picking time arrived.  We ate: McIntosh, Baldwin, Grimes Golden, Opalescent, Hyslop, Jonagold, Sweet Winesap, Jonathan, et. al.  There are hundreds of heirloom apples, mostly forgotten, maybe relegated to regional roadside stands.  Remembering a few as apple picking time approaches.

 Named for Walter and Anna Etter, this one was first discovered in the 1860's in California.  It is the result of intentional cross breeding, although the identity of its parent apples is left to speculation.  Probably a Wagener pollinated with a Manx Codlin. 

 The parent tree sprouted on a farm owned by a Mr. Butters around 1730 in Wilmington, Massachusetts.  Ergo the original name was Butters Apple.  This was later replaced by the name Woodpecker apple because of the association of the bird with the parent tree.  This was shorted to Pecker Apple.  Then along came one Colonel Baldwin who was so taken with this apple that he chose to promote it widely and by association it was rechristened the Baldwin.  The parent tree died sometime after 1817 and before 1832.

 The parent tree appeared on the farm of John Lobban at the base of Pilot Mountain in Nelson County, Virginia.  It's first mention was in 1831.

 Named for the creek in Macon County, North Carolina where its parent plant sprouted.  It was widely distributed and planted all across the eastern half of the United States, thus giving it a exceptional distinction.  The Nickajack is also known by well over 40 other names!  First described in 1853 under one of those aliases, the Winter Rose, yet owing to its wide distribution; it is believed to have first appeared in the late 1700's along Nickajack Creek.

In the world of apple nomenclature, there are a variety of base words used to describe apples with similar characteristics: Pippins, Russets, the still ubiquitous Delicious, the beautifully archaic Limbertwig, and Rose among the most common.  The Hidden Rose was first discovered on a farm near Airlie, Oregon owned by Lucky and Audrey Newell.  They liked it, but not enough to propagate it.  It was rediscovered by the next owner of the farm, William Schulz, who also liked it.  Mr. Schultz liked it enough to promote it.  The original tree sprouted around 1955. 

Strawberries Are Sexy: Discuss...

MDZiB Fantasy Master Plan: Section 2 "Icons of Western North America", part 2

A view of the current Education area.

Not directly related to the new section of the Maryland Zoo in my little fantasy master plan, but replacing the current educational facilities in the space they currently occupy, is this new campus called the Maryland Zoo Learning Grove. 

I think that this could also make a wonderful tribute to the outgoing President and CEO of the Maryland Zoo.  If the Board of Trustees made this one facility their pet project and then christened it the "The Donald P. Hutchinson Learning Grove" in his honor, that would be an excellent tribute to a person who has absolutely guided the Maryland Zoo through a very dark hour to a place of solvency, relevancy and innovation.

As a facility, the new learning grove takes on the roll of the primary immersive educational experience at the zoo.  It allows for up to 24 participants an overnight experience with a focus on an extended "camp" curriculum.  An adjoining structure contains classroom and science lab spaces.  There are third story dormitories, shower and restroom facilities that can be divided by gender.  A pair of limited kitchens, a dining room, and two meeting rooms.  The lower level of the classroom/lab structure would contain a recreation room and a media room.  Additionally, like the present facility, there would be outdoor spaces for classes and meetings and group events.  The wrap around ground level decks provide space for outside meeting, eating and even have a BBQ for food prep.  All of this designed to accommodate multiple day experiences, but the possibilities are certainly wider than that.

The learning grove would be used year around to provide opportunities for the following immersive experiences:

• Week long "Camps" that would go from a Friday afternoon check in to a Thursday morning check out.
• These would be scheduled across the summer months with a week off in between to gage their popularity.
• 1 in June, 2 in July, 2 in August
• There would also be a Winter Camp in mid-January with a homeschool student focus and a Spring Camp to coincide with public school Spring Breaks.
• A set of scholarship attendees would be provided for on the basis of economic need for each camp.
• Weekend "Camps" that would go from a Friday evening check in to a Sunday afternoon check out.
• Initially these would be scheduled on a monthly basis and would be targeted toward specific age groups.
• Other uses might include small group retreats for companies, religious organizations, clubs, etc.

Agenda/Curriculum:

• Participants would receive learning that would include the history, structure, husbandry, conservation, and advocacy of/by/for the zoo and all zoos.
• Week Camps might include: 
• A day trip to another AZA Zoo like:  The Smithsonian National Zoo, The Philadelphia Zoo, The Brandywine Zoo, The Salisbury Zoo, The Elmwood Park Zoo, or the Lehigh Valley Zoo.
• Behind the scenes experiences will be a part of all camp events.
• Keeper chats and guest speakers.
• Access to the zoos veterinarians and potentially specific discussions about challenging case histories.
• Historical overview and archival presentations.
• Specific agendas will be tailored to group focuses and scheduling availability.

The design of the structures includes three private bedroom areas.  One for the camp director (a new position), and one each for a camp residence director who will sleep on the same floor with the campers and act as assistants during the duration of the camp experience.  This would establish the presence of three staff members who are directly responsible for the programs, however, members of the Education Department and even potentially the Volunteer Department would participate in the development and implementation of the programs.

Additionally, the curriculum and activities developed by the Maryland Zoo could be either available to other AZA institutions as a result of some organizational underwriting/grant funding, OR as a purchase product separate from the AZA.  The first option would be preferable. 

Bottom line, the Maryland Zoo Learning Grove, as modest as it is, would be the gold standard for immersive, educational, zoo programs.

MDZiB Fantasy Master Plan: Section 2 "Icons of Western North America", part 1

I continue to enjoy my little fantasy redesign and expansion of my beloved Maryland Zoo in Baltimore with this redevelopment of one of the oldest areas of the present day zoo, now long abandoned.  The zoo sits in the heart of Druid Hill Park, the city's version of Central Park and likewise designed by the father of landscape design, Frederick Law Olmsted (that is, the park, NOT the zoo)  The zoo came along, after the initial creation of the park, in 1876.

In its present location, the bulk of the zoos animals reside in areas beyond the original ones.  As the zoo expanded, it abandoned areas deemed too expensive to restore for portions of the park where creating something new was more cost effective.  As a result, today you enter past an iconic 19th century bandstand pavilion to a plaza that is separated from the zoo by a not insignificant ridge/hill.  The hill is now covered by a mature hardwood forest that expands to the north of the zoo and well into the the rest of the park.

While an obstacle of sorts, the hill is bypassed on both sides with roads that lead into the majority of the zoo.   One road skirts the last area abandoned on the southern side of this ridge, and uses a shuttle tram to ferry guests from ticket entrance to zoo grounds.  The other requires you to walk along the north side the of ridge on a service road called the Buffalo Yard Road.  Here guests can see the stone walls and remnants of shelters of habitats once home to some of the zoo's earliest hoofstock like Bison and Deer and Camels.  None of these species are part of the zoo's collection today. 

The road divides the slope of the ridge.  On the north side you look down upon the former habitats.  On the south side, you look up the ridge through the hardwood forest.  While it is a lovely walk, it is also a prime area for redevelopment.  Therefore it is the site of my (fantasy) major new initiative for the Maryland Zoo.

Built upon the present non-Maryland species of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and Grizzly Bears, and harkening back to a time when American Bison were part of the visitor experience over a century ago, the theme of this expansion would be to establish a new, fifth geographically cohesive zone called: "Icons of Western North America."   This section would join "Maryland Wilderness," "Arctic Realms," "African Journey," and the newly named (Part of my fantasy plan) "Global Farmstead" in continuing the trajectory of excellence at the Maryland Zoo.  In the second map, it's the area in yellow-green.

The area would create generous habitats for the American Bison, Pronghorn Antelope, Collared Peccary, Coyote, North American Gray Wolf (Timber Wolf), Mountain Lion, Grizzly Bears...and North American Black Bears, whose location would act as a transition to the Maryland Wilderness area of the zoo.

The Bison Overlook structure provides a focal point for the entrance into the new zone from the main Schaffer entrance plaza and has a focus on the first large species guests encounter, the American Bison.

Informative signage will tell the story of the animals, their history with the Maryland Zoo (if there is one) and cultural connections between the species and human beings.  Other signage will explore the present status and efforts in conservation and species survival planning.  [This is just a tossed together sample and not what I think the actual placard should look like]

I Am An Atheist In Good Company, Sixth Quote

The Bounty of Summer

The bounty of summer brings out the inner veggie lover in me.

Zoo Master Plans

TO the surprise of no one! Ha ha ha... I have a collection of Master Plans for zoos.  I enjoy reading about the ins and outs of zoo designs and aspirations.  A summer project was to organize them into notebooks.  Then I decided to make spines for them. 

VOLUME ONE

Zoo Master Plans

1) BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA)
2) Biohabitat Design Firm (Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
3) Blank Park Zoo (Des Moines, Iowa, USA)
4) Brandywine Zoo (Wilmington, Delaware, USA)
5) Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA)

Featured Species

1) Blue Poison Dart Frog
2) Reticulated Giraffe

VOLUME TWO

Zoo Master Plans

6) Denver Zoo (Denver, Colorado, USA)
7) El Paso Zoo (El Paso, Texas, USA)
8) Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA)
9) Erie Zoo (Erie, Pennsylvania, USA)

Featured Species

3) White-faced Gibbon
4) Monarch Butterfly
5) Southern White Rhinoceros
6) Caribbean Flamingo

VOLUME THREE

Zoo Master Plans

10) Fresno Chaffee Zoo (Fresno, California, USA)
11) Greenville Zoo (Greenville, South Carolina, USA)
12) Hamilton Zoo (Hamilton, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, New Zealand)
13) Henson Robinson Zoo (Springfield, Illinois, USA)
14) Zoo Idaho (Pocatello, Idaho, USA)

Featured Species

7) Alpaca
8) North American Gray Wolf
9) Western Pond Turtle
10) Scarlet Macaw

VOLUME FOUR

Zoo Master Plans

15) Jackson Zoo (Jackson, Mississippi, USA)
16) John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA)
17) Lake Superior Zoo (Duluth, Minnesota, USA)
18) Little Rock Zoo (Little Rock, Arkansas, USA)

Featured Species

11) Bobcat
12) Meller's Chameleon
13) Lesser Kudu
14) Common Chimpanzee

 VOLUME FIVE

Zoo Master Plans

19) Louisville Zoo (Louisville, Kentucky, USA)
20) Maryland Zoo (Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
21) Menominee Zoo (Menominee, Wisconsin, USA)
22) Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington, Illinois, USA)

Featured Species

15) Giant Panda
16) Malayan Tapir
17) Nine-striped Skink
18) Red Kangaroo
19) African Penguin

VOLUME SIX

Zoo Master Plans

23) Minnesota Zoo (Apple Valley, Minnesota, USA)
24) Moonridge Animal Park (Big Bear Lake, California, USA)
25) Naples Zoo (Naples, Florida, USA)
26) NEW Zoo (Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA)
27) Niabi Zoo (Coal Valley, Illinois, USA)

Featured Species

20) Pink-backed Pelican
21) African Elephant
22) Black-footed Ferret
23) Alpine Goat




VOLUME SEVEN

Zoo Master Plans

28) Oklahoma City Zoo (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA)
29) Oregon Zoo (Portland, Oregon, USA)
30) Perth Zoo (Perth, Western Australia, Australia)

Featured Species

24) Golden Lion Tamarin
25) Major Miller's Cockatoo
25) Arabian Oryx
26) African Lion
27) Common Ostrich

VOLUME EIGHT

31) Potawatomi Zoo (South Bend, Indiana, USA)
32) Potter Park Zoo (Lansing, Michigan, USA)
33) Reid Park Zoo (Tucson, Arizona, USA)
34) Rosamond Gifford Zoo (Syracuse, New York, USA)

Featured Species

28) Grizzly Bear
29) Giant Anteater
30) California Sea Lion
31) Bactrian Camel

VOLUME NINE

Zoo Master Plans

35) Salisbury Zoo (Salisbury, Maryland, USA)
36) Seneca Park Zoo (Rochester, New York, USA)
37) Sequoia Zoo (Eureka, California, USA)
38) Smithsonian National Zoo (Washington, DC, USA)
Zoos South Australia
39) Adelaide Zoo (Adelaide, South Australia, USA)
40) Monarto Zoo (Monarto South, South Australia, Australia)

Featured Species

32) Spur-thighed Tortoise
33) Emerald Python
34) Cheetah

VOLUME TEN

Zoo Master Plans

41) Sunset Zoo (Topeka, Kansas, USA)
42) Toronto Zoo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
43) Utica Zoo (Utica, New York, USA)
44) Washington Park Zoo (Michigan City, Indiana, USA)

Featured Species

35) Amur Tiger
36) Clownfish
37) Polar Bear
38) Common Raven
39) American Bison
40) Burchell's Plains Zebra

I Am An Atheist In Good Company, Fifth Quote

Goldfinches Faded Restoration Project

My little flock of goldfinches has succumb to the UV rays deleterious effects on pigments.  I am presently restoring them and they all see to find the transformation of the first among them quite worth their curiosity.

 

Eastern Black Swallowtails

It's been a good summer for this species...

Maryland Zoo Adventure

Took a dear friend to the Maryland Zoo yesterday and got to share one of my favorite places with her.  We took our time and got to see many of my favorite aspects--as with all zoos, you're always at the mercy of the animals.  Here are some pics.

AFRICAN PENGUINS

"You lookin' at me, kid?"

BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

The Maryland Zoo's African Elephant herd consists of four animals: The adult bull, Tuffy (36), two adult females, Anna (44) and Felix (36), and one adolescent male, Samson (11).  Samson was born at the Maryland zoo to Felix and Tuffy.  While both genders of African Elephants grow tusks, neither Tuffy nor Felix have them.  Below, Samson is participating in a keeper healthcare check, and Anna has come over to keep him company.  As the Matriarch of the herd, Anna, is very deferential to the feelings of the others.

The elephant's home at the zoo has just undergone a $20,000,000.00 upgrade that has nearly tripled their available space and made it possible to potentially increase the size of the herd.  Hear, Felix is exploring a rock for a hidden treat possibly.  It is hoped that she and Tuffy will again produce a second offspring.

COMMON WARTHOG

"How's the wallow today, darling?"  "Divine, my dear, do join me!"

Our Warthogs are companion animals.  Keewee was born at the Maryland and Hoda was transferred from the Detroit Zoo to join her.

ADDRA GAZELLE

The Maryland Zoo was home to three of these critically endangered members of the gazelle family: Mukuru, the male, and Wren and Pipit, females.  Then this past autumn we welcome two new members as both Wren and Pipit gave birth.  Happily Merle and Magpie joined the flock.

LESSER KUDU

Lemon and Meringue are our two adult females. 

VON der DECKEN HORNBILLS

The female has the black bill and the male's is red and yellow.

BLUE DUIKER

 Lucky is arguably our lucky little male Blue Duiker.  Arriving at the zoo from the NEW Zoo in Wisconsin on a breeding recommendation of the AZA's Species Survival Program, he and Flower successfully saw the birth of their first offspring earlier this month.  A little female, yet to be named.

Blue Duikers live in arboreal habitats and are a little larger than a well-fed domestic cat.

SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS

Yes, Stubby is a white rhino and not an orange one.  But thanks to his love of his orange clay wallows, you'd be forgiven for making that assumption!  Stubby was born at the Knoxville Zoo and came to us at the age of 3 in 1996.  I am a stubby fan, period.

SANDHILL CRANE

I wonder if she is nesting.  I have never seen one adhere themselves to the ground in this manner before.

LITTLE GREEN HERON