Houston Photos

Houston Photos

Monday, June 25th

Before we get to the photos from Houston, I would like to take some virtual space to congratulate the newest member of Actors Equity: Shannon O'Connor. Last week, Shannon opened Gateway's production of My Way as Production Stage Manager. She got the entire summer stock gauntlet of challenges thrown at her, and faced them all with aplomb. She can now, officially, be referred to as "An Old Pro." (She also thanked me in her bio *blush*. You can read it here.)

Another roll of film from Snapfish became available on-line this evening. The complete roll (all from Houston) is here. Some highlights:

Darryl balancing on two pool floats!

Amy and Julie are defeated by gravity in their attempt to perform double splits...

Erik and Gurr at the Ragin' Cajun (please pause to enjoy the crawfish print curtains...)

Nigel recognizes the camera.

A very sweaty Jovon and his equally sweaty steed, Simba

An incoming "Throw'd Roll" at the Potatoe Patch

Some more Houston photos (stolen from Francesca):

The "Jersey Boys" at the Sopranos Party: Robert, Matt, Tony & Jeff

Siobhan (atop Patrick) takes on Angelina (atop Nigel) in a game of Chicken (this is before they started pulling hair).

At Goode Company Barbecue

With the giant armadillo outside the Armadillo Palace. This is my favorite picture, thus far, from Texas (aside from the great picture of my wife with the gardenia behind her ear). Why does the armadillo have steer horns? Why is it humping that rock? Is Ken scratching the armadillo's chin to calm it, or is that why it's on the rock? That goodness Francesca had her camera handy!

This morning, my Aunt Melody and Uncle Colin collected me from my hotel and took me out on the town. We headed over to see the JFK Memorial here in Dallas. Weird. It's a giant, white box, open to the sky on top, that appears to be floating just above the ground. In the center is a low, dark, granite square inscribe with "John Fitzgerald Kennedy". That's it. It was designed by Phillip Johnson as a place of "quiet contemplation". It just felt a little arbitrary to me. Then we sat on a patio in the West End and had a drink while we waited for the Sixth Floor Museum to open.

As we walked to the Sixth Floor Museum, we passed through Dealey Plaza. It was surreal to stand in the place I had seen so many times, but never actually been. It looks just as I expected it to. Very little has changed since November of 1963. Even the wooden fence still stands atop the grassy knoll. I could easily imagine that blue convertible limousine passing down the street and toward the triple underpass. It is also an everyday part of the streetscape of Dallas. Cars passed through carrying people about their daily business. They drove right over the big, creepy white "X" in the center lane that marks the spot where the 35th President was killed.

The Sixth Floor Museum is in the infamous Texas Schoolbook Depository. It not only relates the events of November 22nd, 1963, but begins with the national mood at the time of Kennedy's election and attempts to describe both Kennedy's legacy and the long term impact of his murder. While it didn't have lots of new information, the museum was (to my eye) thorough and respectful. There was information on the various inquiries and the discrepancies in their reports. Being a faithful viewer of Law & Order and CSI, it was surprising to me how slip-shod the immediate investigation of the central crime now appears. I can't imagine the amount of emotion involved, but the sloppy notes from the autopsy (conducted a day later and 1,400 miles away), the way the "sniper's nest" was disturbed and then "recreated" for photos, and the lack of any notes on Oswald's interrogation (despite representatives from at least 3 different law enforcement agencies being present) are sort of shocking details in this age of DNA evidence. Most shocking of all, though, is that Jack Ruby could come and go several times from the headquarters of the Dallas Police Department with a loaded gun and just push his way through to the alleged perpetrator of such a massive crime without anyone noticing or objecting. That such an enormous event in our history still has so many obvious questions surrounding it made me uncomfortable, but was also informative in itself.

I spent some of the time in the museum reflecting on the very existence of the museum itself. This is a major tourist attraction. There were people photographing Dealey Plaza from every angle and a sizable line to get into the museum. It put me in mind of the World Trade Center site. In the immediate aftermath, the people coming to see the Trade Center site made me angry. I wanted them to stop taking pictures and to go away. I felt strongly that it was a completely inappropriate tourist attraction. I especially hated the people selling stuff on the sidewalks. As time has passed, I began to understand that many of the people who went there as tourists (and who continue to come) just wanted to experience the place, to take it in and try (maybe) to understand it on a personal level. I hope that when the inevitable memorial and museum is built in Manhattan, it comes out something like the Sixth Floor Museum. I did feel a little ghoulish, especially when I approached the corner window where Oswald is alleged to have fired from. I was glad the area is partitioned off with plexiglass and that you can see the scene, but not stand in his place and look through the window. (Just looking down from the other windows onto the plaza is creepy enough.) I worry, however, that we're not going to separate ourselves far enough in time from 2001 to be able to achieve something like the Sixth Floor Museum. (The museum in Dallas opened in 1989.)

After the museum, Colin and Melody took me out for a late lunch / early supper at Matt's Rancho Martinez. We enjoyed some delicious tex/mex at one of Dallas's most popular spots. My chile relleno came topped with a spicy tomatillo salsa, Texas raisins, and pecans. All three of us wolfed down our dinners and then dug into some sopapillas.

I really enjoyed my visit with Colin and Melody. They've lived in Texas as long as I can remember, so we haven't spent a lot of time together (I've never been to their home!). The time I spent with them today was certainly the most one on one (or would that be one on two?) time we've shared. While they're not strangers by any stretch, it was fun to really get acquainted with them. Everyone has always talked about how much my brother, Casey, is like Colin; but today it became obvious how much my Mom and Colin have in common!

JV