Monthly Archives: May 2012

A Day at the Museum: San Francisco’s Legion of Honor

Posted on by annandmeg

Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

San Francisco is full of art and culture. Most of our recent visits into the city have been to see the touristy-type attractions. Pier 39. Ghirardelli. Coit Tower. For our visit this past Saturday with Aunt Carol and Uncle John, we opted for the arts. As our Christmas present from them, the four of us planned a day in the city to visit several museums and have a delicious dinner. Our first stop? The Legion of Honor.

The Legion of Honor is one of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It is located in SF’s Lincoln Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was built as a gift from Alma de Bretteville Spreckels in the 1920s to commemorate the Californian soldiers who lost their lives fighting in France in World War I. The collection of fine art inside the museum is beautiful, and the architecture of the structure itself is equally magnificent.

As we walked around the inside of the museum, I couldn’t help but think how much it reminded me of the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City. The architecture is very similar, and both have Rodin’s Thinker! The collections ranged from impressionist paintings to Annie Leibovitz’s photography to ancient Roman sculptures. These were a few of my favorites.

My favorite piece of art in the whole museum is a ceiling in one of the exhibit rooms. The detail is incredible. The ceiling was carved from wood in Spain in the late 1400s-early 1500s during the Moorish occupation. It is one of four removed from the original setting in the Palacio de Altimira in Toledo, in the Torrijos region in Spain.

It was a beautiful day at the museum. With our busy lives, it is nice to be reminded of all the beautiful things to see around us. I believe the arts to be an important factor in maintaining the balance in society. It is hard to argue with the importance of the arts, especially when we see such beauty through the eyes of the artists, enlightening us about their fascinating perspectives on the world. In a lot of ways, it helps us look at the world through new eyes, learn how to see something from someone else’s perspective, and have a little more appreciation for our own world.

Once we left the Legion of Honor, heavy in thought, we made our way over to Golden Gate Park to see the de Young museum. But I will save that exciting experience for next time.

An Indian Wedding: Finishing the night with a horse ride, dinner and dancing!

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By this point in the wedding festivities, we have seen henna designs, skits, beautiful dresses, delicious food, a stunning bride (and groom!), and a Nikah wedding ceremony. Drumming introduced us to the second part of the wedding festivities on May 5th, 2012, when Noah rode in on a white stallion to the entrance of the reception hall. He looked very handsome in his traditional Indian ensemble, and very confident on the enormous white horse they had for him to ride!

Once Noah rode in on the horse, Natasha’s cousins and bridesmaids gathered around him to participate in a tradition I had never seen. We stole his shoes! And then he had to negotiate with us to get his shoes back. In the end, he paid a lot of money (I hope pre-arranged) and did a little dance. It was a lot of fun. Following the bartering of the shoes, family members gathered to bless Noah with a coconut. They would stand in front of him, touch the coconut to his forehead, and move the coconut in circles in front of his head.

While traditions surrounding Noah’s entrance were taking place, Natasha was upstairs getting changed for the rest of the evening. Her second gown was very similar to her first gown, only in teal instead of red. It was absolutely gorgeous! Noah somehow found time to change as well, from his traditional Indian ensemble into a black tux with teal accents. They were quite the handsome couple.

The reception was held in the grand ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel on the Plaza. Outside the ballroom, the couple had arranged a photo booth for guests to take fun pictures, appetizers, and refreshing beverages to cool off from the heat outside.

Once the bride and groom were ready to make their grand entrance, we all moved into the ballroom and anxiously awaited their arrival. The families entered first, with the parents dancing in to pre-selected songs. Then Natasha and Noah entered the room to a song of their own selection. As they strutted their way through the room, you could see the excitement on their faces to have reached this part of the day. Time to let loose and have fun! They started with the cake, and then sat down to have dinner.

One of my favorite aspects of this wedding was the incorporation of different cultures. Indian traditions from Natasha’s family, Jewish traditions from Noah’s family. They incorporated prayers from both in the wedding ceremony, and dances from both in the reception. Unfortunately, we didn’t get any pictures of the hora because we were both participating. The bridesmaids joined in the circle, and Jake jumped at the chance to help lift one of the chairs in the center of the circle dance. Such a fabulous time!

The surprise guest of the evening was….drum roll please!…..Big Jay! The Kansas Jayhawks mascot joined in the festivities for part of the night, competing in a dance off with a representative from the Syracuse Orangemen. He then stayed to take pictures with all of us.

The night finished with a first dance for the bride and groom. It was a beautiful evening and a wonderful way to celebrate the beginning of what I expect to be a strong and happy marriage. Natasha and I have known each other for so long. We grew up together attending Pembroke Hill School, and even created a cool handshake in 5th grade. We played soccer together, learned Spanish together, and still made time to see each other through college. She then went off to med school, while I attended law school. Now, we’re all grown up, with fancy degrees and wonderful husbands.

Natasha and Noah, I am so excited for both of you, and I wish you both all the happiness in the world. Congratulations!

An Indian Wedding: Getting ready for the Wedding Nikah Ceremony

Posted on by annandmeg

There were many parts to the wedding day for Natasha and Noah. The morning was spent at the hair salon and in the hotel suite getting ourselves primped and ready to begin the day. Mid-day was focused on  Natasha’s preparations. The early afternoon was dedicated to the wedding ceremony itself and to wedding photos afterwards. Following the Nikah and related events, the day changed to the ceremonies associated with the reception.  Natasha’s family received Noah and his family and friends, while Noah rode in on a white horse with drums playing and people dancing. The rest of the evening was spent at the reception, eating delicious Indian cuisine, listening to heartfelt speeches from friends and family, dancing, and of course, celebrating the newlyweds.

I will post the wedding day in two parts simply because there was so much going on that day. Besides, the photos of Natasha getting ready are so stunning, I wanted to share more of them with you.

In every wedding, all eyes wait in anticipation to see the bride’s gown. What does it look like? What is the texture? What style did she choose? In an Indian wedding, the gown for the wedding itself is traditionally red. And it’s not just a gown, it’s a full ensemble. As I mentioned in a previous post, Natasha and her mother, Shaheen, traveled to India to have all the dresses made for both Natasha and her bridesmaids. They picked the fabrics, described the designs they wanted, picked out the jewelry. In the end, they returned with some of the most intricate fabrics I have had the opportunity to see, with the most impeccable detailing.

The bridesmaids’ sarees were beautiful, but Natasha’s gowns were beyond stunning. Shes chose “lehenga” style gowns, red for the wedding, and teal for the reception. The gown consisted of a blouse, a floor-length skirt, and a draped fabric called a “dupatta,” which could be worn as a shawl or similar to a veil.

As heavy as the wedding gowns were for Natasha throughout the day (all the fabric, jewels and beading made her heaviest dress over 50 lbs), add her stunning gold heels to the equation, and I admit, I have never been so impressed with a bride’s balancing abilities. Her jewelry consisted of the “maang tikka” (the jewels worn on the forehead), the “chudi” (all the bangles worn on her wrists), the “hathphool” (bracelet connected to a ring), and the dazzling necklace and earring set that was so elaborate it practically molded into a part of her dress. Like I said. She was positively stunning.

The bridesmaids’ sarees were amazing, even if our ensembles were not quite as elaborate. Still, we all felt like princesses for the day. We had a blast getting ready at the salon, and then getting pinned into our sarees at the hotel.

The icing on the cake was getting to help prep Natasha for the day, and especially, for the Nikah ceremony. By the time she reached Noah at the altar, we could see the joy in her eyes.

We were so happy to be a part of the day, and we still had a whole afternoon and evening to come. Little did we know we would get the honor of meeting a special surprise guest! You’ll just have to wait and see who it was!

Happy Mother’s Day–to the Village

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We all know the saying that “it takes a village to raise a child”.  Each of us benefits from such a village. I want to thank the village of people who have shared in raising Meg.

Meg’s village, necessarily, starts with my mom.  Until her death two years ago, she was the matriarch of our family.  She loved each of her children and her grandchildren unconditionally.  She was always there for us.  We did not want to disappoint her because she never disappointed us.  She made sure each of us felt special.  She was a wonderful mother, wife, friend, cook, gardener and listener.  Meg knew how much grams loved her.  She was beautiful in every way.

Our family has included an abundance of cheerleaders for Meg and her cousins.  We get together whenever we can even though we are spread throughout the country.  Here we celebrated with dad as he received his most recent community award last year in Independence.

As a family we have worked hard to provide each other personal and moral support.  We treasure our successes and provide each other solace during difficult times as we strive to grow individually and together.

Terry has been a rock star, guiding her and supporting her with his quiet wisdom and no-nonsense practicality.  He has listened to her, comforted her and helped her to grow with a combination of youthful idealism and an understanding of economic and financial realities.

Meg’s strong ties to both her father’s family and mine have enabled her to stretch her comfort level. With encouragement from others, she has ridden a motorcycle, danced at a ball, studied and traveled abroad, supervised a pro bono tax clinic, worn a sari, attended Passover and climbed a mountain at Jackson Hole.

In so many ways, our lives are enriched by friends as well as family.  There have been truly wonderful people who have shared their lives with Meg and nurtured her as she has grown to adulthood.

Close friends have also been like family to her and have enriched her life and mine.  Whether Meg needed a “sister”, a second “mother” or just a wise friend, there has always been someone there for her.

She has spent birthdays, holidays, and lots of ordinary days in the company of extraordinary people.  She has shopped for shoes, indulged in tuna melts, shared dinners, walked in 4th of July neighborhood parades, spent weekends in Branson and learned how to dream with these friends.

The terms wisdom, love of life, love of beauty, concern for humanity are terms that fit each member of this wonderful village.  It is never possible to truly isolate the gifts of knowledge and understanding she has gained from individual relationships.  But as she has matured, Meg has had role models and mentors who were there for her when she needed them.

As much as her family shared with her our own values, she was truly enriched by the opportunity to observe, and share in the family lives of friends and family who broadened and deepened her understanding of the many ways to live life, to mature as a true friend, to be a person of integrity and to live her life with grace.

Her most significant mentors have also helped her to develop her own strength and to gain a vision for the person she has become.

As I write this, I realize the futility of trying to include photographs of, or give individual thanks to, every individual who has been truly special in our lives. (Besides, the fact I don’t have photographs of some of these wonderful people is a mistake I will quickly rectify.)  But each of you know my gratitude to you.  For all of you who have been a part of her life, and mine, I want to thank you for being part of our village.  

Happy mother’s day.

An Indian Wedding: the Sangeet

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In Indian wedding tradition, a Sangeet is held one or two nights before the wedding ceremony. This is a ceremony of fun and laughter. For each of the ceremonial events, the bride wears a gown specifically created for her.  The gown above is richly colored with intricate designs sewn into each panel of cloth. The Sangeet is also special because it is a time when the families and friends of the bride and groom show their talents through song and dance, and put on a good show for the couple.  Traditionally, it is also an opportunity for the families of the bride and groom to become better acquainted.

For Natasha and Noah’s Sangeet, the night of celebration was held at the Vox Theater on the Boulevard in Kansas City. They had a large group of family and friends there to participate in the night. Their fathers put together a song and dance. Friends did a skit about how they met. The cousins did an entire medley of traditional dances. During the whole show, Natasha and Noah sat on a special love seat arranged for them on the corner of the stage floor. The show was, naturally, for them.

In addition to enjoying the elaborate songs and dances, we also ate foods that were absolutely delicious food. Natasha’s mom, Shaheen, made the most unbelievable samosas. And the rest of the catered cuisine was positively sublime.

But as I mentioned above, the thing that caught my attention the most during the night was Natasha’s exquisite attire. She wore a multi-colored saree, with blue, teal, purple and red, and of course, gold threading and lots of detail. Her hair was swept to the side and truly exuded the grace and elegance of an Indian princess. Every aspect of her attire reflected Indian art, beauty and culture.  Sadly, the lighting in the venue was not ideal for taking great pictures, but you can still see how stunning she looked.

The final day of celebration was the wedding ceremony and reception. It was a magnificent day with lots of happy surprises!

An Indian Wedding: beginning the weekend with the Mehndi ceremony

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One of my best friends from childhood got married this weekend. Natasha and Noah have been together for a long time, and they were finally able to become husband and wife on Saturday May 5th. As Natasha’s family is from India, we were all honored to be involved in a traditional Indian wedding. There were a few Jewish traditions included from Noah’s family as well, but we will wait to explore those until a later post on their wedding day.

The first wedding event was the Mehndi ceremony.

Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary decoration of the skin. It is a ceremonial art form where intricate patterns are painted onto the bride’s hands and feet before the wedding ceremonies. Hidden in the patterns, the design includes the groom’s name. His challenge is to find his name. For Natasha’s Mehndi, Noah’s name was written in the palm of her hand (can be seen in the bottom picture of her right palm).

As I understand it, the old tradition was to apply henna to the bride only. In modern times, many of the other women involved in the Mehndi get designs applied as well. As a bridesmaid, I jumped at the opportunity.

Henna is applied to the skin from small cones filled with the paste. The paste then dries on the skin. As it dries, it stains the skin below. Soon the paste begins to crack and brush off, and then you are left with a beautiful reddish-brown stain on the skin. It is a beautiful ritual.

Natasha looked positively stunning as she sat on her “throne” during her Mehndi. She was surrounded by her female friends and family members, and she definitely had the most beautiful designs. Both the backs and palms of her hands were completed covered, and her feet had beautiful designs as well. Following the Mehndi application, the women gathered together to sing, play the drums, and dance.

The Mehndi ceremony was a beautiful way to kick off the weekend of wedding festivities. Natasha looked beautiful, as always, and everyone had a wonderful time. The food was delicious, the music and dancing were joyful. It was a wonderful evening and a great way to start a beautiful weekend.

Springtown, Texas-Where country is, was and always will be “Cool”

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This was a busy weekend for our family.  Meg was in Kansas City for a wedding (more to come), Laura and Michel were in Warsaw, Poland and Terry and I were in his hometown, visiting Christina and his family.

Springtown, Texas, has a population pushing toward 3300 people in the city limits and over 7000 in the metro area.  Terry’s family has lived here since about 1900, so his family roots are deep in the soil.  His parents were successful dairy farmers.  His parents, Finis and Vivian, seem to have been involved in nearly every organization in town. There is even a street named after them, it runs right in front of his family home, where his sister Mary now lives.

Situated just 1/2 hour from Fort Worth, it seems a world apart. It is easy to joke about rural Texas, where the names Poolville (ignore the “l” and soften the “v”), Hickey Hollar and Azle roll easily off the tongue. But residents of Springtown are anything but unsophisticated. Underestimate them at your peril.  This is cattle country.  Everything associated with cattle is important: birthing, feeding, watering and sale.

This is also natural gas country.  Everything associated with natural gas is also important: contracts, easements and the related challenge.  Heavy pipes are buried to move natural gas from Oklahoma and Texas for processing. Water for fracking ( the process of drilling and injecting water into the ground at high pressure to release natural gas) moves through small above ground pipes from Eagle Mountain Lake some 10 to 15 miles away to the gas fields in Springtown.  Storage tanks and sound baffles are a visual distraction. The dust and noise from the constant movement of heavy trucks to and from the construction sites fill the air.

Financial security is measured not only in natural gas and cattle, but in land. Ancient fence lines reflect property boundaries but are also important to the movement of cattle from grazing field to grazing field, separating cattle from horses, and sometimes separating garden plots from everything else.

For a city slicker like myself, it is easy to assume that farm life is “easier” than city life.  That is simply not true.  There is a combination of intelligence, hard work and back braking labor.  Farm tractors and trucks cost more than most automobiles and there are more of them!

At the end of the day the conversation includes all of things I would hear at any dinner table.  We talk about national and local politics.  But there is also discussion about feed prices, whether natural gas prices are up or down, whether there will be enough water to last the season.

But fear not, there is precious time for fun.  There is more than enough work to go around, but the food, hospitality and fun are worth the price of admission.

Oh, and did I forget to talk about the snake.  I was in the middle of the street, thinking that was safe from nature’s viler creatures, talking to Meg on my cell when suddenly I became aware that the black streak less than 6 feet from me, in the middle of the road was not tar, but a long motionless snake.  On telling my tale to Maurine and requesting assurance that it probably wasn’t dangerous, she just suggested that she tries really hard to stay away from snakes!

Have a great week.

Happy Birthday to my Sweet Mama!

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It has been an eventful last year for my cute Mum. It all started with a very special ceremony. In May of last year, I graduated from my Mum’s alma mater, UMKC School of Law. We both got the special honor of having her hood me during the graduation ceremony! It was a wonderful day.

Over the summer, my Mum fed me and gave me moral support while I was studying for the bar exam. She made me my favorite birthday cake, Tippin’s strawberry pie. Then she helped me pack, and sent me and the kids on our move out to California.

We saw each other of the holidays, where we played around the Christmas “tree” and visited with family. Our visits are always too short now!

For Easter, Mum and Terry came to visit us in California. We finally got the chance to show them our new stomping grounds. We saw the coast, tasted wine, ate some delicious cheese and took beautiful pictures.

We may not see each other as much as we used to, but we probably talk more. And thank goodness for the creation of Facetime! It may not be in person, but we still get to “see” each other through our nifty little devices. We also started a blog so we could continue having our in-depth conversations about the issues of the world. Ahh, the joys of modern technology.

So on this special day, “Mumsy’s Day,” I’d like you to join me in celebrating the birth of the greatest woman I know. She has always been one of my biggest supporters, and often dubs herself the official cheerleader of Team Meg. Of course, I’m her biggest fan as well. She’s an amazing judge, sister, wife, daughter and friend. But best of all, she’s the best Mum!

Happy Birthday Mumsy!

Love you,

Lil’ you:)

Kansas City’s Public Library–More Than Just a Library

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A funny thing happened in Kansas City when Crosby Kemper, III assumed leadership of the Kansas City Public Library.  The sleepy, somewhat deteriorated library system was reinvigorated.  The Central Library at 311 E. 12th Street, across from the Jackson County Courthouse, closed.  In its place, thanks to hard work, creative minds, and  public and private funds, the Central Library reopened in the  historic First National Bank Building at 10th and Baltimore, in the heart of Kansas City.

The exterior  of the library complex hints at the extraordinary nature of the library.  The murals on the wall are truly elegant.  The book spines that dominate the separate library parking lot remind us of the fundamental purpose of the library–to instill enthusiasm in books and knowledge. But it also invokes a sense of fun, excitement and hints at the passion of the leadership of the library. Seriously, Tao Te Ching?  This isn’t just a library for children’s books.  But neither is it a library that ever, ever minimizes the importance of nurturing young minds.

The bronze doors are tall and stately, reflecting the significance of the building and its purpose. The moldings surrounding the doorway are works of art in and of themselves.

When Kemper accepted the position as the Executive Director of the 10 libraries that compose the Kansas City Public Library, things immediately began to change.  Educated at Yale University, his career has included working as a teacher in China, as  the Executive Director of the British American Education Foundation in New York, and as President of UMB-St. Louis and CEO of UMB Financial Corporation at United Missouri Bank.  Not a likely background for a librarian but it certainly works, and more so.  He is clearly a man with a mission.

You may ask yourself what has changed under his leadership.  The answer, is almost everything, inside and out!

The Central Library is light and airy.  In addition to a first class library, with the support of the top quality leadership of the Kansas City Public Library Foundation he has implemented a schedule of events and activities that are world-class.  In conjunction with Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kauffman Foundation, the Stowers Institute, the Nelson-Atkins Museum, the University of Missouri, Park University and others, the library offers concerts, lectures and meetings. These events are held at the Central and Plaza libraries, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and elsewhere. He hosts authors and statesmen.  He personally shares the stage with actors portraying historical figures and “interviews” them to give the audience a sense of their personalities.

The library has a high quality film vault and has regular screenings of classic movies.  Spread throughout the 10 libraries in the system, are book clubs, events for children and teens, classes on finance, computer basics, exercise classes, genealogy.  The list goes on and on and on, but you get the point. While all of the library locations offer a range of programs, the Central Library is generally the location of the major academic and current events lectures. Programs in the Gladys Feld Helzberg Auditorium on the 5th Floor are generally free to the public, but reservations are requested or required.

In mild weather, visitors enjoy the patio adjacent to the Auditorium.  Year round the rooftop view is wonderful.

Genealogists are welcome at the Missouri Valley Room also on the 5th floor.  There is knowledgable reference librarian on hand.

While Kemper gets high marks for his leadership, his passion and vision are shared by the library’s  board of directors, led by Jonathan Kemper, and by library’s foundation. His staff and administrators are also knowledgeable, helpful and enthusiastic.

If you live in Kansas City, what are you waiting for? It is an easy building to find.  Just look for the pillars, the elegant exterior murals and you are there.  If you don’t, it is worth the trip.

It is well worth the visit.  Happy reading!