AMISTAD EXHIBIT, NEW LONDON and THE WORLD'S LARGEST CASINO

A casino and the story of kidnapped Africans-extreme differences mark these two places, except to say American Indians were treated almost as poorly as African Americans. We intended to visit the largest casino in the world, the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Casino and Museum. Recommended to us as an excellent Museum, we arrived to find it closed. The casino was not.
In fact, the Amistad Exhibit at the old Custom House Maritime Museum on Bank St. in New London, was also closed. Except for the munificence of Director Susan Tamulevich...but I'm ahead of myself.

Last year, I dared to take a picture of  Jim's friends at lunch in an Indian Casino at Yellem, Washington, where his friend was a member of the tribe. They stopped me at the door and checked my digital photo and "let me go."  Here, no one seemed to care about the photos, though I kept to the areas away from gambling.

An MGM Grand Tower connects to the Foxwood Casino, a partnership of some sort with shared parking. Gambling doesn't appeal to me, but the theaters, shows and restaurants...there is always something to enjoy. From a casino, I've come to expect glitz, the sound and excitement of machines signaling a jackpot.  At the very least I expected an Indian motif  showing the great heritage of a proud people. I was disappointed those elements were missing. Hard rock sculptures with Indian themes were sprinkled about the place. The one above was my favorite. Most of them didn't appeal to me. Foxwood had a hard edge to it, such as these clever, but hard plastic "lounge" chairs.

In fact, my favorite thing about the casino was its beautiful abstract carpeting. The Italian gelato was delicious. We didn't stay very long.

We quickly moved on to the Custom House Maritime Museum to see the Amistad Exhibit.

 Susan Tamulevich is so endearingly proud of this exhibit. When she told us it was displayed for the United Nations she got emotional and almost shed a tear. The unfolding of this historical event is fittingly written on humble canvases about the room. The importance of the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling that Africans kidnapped from their village, who chose to defend themselves by killing their "enemies" and taking control of the Amistad, when unlawfully detained by the Spaniards, were freed and returned to Africa; and  given that this ship was brought to the shores of the United States, a country where slavery was legal, is truly a testament to the tenent that justice is blind. Or, maybe it is more complex than that?

Here are some excerpts of  newspapers of the day that aroused public sentiment against letting them go free and for letting them go free.

The incident happened at such a time in American History that people were conflicted about slavery; a time when abolitionists were actively proselytizing against bondage; a time when good Christians were bravely speaking out against inhumanity to their fellow man. Many objectors were women.

It became the talk of the states. No one was exempt from hearing about the "savages" in the New London Jail.

The Spaniards kidnapped forty-nine men and four children from their village in Sierra Leone, headed for the sugar plantations of Cuba. This group fought back under the leadership of Cinque, who organized his companions to overtake the crew while they were still in shackles. Aware that they did not know how to sail the ship, they kept two of the Captains alive and ordered them to return to Africa. During the day, while the Africans watched,  they sailed for Africa.  During the night, the Spaniards reversed positions and thus they zigzagged into the area where the American Ship, George Washington spotted them and hauled the errant ship into New London.

  A drawing of their leader Cinque. Drawings were done of all of the captured men. Two died in the revolt; nine died on the voyage before the revolt; six died in jail at New London. One drowned, a possible suicide.
Drawings were made of the men held in New London. It no doubt helped to personalize them. In fact, there were many slave revolts on board ships. Revolts almost never succeeded, but even so, the slavers kept the revolts secret, hushed them up, so as not to encourage more.

An expression of jubilation at having been released from prison. Interestingly, from the Custom House window, you can look upon the very spot the Amistad was brought to dock and unloaded.
This story is simply and directly wrought. The Supreme Court decision made with one dissenting vote, had repercussions throughout the country as people became more and more uncomfortable with enslaving others to do their labor in a "free" country. It affected thought and helped strengthen the anti-slavery sentiment that preceded the Civil War.
Please go to this excellent exhibit if you are in the area of New London. 

For several more photos, check the link below:
http://picasaweb.google.com/1579penn/8910FxwdCasinoMGMGrndAmistadExhbt#

OUR SPANISH HERITAGE

Marie Cousineau chummed with my sister, Dawn, when we were kids. So off we trekked for Sonoma to visit. On the way, a coffee stop brought us to St. Helena and this beautiful building (above) caught my eye. Lovely town, with interesting shops. My Michiganders were amazed at shops offering olive oil tastings.
The adobe oven above is on the grounds of the Mission San Francisco Solano, the northernmost Franciscan Mission of the 12 California Missions founded by Father Junipera Serra. Having lived in California for 55 years, this was one Mission I had never seen. The Missions are a part of California History unknown to them, that and our close connection to our Indian/ Mexican/Spanish state before the 49ers arrived.

This Mission is well preserved and it was quite elaborate as visible in the chapel picture above.

Our next stop, General Vallejo's wonderful home and ranch. Bernice and Marie posed under an orange tree, something they had never seen before, oranges growing on the tree.
The rancho stored grain, olive oil, and other dry goods in the beautiful building above. The Vallejo house is furnished with artifacts from the family, including family portraits. Vallejo became wealthy and was the beneficiary of a 66,000 acre Spanish land grant. When the Americanos came in without their families and a blood lust for gold, life changed dramatically for the Spanish settlers. Vallejo had no interest in gold. He believed in the land, its productivity, as the real wealth of California. That has proven to be true.
A peek inside the house, a piano, harp and wonderful Spanish guitars. They left us with great music, dances, food and adobes. They knew how to live large in this hot, dry country.

THE CALIBER OF OUR BORDER GUARDS, HMMM!

I couldn't resist sharing more photos from the Gunfighters of the Old West because they are so interesting. The crossed gun belts on this woman are very Spanish. But, that is not the subject of my blog today. Yesterday, when I returned from Mexico after my final dental work, I had an interesting experience with a Border Agent
crossing us back into the U.S. He was yapping with his partner across from him and hadn’t signaled me to come forward. I walked toward him and he said to me, “Are you trying to make trouble?” He was young, and I told him, no I wasn’t, as I beat a hasty retreat back to the red line. He signaled me immediately to step forward and said, “Hit me! I’d like 45 days off. Why don’t you punch me?” I told him: “I don’t hit anyone. But, my bag is heavy enough to knock you over.” I hefted it onto the counter. He checked my passport and waved me through. Jim was right behind me and this same agent asked him, "Are you bringing anything in from Mexico?" Jim said, not a thing? The guard asked him, "then what did you go to Mexico for?” Jim answered, "I’m with her, she’s getting her dental work done.” He passed Jim through. The guard was quite surly and I speculated about what he would have done if I’d hauled off and smacked him one. He was inviting me to do it. The thought made me giggle, but I don’t think I could have done it even if he had pissed me off, as he did Jim.
I wanted to take his picture, but big signs all over the border station warn you not too. Do I look threatening?
So, enjoy the gunfighter pictures.
Hasta la Vista

Planet Earth, Local Herons On The Road

A Fabulous 14 hour video entitled Planet Earth provides an extraordinary view of our living quarters and the fact that we share it with so many creatures and places of great beauty. Its been a joy to see many birds as we roamed. The most spectacular at this time of year are the sitings of blue and white herons. The pictures don't always do them justice and the smaller birds are the back-up chorus that we hardly ever see fit to photograph and so often take for granted, even the loudmouth crows. Egads! The Matzek's have a few loudmouthed members if I do say so myself.
Cedric Puleston's family are bird people from way back and if you go to
http://puleston.osprey.bnl.org/OspreyFund/ospreycam.php
The ospreys are now hatched in his Grandmother's backyard. The fledgelings have left but if you click that link at Brookhaven, NY you'll get a number of interesting cameras for birds that you don't have to register to see. There are live cams and some not so live for kestrels, great tits, barn owls, peregrine falcons, black storks, gentoo penquins. Too many to list.
We are still at Pio Pico Thousand Trails. Pio Pico was the Governor of Mexican California. He owned this property as a Spanish Land Grant. Interesting man of mixed decent, African, Mexican, Indian, Spanish and European. When California became a state an assigned a new governor, Pio Pico fled. His land got promptly gobbled up.