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"Our deep respect for the land and its harvest is the legacy of generations of farmers who put food on our tables, preserved our landscape, and inspired us with a powerful work ethic."
James H. Douglas, Jr.
Kobe's work ethic is incredibly inspiring - I was really saddened to see him get hurt last night. Had to paint this.
gouache on paper
Our friends Dave and Del are Prairie Isle Glass, we represent them at the gallery. Their works and work ethic are extraordinary.
Palacio de Aguirre, Cartagena (Murcia), Spain
Built: 1898–1901
Architect: Víctor Beltrí (1862-1935)
Client: Camilo Aguirre, industrialist and newspaper proprietor
This opulent residence stands as a jewel of Cartagena’s late 19th-century bourgeois expansion, marrying Neo-Baroque monumentality with eclectic ornamental sophistication.
Commissioned by Camilo Aguirre, a wealthy entrepreneur whose fortune was rooted in the region’s mining boom and media influence, the palace functioned as both a family home and an architectural assertion of modern taste, cultural literacy, and upward mobility.
About Cartagena
In 1901, Cartagena was a city of strategic and symbolic importance in Spain—a historic naval stronghold undergoing a period of intense economic and urban renewal. Situated on the southeastern coast, it had long been home to the country’s principal Mediterranean naval base and shipyards.
By the turn of the 20th century, Cartagena was also at the center of a mining and industrial boom, driven by the extraction of silver, lead, and zinc from the nearby Sierra Minera. This influx of capital gave rise to a new class of bourgeois entrepreneurs, financiers, and professionals who sought to remake the city in their image: modern, cultured, and prosperous.
The construction of the Palacio de Aguirre in this context signals not only the personal ambition of its patron, Camilo Aguirre, but also the aspirations of a city eager to assert its place in the modern Spanish nation—as both a military bulwark and a symbol of civic progress, blending classical heritage with contemporary style.
Listed Status
The Palacio de Aguirre is officially designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural in the category of Monumento (Monument), which is the highest level of heritage protection in Spain. This status protects both its architectural integrity and decorative elements, including its polychrome tilework, sculptural ornamentation, and historic fabric.
Additionally, the building forms part of the Museo Regional de Arte Moderno (MURAM) and has been incorporated into the city's cultural and tourism infrastructure, further reinforcing its protected status.
🎨 Style: Historicist Eclecticism meets the Aesthetic Movement
The building synthesizes a rich variety of historicist vocabularies, from Baroque and Renaissance revival to the Aesthetic and Eastlake movements then circulating through European design discourse. Its intricate surface program reveals Beltrí’s fluency with:
•Arts & Crafts and Eastlake linearity, evident in the rhythmic scrolls, plant forms, and stylized beasts
•Spanish and Italian Baroque massing (note the heavily bracketed cornices and ornamental cresting)
•Renaissance grotesque motifs, especially in the ceramic panels
Ceramic Iconography: Pleasure, Labor, and Moral Complexity
A highlight of the façade is the vibrant polychrome tile frieze, where putti harvest grapes amid thistles and symbolic flora. This program draws directly on Roman and Renaissance precedents:
•The grape harvest invokes Bacchic fertility, but here labor is emphasized—putti are not frolicking but toiling, echoing bourgeois work ethic.
•The thistle, beneath soft flesh and ripe fruit, injects emotional and symbolic tension: a reminder of the pain beneath pleasure, or the hard reality beneath surface delight.
•Elsewhere, a putto presents a green parrot perched on a ring—a scene of exotic domesticity, but also allegory: a tamed, mimicking creature symbolizing artifice, desire, and aestheticized nature.
🐉 Scrollwork Beasts and Decorative Lineage
Surrounding these scenes, ceramic panels display scroll-and-beast motifs—hybrid zoomorphic forms emerging from foliage. These derive from:
•Roman grotesque wall painting, filtered through Renaissance revival and 19th-century pattern books.
•Possibly influenced by Moorish ornamental flattening or Japoniste abstraction, part of the wider Aesthetic Movement.
These “botanicomorphic” beasts, unreal by design, assert cultivated imagination—a hallmark of both imperial Rome and modern elite culture. Their presence signals control over the fantastical, a visual assertion of taste, intellect, and privilege.
🐝 Architectural Allegory in Relief and Iron
On the tower, relief bees and stylized botanical panels add another symbolic layer. The bee—a classical emblem of industry, order, and fertility—underscores the patron’s narrative: this is a house of productive labor, refined taste, and civilizing aspiration. Even the wrought iron balcony grilles echo Eastlake wood carving in their intricate scrollwork—nature made geometric, ornament made discipline.
A mixed-use building from the outset:
✔️ Primary Use: Family Residence
The upper floors, particularly the ornate corner rooms and formal salon spaces, were undoubtedly intended as private domestic quarters for the Aguirre family.
The architectural richness—putti, allegorical tiles, wrought iron balconies, and symbolic reliefs—aligns with the bourgeois ideal of the cultivated home, a stage for displaying wealth, refinement, and cultural legitimacy.
✔️ Secondary Use: Business and Social Functions
Camilo Aguirre was more than a rentier—he was an entrepreneur, linked to the regional press, mining interests, and finance.
Like many Spanish industrialist homes of the period, it is plausible that the ground floor or a lateral wing housed offices related to:
Aguirre’s publishing ventures (possibly editorial or administrative spaces)
Business meeting rooms for investment partnerships or civic involvement
Such arrangements were typical of urban palacetes—blending domestic life and elite professional activity in one structure.
Supporting Clues from the Architecture
The arched main door and grander-than-domestic vestibule suggest semi-public or business-related access.
The vertical zoning—more decorative and symbolic elements concentrated on upper façades—often marked a distinction between public-facing lower floors and private upper floors.
️ Afterlife: From Private Palace to Public Use
By the mid-20th century, the palace had ceased to function as a private residence.
It now houses the Museo Regional de Arte Moderno de Cartagena (MURAM)—a fitting reuse that continues the building’s role as a showcase of cultural aspiration.
Final Note
The Palacio de Aguirre is not just eclectic—it is encoded. It offers a narrative façade, in which labor and luxury, sensuality and discipline, mythology and modernity are layered into its ornament. Whether or not Camilo Aguirre grasped every classical or mythic reference, he certainly intended to project cultural legitimacy, moral rectitude, and aesthetic modernity—the values of a man made in the age of industry, but longing to be remembered in the idiom of empire.
About the Architect
Víctor Beltrí (1862–1935) was a prolific and versatile architect who played a transformative role in shaping Cartagena’s architectural identity during its late 19th- and early 20th-century boom. A Catalan by birth and trained in Barcelona, Beltrí brought to Murcia a refined blend of eclectic historicism, Modernisme, and regionalist idioms, applying them across public, religious, and residential buildings.
Here are some of his most notable surviving works, nearly all in Cartagena:
️ Casa Cervantes (1900–1901)
•One of his earliest major commissions in Cartagena, built for the industrialist José María Cervantes.
•Strongly eclectic, with Neo-Baroque and Neo-Renaissance features.
•Known for its decorative stuccowork, ironwork balconies, and elegant symmetry.
🏫 Casa Llagostera (1916)
•A more Modernista work, distinguished by elaborate ceramic tile panels and stylized floral motifs.
•Famous for its ceramic depictions of Cervantine characters (Don Quixote and Sancho Panza), referencing the owner’s name.
🏨 Grand Hotel of Cartagena (1907)
•Perhaps Beltrí’s most iconic secular work.
•A true Modernista showpiece, with a curved corner façade, domed turret, lavish iron balconies, and Art Nouveau ornament.
•Its exuberant decorative program and urban prominence make it one of Cartagena’s architectural landmarks.
⛪ Iglesia de la Caridad (restoration and dome, early 20th c.)
•Beltrí contributed to the renovation of this Baroque church, particularly the dome and lateral chapels.
•The church is the spiritual heart of Cartagena, housing the patron saint Nuestra Señora de la Caridad.
🏫 Casa Clares (1905)
•Residential and commercial building with wrought iron balconies, stucco ornament, and a carefully proportioned façade.
•A good example of Beltrí’s ability to adapt ornamental richness to smaller-scale urban commissions.
️ Casino de Cartagena (remodeling, early 20th century)
•Beltrí was responsible for major interior renovations to this 19th-century social club.
•He introduced Neo-Mudejar elements, stained glass, and eclectic interiors that blend orientalist fantasy with bourgeois refinement.
🏥 Hospital de la Caridad Expansion
•Beltrí also worked on institutional architecture, contributing to the expansion of Cartagena’s medical infrastructure.
Summary of Beltrí’s Significance
Beltrí’s legacy lies in his stylistic range: from strict academic revivalism (as in the Palacio de Aguirre) to Art Nouveau experimentation, always tailored to his patrons’ ambitions. His buildings remain among the most photographed and best-preserved examples of Cartagena’s golden age architecture.
This text is a collaboration with Chat GPT
training session of the national ballet, Phnom Penh Cambodia.After 4 hours of dances, even if the gestures are slow, everybody's very tired!
© Eric Lafforgue
This is the story of three generations spanning two centuries, with one common family trait - dogged determination and a tireless work ethic in pursuit of their dreams. It is the story of sauterne for breakfast and castles built of prune boxes. It is a larger than life story ... and much of it is true.
From Riches to Rags to Ranching
The story begins in 1896 England, where Barker Ledson - a scion of means for whom means meant nothing - yearned for the New World and all the adventure that it promised. At age 16, he and his two similarly spirited brothers Tom and Stanley, left behind royal bloodlines, country estates and a sure future - not to mention the family fortune - to set sail for America. Their first stop was Iowa where their aunt owned a ranch. The boys worked the ranch for essentially room and board until Barker was lured away by a much greater adventure. Surveyors were needed by the railroad to map the vast and unforgiving Mojave Desert. It was thankless work, but not without benefits. Part and parcel of working in "no mans land" was the lack of spending opportunities. Barker was able to pocket almost all the money he made during his grueling 5 year stint.
Barker's railroad earnings were enough for him to purchase a 600 acre ranch in Yosemite, near the town of Cathay. At age 22, Barker Ledson was an American landowner. Brothers Tom and Stanley came out from Iowa to run the ranch with Barker. And, while Barker enjoyed nothing more than working the land and working with family, he longed for new opportunity and San Francisco seemed just the place for someone with Barker's ambition.
The Ice Man Commeth
Jobs were not plentiful, a fact that might have dissuaded a lesser man. But Barker Ledson was not to be denied. His employer of choice was the City Ice Company and the fact that they were not hiring seemed of little significance. Barker pointed to the potholes in the driveway and the dirt on the floors and said that he would clean and repair the facilities at no charge. City Ice was happy to have a volunteer employee and it wasn't long before all the ice truck drivers were so fond of the hard-working Barker that they convinced management to bring him on as a full-time employee -- a move that proved to be a defining point in young Barker's life.
He rapidly worked his way up the ranks at City Ice, eventually becoming General Manager. City Ice merged with National Ice and San Francisco Ice to form San Francisco National Ice Company. Barker needed to fill key positions and called upon his brother Tom to run the new Oakland office - making him the first of over a dozen family members employed by Barker. Stanley continued to run the Yosemite ranch, and by this time Barker's two other brothers had moved to America from England; George to Tennessee where he became editor of the Shelbyville Times and Joseph, the only brother to claim some of the family fortune, to Canada where he became known as an innovator in farming and breeding race horses.
A Match Made in the Wine Country
With his business life a success, it was time for bachelor Barker to find a wife to share in his great accomplishments. Barker Ledson met Edna Cunningham in 1910, when he invited his regular and growing group of prominent San Francisco cronies (a couple of those people were the Chief Police Officer and the Mayor of San Francisco) to go dove hunting at the Cunningham Ranch in Windsor. Edna was helping to serve lunch to the men when she caught Barker's eye. Within three years they were married.
Edna's father, William, was immediately taken with Barker as they were cut from the same over - achiever cloth. William's father Zyde, a gold miner who also emigrated from England, had previously owned and operated a blacksmith shop on the site that is today the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. In 1862 he moved his family to the 160-acre ranch in Windsor. As William came of age, he took over management of the Cunningham ranch. He planted 35 acres of Zinfandel and Alicante vineyards, built elaborate ranch and winery facilities and was known throughout the county for his flamboyance. He was very active in the community and held a seat as Sonoma County Supervisor from 1917-1925 and board member for Exchange Bank. William was a prominent and influential early member of the Wine Syndicate grower co-op and produced and bottled 8,000 gallons of commercially available wine. After Zyde's death in 1901 William and his wife Hannah continued to operate Cunningham ranch.
The union of the Ledson and Cunningham families marked the beginning of a farming legacy that continues today. William sold the Cunningham Ranch in 1919 to buy an 105-acre ranch in Kenwood. Shortly thereafter, Barker and Edna, who had been living in San Francisco moved with their three young sons, Noble, Whitby and Winslow to a 1600 acre ranch adjacent to William's property on what is today part of Oakmont and Annandale State Park. The two families worked the ranches cooperatively. While William and Hannah grew prunes, grapes and hay on their property, Barker spent the weekdays in San Francisco running the San Francisco Ice Company and Edna - an extremely sturdy, hard working woman, with a penchant for detail that included daily sweeping of dirt pathways and color coordinating gardening tools - raised cattle and harvested Eucalyptus on their ranch. Edna and her sons loaded their Eucalyptus on trains bound for the City Ice Company, where Barker used his ice trucks to deliver the Eucalyptus for firewood in the afternoons, essentially creating an entirely new business using existing delivery routes.
The End of an Era
For years the two ranches prospered, until in 1937 Barker Ledson at age 57 died of a heart attack while weekending at the family ranch. This was a terrible blow to a family who had come to depend upon him as the patriarch. Many of the family members who had relied on Barker for jobs or support over the years went their separate ways. The large extended family unit that Barker cherished could not be sustained in his absence. Fortunately, his 1/3rd ownership of the San Francisco Ice Company provided Edna and the boys with the means to carry on. Barker's brother Tom had preceded Barker in death and so Edna was left to manage the ranch, relying on her boys and the support of her sister Viola and her husband Penn Rich who had years earlier taken over William and Hannah's ranch after their deaths.
Sonoma Valley's "Ledson Boys"
The "Ledson boys" as everyone in the valley knew them - Noble, Whitby and Winslow - had inherited their parent's love of farming and ranching. Throughout high school each was active in FFA, with Noble and Winslow winning coveted national livestock competitions. And like their father before them the entrepreneurial bug bit early on when they observed the need of many of their rural neighbors for home delivery of basic essentials. They pooled their resources to purchase a run-down, old truck which they re-built and used to deliver packages after school and on weekends. Their little company, General Parcel Delivery, thrived until it was time to go off to college - a promise they had made to their mother. Secure in the knowledge that farming was their future, all three went on to study agriculture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. It was 1942, all three of the boys had graduated college and were anxious to begin the next chapter of their lives when World War II was declared and they, like others their age, were called into service. Winslow entered officer training school, while Noble and Whitby both became airplane mechanics in the Army Air Corps. Fortunately the end of the war found all three safe and sound and ready to get back home and get on with things.
Noble
By the time Noble returned home to Kenwood, Edna had sold the family ranch to a steamship builder named Joe Coney who re-named the ranch Annandale and eventually donated it to the California Parks Department. To this day, markers in the Annandale Park -- Ledson Marsh, Steve's Trail -- reflect the Ledson's legacy. Edna moved to Spring Street in Santa Rosa and kept busy as a nurse at Memorial Hospital until her death at age 81 in 1973.
Noble's wish was to continue the Ledson family tradition of farming. He founded his own dairy farm, Meadowlark Farms Dairy, on Warm Springs Road in 1944. It was a complete operation; he owned and milked the cows, he bottled the milk and he delivered all over Sonoma Valley. So successful was his dairy and so valuable his route that in 1954, shortly after his brother Winslow became General Manager, Clover Dairy purchased Meadowlark Farms Dairy and contracted Noble to distribute Clover milk in Sonoma Valley. Freed of the time-consuming milking and bottling operations, Noble built his distribution territory to include both Sonoma and Napa Valleys - and still had time left for other ventures given his penchant for 16 hour workdays. The farmer in him was not to be denied. He purchased or leased property all over Sonoma County where he raised cattle and grew prunes, hay, walnuts and of course wine grapes. Like his brothers, Noble was naturally gregarious and engaging, and because of their many ventures the Ledson boys knew and were known by just about everybody in the Valley- amassing endless friendships and contacts that would serve them and their children well in years to come. They were, like the Kundes, Rossis and Stornettas one of the most prominent farming families in Sonoma County.
The Son Also Rises
While his various businesses were growing, so was Noble's family. In 1948, he married Virginia Martinson, an Iowa transplant who had met and captured Noble's heart when he was home on leave during the war. Together they had two children: Nancy Ledson born in 1955 and Steven Noble Ledson, born in 1952. From the start it was clear that Steve had the drive, the farming instincts - and the bullheadedness of the Ledson and Cunningham clans combined.
Early on Noble instilled in Steve the importance of hard work and a good breakfast. Believing that Sauterne increased appetite and convinced that a full day's work required a full stomach, Noble and Steve started each day with a small glass of Sauterne, drawn from the two-gallon jug they re-filled monthly at Pagani (now Kenwood) Winery. Whether it was the Sauterne or the expectations of a no-nonsense father, by age six, Steve was a full-time farmer in training; he could drive a tractor - albeit with the help of a grown up who could reach the pedals - tell the difference between a prune tree and grapevine, tinker with farm equipment and bid on beef cattle.
School of Hard Knocks
Keeping pace with Noble was no small task, especially for a small boy, but Steve was remarkably hard-headed for his age - a fact that served him well on one ill-fated father and son outing. While hiking along Bear Creek in Adobe Canyon, Steve took a fall 30 feet into the creek, where he preceded to float downstream a quarter of a mile before being yanked to safety by Noble. Bleeding and pretty woozy, Steve was coaxed by his dad to "be a man" and walk home, which he did before passing out and being rushed to the hospital, where he remained for thirty days! Fortunately near-death experiences are lost to children of seven and after a short period of recuperation, life returned to normal for Steve.
Always tinkering, always keeping busy, Steve's first foray into architectural design took place when he was helping Noble pack prunes for one of their bigger clients, Del Monte. Steve gathered empty prune boxes and over the course of the entire day, created a nine-foot tall, multi level "castle", complete with doors, windows and balconies. It was his pride and joy, but it was lacking a critical real-estate component, which in later years would become a cornerstone of Steve's success - Location, Location, Location. Unfortunately the prune palace was erected right in front of the loading bay, and by the next morning, Steve's dream house had been leveled to make way for the delivery trucks.
Making Hay While the Sun Shines
Steve continued to work at his father's side throughout his school years, and although Noble didn't believe in paying his son, he did give Steve the tools to earn his own money. Noble taught Steve how to bid on cattle, which started a decades long business of purchasing spring calves, fattening them up and re-selling them for profit. Noble also provided Steve with his first baling equipment, which Steve, together with cousins Mike and Marz used to create their own after-school, hay baling business. By the time he was in high school Steve had earned enough money from his various before and after school farming ventures to buy a 1965 Corvette Stingray. As he neared graduation, it was clear that he was different than most kids his age; he already knew what it was to have his own business and make his own money, he knew he didn't want to go to college and most importantly he knew he wanted to make a future with his high school sweetheart Michele Slinger.
Concerned that farming was being phased out in Sonoma County in favor of rapid development, Noble encouraged his newly married son to pursue a career in construction. Steve respected his father's advice, and while he was not prepared to give up his various farming endeavors, he did agree to pursue a "day job" in the building industry. After two years apprenticing with Frontier Electric he took a job taping drywall for Associated Specialties. Like his grandfather Barker, Steve's big break came when he seized an opportunity to impress his employers with his initiative. The year was 1973; Steve was assisting a drywall journeyman named Denny Roper, who had convinced their boss that the relatively inexperienced Steve could cover his work load while he went on vacation. On the first day of Denny's vacation, Steve was presented with a job list double Denny's usual output. Never one to back away from a challenge, Steve worked day and night and, of course, finished all the houses - flawlessly. Needless to say, he'd made an impression. Unfortunately the result of his zeal was an offer to take over Denny's position. Only 21 years old and already the father of two-year-old Mike and one-year-old Tonja, Steve was tempted by the promotion and raise - but not at the expense of his friend Denny.
No Guts, No Glory
Steve and Denny left Associated Specialties to start their own business, Northwestern Drywall, using Denny's state license. Within two years Steve had 100 employees and had opened a second non-union branch to handle public works and government contracts. Steve hired his sister Nancy's husband John Salerno to run the new operation, which was named Northeastern Drywall, in recognition of John's east coast roots. In addition, Steve maintained his daily involvement in the ranches he worked with Noble, rising at 4 am each day to log a couple of hours before heading off to the job site.
In 1975 a local contractor named Wayne Elzey came to Steve with an offer that would catapult Ledson from contractor to developer. Elzey had pre-sold a number of homes, but did not have the capital to build them. Between his ongoing cattle, hay, and contracting businesses, Steve had the money to invest and together they became Elzey and Ledson Construction. Those initial houses led to subdivisions and before long the two had projects scattered from the Bay Area to the Oregon border.
All in the Family
By the late 1980's Steve Ledson was financially secure, professionally respected and surrounded by family, including newest member, daughter Kristina, born in 1987. Only in his thirties he had achieved more than most, but not as much as he wanted. Although he had never given up his various agrarian pursuits, over the years, working the land had taken a back seat to building houses. It was time to change focus, to follow his passion and re-invigorate the family's farming business. In particular Steve wanted to grow grapes, something his great grandfather, his father and his uncle before him had done since 1862. And as usual the opportunity presented itself at just the right time.
A Wine Family Returns to its Roots
In late 1989 Ledson Construction was about to break ground on a spec house and vineyard property in the heart of the Sonoma Valley wine country, when a partner in the project pulled out. Michele convinced Steve that the 21-acre property - with views of the corner of Annandale Park that was once Steve's grandparent's home - was the perfect spot for their dream house and vineyard. Steve agreed and immediately set about planting 17 acres to Merlot and designing the ultimate architectural showpiece. Son Mike worked side-by-side with his father just as Steve had with Noble. By the time of their first harvest in 1993, the 15,000 square foot Gothic, French-Normandy structure replete with a custom-colored brick edifice, slate tile, turrets, balconies and fountains had begun to take shape and stop traffic. Michele and Steve realized that the "castle", as locals had come to call it, was long on looky-loos and short on privacy. Based upon the public interest and the quality of their first harvest, Steve decided to transform the house into a winery and tasting room and to build their home elsewhere. A quick change of plans was followed by four painfully long years acquiring commercial permits and two more years of re- construction before the winery's eventual completion.
Years of farming had endowed Steve with an instinct for making things grow and grow well- and before long his grapes were very much in demand. Ledson had been selling grapes to neighboring wineries including Benziger, St. Francis and Sebastiani for years. In fact it was St. Francis winemaker Tom Mackey who, knowing that Steve wanted to make ultra premium wine, urged him to produce his own estate wine. In 1997, Ledson Winery released its inaugural vintage, the 1994 Ledson Estate Merlot. Since then, Ledson wines have garnered excellent reviews from the elite wine press including a 93 point rating from Wine Spectator Magazine for their 1997 Reserve Carneros Chardonnay. Ledson Winery offers a broad spectrum of varietal wines including: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Mourvedre, Primitivo, Barbera, Malbec, Grenache, Meritage, Rosé, Johannisberg Riesling and Madera Port - all available at the Winery, at the Ledson Harmony Club restaurant and at selected fine restaurants throughout the country.
In addition to the 17-acre estate vineyard, Ledson Winery owns 21 acres on Denmark Road in Sonoma, which is currently planted to 100+-year Old Vine Zinfandel and 5,500 acres in Anderson Valley, Mendocino County, that may lend itself to a future Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot planting. Ledson's dreams are to replant thirty-five acres of the 105 acre Kenwood Ranch originally cultivated by his great grandfather, William Cunningham in 1919.
On August 27th, 2003 Steve Ledson opened his luxury two-story Hotel & Harmony Club restaurant, situated on the historic Sonoma Plaza. The hotel features six individually decorated rooms on the upper floor, while the Harmony Club wine bar and restaurant covers the entire ground floor. Meticulously designed and built by Steve, the hotel represents a step back in time to a grander era.
A Family Affair
Michele Ledson drew on years of interior design experience to create the look and feel of the winery's visitor centers. In addition to designing and outfitting the winery's exquisite wine accessories and gift emporium, Michele has acted as the winery's chief emissary, overseeing the very busy hospitality team and welcoming everyone from the casual tourist to the VIP trade visitor with signature Ledson charm.
Son Mike - a life-long farmer like his dad and grandfather and also a journeyman carpenter with his own contractor's license - oversaw most of the interior finishing during construction, doing much of the intricate wood work himself. As it turned out, his tireless energy ultimately made him invaluable to the sales side of the business, and so he splits his time between sales and construction business.
Steve's father Noble Ledson deserves a story all to himself. Until his death, on February 8th, 2004 at age 88, Noble was a force of nature. A gregarious raconteur with an endless repertoire of old Sonoma Valley stories, he routinely consulted on the grape growing and wine making at Ledson Winery, drawing on his life long valley friendships to unearth prime, new vineyard sites. When not holding court at the winery, Noble was either farming his beloved walnut orchard or hitting the road in his tricked-out RV with bride and fellow adventurer Meg. No matter where Noble was, at home or on the road, not a day went by that he didn't start each morning with a phone call to his son, Steve. Sometimes it was to check in, sometimes to offer up encouragement or advice and every so often to give a swift, telephonic kick in the butt. His voice at the end of the phone line is gone. His spirit, though, remains forever.
The winery suffered another loss when Steve's cousin Leonard passed away in 2001. A life-long Sonman who for years managed the vineyards of Kunde Ranch, Leonard oversaw all of the winery's vineyard holdings. The void left by Leonard's passing is large, both for the family and for the winery.
Ledson Winery, however, continues to be a hub for the Ledson clan, with many taking an active role. Over the years, cousins, nephews, nieces and more have taken part in the winery's apprentice program and Steve's own daughters Tonja and Kristina, as well as his sister Nancy regularly pitch in during busy weekends and special events.Beyond his immediate family, Steve has come to rely upon his "extended family" of valued employees who have worked tirelessly for the winery's success with zeal equal to any family member.
Most important to Steve is the potential his new winery presents for bringing even more family members together. As homage to his grandfather, Barker, Steve has devoted the past several years to tracing the Ledson family tree, contacting and re-uniting long lost relatives from all over the globe. Will there soon be Ledson wines in Canada, Australia and England? Absolutely, if Steve has his way, wherever there's Ledson family there'll be Ledson wines.
The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same
Over 130 years since great-grandfather William Cunningham farmed his family vineyard and made his own wine, the Ledson Winery stands today as a dream realized for the Ledson family. It is a family business; built on a heritage of Sonoma Valley farming that provides a work and social center to over 20 family members.
Every detail of the wines and the winery belies generations of experience and commitment to quality. The winery itself is an architectural showpiece. It emerges like a gothic blast from the past out of acres of rolling vineyard and pastoral calm. The "Gone with the Wind" staircase, sculpted rose gardens, sprawling outdoor patios and impeccable grounds make the "castle" the perfect backdrop for an afternoon picnic, corporate getaway or fairytale wedding. Boasting three beautifully appointed tasting bars, a fully stocked gourmet marketplace and elegant clothing and gift boutique, the Ledson Winery is as much a landmark destination as it is a premium winery.
As proud as Barker would be of the Ledson Winery & Vineyards, the family agrees that his greatest pleasure would have been the site of son Noble, grandson Steve and great grandson Mike side-by-side in the vineyard at the crack of dawn, tending the vines, tasting the grapes- striving for quality together as a family. It's what Barker wished for and what the Ledson Winery stands for. You can feel it at the family winery and taste it in every bottle of Ledson Wine.
Epilogue - The Ledson Hotel
You didn't think the story ended there, did you? Not one to rest on his laurels, Steve Ledson started to look at the way in which tourists visited the Sonoma Valley. In particular, the relationship between the very popular Sonoma town plaza and the wineries, like Ledson, that were located up valley. He found, after two years of interviewing plaza visitors, that many were unaware of the full complement of wineries in northern Sonoma Valley, opting instead to tour the more familiar destinations in Napa Valley.
Steve had two goals in mind. He wanted to promote travel from the Sonoma Plaza up valley to his and other wineries, and he wanted to do something to re-create the hospitality and conviviality that he grew up with at the huge feasts prepared by his mother for the many workers, friends and family during harvest.
The idea that had first taken hold in 1997 became a reality in August of 2003 with the grand opening of the Ledson Hotel, Wine Bar and Restaurant. Fronting Sonoma's historic town plaza, the boutique hotel and small plate eaterie was painstakingly designed to evoke Sonoma's rich history while providing all the luxury of the world's tiniest hotels. Old-world charm and modern amenities merge lavishly in each of the six, family-named rooms which grace the second floor. The ground floor wine bar and restaurant spill out onto the sidewalk with bistro style seating and a small plate menu by chefs Mark Sandovol and Darren Robey designed to showcase Sonoma's bounty of local artisan foods and wine. Music lovers are also in for a real treat. Three nights a week the hotel showcases the best of the Bay Area's jazz and blues scene. Within months of opening, the hotel and restaurant had made Condè Nast Traveler's 2004 Hot List as one of the top two hotels in California and one of the top 18 hotels in the US. And yes, with Michele now managing the hotel and restaurant and Steve often on hand to greet, meet and seat, this too is a family affair.
Commentary from the artist:
Azzara was created in the likeness of a kind young man that I met last year. The human Azzara left quite an impression on me. He possessed an ethic beauty, confidence, and displayed a rare kindness. I knew in the moment that I had to attempt to create him in doll form. When I asked the human Azzara if I could use his name and image as inspiration for one of my art dolls, his response was, "I am flattered, and yes, you may make a doll in my image and name him after me, BUT under one condition- the art doll Azzara MUST HAVE DREADLOCKS and be brown like me!" Well, I was delighted to have obtained Azzara's permission, but the stipulation of dreadlocks, though the proper thing to do, caused a delay in bringing my work into fruition.Not only does it take hours for me just to make a couple kinky twisted locks- I use a wool blend as my medium. I AM ALLERGIC TO WOOL! So, the work is long and tedious when I deliberately expose myself to wool, but it had to be done!
I hear a lot these days about people not wanting to return to work. Well...I don't want to either. However, that's another story. This recent sighting in Hanson, Kentucky showed me that America's work ethic is alive and well. Here's someone willing to come out and remove your pet waste. A task I suspect some folks would not even consider for job choice. Hats off for the Scoop Pros.
My first photography trip with a Nikon f65 (Analogue)
Kalash Valley,
Pakistan.
The jeep’s tire slipped off a tiny rock as it moved further towards the valley of Kalash. The road was all rocky with a narrow drive way. It made me sense fear as I looked thousands of feet down through the window which was covered with the December mist. I wiped it off with my hands to stare right through in the eyes of this developing fear. I know it will not last for long. I moved ahead. My destination arrived and I parked my jeep in a beautiful pathway of a wooden lodge. The journey began as I threw my bag on the bed and walked out of my room.
I took out my camera and gently removed the tiny dust particles from the lens with a soft cloth which I always kept in my bag. The wind was blowing, but I could see little raindrops on the green leaves but all this with a bright sun to put an icing on the cake for me to capture yet another master piece of nature. I walked further to get hold of my favorite snap shot. I could smell the wet mud. It took away all the tiredness that the long drive gave me. Passing by I plucked a cherry red apple from a tree branch which was inclined towards the ground. I helped my self with a little jump. Oh there I heard something, there was a bunch of young girls singing merrily and dancing in their traditional dresses. Unaware of the norms of this particular region, I did not know if I could intervene. I sat behind a rock n saw them while I took a bite of this sweet and juicy fruit. The colors in their attire were pleasing to my eyes. I took out my zoom lens and focused them capturing what I could see from there. Suddenly someone covered my eyes with both hands. I tried to remove them and could feel softness on the skin. I made my grip loosen a bit. I did not want to hurt her. She removed her hands and asked me to give the fruit. A young girl, not more than five years old, really brought a smile on my face. She ran away with the apple humming that joyous tune. For a moment I wished to be that kid with a blissful gesture on my face and watched her run away as she disappeared in meadows covered with a lush green canopy of leaves.
You know, I had pretty much given up hope in humanity, most notably in the new generation. Yeah, I sound like an old man. But, for the most part, kids seem to have an absolutely horrible work ethic, ZERO respect for their parents, and don't even get me started on the "music"!
But today I met Amy and Parker. We all happened to be rummaging through a bin of CDs at the local thrifty. I noticed Parker's shirt, a conversation with them ensued, and I was so impressed with the rapport between the two and their "story", that I had to get a picture.
Parker is in a local punk band, Stellar.
Parker is the lead singer and plays guitar. It's SO good to see that the values and the attitudes of rock n roll may have dimmed, may be on life support, but they are not dead. Hell, the SUBURBS hasn't killed it. As long as there are people like Amy and Parker in the world, it has a chance.
Again, check them out. Pretty impressive. Wish I was doing that at his age.
Given his strength and reputation for a good work ethic, it's no surprise that Taipu was found working in the Protodermis slave mines, wielding a hearty Pickaxe. Since breaking out, Taipu has shown himself to be as dependable as always, though he still resents being called Hafu.
Yep, Taipu's torso is black and Hafu's is brown. Finally a way to differentiate them. I'm quite fond of Taipu's pickaxe as it was one of the first weapons built. I've never seen Onewa's Proto Pitons used as a pickaxe before.
Loyalty, affection, intelligence, work ethic, and good looks: Boxers are the whole doggy package. Bright and alert, sometimes silly, but always courageous, the Boxer has been among America's most popular dog breeds for a very long time.
Two of my great aunts lived side by side in a small farm community in my county. They had lives with narrow focus, friends and family and local chitter chatter. Both of the ladies were remnants of the Victorian ethic, but were far different from one another. One was a care giver for an elderly mother-in-law, then husband, then her sister next door. Years later when she moved into assisted living she was thrilled. No one had ever changed her bed, cooked her dinner or washed her clothes. She had always done these tasks for others. The other sister had lost a husband to the flu epidemic at the first of WWI. Always considered the most delicate of the children she was catered to and rarely asked to do anything that even resembled physical labor due to her "delicate constitution". One day she broke into tears and sobbed hysterically for her husband asked her to come steady a fence post while he filled in the hole for his hired hand had taken off for lunch. I do not think Great Uncle Jim ever asked for much after that! These cottages could be for sisters living side my side...close enough for company, but independent enough for a bit of separation. It would be wonderful to live this close to my sister.
Loyalty, affection, intelligence, work ethic, and good looks: Boxers are the whole doggy package. Bright and alert, sometimes silly, but always courageous, the Boxer has been among America's most popular dog breeds for a very long time. A well-made Boxer in peak condition is an awesome sight.
Planet Stories / Magazin-Reihe
- Hayden Howard / The Ethic of the Assassin
art: Kelly Freas
Editor: Jack O'Sullivan
Love Romances Publishing / USA 1953
Reprint: Comic-Club NK 2010
ex libris MTP
gay people will continue to be gay, woman will continue to get abortions, world leaders will continue to manipulate, children will continue to grow up in homes where their parents have no work ethic or ambition and live off our tax dollars, america will continue to go into debt and have trouble paying it off, wars will exist and buildings will fall, natural disasters will occur, soldiers will continue to sacrifice their lives, christians and muslims and atheists and jews and terrorists and agnostics and satanists and buddists and every single kind of person on this earth will continue to fight for something even if its nothing and the world will continue to spin and the moon will orbit and the sun will burn and stars will die and the universe will expand and all of this will continue forever and there is absolutely nothing that any one person or even one country can do to change it... but there is one thing I am certain, certain to the core of my being, that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. so for you and your endless arguments and rants about this or that or who is wrong or who is right, i hope you can learn to invest those energies into living a good life, being a kindhearted and loving individual, changing what you can, getting healthy, being a good mom or dad, always considering others and how your actions affect those around you, being a good steward of your finances and possessions, protecting your family and honoring them... whatever you believe in i hope you can at least do these things.
Digging wells by hand is hard work, especially at the hottest time of day. Great appreciation for this young guy's work ethic ...
#everyday-heroes
It's so weird to think how much I've changed. In 10th grade I was very conservative and judgemental and afraid.
I'm so glad now that I've accepted that life isn't meant to be perfect. That I love drinking, and even getting drunk, going to parties that last til 4 am, meeting amazing people, smoking cigars by the bonfire with great friends in our shorts and sweatshirts under the stars, that I've embraced my sexuality and feel comfortable with my body and trust it to another person, that even though I don't smoke it, I fight for the legalization of marijuana, and that stopped trying to make everyone happy except myself.
But I still love to read. I still am a passionate writer. I still have a kind heart and loving soul. Family and friends still come first. My work ethic is superb. My grades and essays have earned me approximately $35,000 in scholarships. I have fallen into my own political and (non)religious beliefs and speak my mind without offense. I just have a more open mind. I'm just older and more open to new things.
I am still me.
Just better.
Chassis n° 4607
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais 2020
Bonhams
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2020
Estimated : € 1.050.000 - 1.400.000
Sold for € 870.000
All the sophistication of Ettore Bugatti's famously thoughtful design ethic is embodied within this wonderfully well-presented ex-works racing Bugatti Type 39, as manufactured at the charismatic Molsheim factory in 1925...
Mr Bugatti built his reputation upon creating rapid and reliable motor cars endowed with competitively powerful engines in light, compact, and nimble chassis. Above all he clearly grasped the over-riding importance of a high power-to-weight ratio in contrast to some other quality car constructors to whom overall weight seemed irrelevant compared to achieving the highest possible power not necessarily out there on the open road, nor race circuit, but in the engine test-house...
While combining in so many of his sporting models high power, minimal mass and a good-handling, driveable chassis, Ettore Bugatti also manufactured most of them in sufficient numbers to attract, and to satisfy, broad demand from a moneyed and dashingly competition-minded market.
In 1924 Mr Bugatti had launched his 2-litre Type 35 design, and by 1925 the Type 39 followed to comply with maximum 1500cc Voiturette racing regulations – effectively the Formula 2 of the time. Use of a short-stroke crankshaft in the straight-8 cylinder engine provided bore and stroke measurements of 60mm x 66mm, displacing 1493cc. Possibly Mr Bugatti was anticipating the overall Grand Prix capacity limit rule change for 1926-27 which would cut maximum permitted engine capacity from 2-litres to 1½.
The Type 39s made their debut in the Grand Prix de Tourisme at Montlhéry south of Paris, France, in June 1925. The four new works team cars promptly finished 1-2-3-4 in their class, and in 3rd place was '4607' now offered here, driven by Giulio Foresti.
Of course the pinnacle of road racing competition during the 1920s was the Grand Prix arena, and when the1925 Italian Grand Prix at Monza Autodrome was run concurrently with the 1500cc Gran Premio delle Vetturette the Bugatti company contested it with a full team of five Type 39s.
The race was run over 80 laps of the Milanese Autodrome's 10km combined road and high-speed track. Bugatti's team captain was Bartolomeo 'Meo' Costantini, teamed to drive with Jules Goux, Pierre de Vizcaya, Count Carlo Masetti and Count Aymo Maggi, who was replacing Ferdinand de Vizcaya, the Spanish banker – and backer of the Bugatti company - who arrived late from Barcelona. And when Count Masetti had to stand down due to a leg injury, it was Giulio Foresti who took his place to drive '4607' in the long race...
As the Gran Premio developed, the Bugattis not only dominated the Voiturette category but also climbed the leader board amongst the full 2-litre Grand Prix cars. Finally – after 5hrs 44mins 40.91secs to be precise (the Italian lap-scorers immensely proud of their then-new hundredth-second timing equipment) the Gran Premio delle Vetturette was decided with Costantini's Bugatti Type 39 winning from the sister cars of Ferdinand de Vizcaya and Giulio Foresti, respectively 2nd and 3rd. Pierre de Vizcaya's Type 39 placed fourth while Jules Goux's engine had failed after 64 of the 80 laps. Overall, the Bugatti Type 39s had proved so fast and reliable that Costantini finished the Grand Prix 3rd overall, Ferdinand de Vizcaya 6th and Foresti in '4607' now offered here, 7th.
A record survives of this car and its sister '4604' both being sold soon after to the British importer, Colonel Sorel in London, and it is thought that Giulio Foresti – an accomplished 'wheeler-dealer' in his own right – then found an eager buyer for the pair – one A.V.Turner - in Australia, although alternative reference suggests that '4607' was imported there by prominent Vauxhall driver Boyd Edkins.
On June 19, 1926, the car certainly appeared upon Sydney's high-banked Maroubra Speedway driven by a friend and colleague of Edkins, Dick Clarke. While the Type 39s – or 'Monzas' as they became known in Australia – became particularly noted for their wonderfully high-pitched exhaust note, they were not well-suited to Maroubra, since they were over-geared for the tight Speedway. Clarke was still able to win a heat there on September 4, 1926, and '4607' lapped the speedbowl at 86mph. At Penrith Clarke won a heat and a semi-final before taking 2nd and 3rd places in two further events. Then back at Maroubra for the January, 1927 meeting Clarke won two heats and took 2nd in a final.
The car later passed to 20-year-old Sid Cox, son of a wealthy building magnate. The young man also had a Bugatti Type 40 which he used as a tender when he took '4607' to Philip Island, Melbourne, Victoria, to race in the 1928 Australian Grand Prix. With friend Ken McKinney alongside him Sid Cox practised for the great race only for bronze filings to be found in the oil filter, a sign that the power unit's bronze roller-bearing cages were failing. On race day, sure enough, '4607's engine broke a connecting rod.
A new crankcase and sump were bought for the car, but the old sump was used in the rebuild, mated to the new crankcase. Cox then sold '4607' to poster-artist Reg St John who became noted for maintaining the Bugatti in utterly pristine, highly polished and well-cherished condition. He reportedly used it to parade up and down Swanston Street, Melbourne, admiring his reflection in the shop windows. And why not?
However, Australian racer Carl Junker then acquired the car and – with Reg Nutt as his riding mechanic – he entered it in the 1931 Australian GP again at Philip Island. They were running second behind Hope Bartlett's Bugatti Type 37A on the penultimate lap when its engine failed, Junker and Nutt joyously inheriting outright Grand Prix victory for '4607'. Ernie Nutt had tuned the car and he would recall that Junker used 7,000rpm through the gears, '4607' achieving 55mph in 1st, 72mph in 2nd and 103mph in 3rd.
Racing again in the 1932 Australian GP, Junker improved his lap times but fell victim to spark-plug trouble which meant he could finish only 5th. Completing the long race ahead of him that day was Merton Wreford in his Brescia Bugatti, and he later bought '4607' from Junker, reputedly after it had suffered another engine failure.
Mert Wreford fixed the problem and then entered the Type 39 in the 1933 Australian GP in which he found himself confronted by Carl Junker in the sister 1925 Bugatti 'Monza' – chassis '4604'. These two Type 39s proved to be the class of that Grand Prix field and after Junker's engine blew-up, Wreford moved into the lead, only for '4607's engine to fail on the third-last lap. Evidently the two broken 'Monzas' were left parked together at trackside – but Mert Wreford had recorded the race's fastest lap.
A new owner was then found for '4607' in specialist Jack Day of the Ajax Pump Works who fitted '4607' with his own 'Day' supercharger, driven from the crankshaft nose. He made his debut with the supercharged car in the August, 1933, Frankston hill-climb. But when the forced-induction experiment disappointed, Jack Day removed the Bugatti engine and fitted instead a Ford V8. This Type 39 thus became the first Australian special to be powered by a 'black iron' American Ford V8. The resultant Day Special proved very successful through 1936, setting new hill-climb records at Mitcham and Rob Roy. Reg Nutt raced the car in monoposto form at Phillip Island, 1937, and in the South Australian GP in 1938.
After World War 2, Bondi Beach surf life-saver, water-skier and amateur wrestler 'Gelignite' Jack Murray bought '4607' in its Day Special form from Jack Day, the price £1,100.
'Gelignite Jack' would earn his nickname from blowing up rural dunnies with sticks of gelignite during the RedeX Round Australia Trials. Every man needs a hobby....
The car "was given the full Murray red paint and chrome treatment" and in it he set fastest time and finished 5th on handicap in the 1946 New South Wales GP at Bathurst. Returning there n 1947 he was tipped to win, but failed to finish. The car was clocked at 106mph. At the 1948 Bathurst 100 the Day Special was recorded at 117mph and placed 3rd on handicap in the over 1500cc class. Overheating often afflicted the car in its Ford V8-engined form, but 'Gelignite Jack' continued to campaign the ageing special into 1954 when he was an amazing 4th fastest and 7th on handicap at the Bathurst Easter Meeting.
Subsequently the car survived in storage at Murray's Bondi garage, until he sold it – accompanied by a mass of related Bugatti components – to marque enthusiast Ted Lobb. While the original Type 39 chassis survived within the Day Special, Ted Lobb also had its original engine 'No 7' – which was fitted in his sister car '4604' – so now he also owned the blown-up engine 'No 6' – originally in '4604' – from Jack Day. Around 1974, Ted Lobb sold the Day Special and engine 'No 6' plus numerous other related Bugatti parts to Bob King, who later decided to rebuild '4607' to its 1925 Italian Grand Prix 'Monza' form.
He would later write: "The monumental rebuild was completed in the early 1980s, using a Type 39 crankshaft which came from Lance Dixon's Type 51A '4847'. The crankshaft – numbered '27' – was in perfect ex-factory condition, all parts carrying matching factory numbers. A gearbox casing was obtained in England from Ian Preston. The differential is Type 38, suitably altered, from the Nuttbug (BC4)". He concluded "'4607' was sold to Art Valdez of California in 1986...".
This restored Bugatti Type 39 was then shipped to Bangkok, Thailand, in time for new owner Art Valdez to drive it in the December 5, 1987, Prince 'Bira' commemorative Bangkok Grand Prix meeting. Anton Perera reported in 'The Nation' newspaper: "There in the parade was the oldest car of them all, a Bugatti Type 39 – all of 62 years with a 1493cc engine. And didn't the smooth engine purr with noise, indicating that it could be a danger on the 2.5km Pattaya Circuit next week...Yes, the 1931 Australian Grand Prix winner looked in perfectly good trim and ready to turn on the speed..."
John Fitzpatrick of the Australian Bugatti Register later reported how at Pattaya, where the Vintage race "ended an absolutely magical fortnight...Art Valdez was euphoric after his first race in a GP Bugatti...as Neil Corner wrote recently '...To have your GP Bugatti motoring well is to live with the gods...'".
The car was preserved within Mr Valdez's Californian ownership until in April 1993 he telephoned former owner Bob King to declare his intention to sell it. However, it was not until 2017 that the car subsequently passed from Art Valdez into the ownership of the present vendor.
Today '4607' presents very well indeed, having recently benefited from a mechanical inspection, strip-down and rebuilt by Tony Ditheridge's renowned Hawker Racing concern in Milden, Suffolk, England. This work included thorough cleaning and re-commissioning - even to the extent of fitting new valve springs. This ex-works Bugatti warhorse was then unleashed successor on the open road. Now, subject to the usual inspections and personal set-up adjustments, '4607' is poised for an active 2020 motoring season.
The car is accompanied by a comprehensive historical overview and inspection report compiled by the highly respected British Bugatti specialists David Sewell and Mark Morris.
In summary they confirm that "Type 39 chassis '4607' presents itself today as a recognised and well recorded example of the 8-cylinder GP Bugatti". They continue: "One key factor that must be recorded is that the major components are of Molsheim manufacture". The chassis frame is No 61 – while they report that the Molsheim lower (engine) crankcase is '7' ex-'4604' – the Molsheim upper (engine) crankcase is '114' – the Molsheim cambox 'No 7' – the Molsheim gearbox 'No 113' – the Molsheim gearbox lid No '856' – while the Molsheim rear axle centre casing has been modified from that of a touring car, ratio 12x54, 'No 284'.
So here BONHAMS is delighted to commend to the market this Bugatti Type 39 – the eminently useable (and potentially so enjoyable – and so raceable) winner of the 1931 Australian Grand Prix – and previously works driver Giulio Foresti's works team car, with third place in the 1925 Grand Prix de Tourism –third place in the 1925 Italian Gran Premio delle Vetturette at Monza – and 7th in the overall Italian Grand Prix, all so prominent within its history.
Just one decisive bid, and this fine example of Le Pur Sang – which such a jam-packed history on both road and track - could be yours...
Featuring the blonde girl from LEGO's friends line. I think her name is Stephanie. While the line has a bunch of other ethic groups, it is clearly lacking in transhumanist robot girls. So LIRA is stepping up to be represented. LIRA's claws do retract for those of you who have seen her other photo.
Newark’s famous blue-collar and vibrantly multi-ethic Ironbound district is celebrated on tbis mural near Newark Penn station. The headquarters of NJ Transit loom behind.
We’ll all pay for ignoring our rotten parliament
Ben Macintyre
For a century and a half, the Palace of Westminster has been left to the ravages of time, asbestos and rodents
The Houses of Parliament are falling down. Big Ben is to be silenced, after 157 years of almost unbroken chiming, for an urgent repair programme. These old houses are a-getting shaky, to adapt the words of our foremost architectural pop singer, Shakin’ Stevens, and needing a lot more than paint.
The roofs are leaking, the wiring is terrifyingly antiquated, the sewerage system cannot cope, and the 1930s boilers are clogged with limescale. The oldest of the 28 lifts dates back to 1893, and some are liable to sudden, shuddering breakdown. Parts of the building are infested with rodents, the masonry is crumbling, gutters are cracking, and the interiors are peeling and faded. The entire Palace of Westminster is a fire trap. Almost none of its 3,000 windows close properly.
As one recent report put it: “If the palace were not a listed building of the highest heritage value, its owner would probably be advised to demolish and rebuild.”
A cross-party committee is expected to recommend in the next few weeks that MPs relocate while essential renovation is carried out over six years. The original building cost more than £2 million to build — approximately £220 million in today’s money. Deloitte estimates that a complete restoration, carried out with the MPs in situ, would take 32 years and cost £5.7 billion.
Completed in 1870, the palace has endured through six monarchs and 26 governments, but now age and neglect have finally left it in danger of “catastrophic breakdown”.
Normally, when things go wrong in parliament, we hold an inquiry to establish who is responsible. So who can we blame for the shocking decay of the nation’s foremost public building?
In rough chronological order, the guilty parties are: the architect Charles Barry, the geologist William Logan, whose discoveries led to the first commercial asbestos mines, Adolf Hitler and the Luftwaffe, successive maintenance bodies that failed to fix the roof while the sun was shining, MPs taking shorter holidays, and the inhabitants of London for polluting the air of the capital.
We can start by pointing the finger at two Irish labourers, Joshua Cross and Patrick Furlong, whose job it was, in 1834, to burn the small wooden tally sticks then used as part of the Exchequer accounting process, in a furnace beneath the House of Lords. On October 16, a chimney fire started, which spread rapidly and largely destroyed the medieval royal palace.
Anston stone was porous, vulnerable to the pollution of sooty London
The competition to rebuild it was won by Barry, aided by Augustus Pugin. The result was a neo-Gothic masterpiece, but with hindsight Barry chose the wrong materials. In 1839, he toured Britain’s quarries with two geologists and a master stone-cutter before selecting Anston, a sand-coloured limestone from South Yorkshire, which was beautiful, available in large blocks suitable for elaborate carving, and cheap. But it was also quite porous and vulnerable to the pollution of sooty London; some stone was of doubtful quality. After just ten years, the signs of decay were visible; for the rest of the century the problem was studied by various committees and nothing was done about it.
Meanwhile Sir William Logan, the head of the Geological Survey of Canada, uncovered large deposits of white asbestos in the hills of Quebec. By the 1890s the mines were producing 10,000 tons a year. The first diagnosis of asbestosis was made in the UK in 1924, but for decades the material continued to be used in building as a fire retardant, insulator and lagging to reduce noise. The Palace of Westminster was stuffed with this poisonous fibre, around pipes and ducts, in walls and fire linings, and even in some parliamentary paint. Now it must all be stripped out.
During the Blitz, the palace was struck by no fewer than 14 bombs, destroying the Commons chamber, much of the cloisters and causing extensive damage. The rebuilding was a vital boost to national morale, but like much postwar reconstruction it was also hasty, and not always to the highest standards. What was Jerry-bombed ended up being jerry-built, and soon in need of further work.
There has been no general renovation since, even though the complex and elaborate architectural style of Barry and Pugin requires complex and elaborate (and frequent) restoration. The funds allocated for piecemeal repair in the latter half of the 20th century were simply not enough to keep pace with the wear and tear. The impact of under-investment in restoration was compounded by air pollution, what one investigating committee called the “pernicious London atmosphere”.
In recent years, politicians seeking approval for their work ethic have often called for MPs to take shorter holidays. Traditionally palace maintenance has been carried out in the summer months, but the length of the long recess has steadily shrunk, from 79 days three decades ago, to 48 days last year. That has meant more parliamentary work, but less time to fix spewing pipes and dodgy elevators.
Commentators hunting easy metaphors have seized on the dilapidation as an image of our decayed political life. But in reality, the disrepair reflects the arduous affection to which these buildings have been subjected for almost 150 years: we have crammed them with more and more wiring, pipework, legislators, officials and rooms, heaping an ever heavier burden on structures no longer fit for the purpose we ask of them.
The heavy and growing demands of democracy have pushed what is arguably Britain’s most famous building into a state of decrepitude; we have loved it almost to death, and we should therefore pay whatever it takes to bring it back to new life.
Around the turn of the 21st century, other forms of street art began to appear in Melbourne, including woodblocking, sticker art, poster art, wheatpasting, graphs, various forms of street installations and reverse graffiti. A strong sense of community ownership and DIY ethic exists amongst street artists in Melbourne, many of whom are activists for the progression of society through awareness, created in part by their work.
Around the turn of the 21st century, other forms of street art began to appear in Melbourne, including woodblocking, sticker art, poster art, wheatpasting, graphs, various forms of street installations and reverse graffiti. A strong sense of community ownership and DIY ethic exists amongst street artists in Melbourne, many of whom are activists for the progression of society through awareness, created in part by their work.
... first you have to learn what it is and then you can begin to feel the concept. It could take years to develop. It's OK though, they'll keep reminding you.
"Everyone join hands..." the Preacher said.
The last time that happerned I was at a 9/11 Memorial, and I ended up putting the camera aside to join hands in a prayer for the victims.
This was a happier occasion, a wedding. Usually when I hang a camera around my neck, I adopt the "fly-on-the-wall" photojournalist ethic where I try to be invisible. It's a cultural charade we all know and understand, and mostly people play along. But the need for objectivity and distance only matters if you're working for the press--sometimes it just doesn't matter at all.
At times, this camera has been like a magic carpet--I hold onto it, and have been amazed at where it takes me. Other times, it's been a wedge--a machine that's put distance between me and others. Lately, I've been a bit reclusive, and I've filled my hands with dog leashes and left the camera at home--sorry 'bout that. Just a phase I've been going through (as Mom often said).
But all those joined hands, as the preacher talked about connection, and community. You feel the pulse of another heart beating.
It took me back a coupla decades, when my son was a little tyke, sitting beside me in a cafe, watching the downtown people walking by. A song came on--One of Us. We started looking at the folks passing by--imagining who might be "God".
"Wow, Dad--even a little kid could be God?" he asked.
"Probably the most likely choice," I answered.
A friend called the other day, her life somewhat in turmoil, but she'd encountered an "angel" in a coffee shop--a disabled man who'd responded to her kindness by getting out of his wheelchair and giving her a flower--then, with a look of bliss on his face, got up (leaving his wheelchair) walked out the door, and disappeared into the square and was lost in the crowd. "I felt I'd seen an angel" she said. I suggested that perhaps, in his version of the encounter, in his eyes--SHE could have been cast as the "Angel"..."they're always recruiting, y'know."
"Then I'm in!" she smiled. Amazing what a smile, a touch, patient listening, a word of encouragement can provide--I don't do it enough. Even lost in a dark and barren place, if you reach out, someone will put an apple in your hand.
and a little more ethics in relation to work:-) Barbara Ehrenreich
HBW!!
narcissus pseudonarcissus subsp. moschatus, daffodil, j c raulston arboretum, ncsu, raleigh, north carolina
When people talk about talent and passion for work, Keeley Hawes is probably the first that came to their minds. She has the work ethic, the talent to inspire and the face that lingers to your head the first time you see it. But do you know what makes Keeley Hawes’s face so remarkable? Her s...
Keeley Hawes after plastic surgery Best After Before Plastic Surgery Photos Of Keeley Hawes A Further Cosmetic Lover
Planet Stories / Magazin-Reihe
- Hayden Howard / The Ethic of the Assassin
art: Kelly Freas
Editor: Jack O'Sullivan
Love Romances Publishing / USA 1953
Reprint: Comic-Club NK 2010
ex libris MTP
Outside Korhogo, the village of Waraniéné is probably the largest collection of looms (ca400) in the country, as the combine Senufo and Dyula ethic groups, produce textiles in the traditional manner.
We have to recognize that a spirit of individualism and confusion has reduced us to an ethic of “every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost.” This ethic, unfortunately sometimes consecrated by Christian formulas, is nothing but the secular ethic of the affluent society, based on the false assumption that if everyone is bent on making money for himself the common good will automatically follow, due to the operation of economic laws.
-Thomas Merton
Marmalade Photo Fourteen.
I don't want them to have work ethic
I want them to have play ethic
especially in their work
I seem to love construction equipment. Most of it is yellow, but perhaps it is the dirt and work ethic of the machinery itself.
This photo was taken on 11th Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd Street.
For some reason, I thought this was very funny. Maybe it's because I vaguely recalled another photo I had taken back in 1989(!), of a sewer plate in Rome -- shown here:
www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/12151606714/in/set-72157640...
I'm not exactly sure what the abbreviation means, and I don't speak any Latin either (according to George Bush, only Latinos speak Latin, right?); but I think the sewer in Rome says something like, "The Senate and People of Rome." If so, it suggests an entirely different ethic and culture than what you see in New York...
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This set of photos is based on a very simple concept: walk every block of Manhattan with a camera, and see what happens. To avoid missing anything, walk both sides of the street.
That's all there is to it …
Of course, if you wanted to be more ambitious, you could also walk the streets of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. But that's more than I'm willing to commit to at this point, and I'll leave the remaining boroughs of New York City to other, more adventurous photographers.
Oh, actually, there's one more small detail: leave the photos alone for a month -- unedited, untouched, and unviewed. By the time I actually focus on the first of these "every-block" photos, I will have taken more than 8,000 images on the nearby streets of the Upper West Side -- plus another several thousand in Rome, Coney Island, and the various spots in NYC where I traditionally take photos. So I don't expect to be emotionally attached to any of the "every-block" photos, and hope that I'll be able to make an objective selection of the ones worth looking at.
As for the criteria that I've used to select the small subset of every-block photos that get uploaded to Flickr: there are three. First, I'll upload any photo that I think is "great," and where I hope the reaction of my Flickr-friends will be, "I have no idea when or where that photo was taken, but it's really a terrific picture!"
A second criterion has to do with place, and the third involves time. I'm hoping that I'll take some photos that clearly say, "This is New York!" to anyone who looks at it. Obviously, certain landscape icons like the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty would satisfy that criterion; but I'm hoping that I'll find other, more unexpected examples. I hope that I'll be able to take some shots that will make a "local" viewer say, "Well, even if that's not recognizable to someone from another part of the country, or another part of the world, I know that that's New York!" And there might be some photos where a "non-local" viewer might say, "I had no idea that there was anyplace in New York City that was so interesting/beautiful/ugly/spectacular."
As for the sense of time: I remember wandering around my neighborhood in 2005, photographing various shops, stores, restaurants, and business establishments -- and then casually looking at the photos about five years later, and being stunned by how much had changed. Little by little, store by store, day by day, things change … and when you've been around as long as I have, it's even more amazing to go back and look at the photos you took thirty or forty years ago, and ask yourself, "Was it really like that back then? Seriously, did people really wear bell-bottom jeans?"
So, with the expectation that I'll be looking at these every-block photos five or ten years from now (and maybe you will be, too), I'm going to be doing my best to capture scenes that convey the sense that they were taken in the year 2013 … or at least sometime in the decade of the 2010's (I have no idea what we're calling this decade yet). Or maybe they'll just say to us, "This is what it was like a dozen years after 9-11".
Movie posters are a trivial example of such a time-specific image; I've already taken a bunch, and I don't know if I'll ultimately decide that they're worth uploading. Women's fashion/styles are another obvious example of a time-specific phenomenon; and even though I'm definitely not a fashion expert, I suspected that I'll be able to look at some images ten years from now and mutter to myself, "Did we really wear shirts like that? Did women really wear those weird skirts that are short in the front, and long in the back? Did everyone in New York have a tattoo?"
Another example: I'm fascinated by the interactions that people have with their cellphones out on the street. It seems that everyone has one, which certainly wasn't true a decade ago; and it seems that everyone walks down the street with their eyes and their entire conscious attention riveted on this little box-like gadget, utterly oblivious about anything else that might be going on (among other things, that makes it very easy for me to photograph them without their even noticing, particularly if they've also got earphones so they can listen to music or carry on a phone conversation). But I can't help wondering whether this kind of social behavior will seem bizarre a decade from now … especially if our cellphones have become so miniaturized that they're incorporated into the glasses we wear, or implanted directly into our eyeballs.
Oh, one last thing: I've created a customized Google Map to show the precise details of each day's photo-walk. I'll be updating it each day, and the most recent part of my every-block journey will be marked in red, to differentiate it from all of the older segments of the journey, which will be shown in blue. You can see the map, and peek at it each day to see where I've been, by clicking on this link
URL link to Ed's every-block progress through Manhattan
If you have any suggestions about places that I should definitely visit to get some good photos, or if you'd like me to photograph you in your little corner of New York City, please let me know. You can send me a Flickr-mail message, or you can email me directly at ed-at-yourdon-dot-com
Stay tuned as the photo-walk continues, block by block ...