Took the elder stidkid with me this past weekend to give him a chance to visit friends and see the sights of Victoria, British Columbia, in the winter.

Unfortunately, the same snow that hit us hit them also. So we were unable to meet up with some of our friends. We did however get to see our dear friends Hetty and Alan, and we met many lovely people over the four days of our trip.

Here’s the basics (with a few pictures to be added as I edit them in tomorrow — in the new year!):

We left home EARLY Friday morning to catch the 8 am sailing of the Victoria Clipper from Seattle (I had taken advantage of a package deal in November to be able to afford this — usually too expensive for us).

A quick trip across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and we were in Victoria and at our favorite hotel, the James Bay Inn, by 11 am. Lunch at the inn, followed by a bit of walking around downtown, we eventually found ourselves on the tour bus to Butchart Gardens for the Winter Lights display.

The gardens were lovely. We loved the singing and the brass quartet (two trumpets, a trombone and a bass trombone) that alternated sets while we were there. We started with supper at The Blue Poppy, the cafeteria-style restaurant so we could enjoy the walk. The gardens were truly magical in the snow, though I found myself slowed down by the crutches. Slowed down enough in fact, that by the time I got through the checkout line in the gift shop we had missed our bus by (imagine Maxwell Smart saying this…) “THIS MUCH.” Fortunately, another tour bus was still there and offered to take us back to town. This man even drove everyone to their hotel!

Saturday… we slept in.

A late lazy breakfast, followed by a short stroll to Miniature World. Well worth the admission if you go to Victoria, especially on a cold, windy or wet day. A couple of hours looking at very fine detail work, with some historical pieces and some whimsical. It was a good activity for us.

Lunch at “The Noodle Box” close by, each item can actually be two meals for most people! If you are noise (and loud music) averse, take out is a good choice. And it was close to the next tour bus — the one for the Victoria tour. A narrated run through the city’s commercial and historical districts, a good way to see where things are and get some background. Goes in a circuit from the Empress Hotel through the “posh” district to Oak Bay (brief stop for coffee/seal watching) and then back downtown.

Then we did a little bit of shopping before returning to the Inn for a nap and supper.

Sunday: all day at the Royal British Columbia Museum. The temporary exhibit called “Free Spirit” was lovely — if you read this in time, it was a great intro to the people who made British Columbia — from earliest times to the present. We also saw two IMAX movies, “Alps” and “Extreme” — very interesting. I am definitely in no danger of becoming a rock climber, skier, snowboarder, surfer…. but the scenery and cinematography were excellent. Spent nearly an hour in the gift shop as well — got some nice trinkets for a few people. The permanent exhibit on the First Nations people who have inhabited British Columbia is always a big deal for us — we nosed around that for nearly two hours! We didn’t go to the Natural History section this time (ran out of time) but I remember it from a couple years ago, and recommend it highly as well.

Monday: leisurely breakfast and packing, taxi to take the bags to the Victoria Clipper and then a short walk to the Parliament Building. Caught the tail end of a tour as well, so got a little more information about the government. Very pretty — not quite what I expected. Of course, we are from Washington state, which has a very large dome, open concept in the center of the capitol building, while the B.C. Parliament is housed in something that resembles the California capitol a bit more. I suppose I could complete the West Coast capitol experience by visiting the Oregon state capitol sometime. Then lunch at the Noodle Box again — keeping half for our supper later; and a taxi ride to our friends home.

After a couple hours’ great conversation and tea (and a shortbread Hetty made that I am told was stellar), we took the taxi back to the terminal to wait for the preboarding for the trip home.

Interesting people to talk to made the hour fly by. The Border/Customs officer was efficient, but not mean, and answered a question of the kid’s very well. Then, while we are sitting in the waiting area to get on the boat we are informed that there is a weather delay. We have the choice to go aboard and wait (can’t get off again because of immigration things), or leave the waiting area and get a hotel room until the next day.

Argh. We got on the boat. FOUR HOURS LATER… we leave the dock. I am glad I called my parents collect (before I got on the boat) to have them call Tom and let him know he needed to contact the Victoria Clipper terminal in Seattle — otherwise he and the younger stidkid might not have been able to ice skate and see an IMAX movie at the Seattle Center! They also saw our dear friend (riemann of babble fame) at supper — we missed him of course, but will catch him next time he is in town. Because we only pulled in about midnight, and being toward the front of the boat (with the exit in the rear) we got off nearly last.

At 2:30 when we pulled into the driveway, we were pretty exhausted. But happy to be home and pleased with our fine adventure.

It was a fine trip, but it is SO GOOD to be home!

Cuddling the gentle Potomac River less than seven miles from our Nation’s Capitol, Alexandria, Virginia is a city rife with American history. In fact, it’s location along the Potomac, a windy creature that snakes its way through Maryland, D.C., West Virginia and Virginia before emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, is much to blame for the city’s early prominence on the American stage.

A port town for England as far back as the 1750s, Alexandria was unavoidably destined to play a role in the American Revolution. The fact that colonial fat cats like George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin liked to chum around town only sealed its fate. It’s even believed that in the run-up to the war, General Washington ran exercises for his troops in the Square.

Post-revolution, Alexandria became a part of the District of Columbia along with Georgetown and, of course, Washington. However, a combination of factors, including governmental neglect, soured that whole Federal City thing, and Alexandria returned to its old stomping grounds of Virginia.

The timing wasn’t so good, though. Moving back into Virginia made Alexandria a city of the confederacy, something the Union troops who lived walking distance away didn’t much appreciate. The town was seized at the very beginning of the American Civil War and held for the entire duration.

The history of Alexandria continues well into the 20^th-century, with exciting stories from World War II, the Civil Rights movement and many other important eras, but the bulk of the history tourism today concerns that first 120 years from founding to the end of the Civil War.

There’s plenty to see. Most historic attractions in Alexandria can be found in or near Old Town, the historic district. Certainly one of the most popular attractions is Gadsby’s Tavern. This musty, charming place dates back to 1785 and was visited regularly by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and several other important colonial and early U.S.-era players. Today the Tavern is half restaurant, half museum. While everything is worth seeing, the food doesn’t live up to the history.

Other worthwhile historic attractions include: the home of Robert E. Lee, Christ Church, the George Washington Masonic Memorial, the Torpedo Factory and Captains Row.

For Alexandria hotels, consider the Holiday Inn Alexandria - Historic District. It’s pet-friendly, located close to all of the above and, being a Holiday Inn, great for families with little ones.

What is the difference between fine and commercial art?

It has to do with motivation and function. It also has to do with objectivity and subjectivity. 

First of all, fine art works originate from the artist. That is the artist has an idea and tries to bring an idea to fruition. The artist is communicating something internal. This doesn’t have to be emotion but it could be views and ideas. The viewer is important but really fine art can be made without the input and gaze of the viewer. Of course, the artist does want to have their works viewed but the function is to communicate something the fine artist wants to communicate. 

Unless, the viewer does a lot of research and has knowledge about the art being viewed, fine art is viewed in a subjective way. Each person will have a different reaction and idea of what a work is about. The communication doesn’t have to be clear and conscise. The artist may choose to obfuscate. The artist doesn’t want to be too clear because the artist doesn’t want to give away meaning too readily. Art too clear could be seen as boring. Art can be a puzzle of sorts and that can engage the viewer. However, if it is too difficult it is possible to lose the viewer due to frustration.

Commercial art (and I am going to focus on graphic design really) is a bit different. The motive is to clearly communicate something and that something is dictated by the client, not the artist. Anytime something needs to be communicated, be it a product or identity, graphics need to be used. This can be in the form of text and images. The graphics don’t have to be in print but over the internet or video. Graphic design has a function that is integral to society and commerce. Commercial art is everywhere. 

Because of the need for clarity in commercial art, objectivity is needed. A designer doesn’t want its work interpreted in many ways. Some designs need to be read immediately (signs). There is no time for admiring and trying to figure out meaning. If one needs to do that when looking at a sign, then it is not functioning properly.

This is not to say that one type of art is more creative or less significant. There are serious differences and parameters that need to be taken into account. Creativity comes out of limitations. In fine art, the artist sets those limits and in commercial art, someone other than the artist sets the limits. 

I don’t want to say that a commercial artist can not crossover to the ranks of fine art. There are some designers who do get shown along the likes of fine artists. There are designers that use fine art techniques. Also, many designers do get plenty of ideas from the world of fine art. That being said some artist use tools and techniques that are related to graphic design. Printmakers tend to use techniques that were used by designers and printers from the past and present (lithography, engraving, screen printing, computers/printers). So the two camps can and do overlap.

Another difference I can see between commercial and fine art are exclusivity. Graphic design is everywhere and is ubiquitous in our culture. It is viewed on the streets, on our cloths, signs, cars, products we buy, etc. Fine art is not be viewed by everyone. It is usually in an exclusive place (a home, office, museum, gallery). Again, there are always exceptions though. I am sure you can think of some.