Born To Ride News

The Florida Museum for Women Artists in historic downtown DeLand, Florida, is pleased to present the historically significant exhibition “Illustrating Orchids”.

The exhibition presents the art of two botanical illustrators whose work is the epitome, not only of scientific illustration, but also of the creative perfection that makes the works great art. Blanche Ames Ames (1878-1969) and Marion Ruff Sheehan (1924-1998) used their extensive artistic abilities to document the form and structure of the numerous genera of orchids. Working in ink and watercolor the artists made precise renderings of the dissected orchids before them. Each of the women teamed with their husbands – prominent scholars of orchid study. The exhibition includes original ink drawings, original watercolors and lithographs made from the originals.

The works are from the collections of the Botanical Libraries of Harvard University, the collection of Thomas and Marian Sheehan The exhibition will be on display to the public at the Florida Museum for Women Artists from Saturday, May 8 through Sunday, August 29, 2010.

The exhibition will be enhanced by presentations about the artists, orchids and illustration.

Sunday, May 30, 2:00pm, Presentation on the Life and Work of Blanche Ames – Mr. T. P. Plimpton, Ormond Beach Landscape Architect, gives a presentation about the life and works of Blanche Ames whose botanical works are included in the exhibition. Mrs. Ames is Mr. Plimpton’s grandmother. Mr. Plimpton will discuss not only the works in the exhibition, but also his grandmother’s fascinating and productive life, such as her work with women’s rights, architectural designs and oil paintings and her inventions. Registration is strongly suggested.  Event is free with your museum admission.

Saturdays, June 12 and 26, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, Orchid Plant Evaluation and Repotting Workshop – Ever wondered what type of orchid you own or how well it is growing? What attention does your orchid need? Does the plant need to be repotted and how do you do that? This is the workshop for you. John Isaac, Wisperwood Orchids and David Swoyer, NovaFolio Orchids, will give a brief introduction to orchids at 1:00 pm. Those with questions and who need to have plants identified should participate then. At 1:30 they will demonstrate how to divide plants and repot.   Event is free with your museum admission.  Then they will repot for anyone paying a fee of $5.00 ($4.00 for members) per plant. Pots and mix will be provided for the paid repotting. Repotting will be done from the registration list on a first-come-first-served basis. Registration is strongly suggested.

Sundays, June 20, 2:00 – 3:00 pm, Walkthrough of the exhibition with the Curator – David Swoyer, the curator for the exhibition and orchid aficionado, will conduct a walkthrough of the exhibition discussing the history, science and aesthetics of the works; the types of orchids in the images; and the careers of the artists that made the works. Registration is strongly suggested.  Event is free with your museum admission.

The Florida Museum for Women Artists is a 501(c)(3) organization. The mission of the Florida Museum for Women Artist is to identify and promote women artists and educate the public about women in the arts.

The Florida Museum of Women Artists is located at 100 N. Woodland Blvd. Suite 1 in DeLand Florida. 

Gallery, Museum Shop and Café hours: Tue-Thursday: 11am to 6pm, Fri-Sat: 11am to 7pm, Sundays: 1pm-5pm Closed: Mondays and major holidays. 

http://www.floridamuseumforwomenartists.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/entry-form1.pdf

    He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We have an H.R. on this flight.” (H.R. stands for human remains.) “Are they military?” I asked.
                   
    ‘Yes’, she said.
                   
    ‘Is there an escort?’ I asked.
                   
    ‘Yes, I already assigned him a seat’.
                   
    ‘Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early,” I said…
                   
    A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.
                   
    ‘My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,’ he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.
   
    I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.
                   
    We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. ‘I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board’, she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia.
                   
    The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do.. ‘I’m on it’, I said. I told her that I would get back to her.
                     
    Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.
                   
    Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:
                   
    ‘Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.’
                   
    I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, ‘You have no idea how much this will mean to them.’
                   
    Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.
                   
    ‘There is a team in place to meet the aircraft’, we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, ‘Take your time.’
                   
    I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, ‘Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.’
                   
    We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.
                   
    When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of ‘God Bless You’, I’m sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.
                   
    Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.
                   
    I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .
   
    Foot note:
    As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones that rode below the deck on their way home and how they we were treated. When I read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the respect they so deserve.
                     
    I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have tears in their eyes, including me.