The Last Samurai

The Spokane Museum of Art and Culture opened an exhibit on 01 FEB displaying an assortment of arms and armor from the Museo Stibbert in Florence, Italy.  The exhibition features about 100 pieces created between the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600) and the Meiji period (1868-1912).

Studying the artifacts up close offered a chance to see how these suits of armor were made and used.  Following is a pictorial of the armor on display and the artifacts that caught my eye.  When I visited Florence, this museum was on my list of places to visit.  Unfortunately, it was bit out of the city and the entrance fee was about 150 Euro.  Next time, The Stibbert is definitely on my list.

National Museum of the Pacific War

Nancy and I have been Deep in the Heart of Texas this week visiting family, hiking, and concert-going.  While our base camp was in Round Rock, we did make a foray into Austin for a concert.  No, we were not there to see Willie and the Boys. 

One day we made the two-hour drive through Texas Hill Country to Fredericksburg to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War and the Admiral Nimitz Gallery.  Fredericksburg was settled by German immigrants of which Nimitz' family was one.  There is even a Freitag's Backyard Cafe in nearby Stonewall.  Including a lunch break, we spent a little over six hours in the two museums with most of that time consumed by the Pacific War museum.  So much to see and read.  With travel time, it was a long ten-hour day. 

The museum accomplishes the difficult task of actually educating the visitor about the history of the Pacific War including the causes leading up to the campaign and its aftermath. The War in the Pacific is told through numerous displays with videos, interactive media, battle narratives, firsthand accounts,static displays, and more.  I walked away with a much better understanding of the war from both political and military viewpoints.  Fascinating.  For me, definitely worthy of a return visit for more focused study.  Nancy even enjoyed it and came away with a broad understanding of this theater of the war.

Highly recommended.

Below is a selection of photos from some of the static equipment displays.  The lead photo to this post shows an eerie display of a downed, Japanese Val airplane.

Japanese Type I Dual-mounted MG.

Bofors 40mm gun.

Japanese 37mm gun.

Browning Automatic Rifle.

Willy's Jeep
My dad still has one of these!

Japanese triple-barrelled AA Gun

Japanese gun.

Bren gun.

Knocked out Stuart tank
commanded by Australians.

Does this visit motivate me to ponder a new wargaming period?  Well, that is a silly question.  We all know the answer to that!

While I may not dive into gaming this period in miniature, tackling these campaigns and battles via hex and counter boardgames certainly sees a renewed interest.

If this looks interesting, the website for the National Museum of the Pacific War is 

Home | National Museum of the Pacific War (pacificwarmuseum.org)

As a reminder, keep those Haikus coming if you want an entry in the 10-year anniversary contest.  Many great poems so far.  I hope to see more.

National Gallery of Art

Battle Scene - Phillip Wouwerman

With a son living in the other Washington (D.C., that is), our occasional travels to the Capitol always include visits to the Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery. 

A regular stop, not to be missed by me, is the National Gallery of Art.  Upon every visit, the same selection of works always catches my attention.  Sometimes, I stumble upon these familiar works as I roam the massive museum.  Other times, I seek them out and try to recall in which wing of the Gallery these works are kept.  Some of my favorite works follow:

David's Napoleon

Haarlem Civic Guard - Frans Hals

Andies Stilte as Standard Bearer - Verspronck

Vincenzo Cappello - Titian

Meeting of David and Abigail - Rubens

Zenobia Queen of Palmyra

Rialto Bridge, Venice - Guardi

Fortress Konigstein - Belotti

The National Gallery of Art is a national treasure and should be included in any visit to Washington D.C..

Switzerland: Chateau de Grandson

Charles the Bold's hat captured
 following Battle of Grandson

When we visited Switzerland in May 2017, one of our planned day trips from Lausanne was a visit to Chateau de Grandson on the banks of Lake Neuchatel.  The visit to Chateau de Grandson was prompted by a recommendation from Oli from Camisado blog.  A good tip it was too!  Since Grandson was within an hour of Lausanne and it was a drizzly morning, wandering around a chateau seemed a good way to spend half a day.

From Lausanne, we took a train to Yverdon les Bain and then a quick fifteen minute bus to the chateau, itself.  When we arrived it was still raining and cold.  A drizzle not uncommon to someone accustomed to rain in the Pacific Northwest.  The rain did not dampen our spirits...much.  After being dropped off in front of the Chateau, we showed our pass and entered the chateau.  Before entering the building, we took a quick stroll around the ramparts.

After entering the chateau, we wandered into the armory with its many displays.  Included in the displays was a wall of toy soldiers,

a large camp scene diorama,

and a diorama depicting the Battle of Grandson in 1476. 

After scrutinizing the dioramas, I moved on to the arms portion of the museum laid out on display along the walls of a Great Hall.  All manner of Medieval weapon was on display but the assortment of crossbows was most impressive.

The exhibit even included a more modern weapon: a Swiss cannon from the time of the Seven Years War.

In addition to case after case of arms lining the walls of the Great Hall, a fine display of armor was present as well. The armor display I will save for another installment of Swiss travels.