National Treasures

Stan and Silver get me a wonderful coffee-table cover "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" for Xmas, which Sonnet reads now as I drink coffee and Madeleine paints walnuts. Alaska and California each have eight National Parks, the most in the United States. There are also State Parks and Monuments and here is the difference: a National Park a reserve of land, usually, but not always, declared and owned by a national government, protected from most human development and pollution. The world's largest National Park is the Northeast Greenland Natrional Park, which was established in 1974. State Parks are decided by the state while a Monument similar to a National Park except that the President can quickly declare an area to be a national monument without the approval of Congress. National monuments receive less funding and protections.

Now I must give credit where credit is due: 43 did a service to our Great Nation by adding seven National Parks (from 52) including the National World War II Memorial (5/29/2004), African Burial Ground National Historic Site (2/27/2006) and the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site (4/23/2007).  He also redesignated another five, including the Great Sand Dunes NM and Congaree Swamp NM which became Great Sand Dunes National Park and Congaree National Park and,in 2002, the renamed Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Atlanta, GA, where Sonnet's uncle Shelton the President and CEO where he raised over $100 million before retirement several years ago.

If we had all the money in the world (if eZoka.com had hit) Sonnet and I day-dream of spending one year visiting the the Nation's beauty. Eitan and Madeleine have a stamp book, straight from the 1950s, where one may check off each  visited national landmark. What a cool accomplishment, that. Another trip, which I contemplated for Sonnet's 40th, an architectural tour beginning in Chicago.  And for me: one season of baseball, following a team (preferably a winning team so not my hometeam, the Oakland A's) across the country. Maybe the Yankees. Or St Louis.  Wow.  Parents, friends and family - join us so stay tuned. Keep working, baby. Keep working.

The building behind me in the photo BTW is Tower 42, or the NatWest Tower. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest logo or three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement. This kinda like the Citicorp tower in NYC which is shaped like the Number One - for the US's largest and most importantest bank. No more.