Presidential Lenox China Patterns

Um, huh? Why am I talking about china patterns, for hell's sake? Because I'm multi-faceted, people. Get used to it. Yesterday it was blender blood and Asian girls, today it is fine tableware.

(Also, it is because I just finished this article and don't really have time to write a blog post.)

So, because I'm nice and because reading about china is boring, I'm giving you two options.

One: you can click on the Lenox China link to read the short version. This is the assignment that mandated a 500-word limit.

Two: you can click "Read the long, but exciting version!" link at the bottom. This is the version that I originally wrote and which far exceeded the limit. But it has lots of fun facts, some pictures, and even a passive-aggressive jab at George Bush. Hurray!

(Or, hidden option three: you can curse me, close the blog, and delete it from your Favorites menu. Please don't do that one.)

Lenox China

Read the long, but exciting version!

Presidential china has a long and colorful history, dating back to the first president. While George Washington imported china from, well, China, many of the subsequent presidents selected services from England and France. Despite congressional laws mandating that all furniture be produced in America, early domestic china was deemed subpar. Because of this, Theodore Roosevelt once lambasted, “We are dependent upon foreign factories for the very dishes from which the Chief Executive of the United States must eat.”

This changed in 1918 during Woodrow Wilson’s term, when the First Lady selected a set of Lenox china designed by Frank Holmes, thereby making it the first American china to be used in the White House. It had a dark ivory border surrounding a brighter ivory center, matte gold bands, and encrusted stars and stripes. The set of 1,700 pieces, bearing the presidential seal in raised gold, cost $16,000. The First Lady was so appreciative of the fine craftsmanship, she reportedly brought chocolates to the workers at the Trenton Lenox factory.


When Franklin D. Roosevelt took over the presidency, the country was facing hard economic times; as such, the dwindling china was not replaced until well into his term (and only then, because of the First Lady’s claim that the production of china would keep some American workers employed). They chose a Lenox design which consisted of a border of forty-eight stars, as well as the presidential seal against an ivory background. The 1,722-piece set bore personal touches, such as a marine blue color scheme (based on his nautical interests) and a scrolling adaptation of the Roosevelt family crest. The latter caused an outcry among citizens, due to its foreign nature. This set debuted at an important state dinner in 1935, in which all guests ate from a single service—a first in American history.


Due to the increasing price and quality of china, it was not necessary for each incoming president to pick a new service. It wasn’t until 1952, during Harry S. Truman’s term that the next service was picked out, reflecting the White House’s recent renovations. Truman ordered a 1,572-piece service by Lenox, a celadon green scheme with gold rims against an ivory background. Upon the plate was a raised presidential seal surrounded by forty-eight gold stars. The seal was a new, post-World War II, standardized version in which the eagle faced toward the olive branch. This gesture symbolized America’s renewed goal of peace. The set was debuted at a luncheon held for the Dutch royal family.


In 1982, the walls of the State Dining Room had again been painted, this time in a stark white. Wanting a design that displayed a “strong presence” for the increasingly large state dinners, Ronald Reagan opted for a Lenox set with scarlet bands of varying widths, both framed and overlaid with gold cross-hatching (a process which required extensive handling and nine separate kiln firings). The service consisted of 4,370 pieces—enough to accommodate 220 people—nearly twice as many settings as any other past service.


A new china service was created in 2000 to celebrate the bicentennial of the White House. Bill Clinton chose a Lenox service with a creamy yellow border, centered with images of White House facades. Furthermore, “each piece in place setting is decorated with a different pattern, with motifs derived from outstanding architectural elements found in the State Dining Room, East Room and Diplomatic Reception Room” (Lenox). Shifting away from tradition, this service did not feature a presidential seal. The 3,600-piece set was first used at a dinner, in which the Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush, as well as their respective wives, were in attendance.


Finally, just two weeks before his term ended in 2009, George W. Bush unveiled a new Lenox china service. The set featured a green basket weave border, based on a French dinner service believed to have been owned by James Madison. Though the 4,480-piece service was purchased with funds provided by the White House Historical Association Acquisition Trust (a private organization), the exorbitant price (approximately $493,000) spent during the beginning stages of a recession angered many struggling Americans.


In addition to the customized china created for six presidents, Lenox tableware is also used at the vice-president’s official residence, at hundreds of U.S. embassies, and at over half of all governors’ mansions across America. Being the forerunner of fine American-made china, Lenox collectibles are often given as gifts to dignitaries of the Congress and the Department of State, as well as to welcome incoming presidents.

Doc Holliday and the Two-Headed Fish: A Visit to Glenwood Springs

On Saturday, we packed our gear into the car and headed towards Glenwood Springs, a mountain town three hours away, where we would camp for the night with Kayden's fellow Cub Scouts.



One of the greatest things about Colorado is that the journey is just as beautiful as the destination.




We arrived in Glenwood Springs just before 11:00 a.m., with me on the verge of death since the air conditioner in Keene's car doesn't work.

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Our first stop was to the...


Where we met up with the other families for a guided tour.

A ranger explained the process of gathering fish eggs, putting them in baskets with shock absorbers, where they cook into real fish. (I may have not been fully paying attention.)


First they look like tapioca:


Then they turn into enormous, bug-eyed sperm:


Then they sometimes accidentally turn into a two-headed fish:


But usually not:




...and finally, they end up as my two-headed dinner:


After the tour, we got to go outside and feed the big fish.

This:


+ this:


= this:




Next stop was Two Rivers Park for lunch and rock-skipping at the Colorado River:


I didn't see the second river of "Two Rivers," so I Googled it and discovered there is supposedly (I say this with suspicion) another river nearby that we missed called Roaring Fork River. I wish I could have seen that. Is it like an army of roaring forks, or just one big fork?

At this park, there is a memorial to commemorate fourteen firefighters who died while fighting fire on Storm King Mountain in 1994.


...And a chipmunk that eats potato chips.


After lunch, we headed to Glenwood Springs Cemetery.

(Look! A lizard!)


(Ooh! Rocks!)

We hiked to the top (good thing this cemetery is now defunct...I can't imagine a funeral procession successfully climbing this path), we found the grave of John Henry Holliday, better known as Doc Holliday, the cowboy/dentist pal of Wyatt Earp. Just after moving to Glenwood Springs, Holliday croaked of his long-standing tuberculosis.


To honor his gambling nature, someone left playing cards. Supposedly, when he realized he would soon die, in his bed and not in a saloon, he spoke his last words: "I'll be damned. This is funny."


When I saw this gravestone, I didn't know who it was, but with a name like Kid Curry, I figured he/she had to be special. And he was! Sort of. You know Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? Well, he wasn't that kid. But he was in their gang. From VisitGlenwood.com, "Harvey Logan, alias 'Kid Curry' was also buried in Linwood after committing suicide following a train robbery in 1904 near Parachute."


I like this plot because it takes the guesswork out of where to step. I really don't like the idea of stepping over dead bodies.



"Funk is my middle name."




After traipsing around the fairly well-maintained and occasional ornate headstones, we headed farther up the mountain to the Potter's Field. I'm fascinated by the idea of a final resting place for all of the "unwanted" or uncared for people of the world.




While Doc Holliday's gravestone is in the main portion of the cemetery, he was actually buried in an unmarked grave in Potter's Field.



Finally (finally!), we went to the campsite, where we set up the tent and explored the area.





Keene watched hummingbirds:



While Kayden got stung on the neck. Yowch. That is no way to have a good time.


After dinner, volleyball, and general merriment, it was time to sleep on the cold, hard, bug-infested ground.


Bright and early, we packed it back up and headed home to Denver.

But not before stopping for our Starbucks fix. You can take the Starbucks out of the camper (or wait long enough and it will take itself out), but you can't take the camper out of Starbucks.


I often say Kayden is exactly like me. This is one of those times. Here we are: same tired eyes, same irritated expression directed at Keene who kept snapping our picture before we had even fully awakened.