Bourne - 9/29/13

This morning we drove to Bourne, on Cape Cod. It is a stunning Indian summer day. The water is a beautiful deep blue. There are sailboats, and birds, and lot of sunshine. I am here with 9 other women at the family summer home of one member of this group.

We are perched on the edge of the water in Buzzard's Bay. This neighborhood used to be an island, but is now connected to the mainland by a short causeway. All the houses here are covered with grey shake shingles and most are in the "Cape Cod" style. 

My friend's house has an apple tree in front. It was grown from a shoot taken from Isaac Newton's inspirational apple tree. How cool is that?

The sunset was glorious. Then we had a simple dinner of ultra-fresh swordfish, yellow and white sweet corn, asparagus, and salad - nature's bounty! I could sit up all night and listen to the waves lapping on the shore right outside my bedroom's balcony door.

Tomorrow I will try to put up some photos. Today, I am overcome by lazy enjoyment of this special place.

The apple tree

A barge entering the Cape Cod Canal

Rock Star! - 9/28/13

The second day of Celebration 60 is mostly a blur. I forgot to take pictures or notes, so it's a little hard to reconstruct this 6 weeks later, but here goes.

In the morning, classmate Jamie Gorelick was part of a panel discussion called National Security, Counter-terrorism and the Rule of Law. 

Lunch in the Big Tent featured Prof. David Wilkins '80 sharing with us the preliminary results from the Harvard Law Career Study. Detailed surveys have been collected from graduates (male and female) from multiple JD classes across several decades including the JD classes of 1975, 1985, 1995, and 2000. The surveys cover a broad range of topics about the careers of HLS graduates and enable researchers to:

1. Develop a coherent body of empirical data on the professional trajectories of HLS graduates at different stages of their legal careers, together with comparative information on how career paths differ (or not) for graduates with different racial, gender, and personal characteristics;
2. Compare and identify the critical factors that account for career success, upward mobility, and economic progress within the legal profession; and
3. Ascertain the extent to which careers are impacted by institutional biases that deny equal opportunities to compete and excel, versus being the product of freely-made personal decisions to pursue other lifestyle goals or professional ends.

As might be expected, things have gotten better for women since the 70's, but the gender gap is still alive and well. Having children clearly impacts the legal careers of women in a way that is not experienced by men.

The women of '75 decided to ditch the afternoon sessions in favor of going back to our hotel and relaxing on the sunny deck. 

In the evening we headed back to Wasserstein Hall for another cocktail reception, followed by another dinner in the Big Tent and the chance to hear Martha Minow interview Senator Elizabeth Warren. A former HLS professor, Sen. Warren won the Massachusetts Senate race in 2012.

 

Elizabeth Warren is a ROCK STAR! She is smart, she is articulate, she is passionate, she has star quality. She had the attention of everyone in the room . . . er, tent.  I am certain we will see a lot more of her in the future. To see more of her right now, follow the links below.

Senator Warren

 Sen. Warren's Remarks on the Senate Floor on September 30, 2013

You Didn't Build That

 

Ten Baddest Elizabeth Warren Clips

Leaders for Change - 9/27/13

"Leaders for Change: Women Transforming Our Communities & the World" is the tagline used by Harvard Law School for Celebration 60. Celebration 60 marks the 60th anniversary of of women graduating from Harvard Law School. During the quinquennial Celebration X gatherings, alumnae meet up in Cambridge for a series of programs exploring a theme related to the presence of women in the legal world.

In 1953, there were 11 women who received a J.D and two who received an LL.M. No women were on the faculty. In 1975, when I graduated, about 13% of the class was female. We had to stick together and support each other to survive the slightly hostile environment. There were one or two women on the faculty, but their presence was more of an accident than a breakthough. Today, in 2013, almost half of the J.D. students are women, as are more than half of the LL.M. students. Dean Martha Minow is the second woman to serve as dean. But even though three women now sit on the Supreme Court, only 15-16% of the partners in large law firms are women. Not everything has changed.

Why did I attend Celebration 60? I am retired and not interested in the networking and career enhancement opportunities. I came to see my classmates, who have become my good friends. We would see each other at class reunions every five years, and at Celebration 25, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55. Somewhere along the way we started a tradition of having a sleepover concurrently with the HLS events. Between the reunions and the Celebrations, we got to see each other two out of every five years. This wasn't enough, and we started having our sleepovers in other locations in the non-reunion years. Our sleepovers have become legendary among alumnae of other classes, but as far as I know, our class is the only one that has created such a sorority. It has been said by more than one person that attending one of our sleepovers is like being in a Wendy Wasserstein play.

After listening to "Welcome Remarks" by the down-to-earth Martha Minow, we had a choice of panels from among three concurrent offerings. The first session I chose was called "My Brilliant but Unusual Career." The panelists included Susan Estrich, Silda Spitzer, and one of my classmates, Jamienne Studley. All of the panelists were terrific speakers and it was quite interesting to hear their stories.

For the second panel, I selected "The Diversity Among Us." Patricia Williams, also a classmate, was one of the panelists. Again, it was an interesting discussion. There was so much energy flowing through the room in both of the programs I attended, and it was especially satisfying to see so many younger women participating. Things really do seem to have improved since 1975.

Next we had a "Speed Networking Reception". I thought this would be of zero interest to me, but there was an opportunity to network with people interested in non-profits, so I actually have to commend the inclusiveness of the event organizers.

The recption was held in the newest addition to the campus, Wasserstein Hall (2012). It is a gorgeous  and "green" building with clean lines and inviting spaces. Somehow it manages to harmonize with Harkness Common(1950), an ugly Bauhaus structure designed by Gropius (that has been improved since my day by interior remodeling) and also with Richardson's Romanesque Austin Hall (1883).

Wasserstein Hall

  
Now, when I was at HLS, all of the buildings were named for prominent professors and deans. The new buildings all seem to be named for Big Donors. Wasserstein Hall is named for Big Donor Bruce Wasserstein, an alumnus and investment banker who was worth over $2.5 billion when he died suddenly in 2009 at age 61. Money can't buy everything. By the way, Wendy Wasserstein was Bruce's sister.


The final event of the day was a dinner in a huge tent set up next to Langdell Hall. The keynote speaker was Susan Cain '93, author of the bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. (This is an excellent book that questions why our academic and business institutions value extroversion so highly.) I was very interested to hear what she had to say because I liked her book so much. Let's just say she should stick to writing.

Hartford - 9/26/13

We did a volkswalk in Hartford today. Hartford is everything that Providence isn't.

The capitol

The state capitol building (1876) is one of the better ones. (I have now seen 36 state capitol buildings.) It is the only Victorian Gothic statehouse in the country. It is stunning and has been carefully restored and well-maintained. Try to find the pamphlet published by the League of Women Voters that offers a self-guided tour of the capitol.

Inside the capitol

The inside is worth exploring. In addition to the ornate Victorian stenciling, variety of marble, and gorgeous dome, the building contains many statues and historical artifacts. My favorite was "The Genius of Connecticut," a wonderful statue of a winged woman, the symbolic protector of Connecticut.

"The Genius of Connecticut"

There is a lot more to see on this walk. First you will walk through Bushnell Park with the Corning Fountain.

Continuing on, you will see the Old State House (Bulfinch, 1796), the State Library and Supreme Court buildings, the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Butler McCook Homestead, the Hartford Public Library, City Hall, the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Travelers Tower (for many years, the tallest building between New York and Boston). "We . . . are . . . Travelers. Dum , de dum dum, dum, dum, dum."

Then you come to the urban renewal district and some recent construction. After walking over a bridge across the Connecticut River, you will have a view of the Hartford skyline and the blue onion dome of the former Colt firearms factory. Coming back via a different bridge, you will pass by a number of Nineteenth Century structures before entering Bushnell Park. You will see a nicely preserved 100-year-old carousel and you will joust with traffic as you walk under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch (1885).

Hartford has a good vibe. If you want to see all the museums and other venues on the walk route, you would probably need three days.

Providence - 9/25/13

We left Maine today after a brief stop at the Kittery Outlets. Chico's and Columbia are next door to each other. How cool is that?

Our destination was the Roger Williams Visitor Center in Providence, where we began our volkswalk. We walked through a park, past the oldest Baptist chuch in America (1648), and past RISD.We went back and fourth across the Providence River 4 times over different bridges. After walking through the Providence Place Mall we arrived at the State Capitol. It was a typical state capitol building with a rotunda and lots of marble and statues inside.

Rhode Island State Capitol

The Old and the New, side by side

All in all, Providence was pleasant, but not particularly remarkable. It had a lot more buildings from the colonial period and a lot fewer modern buildings than I expected.  I did not come away with a feel for what this city is about.
 

Inside Capitol Rotunda

Library inside the Capitol

The walk directions and map were very confusing, and crossing the streets was sometimes tricky.

Leaving the city was difficult and we got lost in a maze of freeways. After looping around three or four times, we found our way out of the maze and got on the road to Hartford, CT, where we are spending the night.

Number of states today: 5 (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut)

Number of states so far on this trip: 7

Number of days left in the trip: 37

The L.L.Bean Mothership - 9/24/13

Last night I left Anchorage - and it was not a day too soon. It snowed yesterday and I was glad to get out of town. I had an uneventful flight to Boston, arriving at 6:30 am. My friend, Kate, picked me up and we headed north, making an obligatory stop at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.

Upon reaching Freeport, Maine, we embarked upon a volkswalk that took us down Main Street to the L.L.Bean "Campus." It is a lovely, well-planned campus that is a destination for tour buses. It was fun to shop there in person. I especially liked the Home Store. I didn't buy anything because I really don't have any room in my luggage for anything else. But I was tempted.

Freeport is a very picturesque town. Even the CVS and the Hampton Inn blended in to the classic New England setting. Obviously, they take their zoning very seriously here. We bypassed a crowded lobster place at lunch time and ended up at a Chinese buffet. It was ok, but my clothing absorbed the smell of the restaurant and I did not enjoy that.  

Walking around Freeport, you would think that they invented moose here, even though we didn't see any live moose. This is of course, ridiculous. Everybody knows, or should know, that moose were invented in Alaska. However, I think they may have invented Sorels in Freeport and there were some gret Sorel photo ops there. I wanted to buy a super-cute Sorel keychain, but I din't want to spend $8 for it.

We left Freeporrt and headed down to Saco where we are spending the night. We ate dinner at a Venezuelan place called Luis' Aperera - a good find on Yelp. Now it is time to try to synch my body to this time zone. 

Number of checked bags: 1 (48.5 pounds)

Number of Carry-ons: 2

Number of states so far: 5 (Alaska, Washington, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine)

Number of days left in this trip (not counting today): 38

"Barges"

There's an old Girl Scout song called "Barges." I'm not sure why it's about barges, as opposed to some other kind of vessel, but it's a great campfire song, so I have chosen a line from the song as the theme for this blog.

Here is a link to the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF2i6RQUqAE

 

Barges

Chorus:
Barges, I would like to go with you,
I would like to sail the ocean blue.
Barges, have you treasures in your hold?
Do you fight with pirates brave and bold?

Barge passing through Cape Cod Canal at sunset

Out of my window looking in the night,
I can see the barges' flickering light.
Silently flows the river to the sea,
As the barges go by silently.
 
Chorus

Barges in Stockholm

Out of my window looking in the night,
I can see the barges' flickering light.
Starboard shining green and port is shining red,
I can see the barges from my bed.

Chorus

Barge in Venice

Out of my window looking in the night,
I can see the barges' flickering light.
Anchors start to pull and engines start to roar,
As the barges pull away from shore.

Chorus

Out of my window looking in the night,
I can see the barges' flickering light.
Stars are brightly lighting up the sky,
As the barges seem to skip right by.

Chorus

Out of my window looking in the night
I can see the barges' flickering light.
Taking their cargo out into the sea,
How I wish someday they'd take me.

Chorus

How my heart wants to sail away with you,
As you sail across the ocean blue.
But I must stay beside my window clear,
As the barges sail away from here.

Chorus