Back to the Future

The Library of Congress offers a lot of programs, free of charge, to anyone interested in the subject matter. Usually the presentations we go to are given in the Coolidge Auditorium and the Middle Eastern Section in the Jefferson Building. The lecture today was not widely publicized but was an interesting topic for my husband. It felt like I was back in college or attending a meeting. It was in the Law Library multi media room of the Madison Building. What's nice about any of these lectures is that my husband meets me in the front entry and we walk to the venue. Unfortunately today we didn't have time enough for lunch which makes it much more fun. But it's always nice to see him mid afternoon regardless of the program. But I do miss out on my ten minute afternoon nap. Was it worth it? Absolutely. 

 

Iran Female and Male Door Knockers

I have had the wonderful and unique opportunity to visit Iran twice - the first time in 1996 and the second time in 2009.  I met a lot of my husband's family and relatives and remain in contact with several of them. On our last visit we brought along three American friends and traveled all over the country. One of my favorite cities was Yazd. While there we took a lot of photos - especially the doors. That may seem strange, but every one is more interesting than the next. But what I found peculiar but also useful in a climate such as this, was that each door has a knocker for a man visitor and a knocker for a female visitor. It's not hard to figure out which one is which. Apparently the inhabitants like to know who is at the door before it is opened for a variety of reasons. They must certainly have the sound down to distinguish each. But the whole thing is so artistic! So I collected my favorite door photos and stuck them in side by side frames. It is a conversation piece.