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"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
This inscription is on the Statue of Liberty that resides in New York City on Ellis Island. This much smaller facsimile of the statue is located in a cafe in St. Paul. One of my former students, whom I was delighted to run into while there, posed with Lady Liberty. Because he is an agile soccer player and one of the coaches for the Minnesota Thunder Soccer team, he was able to hop on a table top to allow me to get full advantage of both him and the statue for the photo.
I mean no disrespect of this icon or to my French friends; here is some background information: Designers: Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, born in Colmar, France, in 1834. The interior iron framework was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, also designer of the Eiffel Tower. The statue's pedestal was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt.
Today in Mn. History: 1864- The steamboat John Rumsey explodes near the lower levee in St. Paul, killing seven of the crew. Explosions, usually caused by excessive steam pressure, were a common occurrence on Mississippi riverboats. (Historical information taken from the MN Historical Society's website: mnhs.org)
Just yesterday I was in this cafe for the first time! Maybe it was not the same day or time as you. I didn't notice anyone jumping up to pose with Lady Liberty.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your studnt is hugging her for her birthday, for miss liberty has been 120 years old last October 28th...
ReplyDeleteI know the history of the statue in New York, I think, I have seen in Paris small one like these statues. Eric could tell, do I remember correctly.
ReplyDeleteBut you have been as young like my favourite actress :) Now you are my favorite too!!
Kate, this is a great shot! I really like the way Todd draped his arm over Lady Liberty's shoulder, like she's an old, familiar friend. Love it!
ReplyDeletewhat a great photo, your former student makes it more special.
ReplyDeletehave a nice weekend Kate!
On trouve des statues de la liberte dans le monde entier, rien qu'a paris tu en as trois. bravo pour cette idee de photo.
ReplyDeleteOne finds statues of freedom in the whole world, only has Paris you have three of them. cheer for this idea of photograph.
its great that soccer (i call it football) starts to be popular in the US too.:)
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought of were my mother's words, "Get your feet off the table!"
ReplyDeleteThen my second thought was we immigrant Americans should remember/learn about our own family immigration histories. As the generations pass, it's too easy to lose that history.
I'm so glad that many of you enjoyed this photo and saw the humour in it. Because of students like Todd, I still miss teaching high school kids, even after 3 years of retirement. But, imagine how much fun I had with people like Todd when they were even more exuberant as 15-18 year olds!
ReplyDeleteAnnie's right about knowing our roots, and our current controversy re. immigrants is another polarizing issue for our country.
I was thrilled when I walked around the Statue on Ellis Island. How nice to have a smaller one in your own city. Great memory with your student.
ReplyDeleteThanks for viewing! I'll be back to see St. Paul, a place I've never been, but saw the theatre in the movie A Prarie Home Companian.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sign of a good teacher when you run into students years later and they come to talk with you and even pose for you :)
ReplyDeleteKate, your new picture looks remarkably familiar to me . . . wasn't she just wonderful?! She was an American icon.
ReplyDeleteDid the proprietor kick you and former student out?
ReplyDeleteThank you, to our French friends, for the wonderful gift of Lady Liberty.
Kaye, maybe that was a freudian slip. Could be Flesh and glamor where we are going. LOL
ReplyDeleteHi Kate, thanks for your very nice comment on my blog about my grandma. I do think of her when I see your photos and wonder how much things have changed since she lived there.
ReplyDeleteI think its quite amazing how you can get people to pose for your blog - I find people tend to be shy about being in front of the camera when I ask - nice job!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute shot!! :)
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