John Adams

I am a bit of a history buff. I didn't realize this about myself until I went to school and took art history classes. Then all of sudden it seemed the story was illustrated. I get it! Add in my parents' time share in Williamsburg and you get another slant. Colonial Art isn't my thing, but once again, I get the visual connection when I tour the buildings and see the costumes of the day. So I am thrilled that HBO is featuring an event as cool as David McCullough's John Adams. I listened to that particular book on tape. About four years ago, I got hooked on biographies of the men of the American Revolution. I dragged my family to Mt. Vernon and Monticello in Virginia and to John Adams farm and birthplace in Massachusetts. So my interest is a bit more than casual. I like the idealism of these men who were founding a country. Imagine starting from scratch and dreaming up the ideal way to run things. I know these men weren't perfect, but what guts and what visions they had. So far, and I've only seen the first episode, I love the miniseries. Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti are fantastic. (I predict Emmys for both of them.) If you don't get HBO, make sure to rent the series when it comes out--eventually. With the word patriotic being bandied about these days, sometimes it is good to look back and see what the word really means. And, too, it makes me smile and wonder what kind of things would be important to me if I had been the architect of a country.