Southwest Trip/ part II

After our fabulous trip to the Davis Mountains, our working people and school people had to return home as their Spring Break was about to end.  We continued on West into New Mexico for great food, art, and fun!

In Albuquerque...the Hot Air Balloon Museum

Inside the Balloon Museum

And another picture of hot air balloons

In Albuquerque, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center...with a great restaurant!

A beautiful park in the middle of the Cultural District, Albuquerque where we took a nice, long walk.

And the Albuquerque Art Museum which had a wonderful sculpture garden outside and great art inside. 

The visitors' center at the Acoma  Pueblo which we visited with a terrific local Indian guide.

Acoma is the oldest pueblo which still is lived in by the Indians...atop a mesa, a few miles outside of Albuquerque

A view of the Sacred Mesa, the original living area, from up at Acoma.

And on to Santa Fe...the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

One of the many great galleries on Canyon Road, Santa Fe..our reflection in a huge stainless steel chick!

Part of our room at a very cool motel...Inn of the Governor's, Santa Fe

Just a couple of blocks from our motel, a pleasant surprise..the state capital building housing some of the best art work we saw anywhere!

Floor of the capital

A huge buffalo head, created from found objects!!  It is probably five foot in height.

The Miraculous Staircase at the Loretta Chapel, Santa Fe...a must see for anyone.

And the famous Ranchos de Taos Church in Taos...about an hour from Santa Fe.

The green room in the Blumenschein Home, Taos, an artist known for starting the "artist" community of Taos.

The Big House of Mabel Dodge Luhan, a wealthy socialite who was also very influential in the art community of Taos, now a B & B and retreat area...great breakfast!!!

The door to the upper level...Mabel's private entrance.

Then on our last day, heading from Taos...we were in a snowstorm, in the mountains for about an hour and a half!


All in all, we had a wonderful trip, and other than a little snow, wind and dust, had perfect weather to enjoy everything!

Random Ramblings

" Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?"  Anon.

Sunday On La Grande Jatte-1884 by Georges Seurat

Such a thrill to see this painting at the Chicago Art Institute last week...when I was a kid, I did see it but after having taught art for 32 years, I had a much greater appreciation for it...knowing something of the artist and the history of the period.  My mom was also very fond of this particular work of art and had a print of it hung in her living room as long as I can remember. (I wonder what happened to that picture?)  I also really enjoyed the musical "Sunday with George"...I haven't seen it live but many years ago, PBS filmed a production of it with Mandy Pankin in the starring role. 

North Crowley Spring Band Concert

Somewhere on that stage is my granddaughter, playing the French horn.  NC held their spring concert last Saturday. The middle schools that feed into NC had their concerts first...then the high school.  I am always amazed at how wonderfully those kids, from 7th grade on up can play!!  And kudos to their band directors!!  They have to have great patience to work with all that noise...then to make it into something beautiful...what a feat!!

My guild has a members only challenge quilt each year in conjunction with our quilt show which is in September.  This year the theme is a scrappy quilt, using 50 or more fabrics.  It can be any size, any pattern, with a minimum of applique and embellishments.  Coming up with 50 fabrics is no problem...I have started on what I think will be my entry...and that may be the only thing I actually get done to enter the show this year!

Our speaker at our meeting this week is Paula Nadelstern, who creates kaliedescope quilts...she is having her workshop on Saturday...I have signed up for it and am very excited to attend and see how she makes the magic happen!!  I am working with fabric which is totally out of my comfort zone....Pink and lime greens!!!  But I hear it is good to break away into something totally different once in awhile!!  We'll see!

Best Museums in the World!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better.  It's not!" -Dr. Seuss

Fort Worth is the most unique city.  We have a world renown rodeo and stock show...cowboys everywhere...and the most wonderful art galleries bar none!  Today, I had an eye appointment, so Dick went in with me.  After my appt. was over, we planned to go to the Kimbell (http://www.kimbellart.org/) to see the current exhibit due to close the end of March.

Of course, I was through before 10:00 so we had time to kill....then realized that the Kimbell doesn't open until 12:00 on Fridays as it stays open until 9:00 PM.  So we went over to the Amon Carter (http://www.amoncarter.org/) and wandered around for awhile.  The Amon Carter has nothing but American art...from the earliest years of our country up to modern times.  Photography is also one of the specialties of the gallery.  It is also well known for works by Fredrick Remington and Charles Russell..as well as many Georgia O'Keeffe paintings.  All favorites of ours.

After visiting the A. C., (we had also dropped in at the Fort Worth Art Center which used to be the old Modern Art Museum...now displaying the most fantastic thread painting done by some Vietnamese girls), we went to lunch at Dos Gringos.  By the time we had finished, the Kimbell was open.  We had a great time enjoying the very extensive works of art owned by Texas collectors.

If it weren't for the lousy weather...still rainy and cold...it would have been a perfect day.  We came home...had a little nap...and I have begun working on the Donation Quilt 2010.  I am liking the design...actually I have two designs I like...by tomorrow I will decide on which one and acutally begin sewing!

Visit to Missouri

This past week, Dick and I went to Missouri to attend the funeral of an elderly aunt and to visit with family.  We made better time driving than we thought we would so we had time to stop by an art museum in Kansas City on our way through.  The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art was new to us as it was built after we were in the area....a lovely gallery...located right across the street from the Art Insitute of KC and next door to their ceramic building....all a very pretty area with lots of older buildings as well as some ultra modern ones...a good mix!
 
Wouldn't this painting make an interesting quilt?

This is a wall sculpture at the Kemper.  The attendents were setting up for a wedding reception to be held there.  I was impressed with the nearly mirror like floors!

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The Kemper is very proud of their giant spider outside the entrance and on the right is a sculpture on the inside entrance.

The Crying Giant is also a very favorite of the Kemper, outside also on the grounds.

On the right is the Nelson-Atkins Art Gallery of Kansas City.  When I lived there, the new, modern buildings were not there.  They have been added, to much controversy I am sure!  We didn't have time to visit there, too, so will have to plan to do that another visit.

On the left is the entrance to the Art Institute and the ceramic department building at the Institute on the right.



We had wonderful fall weather as you can tell.  Kansas City is a beautiful city....very classy!  A wonderful mix of old and new.  I think in my next life, I will attend the Art Institute there...wish I had known about it fifty years ago!

We also came home with a bushel and a half of Jonathon apples which we can not get in Texas so I am busy peeling and freezing...making pies and apple butter!