For David -

I lost a friend yesterday....taking a few days to gather myself back together, and to contemplate.

Hello Dallas - At Least the Arts District

Finally, made it to Dallas...and really enjoyed it...I think we may have tried to pack in a bit too much for a day trip, but still enjoyed it...
We decided to visit the Arts District, and now that I've been to Dallas, I have more courage to go back, either alone, or with a friend (any takers?)...Hey, I lived and drove in Boston for twelve years, and that qualifies me to drive just about anywhere.
For me, Earth is one, big market...so, I was especially taken by this Yoruba proverb...not so taken by their art - but, that's fine...Their tribe is in Nigeria and Benin...They had a strange religion, based on the number 20....okay, anyway...liked this proverb..

We rolled it at eleven am, which was great timing, as that is when everything opened...We decided to do the Nasher Sculpture Center first, as the outdoor gardens were open, and we wanted to beat the heat.

This is my guy, who takes the time to read about what is on exhibit there - me, I just grab my camera, and shoot what appeals to me...researching later (or not). I have the attention span of a three-year-old..... This exhibit did touch me; visually, I find it frightening, but it has a message: Magdalena Abakanowicz is the artist, and was a child in Poland during WWII..She lived through the German and Soviet invasion, experiencing firsthand the horrors perpetrated by dehumanized masses (I am quoting here) under the sway of evil leadership. she has said "A crowd is the most cruel because it begins to act like a brainless organism" She obviously has been in Filene's Basement during a big sale...Okay, totally tasteless, but when I get uncomfortable with reality, I tend to lean towards humor. Deal with it...

Hill Country in Texas has been so arrid, and we were astonished as to how green the countryside is, as we drove north. Of course, they do water the grounds here...my husband had to stop me from running through the sprinklers, but it was such a respit to see water and green grass. In fact, the entire district was so beautiful, with Magnolias and pine-lined avenues, really lovely landscaping.

This was my favorite piece of art at the Nasher...don't ask who the artist is...I will try to find out later...His father used to tell him stories about a "walkway" to the sky, where people could go to find out about the Earth...it is at least two stories high...very fun!

Next stop was the Crow (no, not row) Collection of Asian Art (free!!)(with donations, of course),where we saw wonderful things, but before we did that, there is a building adjacent to the Crow, where there is a fabulous restaurant, "Aija", on the second floor...buffet-style, elegant, but reasonably priced....nearly ate all the scrod, it was so yummy (and I don't like scrod)... Back at the Crow, this walkway, filled with origami butterflies was enchanting...I can't imagine how long it took to do them all, but think it might be something I can do with my hands when I watch tv...quit smoking, and can't knit or crochet...where would I hang them,you ask? Maybe in the back hallway, on the way to the garage..Right, I can just see my husband, fighting his way through them!
One of the exhibits is "Ancient Guardians of the Dead"..these guys were guards of ancient tombs, meant to frighten away robbers. These are "lokapalao", "heavenly guardians"...Tang Dynasty...I found them amusing, and I may just have to try to paint them... This guy kind of reminds me of Dom Deloise..On to the Dallas Museum of Art (amazing we did the entire thing in one day, and had time for a drink at Dakota's afterward - happy hour)....

Of everything there (fine, I skimmed through alot of it - they had some great exhibits, but after seeing the Egyptian exhibit in Boston, and so many larger exhibits of the Impressionists, etc., at the Met in NY, I just focused on things that I found more interesting...such as this incredible bronze...Don't know why I was so drawn to it...I do love all things Oriental, and the detail on this piece was amazing...It is of a Sea God, and his slave, presenting whatever that is to a Warrior...

On to Furnishings and Fine Art...I loved the fabric on this chair (18th Century), and photographed it, but found it interesting that they believe that, at one time, it was fitted for a chamber pot, and used in a lady's boudior..


LOVED this chandelier...
I looked up Patsy Lacy Griffeth, who gave this and the wonderful Zodiac mirror to the Museum.

Turns out she was an avid collector, and antique dealer, a ballroom dancer, and a rancher ....

Her daddy was a wildcatter, and she took over the ranch after his demise.

Love Van Gogh....One I hadn't seen before..No, this is not at the museum..it is the foxes I painted, and is in my dining room...for a really good painting of a fox...see below..

By Courbet, one of my favorite artists...By Pissaro - sp?- pointalism...I tried it once, nearly went blind and lost my mind...better him than me..still, I love it

One of the many of Monet's waterlillies....I believe it was one of his later works, as it is smaller, and I think his vision had begun to go...still, wonderful.

And so, as the five o'clock whistle blew (not really), but we did blow out of there right at five..thought we'd be stuck in traffic, but not so..

Stopped in Temple, and had a highly over-priced dinner at the "best", read "most expensive" restaurant in Temple...I won't name it, as my husband starts work there (in Temple, not the restaurant) tomorrow...still, it was a treat, as I've been dieting for two weeks, and I think I gained about half of what I lost back...I refuse to get on the scale until tomorrow...then, you may hear the shrieks..

Road Trip!!!

When we first moved to Texas, a little over three years ago, our dream was to go to Tuscany to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary...well, "man plans, and God laughs"...I had to have an operation...and then, my husband lost his job...so, we have yet to get there, but we will......

Thank God my husband has done well consulting, and is about to start a new job...hitting the ground running, on Monday, so we are going to Dallas tomorrow (or maybe the day after)...a small day trip, and it ain't no Tuscany, but we have to make the best of our lives..should be interesting

I enjoy our day trips...This one was to Johnson City..and this is the home of Lyndon and Ladybird Johnson...Ladybird died a bit over a year ago, and had continued to live in the house, so they are just now getting around to getting it ready to open to the public..when we were there, we were only allowed in his office, which turned out to be quite tiny, and a big disapointment.

This swing held a certain fascination for me: There's a pool on the grounds, and the house is located right across from the Pedernalis River, which runs through the property...In fact, Johnson had a car that could convert from the road to water..and he enjoyed driving terrified foreign dignitaries into the river, while shouting, "hold on, it's out of control"...Gotta love Lyndon.

What struck me was I could almose envision Johnson and McNamara, sitting in this swing, discussing if they were willing to send any more young men to their deaths in Viet Nam...

I respect Lyndon Johnson for his Civil Rights Amendment, but the whole Viet Nam thing pretty much squashed him running for a second term. I worked in the amputee ward at Fitzsimmons Army Hospital during the war, and what I saw will forever be seared into my brain...

Lyndon and Lady Bird are planted side-by-side...of course, his is the largest headstone, and her's isn't there yet..Sheesh, it's been over a year, don't you think the kids could spring for one, rather than the bouquet of flowers after all this time?

For our 25th (we celebrated our 26th last March...still no Tuscany), we went to Ft. Worth, and I really enjoyed it...especially, the Kimbal Art Museum, and Bass Hall...This fall, there is a Beethoven weekend, and I am determined to go..but then, I was determined to go to Tuscany, as well.

My husband has been consulting from home for the past eleven months, and I run my business out of my home, so we have been spending a great deal of "quantity time" together, which has not been easy.....So, I am rather looking forward to him leaving every morning, and the house is mine, ALL MINE!!!!!

I have become a bit addicted to reading blogs of late...started out as research, and now I realize I could read twenty-four hours a day, and never get through what's out there, so one has to narrow one's focus...As in some of the design blogs are just too redundent, and I have been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt.....there are a few that rise to the top, and I will return to them.

Now, my goal is to get off my butt, and get some work done...I am designing and sewing a line of clothes, that I like to call, "what to wear until the weight comes off"...I had a dress form, which wasn't cheap, in it's box in the garage for over a year. It is adjustible, and I couldn't face measuring myself, and then, seeing it in reality...that said, I've lost eleven pounds (only 30 more to go!), and I feel much better, thankyou....It's not a sin to be fat, but it's not healthy, so I'm going for it...okay, I am going to go sew, no not Soco...that's next year.