Monday, June 11, 2012

Chihuly at the Dallas Arboretum

Spent Sunday afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum for a tour and garden class put on by the CWA Alliance program at work. Best part was, it was free, and included the Dale Chihuly exhibit!
The gardens were breathtaking and reminded me of all the other gardens I've come to know and love.
Descanso Gardens in La Canada, CA.
The Arboretum in Arcadia, CA.
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ.
and
Maymont in Richmond, VA.

The 66-acre Dallas Arboretum incorporates what was the 44-acre estate named Rancho Encinal, built  overlooking White Rock Lake in 1939 for Everette Lee DeGolyer and his wife Nell.
Its paths meander through large oak groves and are lined with fern, hosta, azalea, and hydrangeas. There were a few paths that followed babbling brooks and their water falls, with the occasional bench offering a shady respite from the intense afternoon heat.
It was not uncommon to round a bend and be greeted by a splendid view of neighboring oak groves across a huge lawn, and with glimpses of White Rock Lake thru yonder trees.
Throw in the Chihuly pieces sprinkled about the grounds, and the views became resplendent!
Yee Haw, Dang Tootin Dahling! (spoken thru clenched teeth)

Enjoy!


 Mexican Hat & Horn Tower

 Blue Marlins & Turquoise Reeds



Silvered Red Bamboo

Yellow Icicle Tower

Green & White Striped Reeds - Black & White Striped Reeds






A Favorite!



 Blue Polyvitro Crystals


Another Favorite!



And Another Favorite!






Rancho Encinal.
The Magnolia at the left of frame, and an adjacent Persimmon tree not in picture, are from the original landscaping.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Fair Park Dallas vs Maymont

Spent the day Friday walking around Fair Park in Dallas. John Coski, our neighbor in Richmond, had mentioned an article he'd read comparing Fair Park to Maymont in Richmond, and several other city parks. John was curious to know how the two compared.

I hope you like the Art Deco / Art Nouveau styles.

Like Dallas & Texas, it was big and brash. Take Maymont and scale it down just a bit, then add the Rose Bowl, the museums in DC, and the facilities for any State Fair, and you have Fair Park Dallas. On top of all that, they were setting up for a concert and testing out the sound system. The "music" they were blasting across the park was painfully loud for me, so you know it was far from peaceful for anyone else in the park. I will give the park a "Green" seal of approval, There was a lot to do and all in one place, thus reducing the carbon footprint of those visiting. I'll be back to look in on a few of the museums.

My overall, and very biased, opinion: I've done big and brash.... I'll take sleepy Mayberry... er....um.... Richmond any day.

 Esplanade, Tower Building


 Esplanade



 Texas Hall Of State

 TX Hall OF State, Tejas Warrior, Great Hall

Six Flags Over Texas 


Leonhardt Lagoon 



Cotton Bowl, Texas Star Ferris Wheel, Children's Aquarium 




Magnolia Lounge, Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Thursday, June 7, 2012

"Hot" times at Packard Stadium. Devils win 9 to 6 vs Washington

First stop.... Eden's gotta say hey to Sparky...


How to stay cool in full sun, on aluminum seats, in the 90+ degree dry heat....
.....Large beach umbrella, (thanks Kate & Brig, so clever), and frozen lemonade.




GO DEBILS!

A little of this, and a Little of that.

.... or, how to entertain your grandkids.

Read the book "Beady Bear" in a cave....


Do "Stuff"....

like watching a slide show of Mom & Dad in Hawaii for breakfast


Do more "Stuff"....

like gardening....


or lollygagging...


and more lollygagging...


... notice how Eden has developed a safe way to watch TV when surrounded by two whirling dervish big brothers. Smart girl!


Fashion Maven

Who knew a pair of big brothers brown high tops, and an In & Out hat, could be paired so successfully with a tumbling outfit....
Apparently Eden is just a bit more fashion forward than the rest of us!



Friday, May 18, 2012

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Monday, May 14, 2012

Grandkids and the Field of Dreams.

Sunday the 13th Susu and I piled the kids into the truck and made our way to Chase Field for a Diamondbacks vs Giants game.
Alas, the D'backs lost 3 to 7, but for this crew there was nothing but fun.
Oh, and lots of sugar!
Soda with the hots dogs, Sees suckers, and a bag of cotton candy.
I'm going into shock just writing this!
We could have powered Queen Creek into 2013 if the excess energy put out might have been harnessed.
First stop on the way in was at the Rube Goldberg contraption at the front of the stadium.

Pictures at the Mickey Mouse statue. I almost died laughing when Eden flashed this pose.
Not sure where it's coming from but she called it up more than once. What a hoot!

Doesn't get any better than this!

In the waning innings of a Diamondbacks losing effort, the fun is found in making goofy faces, reading a good book, finishing that box of popcorn, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn while enjoying the comforts of Susu's lap.
Fini..... and it's back to reality, and cataloging the memories.

Ahhhhhh.... Decompression AZ style.

Met at the airport by Kate, and the irrepressible Eden. I can physically feel Dallas peeling off me.
A stop at In and Out, watching Ezra's Hip Hop competition (Kate & Brig will share those photos), Eden accompanies Poppy to SBUX for his morning fix and enjoys grape juice and a "Brown Sugar" pastry. Then off to tumbling....Yippee!!

Eden backstage, calmly assesses the madness surrounding her.
Poppy says, "God Bless the Mom that took over backstage".
Sorry for the picture quality... this was the best I could do with the cell phone.

Side note: Kate and Brigs flight to HI was delayed eight hours and this allowed them to catch EZ's Hip Hop competition. Poppy saw this as a gift from on high, and had literally just found Ezra who disappeared amongst the squealing masses of teen and preteen dance hall girls, when Kate and Brig showed up.
OMG!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

TED Talks for Grandma and anyone else that feels like watching

Give yourself 15 to 20 mins to watch these,

Talk One: Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability
Click here to watch number one

Talk Two: Brené Brown: Listening to shame
Click here to watch number two.