Music Monday - GotG

We saw Guardians of the Galaxy again with my college-graduating son last week. That 70's classic soundtrack has been playing through my head fairly non-stop. This trailer makes good use of them.



Such fun! Go see if you haven't already.

Utah Trip - Family Time

One of the perks of visits to Utah is all the extended family time - 

There is all the electronic-bonding - computer games and movie theater....

There was gift-giving to the graduates - here's their token Star Trek hoodies!

And the new tablet...

Then there was the picnic-ing and the eating out and the game playing....

But the best part is always the babies!

Many many cuddles happened.

Nice trip!


Utah Trip - the scary museum outing...

 One of our outings on this brief trip was to the newly updated Bean Museum on BYU campus.

 In the past it had primarily been filled with many many display taxidermied exotic animals..

 There were still a few of them around...

 But many were more 'animated' than previously...

 In fact, I noticed that a number of them seemed anxious about something....

 ...if not downright frightened...

 The reason began to become clearer...

 ...and clearer.....

 Remember that movie "Night at the Museum"?

 This was like a nightmare version of that.

I certainly wouldn't want to be here after dark! 

Much of this was on the 'Apex Predator" floor - 

 (I kept expecting to see a stuffed exhibit of human hunters. That would have been apropos...)
 It was fairly disconcerting.






I don't think I'm the only one it might give nightmares to!


Music Monday - Friend Like Me

Saddened by the news of Robin William's death...
So many memories of him throughout many parts of my life.
(The Drew Struzan poster for Hook. A flawed movie, but it had many very good moments. I always enjoyed Robin William's performance in it).

This is a musical one (from the approximately 20 gazillion times my kids watched Aladdin when they were young):

Bellevue Art Museum - Origami Exhibit

We also visited the Bellevue Arts Museum. My favorite exhibit was the origami one!

Many of the amazing sculptures are made from a single sheet of paper - 

Paper mushrooms!


I think this was my very favorite one...

Not a single piece of paper, but wow!

There was an entire hanging piece of multiple locusts - all made of dollar bills...

More single-sheet sculptures.

Very intricate pieces - looking like they are woven, but it's all folds.

Folded dress and shoes!

And then there was an entire room of abstract pieces (another single-sheet folded design).


It is a lyrical, astonishingly beautiful and incredibly crafted exhibit. Was so glad we got to see it.


Pike's Market -

 In our tour-of-Seattle, we of course had to see Pike's Market -

 -famous for the throwing-of-fish...

 And many an eclectic shop and craftsman...



 Multiple levels of shops - it goes on and on (I don't think I've ever seen them all).

 The lower you go, the creepier the shop window contents get. :-)



 The *one* shop that the daughter wanted to visit (with the Disney figurines) was unaccountably closed. Alas..

 And of course, we couldn't leave without seeing the infamous gum-wall!

(We came back with enormous scrumptious peaches and freshly-made cheese and various cools things - but you get pictures of gum!!)

Chihuly Day -

A couple of weeks ago my brother and family came to visit, and to sight-see a bit in Seattle.

One of the places we visited was the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum -

The interior is full of dynamic, organic well-lit shapes of glass...

Sculptural pieces...

Framed two-dimensional designs...

A ceiling of glass!


(this was maybe my favorite exhibit in the entire place).

Room-sized arrangements of sinuous forms.


The reflections almost as vibrant as the actual forms.


Lots of 'chandeliers' hanging from the ceiling.


An enormous glass house filled with looping floral shapes...


And, oh the gardens! 

Sadly, my camera can't get close to capturing how amazing the glass was outside amongst the plants. You may have to come see for yourself.

It was an awful lot to take in!...

Music Monday - Aint No Sunshine....

Once upon a time there was a brothers/boy band called Hanson (remember MmmBop? their titular single?). They grew up apparently. And still sing. Quite impressively even! Listen to their lovely, mature cover here:

Terrific Tuesday - Garden Tour!

Right now, I'm in charge of organizing a monthly activity for my group of church ladies-

 This month, we decided to go on a 'field trip' and have an official garden tour of the gorgeous kitchen gardens at the celebrated Herbfarm Restaurant.

 The raised beds were stunning as always.

 And we got some detailed insights from Herbfarm's own kitchen gardener.

 Golden hour...

 Blooming amaranth.

 Runner-bean teepee.

 Alium flower heads.

 And these fireworks-looking things are an ornamental alium bloom - new to me!

 There are also a pair of Vietnamese potbelly pigs named Borage and Basil. Darling boys!

 The bumblebees were out in force (and moving too quickly for my camera to catch well in the lowering light). It was truly lovely.

 We then met back together for some herb-based treats - made with herbs from *my* garden.

 The sorbets were particularly good (it has been so hot lately).

Lovely group of ladies, beautiful growing things and delicious treats. What could be better? :-)

Family Fourth

 Spent a lovely, relaxed 4th of July with family members in Utah.

 Here's Grandma with her newest grandbaby (being held by his older sister) -

It was such a treat that my trip happened to correspond with his arrival! I got to hold him at 15 hours old and visit him over the next three days. Lucky!

Fantasy-Con

Spent a few days in Utah this week -
one of which was attending Fantasy Con in SLC.

It is the first year for this convention - which was very ambitious in scale and scope.

There were lots of interactive opportunities and performances -

Of course, lots of cos-play.

Darling photo-ops.

Mythical creatures.

Panels of experts and celebrities.

And my favorite - all the art!

Twas a fun day!  Will see if it happens again next year.

Tuesday Garden Post -

Happy July! Here's a smattering of what's blooming now -
 The borage is tall and lush and breaking out all over in blue stars (the bees are very happy about this)

 The ornamental mullien is towering with spires of tiny blooms (which I must cut down before they go to seed - else there will be gazillions of babies everywhere).

 The beebalm looks like shaggy red star-bursts.

 The rue is fading, and the feverfew is coming on strong -

 - coming on strong, and blooming *everywhere!*

 The dainty fairy-rose is covered with pink clusters.

 The full-size roses are winding down (David Austen cabbage roses) -

 These are sterling-lavender - heavily-scented blooms.

 Some of the early veggies are bolting and blooming (some of which I allow - since their flowers are sweet and delicious. These are radish - which will turn into succulent, crunchy seedpods. Delicious in salads!)

 Calendula is opening everywhere.

 Volunteer foxglove comes up all over the yard.

 As do poppies. Hot pink or lavender or some cross of the two.

 We are picking fruit daily - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries... The figs and arguta kiwis are growing quickly - SO many clusters. It will be a good crop this fall.

For all its neglect, the garden is doing remarkably well. :-)

In other news, the studio chicks are also growing like weeds. I've had to move them into a larger box. We'll see how long I can bear to keep them indoors. (The larger they get, the safer they'll be from raccoons and other dangers when they get moved outdoors).

Happy summer - happy July!