Glass and Dance in Atlanta

Chihuly exhibit at Atlanta Botanical Gardens

We headed to Atlanta to attend a 'family' wedding - cousin Jan's son. Stayed with good friends Judy and Dave and went to the Chihuly exhibit at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. We got to see the exhibit in day and night and it was a very different experience each way.  This makes me want to go to the new Chihuly gallery in St. Petersburg which is near some breweries. Hmmm.

Same as above, but in the day

this is installed on a fountain

 

looking straight up to these glass flowers

another water installation

detail of a very large column installed next to reflecting pond

I thought this was amazing

While at the botanical gardens we snuck into the orchid pavilion while it was still light. I felt at home since it was warm and humid - just like Florida! I wasnt disappointed in the collection. In fact I was envious that I cant grow these at home.

abundance

these looked like slippers

dark plum colors

so delicate

And then we had the wedding. A truly unique and personalized wedding that fully reflected the couple who got married. Since they are self professed nerds, there were references to Star Wars, Princess Bride, science and astronomy. A joyful evening.

Groom's sister Kennis and bubbles

 

Turk and Kennis hit the dance floor

our official picture from the wedding

Hot Art

The second Saturday evening each month in St. Petersburg the city holds the Artwalk.  Forty studios around town open up for 4 hours to visitors to view, experience, and buy their art. The city has a free bus service that covers the disbursed group of studios. I quickly realized that there was no way all of these could be visited in one or two visits. So the Turk and I focused on one area so we could check out the experience.

all handblown glass

First, it was hot. Not warm. Not balmy. Just hot. So that trolley came in handy. And the heat became an issue when we visited the Duncan McClellan Glass  studio where we could watch them make glass, in a hot oven, in the hot evening air.! But they had amazing pieces there from many different artists.

a heat source, in addition to the sun

examples of some of the amazing glass at this gallery

Of course the Turk was more fascinated by the garden around this studio compound. This is because there were huge mango trees with the largest mangos he's evern seen.

extremely large mangos EVERYWHERE

beautiful glass art in the gardens

 And I was fascinated with the succulent wall in the patio area.

why cant my succulents look like this?!

We headed over to the Morean Arts Center located in an old train station. There were many artists located here and we saw mostly different styles of pottery work. Outside of the station was an large area where a number of kilns are located. One of them was HUGE!

Not an ancient ruin. This is a huge kiln.

And of course I found pigs!  I like the sense of whimsy of this artist. 

Pigs with instructions

Overall we enjoyed the experience and will do it again, when it gets a bit cooler. We discovered areas of St. Pete we didnt know about. I saw so many little restaurants to try that I dont have enough St. Pete days to try them all. And there are so many breweries!  We'll be back.

Sails, Snorkles, Sunshine and RUM

BVI sunset

sailing!!!

Julie and Chris - the organizers and captains!

The Turk and I were invited to join the sailors this year on their BVI trip. Of course we jumped at the chance. This time we were a big group of 13, with two boats - a catamaran and a mono-hull. All but 4 of us were relatives of Julie and Chris, the organizers. Old friend Karen and her daughter Danielle, me and the Turk rounded out the guests.

The conch knows ALL!

our spacious cabin

Good Morning!

Highlights of the trip?  Danielle and I jumped in the water with a dolphin who played with us for almost an hour. It was an amazing experience that reminded me how intelligent these mammals are.  We also got to see giant sea turtles at most of our stops. They look scarier when you are swimming and pop your head up to take a breath and see a reptilian face looking at you.

one of our turtle friends

getting ready to hook up to a mooring for the night

the mainsail is not easy to maneuver on this French catamaran

the Turk takes his duties seriously

The Turk was helping...but the fuel backed up all over the deck. It was a mess!

At night, everyone came onboard the catamaran for dinner. Lots of people, some strong and expressive personalities, and much laughter.

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Of course there is the sailing and island hopping and snorkeling, and even hiking at the Baths. Each island has its own personality and its own reason for a visit...typically oriented around a bar.

the monohull guys are racing us...and winning

 

Of course there is the sailing and island hopping, and snorkeling, and hiking at the Baths. In the BVIs you never sail alone, even in the off season of the summer! We saw some interesting boats and wondered about their stories.

In the morning, everyone is on their way out to another island

beautiful!

a shower! on the dock.

flat Anegada Island

fun colors in BVI

winding roads

The Turk practiced his 'yoga'

No Idea what this means, but it is one of the lines at Customs coming into BVIs