Art Glass in Seattle - Dale Chihuly

Do you LOVE glass like I do?  I have always been fascinated by it.   This Fall I was so blessed to go visit my friend Laurie that lives in the Seattle area (there's another post about her amazing house is you click HERE).  And while there Laurie & a couple of my friends (Cindy Craine &Vickie Orlando) & I went downtown to see the Dale Chihuly Museum  (Also click  HERE or on anything in blue for a link).  AMAZING!!!!  There beneath the Space Needle sits an EXPLOSION of color & design.  Anyone who love ART has to appreciate this amazing work.  The pieces above & below are displayed on the ceiling in one room (much like his pieces in the Belagio in Las Vegas).

The exhibit below was in a room with dark walls & the center of the room just filled with COLOR!

Below was an almost floor to ceiling (as you can tell by looking at the people standing next to it) piece & the colors were divine.  This room was called Sea Life.

A little closer up shows the detailed sea life done in GLASS!  Anyone who knows me KNOWS  I'm an Ocean/Sea Life/Mermaid Girl.

   
    People always ask me what my favorite color is...  I don't have one!!   I guess that's the Gemini in me but, I can't choose A favorite color.  I just love color!   GREEN is so beautiful to me so, this gorgeous swirling green beauty also spoke to my soul.

Just look at the detail!!!!  Some day I would love to take a glass blowing class.  On the plane a passenger I visited with gave me the name of a place in Seattle to study glass blowing...

Seattle Glass Blowing

Outside in the gardens the sculptures were everywhere in EVERY color you can imagine!

As I said, this garden sits right below the Space Needle.

To get to the garden you walk through a huge glass hall (I bet they have Events & Weddings in here... I can just see it can't you?)  Look at the beautiful glass hanging from the ceiling!

                                 
         This is looking at it from the outside on the other side.

Seattle is truly a beautiful place & this little piece of ART HEAVEN just makes it even more special!

I hope you enjoyed this BURST of color.  I'm in the middle of YET MORE remodel work in the house so, I needed something happy to look/post about because right now my world is workmen & dust.  And no money for travel.  But, I can reflect on my previous adventures & dream about the future ones!  HUGS!

A Visit to Laurie's House Gig Harbor, WA

On September 29th Cindy & I headed out to start our visit with our friend Laurie.  It just happened to be Cindy's birthday & Laurie had this yummy cake for dinner after we arrived from the Seattle Airport.  Her home was decorated for Halloween & I don't think I've ever seen so many adorable/interesting pieces of ART!  Upon looking around I decided I couldn't choose a favorite...

 These stunning blown glass pumpkins were from a company called Cohn Stone Studio & if you click on the link it will take you to their site... One more beautiful than the next!!!  The colors & textures so lush!  Next fall the Art Sisters are going to plan a Field Trip & I can assure you I will be bringing a few of these beauties home to Texas!

 While at Rogers Garden (see my last post) I saw pumpkins designed by this same designer as those below but, I think Laurie's choice of display/colors were better than Rogers Gardens.  The eyes on these pumpkins are so real!

 This fellow was so cute in her living room.  And he's HUGE!!!

 The devil sits behind Laurie's hubbies desk.  Hmm I wonder if there's a message there?  LOL!  He is made from fabric & all of his face is painted.  So clever!

 The views out Laurie's windows were divine!!!! The house looks out over Puget Sound. 

 The play of the water, the sky & the trees made for such MAGIC every time I looked out! 

Below is one of the guest rooms with that stunning view in the background...

The beautiful bed & chandi that she/hubby chose/hung right out of a storybook castle!  The paint on the wall behind the bed was stunning!  This photo doesn't do it justice!!! It was a Martha Stewart paint that looked like silk fabric.  The sheen was beautiful.  Laurie said the process was tedious but, worth it indeed.  First you pint the paint on the wall  & then you have to use steel wool & DRAG it down the wet paint to achieve that texture!  A PAIN I'm sure but, so worth it as it was AMAZING!! 

Even in this beautiful room Laurie added her Halloween Art pieces!  Below is another pumpkin guy with those realistic eyes & TEAL colored Cohn Stone pumpkins!  Everything just seemed made for each room.

Below was the witch she had for the guest room.  The velvet fabric for her dress was beautiful.  And again, she was BIG & really made a statement!

In the kitchen she had some FUN felted fellows!  I want to learn to felt.  I need to find some good online classes I think.  But, again the artists out did themselves & Laurie has such a knack for decorating & pulling it all together.

LOVED this white pumpkin below!

And I fell in love with her buffet by Hooker Furniture!  I came home & told hubby I NEED THIS!!!!!

Laurie used more Cohn Stone pumpkins, leaves & gourds to do a vignette across the top of the buffet that was stunning!   Don't you LOVE the colors?  I DO!

One afternoon Laurie suggested we all go into the old Port Area of Gig Harbor & eat at a darling little Pub on the water.  By this time some of the other Art Sisters had joined us in Gig Harbor (Sandy Navarro, Joy Campbell & Vicki Orlando)& we so enjoyed the charm of the harbor, the boats & seeing some of the other houses along the water.  Sooooooo different than Texas I can assure you!  LOVE THIS AREA!

THANK YOU Laurie for a very special time in your very SPECIAL home.  I love all the beautiful touches you have added.  It is like a Show Home & we were all so lucky to see your MAGIC!  I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the tale of this visit to the northwest.  I have soooooooo much more to share.  Next post will be about the visit to the Dale Chahuly Art Glass Museum & downtown Seattle.   

Chattanooga Part II

Well, here is the color on that same mountain side I shared in the last photo.  2 weeks later.  Joann just sent me this as a comparison of color from our trip out to Chattanooga.  DARN!!!! Guess we’ll just have to go back another year.
 
We got to see some pretty color though… you can see the tree behind us (with the Civil War cannon) here at the visitor center for the Chickamauga Battle Ground.

The park is covered with miles of markers for different battles, remembrances from different states.

So beautiful & yet so sad!

Imagine marching days upon days to come to an area you are totally unfamiliar with.  To sneak around in woods like these never knowing who you will meet. 

Thousands of men dead.  Dying…. Wounded…. Brothers fighting brothers.  Family killing family.  Over ideas, over maintaining life as they knew it.   SAD!  Thank God we haven’t had that here in this country again.  Thank you Mike for sharing your vast knowledge of this subject.

Just a tiny bit of personal family history… My Grandmother’s Great Grandfather (on Daddy’s side) was a much decorated General in this battle & there was a lot of information we saw while there at the battle grounds.  His name was William Rosecrans (click HERE to learn a bit more about him).  When I go out to Manhattan Beach for one of Kim Caldwell’s events & stay at The Belamar Hotel, I always marvel at seeing Rosecrans AVE knowing it is named after someone in MY FAMILY!!!

Next on the agenda was a ride on that boat you see docked on the Tennessee River.  It is a jet speed boat (that hydro foils at 56 miles an hour) called the River Gorge Explorer.  It goes so fast that it planes up OFF the water when it is cruising.  Click the blue name/link above to go to the site to get more information.

Leaving port we saw the city views from the river.

Once we reached the Tennessee River Gorge we saw the multi million dollar homes off Signal Mountain.

Here’s a beautiful shot of some of the homes down on the water & if you look very closely at the top/middle of that largest mountain… that’s the signal point.  The Union soldiers would watch Lookout Mountain & signal to the troops on the ground the points of interest to help them win the battles taking place in that area.  The photo below is taken with a telephoto lens so it helps you see the “look out” better.

And the photo below is of “The SUCK”.  It is a fast moving stream coming out of the mountain & before they built the series of damns to help to control flooding on the river (& raised the level of the river over 30 feet), this place was the scene of some terrible river disasters.  In fact, a large paddleboat sits at the bottom here (about 130 feet below now).  It all looks so calm & harmless.   Modern technology is truly amazing.  But, just below this point in “Hell’s Kitchen” there have been 2 sinking’s recently (barges heavily loaded & unable to maneuver the twist & turns).

Hubby & I LOVED the house below.  We could see ourselves living there with our deck boat in the boat house.  Coffee in the morning on that deck… & a glass of wine watching the sun set.  What this Texas girl won’t do to escape the heat…

Speaking of houses…

A YACHT…The second little photo shows it coming up behind us.   WOW It’s name was Freedom.  Our captain said it had multiple luxury staterooms on board, a hot tub, & a full staff.  Now that’s the way to travel in luxury!  Where were they going?  The Tennessee/Alabama College football game that was to be played the following weekend.  Mike says that they don’t tailgate for this game they all come in on their boats & they cookout & party on the boats.  People mooring out in the river & crossing from/through one persons boat to the next to get to shore for the game.
 
Right behind him came a HOUSE BOAT flying the Alabama University flag.

You can see the shadows are starting to fall over the mountain & the homes along it’s bank so it’s time to head back to Chattanooga.

The lights on the pier are so pretty when we get back.

We drove down river to one of Mike & Joann’s favorite places to eat & had a wonderful table on the outside patio.  Thank you for two marvelous days.  So much history & so much natural beauty.  Tomorrow… we’re off to Lynchburg for a tour at Jack Daniels Distillery.    Hope you’ll come back in a few days to see a few shots of that.
HUGS!  Charlene