Travel

February in Photos

March 5, 2014 by Michelle Leave a Comment

How can I possibly sum up my February in 16 photos?! I’m still in the midst of keywording and editing my photos, so I’ll have to make due with just some snapshots for now. I flew to Germany on the first and from there Sylvia and I traveled by train to Paris. We rented a little apartment and spent an amazing six days there. We traveled back to Germany and then had a couple of days in Bavaria. So different from Paris, but beautiful as well. I flew home the day before Valentine’s Day and Eric met me at the airport with a bouquet of flowers. I finished two books on my trip – one on the plane there and then I started/finished the second on the plane home.

These photos bring such a smile to my face.

Raise the Red Lantern

June 10, 2013 by Michelle Leave a Comment

I thought I’d share some photos from October (yes, October!) with you. I’m working on a backlog of photo editing from the end of last year. I guess there were just so many fantastic things going on that I got behind. And October is always a busy month for us, it seems. Every year, as you probably know, we go to the State Fair as part of Eric’s birthday celebration.

This year, they were having the Chinese Lantern Festival, so we made sure to go while the festival was still going on. We went during the day, although I’m sure it was beautiful all lit up at night.

When we went, there weren’t a ton of people there, which was nice. We just strolled through at a leisurely pace.

There were lots of little animals and flowers and mushrooms and all sorts of things. What you have to imagine, which is sometimes hard to take in, is that everything is a lantern!! I’m sure it was really a stunning display at night.

I loved the little grove of cherry trees – such fun to see their pretty pink blossoms. Reminds me a bit of my First Days of Spring post.

The dragon was stunning all by himself. He was huge – lengthwise – and absolutely amazing the closer you got to him.

Especially once you realized he was made entirely from china plates and cups. Everything was woven together in the most intricate fashion.

And there were even a couple of temples – the entire piece was itself a lantern. How amazing is that? These are all primarily constructed of fabric and wire.

And these were so cool – they are made up of tiny little glass vials filled with colored liquid. Water or oil, I assume? They looked like they were covered in crystals in the sun.

See the little vials?

The lotus blossoms on the water were so pretty. And there were frogs and birds and even fish lanterns in there too. I just really loved the pink lotus flowers.

Apparently some of the big lotus flowers actually opened and closed at night during the show. Love that!

See the bird? I loved all the colors on these lanterns. And the fabric had a sheen to it like silk. Just absolutely amazing the level of detail.

The swan paddle boats looked right at home amongst the flowers.

This was a giant fan – I do mean giant. I loved the kind of cloisonné look of the birds.

Here’s the other temple – I just loved all that bright blue!

And look at this shadow box with the peacocks – also had that cloisonné look to them.

It really was a fantastic exhibit. Like I said, I wish we could have seen it at night – but it was still breathtaking during the day.

I loved this shot – a little bit of East meets Southwest.

Of course, we spent a good amount of time at the fair doing the other things we usually enjoy. We took in two shows of The Killdares. Always good music and a lot of fun to sit and watch them play.

They had a new fancy rotating stage this year, which was kind of fun.

Eric bought a couple of their CDs and we stayed behind after the second show to get them signed by the band.

It was a great day and we definitely enjoyed ourselves. By the time the sun went down we were worn out and ready to head home!

Until next year!

Oh, and p.s. if you’ve never seen the movie Raise the Red Lantern, it’s really good.

Things I Love Thursday: Chihuly

August 23, 2012 by Michelle 2 Comments

Well, I missed doing my TILT post last week, and almost missed it again this week. Of course, with my birthday celebrations, my schedule is a little bit in an uproar, but I decided it was important to get this post in this week. I’ve been having a lot of fun for my birthday and will post on that for sure soon. But, today, I thought I’d focus on one of my favorite things. Most people that know me for any length of time know that I love art (I have a BFA in Art History) and that one of my favorite artists is Dale Chihuly. I have been in love with his work for a long time, and remember fondly my dad recording (back in the VHS days) specials on Chihuly and his work for me. I’ve been lucky enough to share this love of these intricate blown glass sculptures with Eric. And in a funny way, our relationship has involved a series of Chihuly sightings, which has been fun. We’ve managed to see Chihuly installations in a variety of places, most recently in Miami a couple of years ago. The photo at the top of the post was from there.

But our first foray into Chihuly sightings, and where I first introduced Eric to his work, was in the Bahamas. Eric took me on a cruise to the Bahamas back in February of 2005. At the Atlantis resort, I was ecstatic to find four Chihuly sculptures.

That trip to the Bahamas was also where Eric proposed. So it was a memorable trip for sure!

The year after we were married, we took a trip to Philadelphia for his cousin’s wedding. And guess what we stumbled upon?

This piece is called The Flame of Liberty and it is stunning. I didn’t get the best of photos of it, since I was still kind of new to the whole photography thing. But so fortuitous to find another Chihuly on this trip together.

On our second anniversary, Eric surprised me with a trip to Oklahoma City. Why Oklahoma, you ask? He took me to the Oklahoma Museum of Art which boasts the largest collection of Chihuly pieces anywhere in the world. Now that is a man who loves me!!! And the pieces in Oklahoma were amazing for sure.

And this ceiling that is reminiscent of the Bellagio ceiling in Las Vegas. Such an amazing play of light and color through the glass pieces.

There was even a Chihuly at my old office. Thankfully I took photos of it before I became a casualty of massive layoffs.

And you might wonder why I decided to focus this TILT post on Chihuly’s work? Well, currently the Dallas Arboretum is home to a Chihuly installation and I can’t wait to go and see it. I have heard that the pieces they have on location are stunning. I am so looking forward to it getting a bit cooler out so that I can venture out to see what they have.

And while the pieces are always amazing in daylight, I can imagine they are even more stunning at night. I hope to get to see them in both.

Father’s Day

June 17, 2012 by Michelle 1 Comment

So, I mentioned a few posts ago that my dad died at the end of February and I haven’t been really sure how to blog about it. But I do feel like I need to. I feel like in some little way, I need to share who he was with the Universe. And, after three months, it just seemed like I need to just say what I want to say and get on with it.

On the 29th of April my mom, sister, niece and I went to a butterfly release that hospice was holding in memory of the people they’d cared for. The photo above is actually from a trip Eric and I took to Philadelphia a few years ago, but I thought it was appropriate. The ceremony was very nice and I think it was a nice way for families to say goodbye.

It seems like though, the past few months have been a series of goodbyes. On Memorial Day, we went to the National Cemetery to visit my Dad’s grave and see his headstone for the first time. I can’t even begin to put into words how hard it was. Seeing his name and dates on that stone made it so real, so permanent. But, the ceremony for Memorial Day was really moving and it was so nice to see so many people out there celebrating their loved ones and honoring those that have served their country. It was refreshing to spend Memorial Day in the spirit of the day.

Last week was my Dad’s birthday. He would have been 68. I spent the day in Wichita in meetings for work, but he was never far from my mind. Eric took my mom out to lunch and brought her some flowers, because he knew it would be a hard day for her.

And today, is Father’s Day. And I am missing him something fierce. I went to a funeral yesterday for the husband of a friend who died suddenly. And it truly made such an impression on me. My parents spent the last 47 years at each others’ sides. And I know that the loss that I am feeling probably doesn’t even touch the loss that my mom is feeling. My dad was truly an amazing man, and I hope that one day I can live up to the legacy he’s left me. I hope too that one day I can look back and say that I spent my life with my best friend by my side.

I found these photos recently, photos I’d never seen before, of the two of them on one of their adventures. They loved to visit the National Parks and explore and take photos. I get my love of photography from my Dad. They set up the camera on a tripod and snapped these photos, and I think they speak for themselves about how they spent their lives together.

I imagine that one day, they’ll be off on yet another adventure together. But, for now, we’re just missing him.

Christmas in the City

December 16, 2011 by Michelle 2 Comments

I thought it would be fun to share some photos from our trip to New York City a few years ago. New York is amazing at the holidays. The whole city is decorated and it seemed to me the whole place was filled with music too. One of our first days there, we spent the whole day just walking through the city to see all the holiday decorations.

Inside Macy’s.

And the amazing store windows, decorated for the holidays.

And our evening was spent at Rockefeller Plaza. We watched the skaters and had hot chocolate.

One evening, we stopped and had hot dogs from a vendor to tide us over before seeing the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall, which is just across the street from these pretty ornaments.

Inside the Empire State Building was festive too.

And a quiet walk through Central Park.

Whenever the holidays come around, my memories of New York are always intertwined. It was truly an amazing trip and I highly recommend seeing the city at Christmas if you get the chance.

Roadtrip

September 5, 2011 by Michelle 2 Comments

Last weekend I took a little road trip. It was a much-needed getaway. And let me tell you, when I stepped out of my car and was greeted with silence, absolute silence – I knew I was in the right place.

My first morning there, I caught the sunrise. I can’t remember the last time I saw the sun rise when I wasn’t headed for work. And starting the morning in a rocking chair on the porch with nothing but the sounds of cattle in the distance…Heaven.