Weekly Photo Challenge: Against the Odds

February 20, 2017February 20, 20178 Comments

Olana Fotor_redux.jpg

It was certainly Against the Odds to find this magnificant home with a view while attempting to correct a missed turn!

We were driving home from Boston and thought it would be fun to go the back way. We didn’t have a navigator or GPS so we were figuring out directions the old fashioned way- a map.

We decided we had missed a crucial turn and needed to turn around. Because we were in the country, we decided to take the first turn we could and maybe turn around in someone’s driveway, and “ta da” we would be back on track.

When we turned onto the road that was heading up a mountain we noticed a sign that said Olana and an arrow pointing forward. Not knowing what that meant, we continued to look for a driveway to turn around in and continued up the mountain.

We came to a small parking lot with an attendant in a booth. We thought, finally a place to turn around! We told the attendant we had made a wrong turn and asked if it was ok to just go in and come right back out again. He suggested that we might like to stop and take a look at the beautiful view of the Hudson River since we were so close. There was no charge for that, but if we wanted to tour Olana there would be a charge.

Olana we learned was the home of landscape artist Frederic Edwin Church. Once we walked up to the home we decided a wrong turn never turned out so right. I highly recommend visiting it if you are ever in the area!

This is the view from the porch- The Rip Van Winkle Bridge

Variations on a Theme: Doors

October 20, 2016October 20, 20161 Comment

cm-corning-bull-doorknocker_fotor

I am noticing that themes exist within the towns I have visited. Some are organized, like the Miles of Mules project, and others seem to be more of a neighborhood “thing,” like the mailboxes on a Key Largo street that were all fantastic!

After we left the Corning Museum of Glass, my husband and I decided to check out the town of Corning and maybe get an early dinner. As we walked up and down the downtown street I kept stopping to admire the front doors.

This is what I saw.

Orange Door

Green Door

Blue Door (with cool MAIL door)

Wood Door

Skinny Door

Wide Door

Avocado Door!

I’ll drink to that- where is that coaster of mine?

Destination Inspiration: Corning Museum of Glass

October 17, 2016October 17, 2016Leave a comment

I’m not sure but I think I may be a genius.

(Well, that may be an overstatement but for a moment I allowed myself to think that. It may just be that I am topical! )

Let me explain.

We went to the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York this past weekend, and I experienced a moment when I was wonderstruck, astonished and, yes, reverential.

Contemporary Art + Design Wing Entrance

My pictures couldn’t fully convey the experience. When I turned the corner to enter the Contemporary Art +Design Wing, it took my breath away. As Kristy Wenz described, “with its stark white walls and abundance of natural light, the glass art stuns and radiates.”

I was stunned. (Well said, Ms. Wenz.)

When I came home from our trip, this was waiting for me.

And that’s when I wondered if I might just be a genius, because I haven’t stopped telling people, including total strangers on our trip, to go to this museum and see it for themselves. Turns out, I wasn’t just giving them travel advice, I was enriching their lives. Go figure!

My visit reinforced how sometimes small things bring about grand feelings. The miracle of people throughout history taking liquid sand and using it to create beautiful, purposeful objects was inspiring and heartwarming. Taking the time and effort to beautify everyday objects elevates us all.

Ancient glasswork

As I wandered through the exhibits, I wanted to go out and make things. I loved the patterns, colors, and the care that went into the pieces and the museum itself.