Science! Psuedo-science! Nature! Art! Nonsense!
January 25, 2025
art, fashion, museum andy warhol, art museum, behind the scenes, museum, pittsburgh, secret mission, the andy warhol museum, travel, warhol 1 Comment
Ah yes. We are planning for 5/25/25. Looking at space and making plans.
Still, we had some fun in the exhibits.
And we got a look at some spaces behind the scenes. I mean, at least they are silver!
The main lobby was the focus of some more research.
Can’t wait to be here with our peeps!
There’s still some planning to be done! 5/25/25 here we come.
November 30, 2024
art, museum, travel art, art institute of chicago, art museum, chicago, chicago art institute, travel Leave a comment
More art in Chicago, according to plan. The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the best art museums in the world.
The Chagall stained glass is, alone, worth the price of admission.
America, what has become of you?
But there’s lots more.
Chicago, Chicago, It’s my kind of town.
October 6, 2024
flowers, photography, plants dublin, ireland, romey, st stephens green, travel Leave a comment
When you are filled to the brim with people, visit the green and let it all back out.
May 9, 2024
hiking, nature George and Tara, hiking, nature, Oregon, photography, Portland, romey, Silver Falls, travel, video 1 Comment
On a beautiful sunny day in Oregon, we decided to stay wet by standing under a waterfall. Silver Falls is remarkable, stunning, and a great place to visit with friends. We visited as a day trip from Portland. (Make sure to expand the videos when viewing.)
The icicles!
The refrigerator!
April 23, 2024
art, nature, trees, who knows antifa, art, democracy, museum, Norway, oslo, painting, rose castle, roseslottet, travel, world war ii 2 Comments
The “Rose Castle” art installation is a temporary exhibit at the top of the ridge overlooking Oslo. It’s dedicated to democracy and anti-fascism as understood through remembering the Norwegian freedom fighters of WWII.
The installation itself is both deeply moving, profound, and kitchy all at the same time. It’s clear that the artists are from a different time where the pace is slower, the thinking is deeper and the design language doesn’t cater to instagram.
There has been some debate about whether to make the monument permanent. the latest scuttlebutt us that it will be removed in 2025.
I’m really glad I went, for a number of reasons, but I also think moving the installation to a more permanent home not in nature would be best.
August 27, 2023
art, concert, music boston, cambridge, jazz, live music, the mad monkfish, travel 1 Comment
Excellent cocktails, interesting food, and world class jazz. If you get a chance to catch a Sunday show in Cambridge at the Mad Monkfish, just do it.
June 17, 2023
food, party, photography, travel belgium, bookstore, caroline, garden, gem, grappa, leuven, mixology, party, photography, travel, video, violin, yo 2 Comments
Nothing quite like staying with dear friends in Leuven. Yo and Caroline are excellent hosts. This visit was made even more fun by including a 65th birthday party for Yo.
Here are some pictures from my visit.
I even managed to sneak into the circus on Friday evening. An incredible show focused on lighting matches, making pizzas, and spinning plates.
The cast of two and the poor “volunteers” who were pulled from the audience.
Leuven.
There was dancing in the kitchen.
And there were homemade cakes.
We even got to try out some mixology for the party.
Rosemary grappa lemonade…let’s call it the “yo-yo 65.”
The birthday king presides.
The actual power behind the throne is slightly capricious.
The site of the party is the back garden with lots of veggie plants. Delicious food was about as “locally sourced” as you can get. There were fresh snap peas and strawberries. So healthy and so delicious.
This gorgeous cake was my favorite. Banana cheesecake. Yum.
There was some dancing in wooden clogs yo some truly bad fiddle sawing.
We walked several miles together all using the house as a base of operations.
And we visited the English books at FNAC to compare notes.
All in all about as much fun as you can have in Leuven!
December 7, 2022
photography, travel architecture, Bath, fred mawer, georgian, guided tour, travel, walking tour 1 Comment
Some pictures taken during a brief two hour walking tour of Bath. Fred Mawer is an exceptional tour guide even by blue badge tour standards. Highly recommended.
Romey and I felt a little like this seagull who scored a huge piece of bread.
We started at the Royal Crescent hotel, about which more here.
Somehow it seems to me that these trees should be oaks instead of sycamores. But they are properly regal and huge, centering the Bath Circus.
Architectural details make all the difference. Speculative real estate development for the win.
All of the stone for these buildings is local, giving the town a unifying, opulent feeling. The tea house.
We walked on the day that the Christmas market started. Fred points out an old sign.
Apparently there is a cocktail scene. We will have to come back and try it out.
Romey and Jane Austin.
Religion? Justice? Do not enter. A conceptual collage.
The river Avon with some voiceover typical of our tour.
The cinema from Fantastic Mr Fox
All in all Bath is a beautiful place well worth a visit. We can’t wait to return.
November 11, 2022
hiking, mountain, nature, photography, travel hiking, mountains, nature, Norway, photography, travel, vettisfossen, video, waterfall 2 Comments
The day could not have been prettier. Light rain, but gorgeous light. And peak Fall leaves. And waterfalls everywhere you look. The funny thing is, though we hiked about 13km, we never made it to the big waterfall! Ran out of light.
I guess we’ll just have to go back
THIS is not the one! But look. Spectacular does not even begin to describe this walk.
We had some very late lunch very near the top at an old farmstead and village.
The turn around point.
November 11, 2022
hiking, travel dogs, gøran, hiking, mountains, nature, Norway, nova, photography, romey, travel, video 2 Comments
Sometimes walking out the door and around back is the best way to hike. We bushwhacked up through juniper and blueberry towards a small lake where fish are rumored to live. Tyinkrysset, Norway is beautiful.
This little stream is just up the road a few hundred meters.
Here are some pictures of our walk in the mountains.
A view of the valley.
Chilly Romey.
Panorama
Our intrepid hosts at the top. Our fearless leader Nova was dressed for the weather.
We love being in Norway.
Coffee and brown cheese? Nova says yes.
