4/3/2009 GLASS!

Better get prepared before you start this one. Its long!

We started the day with a road trip to Mesa Flea Market. We rode with Diane and Paul from Idaho Falls, Idaho and Kathy and Lyle (Nebraska)were riding with Dan and Bonnie. (Iowa)

We left the park around 10:30 and arrived in Mesa about an hour later. We went into this HUGE flea market and just walked up and down the aisles in search of some good buys.

Anything you could want to buy, you can buy here. If they don't have it, you don't need it.

Bob was interested in finding a dash cover for the truck. Here is checking them out.

They had one in the color we wanted and for our size truck. This cover will help protect the dash leather from the harsh Arizona sun.

I bought my very own set of Dominoes! I can't wait to hostess my first Monday afternoon game next fall!

I didn't catch the whole story on these shirts but evidently they are soaked in red dirt (clay?) for their color.

After two hours or so of browsing we all met up where we parted ways and climbed back into the trucks for a trip to Phoenix for lunch.

First choice was a German restaurant. Everyone seemed happy with that choice and then I asked if they thought they would serve hamburgers. On to the next choice. I felt bad and I'm sure they probably did serve hamburgers or I'm sure I would have found something on the menu I would have liked and eaten. Nah, probably not. So I'm a picky eater, I can't help it. Next choice? Ruby Tuesday's! Yes! I love Ruby Tuesday's! Yummy! A salad bar! We couldn't find it. We found the right shopping plaza, we saw the sign at the entrance but couldn't find the restaurant anywhere. On to choice three. Oh no, did I hear Greek food? Oh yuck! Everyone quickly agreed that was a great idea. I didn't voice an opinion because I was praying.....Please let them serve hamburgers, please let them serve hamburgers.

So in we march into My Big Fat Greek. My Big Fat Greek WHAT? I felt like half the name of the restaurant was left off the building. (Take note that Bob is holding his ball cap on. Its THAT windy!)

So we go in and there are two other diners. What does THAT say? Well, it was after two so that probably explained why there was no lunch crowd rush.

Menus were given out and I started reading all kinds of things that I didn't have a clue what they were. I couldn't find HAMBURGER anywhere. Oh NO! Finally, Bonnie pointed out the hamburger section. As it turned out I wasn't the only one who ordered a hamburger. There was mine and two others. Good burgers too! So everyone was happy. Now I do have one complaint. I don't think much of Greek music. I don't know if they were playing Greece's top 40 or not, but if they were it doesn't have a good dance beat and I couldn't get any of the line dances to go with that music!

Lunch was done and we climbed back into the trucks, but not before plugging the next address into a GPS.

And for some reason Lyle found it fitting to stick his tongue out at me again. He's gonna learn its just gonna take awhile.

We had four o'clock reservations for our next stop. We got there just on time.

We are here for CHIHULY! (chi-hooly)

Dear readers, I can see you now, saying Chihuly over and over to yourselves and trying to figure out what that is a picture of. Let me explain.

We went to the Desert Botanical Garden to see Chihuly: The Nature of Glass exhibit. Chihuly is the last name of the artist, Dale Chihuly who has been influential in the Studio Glass movement. Wow, I didn't even know there was a glass movement! Working in a unstructured, free form manner, the results of his efforts call for widespread admiration from a variety of viewers. One art historian called his work "liquid light". Even this untrained eye could appreciate that description.

When we walked into the garden this was the first glass sculpture, of many, that we saw. To say that the eight of us were WOW-ED would be an understatement. This is GLASS!

There were glass creations at every turn.

Some have no explanation, they just are.

A closer look.

THE GIRLS get our picture taken. (l to r: Me, Bonnie, Diane, Kathy)

And then it was THE BOYS turn. They made it quite clear that there would be no arms around each other or leaning close for their picture! (l to r: Bob, Lyle, Dan, Paul)

These pieces reminded us of Christmas ornaments.

Glass sculptures in every color of the rainbow.

Another closeup.

We couldn't figure out what these were or what they were supposed to resemble if anything but we did agree these were our least favorite of them all.

This picture does not do the blue color of these next pieces justice. At all.

Chihuly's work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide, including the Metorpolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Some of the great botanical gardens of the world have also exhibited his work, gardens such as the New York Botanical Garden, the Royal Botanic Gardens and of course the Desert Botanical Gardens here in Phoenix. I don't know if this botanical garden compares with New York or the Royal....but it sounded good. His corporate installations include the famous ceiling sculpture at the Bellagio in Vegas.

There were real flowers to look at too. The desert is starting to bloom!

Around every corner we were met with such vibrant colors.

And then there's Lyle. Lyle who couldn't pass a cactus without touching it.

I'm glad Lyle wasn't the one who had to set these glass sculptures in amongst the cactus. He'd be a pincushion for sure!

The pieces came in all shapes and sizes.

Some hung from the ceiling.

These were especially pretty!

Some of the cactus were interesting to look at.

And some Lyle just couldn't stop touching!

Such pretty flowers amid sharp thorns!

Even the rocks were glass!

Kathy takes a break in a replica of a hut that the people of the desert from years gone by would have lived in.

Bonnie makes a paintbrush from some straw looking things were displayed. I'll be getting MY next paint brush from Home Depot, thank you very much.

A walk through the desert garden.

Our friend Lyle,,,,and not a cactus in sight!

Do you see the fly?

I don't know the name of these but we all thought they are pretty.

We came to a new section and couldn't help but notice the sign for this area. We felt right at home.

Brilliant reds...

....and cool blues.

Look at this monstrosity! As best we could tell, this is one plant.

This squirrel walked around with no fear.

And he was HUNGRY!

He ate the whole darn thing!

I had never seen a cactus like this before. Reminded of us brains.

Lyle...DON'T TOUCH!

Blooms just ready to burst!

This is one tall cactus!

Glass balls of all colors.

I can hear these three now, "What the hell is it?"

Pretty flowers everywhere.

From this......

....to THIS!

More blue.

This one is called Mexican Hat.

Curlicues!

As soon as we turned the corner and saw this one we all said, "Dishes!"

I was in the wrong place to get the sun coming through the yellow in this sculpture, but I like the picture all the same.

We're losing the light by now and lights are just starting to come on.

It's getting darker still....

While waiting for it to get dark so we could take pictures with the sculptures all lit up we went into the gift shop. I saw a vase that I really liked that Mr. Chihuly made. It was perfect for my philodendron that needs repotting! But geez, they wanted $7,100.00 for it! I guess I'll get one at Walmart for it.

We didn't go through and take night time pictures after all. We tried a few but there were so many flashes going on that the pictures weren't what I thought they should be. Besides, we were tired.

What an absolutely fantastic day this has been! Good buys, good food, good sights, GREAT friends!