The Nature of Glass at the Desert Botanical Garden

On Memorial Day we visited the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix where Dale Chihuli's The Nature of Glass is on display. I have always been a fan, having seen a documentary on him and his work several years ago. I have seen his work in Abravanel Hall in SLC, on the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, and hanging under the dome of the V&A in London, but this was the largest group I have seen. This exhibit made a great visit to the Botanical Garden even more exciting and special. The photos are best enlarged. Here are a few pieces without captions:


















That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Going Back to Houston, Part One

Dean Martin had a big hit in 1965 called Going Back to Houston. That has been running through my mind this morning as I looked at pictures from our recent trip to visit the Gibbs in Houston. I arrived Saturday, May 2; Kris had arrived the week before for an adventure in Canton (sorry, no photos). We had a great time; Debby is a great hostess. Of course, we ate ourselves silly, did some hunting and gathering, saw several movies, as well as spending excellent down time by the pool.

"HONK IF YOU LOVE JESUS" - welcome to
the Baptist Bible Belt

The hibiscuses at Debby's are in bloom

Oporto Cafe for Portuguese tapas: fantastic

Central Market to get fixings for Sunday dinner

Debby kept me in shape with morning walks

One of the beautiful lakes in their neighborhood

Lunch at Americas: black beans and carnitas

The lovely ladies after lunch in the Woodlands

The next evening at Rice Village (near Rice University)

We were going to have dim sum but the place was closed on
Tuesdays (who knew Chinese celebrate 5 de Mayo?),
so we had a great meal at Ruggles in Rice Village instead

Ian drove us around downtown Houston -
this is the Medical Center near Rice University

Alison arrived on Wednesday and we went to Chuy's,
her favorite Mexican restaurant, for a 6 de Mayo supper

Kris, Alison, Debby, Hilary, Ian, and Brian (Ian's brother)

Ian made cheesecake for Sunday dinner, so I made the
trifle I had planned for Alison's homecoming instead

Thursday we spent in the Galleria neighborhood,
starting with a delicious lunch at Houston's

My favorite way to shop - you've gotta love
the great seating areas at Nordstrom's

We finally had dim sum back in Rice Village

A few of the yummy things at Yum Yum Cha

The next post is the second half of the adventure, so keep reading.

OXO

D.

Houston Trip 2009, Part Two

The fun just kept on going. On Friday, Hilary took the day off and we went to town again. We started with lunch at the Hobbit Cafe, a particular favorite of Katy Kathryn. It was charming and the food was really delicious. We stopped for cupcakes at a cool store called Crave Cupcakes before going downtown to the Angelika Film Center to see Valentino The Last Emperor, a documentary about Valentino Garavani, the famous Italian designer. For Project-Runway addicts like us, it was very interesting. That evening before dinner we visited Memorial Park in Houston. The late afternoon sun made it look particularly beautiful. We ate dinner at a most interesting place called Charivari, run by a Transylvanian chef. It is high-brow with a slightly dowdy European feeling. The service was intentionally slow and the crowd was mixed with a preponderance of older folks (it almost felt like a club). My pork cutlets were delicious.

Saturday we spent around the pool and for supper we had a cookout at home. Sunday after church, we flew home just in time for Mothers Day dinner with the family. I made and froze everything before I left, so preparation was a snap. We missed Ollie's birthday, so we celebrated with him on Mother's Day as well.

We thought of Katy Kathryn

Really delicious food - Deb and I didn't order, we just shared

The ladies at the Hobbit Cafe

Tasty cupcakes by the thousands disappear
from this place every day

Hilary with our share of the thousands

In the heart of downtown Houston

To the artsy film center to see Valentino

Two thumbs up

The Gibbs/Brown/Taylors, post film

Memorial Park on a beautiful afternoon

Supper at Charivari

Alison looks up from her book to pose for me

Kris sought the shade but still got some color

Hey that's Dickie!

The mothers on Mother's Day

Happy birthday, Ollie!

Thanks so much to Debby et al. We had a super-fun time. That's all for now.

OXO

D.

It's Just a Trip, Not a Secession

We are headed to Texas for a week. We will be returning on Mothers Day (family dinner at 6:00 instead of 5:00) and have no intention of seceding. Kris is already there with Debby experiencing first hand the wonders of Canton. Katy will take me to the airport tomorrow (Saturday) and I will join them in Houston. I will post a full report upon our return (that's a promise, not a threat).


That's all for now.

OXO

D.