I visited the Arboretum for a couple of hours this morning with a friend, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many pumpkins in my entire life! They were lining every main walkway of the gardens…just thousands of them. One section even had a hut built entirely of pumpkins, gourds, & maize:

What is even better is that the pumpkins were for sale. Imagine being 6 years old, walking into a place like that, and being able to choose one special jack-o-lantern pumpkin from thousands! Too cool.

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I’ll never forget the first time I stepped into the Rodin museum in Paris at 17 & saw Le Baiser. It literally took my breath away. It amazes me that he could take a medium like marble & create something so lifelike.

And a few more of my fav pieces from the day…

I loved the shape & curves of this giant eraser by Claes Oldenburg. The brush was made from thick metal tubing.

Not only were there sculptures in the museum, but they also had some paintings from the Nasher collection, including this Picasso. I’m normally not a huge Picasso fan, but I loved the brilliant colors used in this piece…

Down in the basement, there was a white sculpture based on the shape of the atom.

What I found far more interesting, however, was the shadow pattern created from the negative space of the piece…

Matisse’s reclining woman

Constantin Brancusi’s “Le Baiser” which sat on the Nasher’s dining room table.

Alberto Giacometti’s sculpture of his brother Diego…

On the way to the back garden stands this huge bust that must be 10 feet tall and is made from welded metal…

And finally, I have no idea how this was constructed, but this towering pole must extend 100 feet into the air. It is nearly vertical and the people walking into the sky are life-size! What a feat it must have been to assemble…but very cool to see & enjoy.

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I created a new photo album in my gallery for all of the Killiney Bay pics featured in my recent video. The resolution is a bit better than youtube for viewing. You can check out the pics here.

P.S. Another tune is on its way shortly that I recorded tonight!

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One late afternoon, I hiked several miles from Dalkey to Killiney & documented the journey with my camera. Once I reached the beach, I sat & listened to the song Almost Lover (by A Fine Frenzy) on repeat as I sat staring at the Irish sea. Words can’t describe Killiney’s beauty, and pictures don’t do it justice. I decided the best way to share my experience with you was to re-create it with a video taking you along on my hike. The background music is my interpretation of Almost Lover arranged on my Clavinova. Hope you enjoy it & get some small understanding of the beauty of the place.

All the best,

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It will be so fun to watch the babies hatch & learn to fly for the first time! Sometimes I am just blown away by nature & all the beauty we so easily take for granted.

There is a large gardenia bush in full bloom behind my house. I plucked a blossom this evening to fill the house with its heavy aroma. Don’t you just love the smell of them?

Hope you are having a great day!

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A purple daisy bursting with color…

A beautiful Japanese maple branch gently blowing in the wind…

And the vivid hue of spring tulips in bloom…

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Isn’t this guy a cutie?!

Click more for additional pics…

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We also saw a number of exotic birds including a brightly colored singing parrot that knew the lyrics to four separate songs!

Now if you’ve seen this show at the State Fair before, you probably know that it usually runs like clockwork. Nobody misses a beat, and you’re amazed at the talent of the animals and their trainers. The day we attended the show, though, it truly was a comedy of errors. First, they announced a hawk was flying in from the ferris wheel when he apparently wasn’t loaded yet. Next, they introduced a bird who flew out from the stage & disappeared for about 10 minutes. He was later found & recovered from a nearby tree. And finally, it took about 12 different attempts to get one of the birds to obey a command to fly out to an audience member & collect a money donation. The emcee kept saying, “That’s just the way this show is gonna go today,” but I think we enjoyed it even more with all of its flaws.

The highlight of the Fair for me was visiting an enclosed butterfly garden that held hundreds of native Texas butterflies! I always jump at the chance to take photos of them. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the afternoon…

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All of the birds had truly brilliant-colored feathers…

You would think they would get full based on the number of folks that were giving them treats… but they just kept coming back for more.

What fun! After we left the bird exhibit, we went throughout the park to see the rest of the animals.

This lion was roaring his best at the lioness next door…I wonder what they were saying to each other? I bet you could hear them for miles!

I’ve always loved the primates exhibits ever since I was a little girl. I could sit for hours watching them…perhaps because they have reflect so many human behaviors? They have dozens of different monkeys, orangutans, & gorillas at the Ft. Worth zoo. This silverback gorilla was checking us out.

And this lil’ fella, a meerkat, was busy digging holes and stopped for a moment to say hi…

Aren’t zebra’s beautiful creatures?!

And finally, when we went to the herpatorium, this lizard was posing just waiting for his picture to be taken!

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