Category ArchiveEverywhere Once |

Tallahassee Old State Capitol and Museum

by Brian on March 22, 2011 in Florida

Someone forgot to tell the good folks of Tallahassee that ‘history is written by the victors.’ At far too many historic sites we’ve seen the unpleasant aspects of our collective past downplayed, marginalized, or covered with a glossy coat of bullshit. But in Tallahassee’s Old State Capitol and Museum they present a refreshingly blunt picture of Florida history. Covering everything from the lynchings that ushered in the 20^th Century to the presidential election debacle that closed it, the museum pulls no punches. They even highlight Florida’s failure to ratify the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution in a display headlined “Women Get to Vote (No thanks to Florida).” It’s an honesty that borders on self flagellation but is probably better described as mature self reflection. For our part, we appreciated a place that has the strength of character to admit its mistakes, instead of just extolling its virtues. Here’s to hoping that more places (and people) follow Florida’s lead.

Photo of the Day: Impressionist Suwannee River

by Brian on March 21, 2011 in Florida, Photo of the Day

The crystal clear water of Suwannee River at the mouth of Manatee Springs lends an ‘impressionist’ quality to the submerged water lilies.

Yin and Yang at Manatee Springs

by Brian on March 18, 2011 in Florida

Slow and fast are the Yin and Yang of our travels. Oftentimes we have difficulty striking the right balance between the two. Move too fast and we risk burnout. Move too slow and we get antsy. Four days at Manatee Springs State Park risked staying too long. We covered its most interesting areas in the first couple of hours. But the advantage of spending time with a place is that you can discover things others might miss. By the time we left for good, we had such familiarity with the park that we knew where the deer liked to feed, where the turtles liked to sun themselves, and where the snakes liked to hide. Read More…

Dalí World

by Brian on March 17, 2011 in Florida

Still Life Moving Fast, Salvador Dalí

Five surprising things about the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida:

The crowds. I never knew Salvador Dalí was so popular. In fact, I didn’t know anyone was this popular. It was a Friday morning and the place was absolutely mobbed. Typically we have museums to ourselves on weekdays, but not here. The crowds were so thick we couldn’t get near the paintings. At one point it got so bad that we considered leaving. Instead, we pulled up a bench and decided to wait them out. Why not? We had all day. Read More…

Chi-who-ly?

by Brian on March 16, 2011 in Florida

Whether or not you’ve heard of Dale Chihuly, chances are you’ve seen his glorious glass sculptures somewhere. Along with museums, pieces are installed in libraries, hotels, hospitals, churches, department stores, and other locales in just about every U.S. state.

We’ve had teaser glimpses of Chihuly’s work, viewing a couple of pieces here and there at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Rhode Island School of Design Museum in Providence, and other places. In St. Petersburg, Florida, we felt like we hit the mother lode when we happened upon the Chihuly Collection, a space devoted entirely to his work.

What is so mesmerizing about his creations? They’re exquisite, imaginative, unique, and vibrant. Yes, that’s a lot of adjectives, and every single one is deserved. Chihuly has taken the ancient tradition of glass-blowing and put a modern spin on it, crafting series of works that draw inspiration from sources as varied as water and marine life, the art of Japanese Ikebana (flower arranging), and old Northwest Coast Indian baskets. The “Sunset Persian Wall” features exotic, spiraling forms in hues of red and orange. A 1,000-pound chandelier in varying shades of blue is made up of 400 individually crafted pieces. A boat filled with brightly-colored glass balls, reflected in a dark surface, evokes a Venetian canal at night (seen above).

I can’t do justice to Chihuly’s creations by describing them. You need to see at least one for yourself. Click here for a list of places where his works can be found, both public installations and museum collections.

The 70-year-old glass magician works with a team of artists in a Puget Sound-area studio. I’m hoping for an invite when the RV adventure takes us to Washington State.