100 Day Project 2021

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Splashes of Glass

Surprise!!
I'm actually blogging today and it's not for a class or prompts!  I finally have something to blog about and some halfway decent pictures to add!
 
 
I want to share  a few pictures I took recently! Maybe I should reword that, I want to share quite a few pictures. My sister and I visited the beautiful, botanical Garven Gardens in Hot Springs, AR. We only intended to stay a couple of hours, but, wound up staying all day and taking hundreds of pictures!  The garden was sparkling with the unique art glass creations of James Hayes.  Mr. Hayes,  from Pine Bluff AR, created about 225 pieces of multi-colored art glass that are exhibited throughout the garden. The glass depicts flowers, onions, mushrooms and vines, as well as some of his traditional bowls and chandeliers.  It wasn't easy to get good pictures of the glass. It was too sunny, you couldn't get close to most of them, and the backgrounds were usually very busy with plants and trees.
 
 
One of his chandeliers was hanging under the Full Moon Bridge.
 

Glass balls were floating in the Koi Pond and vases were sitting on the rocks.
 
 
I was a little disappointed in the pond. I wanted it to be fresh and clear where I could get some good reflections of the balls. I had forgotten the pond is not clear, in fact it's quite muddy. The water for the ponds and for watering the garden is pumped out of Lake Hamilton. As you know, lake water can be very muddy!
 


Also, the pond was filled with Koi fish that kept the waters churned up!
 
 

We were constantly on the look out for the glass. We would round a corner and there would be spirals of glass hanging from tree branches or...
 

sticking up from the ground.
 
 
We got in every position you could image to get pictures. There was a lot of stooping, squatting, looking up, and looking down!  No wonder we were a little sore the next day!
 

You probably know I love mushrooms, so I was in mushroom heaven when I spotted glass ones. I'm not going to tell you how many pictures I took of the mushrooms!  Way too many!  But, they were so cute!
 

How about some glass onions hanging from the roof of a pergola?
 

In the middle of the park is a large pavilion. Hanging from it's glass ceiling was this stunning chandelier. I'm no good at guessing, but it's probably five to six feet tall.  Since the roof of the gazebo is glass, it allows light to shine on the chandelier and...
 

create cool shadows on the floor.
 
 
Speaking of the floor. My sister and I both managed to get down and lay on the floor and look up.  We got down better than we got up!  That took a lot of shuffling, grunting, and laughing! It was worth it though! The view of the chandelier from below was breathtaking.
 
 
We had such a great time together! Oh, before I go, let me show you what we had for lunch from the Chipmunk Café in the park. 
Doesn't this look delicious?  It's grilled chicken with romaine & iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado; topped with bacon & parmesan peppercorn dressing and served in a spinach wrap. YUMMY!!
 
Thank you for being patient we me, while I'm struggling with my photography and not blogging much. It is getting better!  I've been spending a little time outside each day, seeking light, and I'm even keeping a few pictures! That's an improvement!
 
I so enjoy when you stop by to visit me!
Enjoy the rest of your week!

10 comments:

  1. What a fabulous exhibit. I felt like I was there with you except I don't have to get down (and back up) to see the amazing art. I just love those gazing balls in the pond. (And the koi!). That chandelier seen from below is spectacular. Thanks for the wonderful tour. (Now if I only had the wrap, too...)

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  2. How fun to see these, they remind me of the Dale Chihuly exhibit that we had at our botanical gardens here in Phoenix. It was just the best ever and we are going to have them again this coming fall and can't wait to go back to see what he comes up with.

    I know this must have been a treat for you and it looks like such a beautiful setting.

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  3. What a delight -- beautiful glass art in a lovely park! How lucky for the photographer! You got some great shots -- that simple spiral hanging from a branch is lovely and the chandelier is amazing! Good for you for getting down under it -- beautiful shot, Cathy.

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  4. These are gorgeous! I love the glass balls floating in the pond and the glass hanging from a tree (that would look great in my garden!). My favourite, though, is your shot of the chandelier from below and the shot of it's shadows. Gorgeous.

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  5. Oh MY!!! I do believe I have a new place to visit on my bucket list.

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  6. This looks like such a fun place! I so love the chandelier under the bridge and the glass balls in the pond. Such treats around every corner. You have some great photos, and it sounds like, a great memory of a day with your sister. Thanks for sharing these!

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  7. What a wonderful post!! I miss you in the blogging world very much :) Have to say we have another kindred soul connection, Mushrooms. Those glass ones made me smile and I would have taken way too many of them as well. Sounds like a wonderful time with your sister and a workout on top of it all. Congratulations you are coming back to us!

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  8. cathy these photos are so great! what a treat this much have been for you and your sister. loving all the colors and shapes. :) i would just like to add here that i am happy to see you on your blog. and it's not just because you share pretty pictures. whether it's your sweet little guys or finding neat stuff in the woods, i so enjoy hearing your stories. you are definitely and inspiration to me to look a little harder at things. see the wonder that is all around. so whether you feel like taking pictures or not or sharing your projects or whatever...just know that (and i think i speak for all of your blogging freinds) what we come here for is you. :) xoxo

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  9. Cathy - I adore these combinations of art and nature - and, as an art glass collector, have a very special fondness when the art is made of glass. These glass creations look so beautiful, with the sunlight and shade kissing their surfaces. My favorites are the chandelier shadow and the "looking up" image - that is stunning! And such commitment - to lay down on your back and get the shot. :) This exhibition would certainly get anyone out of a creative slump - glad you were able to take it in and share it with us.

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  10. Cathy, I just have to echo what Kelly said above - I feel exactly the same way. Thanks for taking us along to see this wonderful garden and the glass sculptures. It's not something I'd ever have experienced otherwise. The contrast between that stone bridge and the fanciful glass chandelier caught my eye, but my favorite is probably the mushrooms. How wonderful that you could share a photo walk like this with your sister! Oh, and lunch looks delicious, too. Yum!

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Thanks so much for stopping by!!