Monday, February 10, 2014

Chihuly in the Garden


 What could it be?


 Look close. :-) Spot that squiggly yellow? 



It's Chihuly Art Glass ~ bigger than life. These delightful blown-glass sculptures were 'planted' throughout the Desert Botanical Gardens of Phoenix.


Okay, so first off, if you've been on this blog before, you know I'm all snowed in this time of year. Living in a ski resort and pretending I'm happy with the concept of winter.

I do love winter but not so much this year. Typically our winters are mild with freshly fallen, white snow and bright blue skies. It's why we call them Bluebird Days. But, we've been sadly short of Bluebird Days, this winter. It's been grey, ugly... horribly depressing.

And, there's really only one thing to do when faced with such a terrible state of affairs...

ROAD TRIP!



So, I tossed Bad Dog in the car and we bee-lined it south. Out of the snow and the grey and the cold.

Into the land of perpetual summer. AKA Phoenix.

Be still my heart...

Where the Bougainvillea brightly blooms...

Could you be cuter?

Lantana adds cheery color to everybody's waterwise yards...


And, I get to kick back with friends in a kinder climate to plot and plan on how to make best use of these sunshine-y days.


On this particular day, we strolled along the paths of the Botanical Gardens. It's a magical place. Particularly magical for folks who are unfamiliar with all the life and beauty a desert landscape has to offer.


Made even more spectacular by the gigantic blown glass sculptures throughout the gardens. Without a doubt, this was the most enjoyable hike I'd ever done.

With a surprise around every turn of the sandy trail. I hope you enjoy the show...


Follow Me on Pinterest

3 comments:

Aaron said...

We were lucky enough to have a big Chihuly exhibit in Nashville a couple of years back -- including a big installation in our botanic garden (Cheekwood).

I thought his glass sculptures looked fantastic in a garden setting -- and I can see that some of his spiky forms were set up marvelously by the cacti and succulents in Phoenix.

I'm jealous of your roadtrip. Hope you're soaking up lots of warmth and sunshine :)

A Garden of Threads said...

This snow bound gardener loved the show. The blown glass art is fantastic. Enjoy the sunshine and warmth.

Rose said...

The perfect place to get away from winter for awhile! As much as I like having my daughter much closer to home (a day's drive away instead of 3 days'), this winter I've been thinking how much I wish she was still in Phoenix, so I could visit her...and enjoy some warm sun, of course.

The DBG was always one of my favorite places, but with a Chihuly exhibit, it's really a special place. It amazes me how he creates and places work in the garden to perfectly complement the plants already there. Thanks so much for sharing this, Kate! I've got to get back to AZ one of these days, even if my free "hotel room" has left!