We spent our second full day in Venice taking a boat ride to Murano.

VAPORETTO

We boarded the waterbus at the Ferrovia “A” stop located on the Grand Canal near the train station. We took line 3 to Murano and got off at the first stop, Murano Colonna.

The Charm Suites building located at the corner of the Grand Canal and the Cannaregio Canal

Heading out to the Laguna Veneta (Venetian Lagoon).

Looking back at Venice from the lagoon.

The Isola di San Michele houses a Renaissance church and Christian burial grounds. We didn’t stop at the island, but I’m sure it’s interesting.

IN MURANO

Getting off at the Murano Colonna stop meant we got to walk a bit to our first destination, the Glass Museum. I chose this on purpose to see more of the city by foot.

CHIESA DI SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI

We walked along the Fondamenta dei Vetrai, searching for the glass museum, somehow missing the museum, and ending up on Fondamenta Venier. The pedestrian street came to an end at an inviting little path and open doorway. We walked in to see what appeared to be an abandoned church. I think it is actually still used during mass, it’s just not touristy like a lot of the Catholic churches in Venice. We didn’t go inside, but the outside was lovely.

GLASS MUSEUM

After our detour, we eventually made it to the glass museum. The Museo del Vetro is a museum on the history of glass. It was founded in 1861 and is one of them most complete glass collections in the world. On display are pieces dating all the way back to Roman times. There is a plethora of information, with examples, on the history of glass in the world and how Murano made its mark in glass making. If you are highly interested in glass, this would be a great place to visit. I found it interesting, but many of the terms describing the glass I didn’t fully understand.

The bird glass description “Crystal glasses with birds,… painted with opaque refunded polychrome enamels.” 18th century
The man with the missing arm described as “Lamp worked figurine in white enamel on uncolored glass…” 18th century

The bottom photo in this grouping is a time frame with 50 glass pieces ranging from the Roman times to the 20th century showing the milestones in the history of Murano glass.

I’m a sucker for chandeliers and ornate ceilings.

Modern pieces created out of white glass. 1980

The museum is in what was once a private palace, the Palazzo Giustinian. I enjoyed seeing the glass, but I loved the building, too – especially the outside courtyard.

LUNCH

We stopped at a homey looking restaurant for lunch. I can’t recall the name, but it was good.

Between us we had calamari, typical marinara spaghetti, spaghetti with clams, and locally caught fish.

John & I also enjoyed a Venice favorite, the spritz. Well, to be honest, enjoyed may not quite be the word to describe the drink. I didn’t care for it much. But, I did certainly enjoy the experience of being in such a wonderful place with my family and having the opportunity to try a local drink.

SHOPPING FOR GLASS

There were many shops selling beautiful glass work in Murano, of course. The one that stands out most is owned by glass artist Boscolo Andrea. All 5 of us could have stared and admired the amazing work for hours. We enjoyed watching a woman craft what I believe was going to be a pen. She was very friendly and patient with my kids.

We purchased a few small items. We were traveling Europe with only carry on’s, leaving very little room for souvenirs. As far as saving money, this was a great method. But, it was horrible for bringing back treasures. Next time I will look into how to ship items back home.

MORE SHOPPING

We browsed through a number of shops. As a chicken/bird enthusiast, I loved the many chicken pieces. They don’t match my home decor at all, but I still would have liked to bring a couple home just because they are awesome. We also stumbled across a store selling mosaic tiles. On an unlimited budget, I would have loved to pick out a bunch.

HEADING BACK

After a few glorious hours, it was time to get to the vaporetto stop and cruise back to Venice.

There were a variety of watercraft in the lagoon including fishing boats and sailboats.

Approaching the stop near St. Mark’s Square.

My original plans when scheduling our European trip included only one full day in Venice, but with a visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. Timing wise, I couldn’t get the castle visit to work out, so instead we spent an extra day in Venice. I’m sure we would have liked the castle, but I am so thankful for another day in Venice. Because of the extra day we were able to explore Murano. I loved the relaxed atmosphere of  the glass-themed island so much.

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The middle of July is already upon us, which means it’s Bloom Day. We had an unusually hot, dry June, which put the flowerbeds ahead of their usual schedule. We’ve been watering enough to keep the plants alive, but maybe not enough to keep them happy and producing their best. We’re already at the point where the majority of blooms are past their prime, which generally doesn’t happen until August. However, we have had some blooms over the last couple weeks to show off.

FRONT YARD

The pond in the front yard is in full bloom.
Top: Pickerel weed, creeping jenny & 5 cutie patootie ducklings.
Bottom Left: Cardinal Meadowhawk on a mint blossom
Bottom Right: Itty bitty marigold. I planted marigolds in front of the pond like I did last year. This time, though, they are scrawny.

More blooms around the pond. I love this section. The butterfly bush, lavender, daisies, day lily, yarrow and an unknown plant or two all bloom at the same time creating a beautiful little scene.

BACK YARD

The back yard is still in need of an update. I haven’t put the time into this area like it deserves. I’m thinking this fall and spring may be its time.
Top: I can always count on these three: marrow, day lilies, and shasta daisies.
Bottom Right: Wild red elderberry

BIRD VILLAGE

The bird village is always my favorite. However, it goes a little crazy this time of year.

The pond has a few plants along its edges in bloom, like pickerel weed & geraniums I over wintered in our aquaponics system.

The meadow strip. Every year I plant new seed hoping for a little variety. And, every year the daisies and blanket flowers take over.

While they are not officially blooms, they are new flowers in our garden. They are hand blown glass flowers created by me, Farm Kid1 & Farm Kid2. We took a workshop at Live Laugh Love Glass in Tigard. The flowers are beautiful, but I don’t love their place in the landscape.

OTHER

A few other blooms around.
Left: A hardy gladiola in a side bed that I really don’t spend any time on. I don’t think it’s been watered once this summer.
Right: Nasturtiums. They’re flowering, but aren’t trailing like I’d hoped.

Left: Calendula in the garden, reseeded itself from last year.
Right: Okra in the greenhouse. I surely didn’t know okra had such a splendid flower.

I’m sharing this post at May Dreams Gardens.

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A couple weeks ago my oldest son & I took a quick trip to Seattle. I let him pick a couple places he wanted to see & I chose a couple. First on my list was seeing Chihuly Garden & Glass. It was a-ma-zing! There’s a good reason this guy is world famous.

A peek at his beautiful work in the Exhibition Hall.

The glass pieces in the Exhibition Hall were exceptional, but in this post I’m to showcasing The Garden.

As a transition from the inside galleries to the garden outside is a large, open Glasshouse. Inisde features one huge sculpture suspended above.

Left: Location. Location. Location. Chihuly’s Garden is located at the foot of the Space Needle.
Right: Many spaghetti shaped glass pieces create Chihuly’s Sun.

The Garden

Another angle of the same garden area, with Sonic Bloom from the Pacific Science Center in the background. Sonic Bloom is not part of the Chihuly Garden, but it is fabulously awesome, as well.  I was in awe walking by the huge solar powered, singing flowers.

The color. Oh, the color!
My mind was on sensory overload taking in all the beautiful ways color was used in The Garden.

Blue. Not just one shade or tint of blue, but variations.

Top: Eryngium ‘Sapphire Blue’

Top: I’m going to be honest. The big red sculpture was my least favorite in the garden. Everything else I loved. This just didn’t do anything for me.
Bottom Right: Purples & chartreuse

I loved this.
The curvy orange glass in front, the straight spikey blue reeds in back & purple ornamental onion spheres intermingled.

I can’t decide what is meant to be the focal point – the flowers…
… or the glass. They blend so seamlessly together.

Black & White
Right: Black mondo grass is used in a couple different places throughout the Garden. It’s quite effective when used in such a large quantity.

I loved the magenta color of Chihuly’s Viola Crystal Tower.

I enjoyed The Garden very much & would definitely visit it again, if the chance comes around.

The ticket price included a visit during the day, with the option of coming back at night. We didn’t go back at dark, but I bet it’s spectacular.

Along with simply enjoying the beauty of The Garden, I have 2 take-aways to help me with my own garden. One is how I think about color. I love the way color was used in this garden. Many color palettes were used, yet they merged very well together. The colors were bold &, in many instances, there were variations of the same hue. The Garden also reinforced the importance of trees & shrubs. They certainly weren’t the focus of the garden, yet were so vital to the overall feel of it. It’s an area I struggle with in my own gardens.

It’s worth the visit if you’re in the Seattle area.

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To go along with our unit on Native Americans, I took the kids to the Portland Art Museum to see their Native American collection. We saw a variety of art. Some work was modern & used as decoration, some work was once used in celebrations, & some work was used in everyday life. I was surprised & impressed with all the different styles.

We went to the Art Museum on a day there was a public tour of the Native American art. The woman in the photo below was our docent & was great at asking the kids questions. The tour was about an hour. The first 30-45 minutes the kids were really engaged, then I think the talking got to be too much & they started getting antsy. I’m happy knowing they did learn at least a little bit because occasionally they will mention something the woman told us.

After Boarding School: In Mourning
Kaila Farrell-Smith. 2011. Oil paint & pastel on canvas.
This painting tells a story I never knew. My kids were saddened by it, as well. I never knew that well into the 20th century Native American children were taken from their homes to go to school. They were taught the ways of the Euro-Americans. They were forced to cut their hair & not speak their native language.

Anthropomorphic Figure
unknown Columbia River artist. Before 1750. Basalt.

Honoring the Family
Family items made by Native Americans in the Columbia Plateau

 Elk Tooth Dress
unknown Crow artist. ca 1890. Wool cloth, elk teeth, bone, and glass beads.

Girl’s Dress
unknown Cheyenne artist. ca 1890. Leather, glass beads, and paint.

Dress
unknown Blackfeet artist. ca 1890. Leather, glass beads, and wool cloth.

Cradle
unknown Kiowa artist. ca 1890. Wood, metal, leather, cotton cloth, glass beads, gourd, and hair.

A dried gourd on the cradle was baby’s rattle.

Woman’s Boots
unknown Kiowa artist. ca 1890. Leather, rawhide, paint, glass beads, metal tacks.

Moccasins
unknown Plains artist. ca 1890/1900. Leather, rawhide, cotton cloth binding, porcupine quills, glass beads, metal cones, and dyed horsehair.

Celebrating the Horse
Work of the Plateau Indians

Singing Maidens
Allan Houser. 1979. Tennessee marble.

Duck Pipe
Glenn LaFontaine. ca 1975. Clay and acrylic paint.

Basket
unknown Cahuilla artist. ca 1920. Sumac and juncus.

Because of the cold weather in Alaska, these Native Americans had fewer colors & materials available for their work. To be honest, these items were not my favorite, but I did appreciate them.

Mask
unknown Yup’ik artist. ca 1900. Wood, feathers, paint, and sinew

 Killer Whale Mask
unknown Kwakwaka’wakw artist. ca 1900. Wood, paint, cloth, and string.

Wolf Forehead Mask
Tlingit. ca 1880. Wood, hair, copper, opercula shells, cloth, paint.

Raven to Sun Transformation Mask
Kwakwaka’wakw Tribe.

Dzunuk’wa Feast Dish
unknown Kwakwaka’wakw artist. ca 1900. Cedar and paint

When we first saw this, we were in awe. It’s huge. We didn’t know what it was. We thought maybe some kind of canoe or maybe a casket. Turns out it is to serve food. The Native Americans would use it to serve meals at large celebrations.

In this area of the museum we learned about the Pacific NW Native American art style, including the ovoid. It is definitely a shape & style I recognized, I just didn’t know it had a name or was so significant. An ovoid is a rounded rectangular shape. It is used to create things such as eyes, bodies, wings, fins, & can even be used just to fill up space. The ovoid shape is used many times in this feasting dish.

The Sculptor and the King
George de Forest Brush. 1888. Oil on wood panel.

Cheyenne Encampment
Ralph Blakelock. ca 1873. Oil on canvas.

Figurative Mola
unknown San Blas artist. ca 1940. Cotton.

Magpie, Guy, Wolf & Flat Screen
Joe Feddersen. 2012. Fused glass.

I am always surprised when modern or contemporary art grabs my attention & I like it, a lot. That’s not usually the type of art I tend to like. But this I really enjoyed. And, so did my kids. The artist is of Native American heritage & is a member of the The Confederated Tribes of The Colville Reservation. He combines his heritage with modern items, such as a tv, in his artwork. He is a basket maker & these fused glass pieces are a new way to create that weaving pattern. Now the kids & I want to take a fused glass class.

I am so thankful for all the great museums & places to visit within driving distance from our home.

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