I count the short visit with Ray, our oldest son, as the start of my birthday celebration this year. He was here to pick up his youngest son, Steve, and take him back to London, UK for a visit. Tom, Ray, and I had lunch at The Rusty Bucket where Ray's oldest son is the chef. Afterward, Ray continued on to Steve's apartment.
Tom and I drove to Huffman Prairie where the Wright Brothers conducted many of their flying tests. This is the time of year when sometimes we are lucky enough to see bobolinks on the prairie. We saw two.
Tom didn't have his camera with him so I used my little Olympus Tough to get a picture. Seeing the bobolink made me smile the rest of the day.
June 13 was alternately rainy and overcast. Since we were inside during most of the rainy times, the rain didn't stop our plans. We ate lunch at the Hofbrauhaus in Newport, Kentucky which is across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Both of us enjoy German food. Tom bought a piece of German chocolate cake to take home for a late afternoon snack.
Newport has been building a lot of expensive-looking high rise condos and apartments in the area.
Tom and I drove to Huffman Prairie where the Wright Brothers conducted many of their flying tests. This is the time of year when sometimes we are lucky enough to see bobolinks on the prairie. We saw two.
Tom didn't have his camera with him so I used my little Olympus Tough to get a picture. Seeing the bobolink made me smile the rest of the day.
June 13 was alternately rainy and overcast. Since we were inside during most of the rainy times, the rain didn't stop our plans. We ate lunch at the Hofbrauhaus in Newport, Kentucky which is across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Both of us enjoy German food. Tom bought a piece of German chocolate cake to take home for a late afternoon snack.
Newport has been building a lot of expensive-looking high rise condos and apartments in the area.
The Newport Aquarium is near by and so are other restaurants and shops and entertainment.
We always admire this beautifully carved cabinet just inside the front doors of the Hofbrauhaus. The dining area is set up for friendly, casual meals.
After lunch we drove back across the Ohio River to Eden Park. The Cincinnati Art Museum is high on a hill there.
The Burning Man exhibit has been at the museum for some time. It was in the special exhibit galleries for several months but now the various sculptures are spread among the museum's regular exhibits. Coming up on the sculptures is a bit of a surprise. There is no mistaking them. They are unique.
The first one we found was The Five Ton Crane. It reminded me of an old-time movie theater set up in a street car. It was an interactive piece of art. People could climb up into it, sit down and watch movies mimicking the silent films of the twenties.
Since Tom is in a power chair we watched the movies while standing beside the structure. The movies were projected on a screen beyond The Five Ton Crane as well as on the screen with the green curtains framing it.
A "professor" instructed us via a blackboard on what might cause a woman to float into the air after a discreet kiss from a lover....
1. Gravity Allergy
2. Electro - Magnetic Polarity
3. Blood Holds Helium
This was just one of many silly demonstrations continually flipped through as we watched.
Tom and I stopped to look at some of the museum's regular exhibits, too. Tom especially liked a painting of sailing ships in a harbor because it was so precise and true in the details. I liked this one by Robert Henri.
One of the Burning Man sculptures that has been used a lot in the publicity shots is this one.
The dancer is made of triangles covered by a translucent skin. Here is a close up of her thigh.
This photo gives you an idea of her size.
The Burning Man is a temporary art installation set up in a desert between two mountain ranges. It's name comes from the effigy of a gigantic man which is traditionally burned on the last evening of the exhibit.
This is an facsimile of the effigy. It is bigger than life size, but not as large as the one that is burned.
The day following the burning of the effigy the entire art exhibit is taken down and moved away. The goal is to leave the desert exactly as it was before the exhibit. If you google "Burning Man" you can find out much more about the mindset of those who participate in the exhibit each year.
Tom and I wandered around the museum for a little less than two hours. By the time I have looked at exhibits for a couple hours, my brain is stuffed full. So many ideas, so many ways that art can be presented.
The drive home was sometimes drizzly. Sometimes rain was pouring down. We were happy when we arrived home.
In the mailbox I found birthday cards from my sisters. Better still were the letters enclosed in the cards. I am glad I am part of the generation that writes letters.
Tom and I ate our piece of chocolate cake and I enjoyed reading the notes.
Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had some wonderful celebrations! :)
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