Getting a Little Cultcha...Boston Fine Arts Museum

 

It was a gray, rainy Sunday morning … cold and raw. What to do? A good museum day! Especially since Bank of America offers its customers free admission to the Boston Fine Arts Museum on the first weekend of each month and this was the first weekend in November.

We missed visiting the MFA on our July weekend in Boston and it was still on the “must-see” list, but our time here is getting shorter and shorter. Founded in 1870, this is one of the largest museums in the USA with a collection of nearly a half million works of art. This was the perfect day to visit. Lin dropped us off across the street in the rain at 10AM … opening time. The lines seemed long, but our timing was good. A half hour later, the line wound around and stretched out through the main lobby, but we already had our admission tickets, our coats checked and were on our way.

We began our tour at the special exhibition of John Singer Sargent's works. Let me say that we are not particularly knowledgeable when it comes to artwork, but we're not complete dolts either. We like what we like and we have an appreciation for the rest. Sargent was prolific and brilliant. He painted with passion and it shows in his work. This man was worldly and it shows. From marble quarries to boat docks, landscapes to portraits of Bedouins and everything in between, the man captured the essence of his subjects and we were enthralled by nearly 100 works on display.

Our interest in birdwatching and bird photography led us to a special exhibit entitled “Audubon's Birds, Audubon's Words”. We always admired his detailed drawings, but never surmised what an eloquent writer he was.

Egyptian art and mummies always fascinate us and we headed to the Ancient World galleries where hundreds of ancient artifacts, mummies and sarcophagi awaited us. It's hard not to be impressed and totally taken in by the ageless beauty of the pieces on display. It's hard to look at them and not wonder about the people who fabricated what we saw and the people for whom they were made.

En route to the Ancient World, we passed through a gallery with pages of the Islamic Quran beautifully displayed and explained. Another gallery displayed Buddhist works. Another highlighted the Hindu religion and the god, Ganesh, caught our attention. Yet others concentrated on Christian and Jewish themes. There's always so much to learn about … it's mind boggling.

It's impossible to rush. Even if you're in a hurry to see mummies or Renoirs or Washington Crossing the Delaware, how can you pass up an Ansel Adams photograph or a Greek statue or a Winslow Homer lithograph or a Picasso that's hanging there, begging for your attention?

We tried to be systematic in our approach to seeing as much as we could, but there's gallery after gallery after gallery of permanent exhibits to work through … Art of the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa.

Every imaginable art media is represented … fabric, jewelry, oils, watercolors, etchings, sculpture, photography, pottery, weaving, furniture, clothing, stained glass … it went on and on. Everything from balalaikas to bells, totem poles to tapas, Renoir, van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Cezanne, Hopper, Wyeth ... our minds were swimming.

By 4pm, we could absorb no more. We needed to process it all, discuss what we'd seen, appreciate the day and plan our return trip on the first weekend in December. Maybe Lin will come along next time.

We boarded the train back to Walpole in the dark where Lin waited for us at the station. A edifying day well spent.

Las Vegas - 13 Things to do if You're not a Gambler

 

A trans-con plane trip and here we are in Las Vegas. No, we're not gamblers, but there's something electric and exciting about being in Las Vegas anyway. Although it's a destination spot for folks around the world, it's home to David's mom and sister. It's just “the hood” to them … a place to live, shop and work. And, yes, sometimes play … they enjoy the slots once in awhile as a diversion and you can't beat the buffets.

So what can you do in Vegas if you're not a gambler? Here's our best picks of 13 fun, free or relatively low cost things to do:

1. Experience The Strip

There's lots more to Vegas than gambling. Even if you're not a gambler, you need to spend a little time on The Strip just seeing the lights of this neon megalopolis. Take in all the thematic hotels and casinos from pyramids to the Eiffel Tower and from the Statue of Liberty to the Venetian canals. Watch a pirate ship battle, see a fountain light show. It's amazing and it's free.

2. Fremont Street Experience

This is a huge pedestrian mall in downtown Vegas and there's always something going on in the evenings … free stage shows, street entertainers, bars, gambling casinos, shops. It's a hopping place to visit.

3. Catch a show or be amused

Vegas is a mecca for hot talent. There are shows galore, world class boxing matches, amusement parks and magic shows ... whatever floats your boat. If you're saving money by not gambling or if you came out of the casino ahead, you might as well spend a few bucks on top shelf entertainment.

4. Hoover Dam

There are tours available, but it's a quick drive (32 mi/50km) to this national landmark which straddles the Colorado River on the Arizona-Nevada border. There's a Visitor's Center, dam tours and great views of dam.

5. Valley of Fire State Park

Only 55 miles (88km) northeast of Vegas, Valley of Fire is Nevada's oldest and largest state park. It offers a Visitor's Center, a scenic drive that showcases the park's outstanding sandstone and limestone formations, diverse desert fauna and flora, petroglyphs, fossils and breathtaking views. The small admission fee ($10/car) is well worth it.

6. People watch

Las Vegas must have the biggest collection of odd people per capita than any other place in the world. People watching is free and amusing and you just never know what you're going to see.

7. Mount Charleston

At nearly 11, 916' (3,632m) Mount Charleston is the highest of the Spring Mountains in Southern Nevada and stands sentinel over the Sin City. You can drive to the top for great views and a pleasant, mountain respite from the heat and frenzy of the city below.

8. Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve

We visit this tiny preserve in the middle of the Las Vegas Wash every time we're in Vegas. The bird viewing, especially in morning and evening, is outstanding. Besides the 288 identified species you might spot, we've seen lizards, coyote, desert cottontails and snakes. Free entry and lots and lots of well-maintained trails.

9. Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour & Cactus Botanical Garden

Believe it or not, the factory is right in the middle of town. This is a fun, free tour and great for adults as well as kids. The cactus gardens surrounding the factory are beautifully maintained and the self-guided tour of the chocolate factory is free … and so are the samples!

10. Clark County Heritage Museum

This is a funky little, open-air museum with a Visitor's Center that features the history of Nevada from pre-historic to modern times. The highlight is Heritage Street with actual period buildings and bits of Americana from different decades of local history. The $2 admission fee is a bargain.

11. Lake Mead activities

The largest man-made lake/reservoir in America, formed by the damming of the Colorado River (Hoover Dam), this national recreation area offers all sorts of lake and water activities, plus picnicking, hiking, biking and sightseeing. Entrance fees apply, but NPS Senior Pass holders get free entry.

12. Conservatory at the Bellagio

If you're on the Strip, this is a particularly lovely place to visit in the Bellagio Hotel. The floral displays and themes change with the season. Sometimes nearly overwhelming, they are knock-your-socks off imaginative and beautiful … and of course, free.

13. Take your picture next to the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign

Prove you've been here! There are several signs actually, but the “official” sign and most convenient for photo-taking is the one just south of the Strip on Paradise Road. There's a small parking lot so you can get up close and personal.

Hard Rock Vermont

 

The sweetest side of Vermont is its maple syrup, but the hard rock side of the state is its granite and marble industry. Granite quarrying is definitely an integral part of Vermont's economic and cultural history and exploring a quarry proved to be very interesting.

With maple sugar on our minds (and on my tongue), we proceeded to a granite quarry to appreciate the harder aspects of the state. We visited Rock of Ages in Graniteville. No, it's not a rock musical, movie or church hymn. Though the name sounds hokey, the company has used it since 1914 and they own the largest deep-hole, dimension granite quarry in the world.

The city of nearby Barre touts itself as the Granite Capital of the World and the high quality Barre granite is known worldwide for its quality, hardness and beauty.

Our visit to the quarry, nearly 600 feet deep, was awesome. Our view from the observation platform looking down provided an interesting perspective on what was happening below. Our guide was very animated as he related information to us about the history, cultural heritage, geology and artistry of the granite quarried here.

We were particularly fortunate when the crew we were watching below attached huge cables to a 40-ton block of granite and a crane carefully lifted it out of the quarry. 40 tons … that's equal to two Nine of Cups. Wow!

In the factory, we watched as artisans sandblasted, scribed and carved granite … mostly into gravestones, but they also do statuary, mausoleums and other hard rock creations.

When the quarry folks suggested that the Hope Cemetery in Barre had some of the most innovative and bizarre grave memorials, we couldn't resist a visit. Oh, my! Race cars, airplanes, cubes, chains, statuary, a married couple in bed … forever! not your usual gravestone inventory, not to mention pretty impressive stonecutting.

Four days in Vermont … what a wonderful respite. A great getaway to an awesome place with lots to see and do from Spider Web Farms to unique granite gravestones. But, of course, we didn't see it all. We still have those 70+ covered bridges to find and photograph and there's a ton of general stores we didn't stop at, plus all those cheese and maple products to sample and seconds at Ben & Jerry's, plus...