Scenes From Montana - Days 7-8 - Road Trip South

 5th -   While here in Montana, I am working on a few projects and have made progress today.  Woot, woot.  However, the best part of being here, besides family, is the never ending eye candy.  Here is a little looking out, looking in fun.

Next, we are off to Kalispell with Mom for her Holter Monitor fitting.  All goes well and we are in and out within half an hour - if only all doctor visits went this quick.  Some shopping and running of errands and then back home we go.

Scenes From Montana - Days 3-6 and Bigfork History

 1st -   It's a quiet day in Woods Bay with just a trip to the grocery store on the agenda.  I tried to grab a few pictures of the cherry orchards along the way as they were FULL of golden color.  Mister is quietly working away as he didn't take many vacation days this trip.

Heading North Again - Montana Days 1&2 - Mom's Bday and Halloween

The fall trip to Montana has begun and it's oh so early of a beginning.  We have put our home in the rear view mirror at 3 a.m. and are making our way to the airport.  Ya just never know how long the lines will be and it's best to be prepared.

Dallas Daytripping

 It all starts with tickets to the Van Gogh exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art.  We have those and the museum opens at 11.  Leaving the house at 8 makes for some time to kill.  Come along and share in our amazing day.  First stop is a new-to-us coffee shop along the way.  Here is the Buzz and Bustle LINK  so you can check it out yourself, if you so desire.  That's why I make a separate link now and then - not all who read this give a hoot about coffee in Dallas.  It is what it is.

The other day, I mentioned to Mister that we had not thoroughly explored an area of our city.  We had been there a couple of times, but not to really check it out, so that is our next destination.  Here is the Thanks-Giving LINK to see what this is all about.  It has been in movies, on stamps, and much more.  What a great stop - so much to see and learn right here where we live.

Van Gogh at the DMA

 It's a Van Gogh year, right?  Seems like everywhere you turn, there is an ad for some type of Van Gogh experience.  Yes, we did the immersive event earlier this summer (here is a LINK in case you missed it) and loved it.  Now to see the original paintings - well, at least one series of them.  The coolest part of all this is how up close and personal we can get.  The brush strokes and palette knife marks are so evident, along with other items as well.

This is the first time all of the olive grove paintings have been together in the same place since he painted them more than 100 years ago.

"Upon arriving at the asylum in Saint-Remy-de-Provence in Southern France, Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch,  1853-1890) was immediately captivated by the region's abundant olive groves.  From June through December 1889, he produced a striking series of paintings that capture olive trees at different times of day and in different seasons.  Across the series, Van Gogh experimented with the expressive power of color, line, and form in a quest to unlock the motif's quintessential features.  For Van Gogh, the olive trees reflected the spirit of Provence, the region in southeastern France he called home from 1888 to 1890."

Exploring Dallas - Thanks-Giving Square

 The other day i was reading about Thanks-Giving Square in Dallas.  What I discovered is that although I have been there on two other occasions, I have missed a ton.  I've looked up the previous trips and here is the 1st time LINK 2012 and  2nd time - LINK 2017.  THIS time, we are daytripping around Dallas and have time JUST for this.  No event, just enjoyment.  Come along and see what I found.

The focal point of the square is the Chapel of Thanksgiving and I had no idea that we could go inside.  Crazy people.  "The Chapel of Thanksgiving is the spiritual center of Thanksgiving Square.  The spiraling shape rises 90 feet above street level, suggesting the infinite upward reach of the human spirit.  Constructed of white marble aggregate, the Chapel's design takes its inspiration from the Great Mosque in Samarra, Iraq and the ancient spiral of life."

Buzz and Bustle - New to us Coffee Shop

 We are daytripping around Dallas and a bright, early start has us at Buzz and Bustle.  This is a "new to us" coffee shop and I'm always up for that.  Upon our arrival at at 8:20, the parking lot was being closed off for an event that would happen at 10.  Kinda crazy since all the parking spots are for 30 minutes only, but, whatever.  The guy let us through and said to be out in 2 minutes.  As we parked, I looked at Mister and said, "They can't even make a coffee in 2 minutes."  Leaving me to order, he went and moved the car to a different area.  So strange.  At any rate, while he is doing that, I take some pictures, order, and then he's back.