Category Archives: Art — there is art here!

Fantasy Lights, Spanaway

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imageI’ve always wanted to see the Fantasy Lights in Spanaway around the holidays, but somehow it has never happened until this year. The very last night dear daughter, her friend and I finally gave it a whirl. The line to get in only took about 10 minutes and the tour of lights went on for much longer than I expected (two miles)  It is the largest holiday drive-through display in the Northwest. It was a lovely display and a great value. We stopped at Starbucks on the way there, likely it was also a drive through since I was the only person not in pajamas!

More information about the display can be found here.

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Hip Hop, Point Ruston

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imageIt was a lovely day to start the new year and dear husband and I went to check out the ever developing Point Ruston. Hip Hop is a recently installed sculpture. The piece was created by Georgia Gerber. and her blog entry can be found here.  Ms. Gerber also created The Gardner in Woodenville and Rachel the Pig at Pike Place Market.  Mt. Rainier was out in her full glory!

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Amazon Books and the art at University Village, Seattle

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imageAmazon.com went online selling books in 2005, a brief 10 years ago. This past Tuesday, November 3, 2015, they opened their first bricks and mortar bookstore. It has several unique features.

  1. All of the books face cover out.
  2. Each book has a little card in front of it that says a little something about it’s Amazon reviews.
  3. The prices fluctuate as they do online. To find out the price, the customer uses the Amazon app to scan the book’s barcode.
  4. The store also sells other Amazon technology which customers can use.
  5. The record of the sale has appeared on my amazon account.
  6. And there was a line to get in!

There is currently only this one Amazon Books location in University Village in Seattle.

While I was there I strolled around the entire shopping area, which was very busy! Aooarently dogs of all size and shapes are allowed in all of the stores, but not restaurants or the grocery store. I snapped a couple of shots of the outside art.

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John Wilks Booth may have lived in Granbury, TX

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imageCatching up from the Texas trip

There is some debate on the fate of John Wilks Booth. Most say he was killed by Federal soldiers who had tracked him down at the Garrett Farm.

But the more interesting theory is that the wrong man was killed at Garrett Farm, Booth escaped to Granbury, TX, changed his name to John St. Helen and tended bar in what is now the Nutshell Cafe. While extremely sick, St. Helen made a death bed confession, but then he recovered. Since his story was then out there, he needed to leave town. He went to Enid, Oklahoma where he committed suicide. A book, Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth by Finis Bates, was written about this (that part is for sure true). Bates later gained control of St. Helen/Booth’s body and exhibited in carnival sideshows.

So, that explains where there is a mural featuring John Wilks Booth next to his wanted poster and near a picture of Lincoln. The mural also features the Lady in Red, who was suppose to be the love of Booth’s life. And on the other wall is Davy Crockett. The Nutshell Cafe is reportedly haunted by the Lady in Red with her boyfriend, Booth, supposedly haunts the adjacent Granbury Opera House.

On a lighter note, I found the coffee to be good at the Nutshell Cafe and would be glad to go back to try the ice cream.

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Statue of General Hiram Bronson Granberry (Granbury)

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Granbury, Texas was named after General Hiram Bronson Granbury, which is sometimes spelled Granberry. His life spanned March 1, 1831 – November 30, 1864, passing away at the young age of 33 years. Per Wikipedia, he was a lawyer and country judge in Texas who later organized a volunteer company for the Confederate army and became its captain. He later was promoted to brigadier general  and was one of the almost 2,000 soldiers that died at the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864.

From what I’ve read, Granbury was buried near Franklin, Tennessee, where he died, and later re-interred at a different cemetery. Finally in November 30, 1893 (on what would have been his 62nd birthday) he was again re-interred in the city of Granbury, Texas, seat of Hood County, as the town was named in his honor. Although he was as close as Waco, Texas, I’m not finding anything to suggest that he was ever in his name sake city.

The statue which features Granbury in military garb and a confederate flag was erected in 1913. The statue was important from Italy and the base was created by Waxachachie monument maker, James Youngblood.

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The fence at Dahmen Barn in Uniontown, WA

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imageDear daughter was eager to show me the fence around the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown. The artisans barn was closed, but we did walk all around the barn admiring the fine and unique workmanship of the fence. We also admired the two freestanding cow sculptures. The barn was constructed in 1935 and began its conversion to its current use in 2004. The fence was constructed over a 30 year period and includes over 1,000 wheels. It was a lovely mini-adventure. More info can be found here.

We also stopped to see a two story barn on the way home.

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Update 4.2016 We went back to visit the inside of the barn. So much great art and such nice people. 💙

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Lan Su Chinese Garden, Vancouver

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IMG_3681The Lan Su Chinese Garden in the Chinatown neighborhood of Vancouver, BC. is a little piece of serenity in a very busy downtown. All of the garden’s materials were brought in from the city of Suzhou, Vancouver’s sister city and built by citizens of that city. I took the 45 minute tour lead by a wonderful docent while my other family members wondered off to find their own adventures. One of the interesting facts I learned is that the decorative windows in the walls are all different and they are called leaks because they lead in light and air. More information can be found here.

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Ryan Sawmill in 1888, Sumner, WA

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18061225915_207d7c2b1c_oIn 1990, artist Paul Cislo painted three murals on walls in downtown Sumner to commemorate Sumner’s Centennial which occurred in 1991. This Cislo mural on Main Street is titled Ryan Sawmill in 1888, (Sumner, WA) and illustrates a sawmill and loggers on Elhi Hill. George Ryan, who owned the mill, was an important person in Sumner’s history.

The Sumner Mural Restoration Project is raising funds to restore all three murals. This summer Trackside Pizza will move into the building.

I stopped here after a Holiday BBQ. While snapping my photos my dear husband wandered into an antique store and purchased two chairs, so this was an expensive stop for me!

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Northwest Museum, Spokane

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IMG_2918While visiting Dear Daughter over my Spring Break we took a day trip up to Spokane to visit the Northwest Museum. It was really a lovely museum with a very interesting exhibit – 100 Stories – A Centennial Exhibition. The whimsical art around the grounds made us smile. The photos include Spokane Falls which we visited afterwards and the evening sky around Pullman.

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