The end of this trip is closing in. Today we headed back to San Francisco, my last chance to savor the gorgeous flowers, epic vistas of coastline and verdant rolling hills as well as more seal sightings. Route 1 heading south from Bodega Bay is not for the faint of heart. Not only are the roads narrow, steep, and winding … Read More
Museum of Asian Art, San Francisco
On my final day in California, I visited with several friends. Michael is a volunteer at the Museum of Asian Art and suggested I meet him there. The current exhibit, he said, is a knockout. The show, Phoenix Kingdoms, displays recent bronze age findings from southern China. A majority of the pieces were excavated within the past twenty-five years, some … Read More
Baskets
While at the Asian Museum of Art in San Francisco I visited an exhibit of Japanese bamboo baskets. Many years ago, I tried my hand at basket weaving. A simple basket isn’t difficult but once you get past the basics creating a beautiful basket requires skill and patience. The baskets on display were purchased over a forty-year period by Lloyd … Read More
Netsuke
One last entry from exhibitions at the Museum of Asian Arts in San Francisco. Netsuke have always fascinated me. The small, intricate carvings, often in bone, ivory or wood, originally served a practical purpose. They were used as part of a closure for a container (holding tobacco, medicine, or coins) that hung from the obi sash of a kimono. Now, … Read More
Olafur Eliasson
While traveling I visited the Istanbul Modern Art Museum specifically to see an exhibit of Olafur Eliasson’s work. Eliasson is an Icelandic artist whose light installations have been shown around the globe. My first encounter was almost twenty years ago at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His hypnotic light tunnel shimmered and changed with every step through it. … Read More
Beautiful Bridges
In a recent article in Conde Nast Traveler, they listed the world’s most beautiful bridges. I didn’t agree with all of their choices and thought they left some iconic bridges off the list. So, I searched to see what bridges other publications chose as the most beautiful. Nearly all mentioned the Brooklyn Bridge, Tower Bridge in London, Széchenyi Chain Bridge … Read More