Outing

We thought it would be rainy and therefore a nice day to dine out and visit the newly refurbished art museum. But the rain departed before mid-morning, and by the time we arrived at our favourite Mexican place, the sun was out and the sky crystal blue.



The clouds gathered as the afternoon wore on, seen here coalescing behind the museum.



The sculpture in front of the new facade is a recent installation. The van parked in front conveys tour groups to the Zimmerman House, a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house owned by the museum.

The museum has been undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion project. The re-opening took place when we were in New York, so we were unable to attend the big gala.

Much more of the collection is on display, so it was fun picking out new items as well as enthusing over old loves. I was happy to see a ginormous new-to-me Neil Welliver hanging. Blue Pool looks like our back twenty (acres): granite boulders--one with the eponymous blue pool of water--and hemlocks and birch. But the awesome one with, Deer on East Bank, which also reminds me of the higher terrain surrounding the Lodge, isn't on view right now and I missed it a lot.

After crawling over every inch of the museum, we stopped at the State Liquor Store for booze and wine, and at the Dollar Tree just for grins. I found a cute blue ball with a Tigger decal that I thought the girls would enjoy in the house. The Chap was skeptical--clearly it was a child's, not a dogs' toy.

And in fact, it didn't survive the first five minutes of play. Ruth was ecstatic, chasing and shoving it everywhere, and Jewel was also keen. However, one of the wee dog's teeth pierced the ball. It's still operational, but more squishy than it should be. It's a fantastic size, though, for indoor play. I must hasten to the nearest Petco and find a sturdy Kong ball of the same dimensions!