After Dali

There was another event at the Dali Museum that was kind of interesting....a food exhibit.  Not to eat, but to look at as art.  Now going back to my "a tree has to look like a tree" thing, this was pretty far out there.  But, I must admit, some of the exhibits were pretty cool.

 

In the first section of the exhibit, there was a photo of an object.  The exhibit goal was to make an edible dish that looked as  much like the picture as possible. 

 

The top is a picture of  a butterfly on a leaf.   I'm not sure of the ingredients,

but the food exhibit on the bottom sure looks like a butterfly!

 

 

The photo on top is of leaves on the ground. 

The bottom, made of real food,  mirrors the image.

 

This is a photo of a  vineyard showing grapes on the vine. 

I think the exhibit is a carrot with food coloring to make it brown

with celery stalk greenery on top and a few small grapes.

 

 

There was one thing to taste test....Pata Negra, Iberico ham from free range pigs that live in forests on the border of Spain and Portugal and eat only acorns.  The picture is of one not yet carved.

 

 

 

 

This is a chef that was cutting pieces of the ham.  It was very salty and tasted like bacon.  The size of the piece of meat that he is carving would cost $1,100 to serve and takes 36 hours to cure.  

 

 

 

 

 

The grounds outside of the museum were beautiful.  Now, if this doesn't scream Dali, what does?

 



Beautiful flowers....

Garden trails.....

 

...and a "Dali Bird!!"

The Salvator Dali Museum--Walking In Dreams

The first thing I realized when I started on this blog, is that I have been spelling the name "Dali" incorrectly.  For whatever reason, I was putting an "h" in there.   At any rate, "Dali" or "Dahli" was an incredible artist.

 

I am the type of person who, when looking at a painting, likes to be able to identify the content.  In other words, I want a tree to look like a tree.  I find works that are large and done in mass media to be confusing and not as truly artistic as one that is balanced in content, done in one media and is of a scene I can identify.  Art of the Renaissance is more to my liking.   And while I find the "fuzzy" paintings of Monet colorful,  I tend to dismiss them as not serious work.  Don't even get me started on cubism.  Naked women with long, square faces and upside down features--really?

 

So, after all of that, it would stand to reason that I would not like the artwork of Salvator Dali.  Wrong.  It was fantastic. 

 

One of my favorite features of the work is that it appeared as many small paintings encompassed into one work.  And, it looked different if you were standing right in front it and then, when you moved 5 or 10 feet back to view it. 

 

Dali was born in 1904 and died in 1989.  He was 12 when he started to study art at the Institute of Figueres in Spain.  At 13, the institute awarded him a diploma of honor for his work.   His first art exhibit happened when he was 18. Wow.

 

Early on, Dali considered himself to be a "surrealist."  He painted his dreams.  Our tour guide told us that he slept with a tea cup on his stomach to wake him when he moved around while having a dream.  He would get up, outline his dream and turn it into a painting. 

 

If you are ever in the St. Petersburg area, go and walk in his dreams. 

 

 

The 1958 wedding photo of Gala and Salvador Dali

 

 

Taken at the gallery:  "The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus," 1958.  You can see the feet of Columbus stepping onto the soil of the New World.  Above the ship is a small rendition of Ferdinand and Isabella receiving Columbus.  Most interesting--the "ball" in the front of the painting represents man stepping on the moon in the future. 

Taken at the gallery:  "The Hallucinogenic Toreador," 1969.  I love this one.  At first glance, did you see the large face in the background that is made up of the center Venus figure?   This is the face of  an "invisible toreador.  The roses are for passion, the bull is near the bottom of the painting next to the center Venus figure.  This is Dali's vision of life and death. 

Taken at the gallery:  "The Ecumenical Council," 1960.  Part of this refers to Pope John XXIII's meeting with the archbishop of Canterbury in 1960, which was a gesture of religious ecumenicism. It is divided into two parts:  heaven and earth. 

Taken at the gallery:  Galacidalacidesoxiribunucleicacid:  "Homage to Crick and Watson," 1963.  Crick and Watson identified the molecular structure of DNA.  The title means:  Gala = his wife.  CID = tribute to the Spanish soldier, El Cid.  Ala = God.  The rest is the full name of what we call DNA.   This is the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.   The "blocks" on the right signify DNA building blocks. 

Taken from our Dali book:  "Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes," 1945.  Probably my least favorite of his work, this represents his post war feelings.  Dali saw the war as senseless and destructive.  The milk signifies nursing the world back to heath.  The rock represents ruin. 

 

 

Taken from our Dali book:  Daddy Longlegs of the Evening--Hope!," 1940.   This is also a war related work.  The main "face" is of a man with jaundiced and loose skin.  A face of death.  The woman in the painting is melting away from the fatigue of war.  A horse emerges from a cannon, but the "daddy longlegs" on the man's face,  appears as a symbol of hope for the future. 

 

Taken from our Dali book:  "The Average Bureaucrat," 1930.  Ah, from my real working days.   Love it.  At first glance, you see a round, highlighted area with holes.   Look again, this is a man with a bowed head.  We are seeing sea shells in a hole in his head....representing protective armor and only hearing what he wants to hear.   The figure is large--important to himself.  How true!

 

 

 

The Wedding

Tony and I have been lucky enough to see Jenna marry Jon and live a happy life together.  And then, Tony Jr., married Marie and they too,  are very happy.  So, it was a special moment for us to see David marry Brenda and smile like a man who was finally joined with the love of his life. 

 

Bok Tower is a beautiful place for a wedding.  It was built in the early 1920's by a Dutch designer, first as a bird sanctuary, and later with intricate gardens.  Edward Bok, wanted to build a tranquil place--and he did.  The Tower is  295 feet tall and sits on one of the highest points in Florida.  It is surrounded by a moat and its bells chime every 30 minutes.  

 

Brenda was absolutely beautiful.  She sparkled under the afternoon sun and late into the evening. 

Enjoy the photos of Mr. and Mrs. David Swegle:

The Vows

 

 

Brothers and Sisters--Tony, David, Brenda, Andrea

 

 

The Parents

 

A very cute sign bearer...Here Comes the Bride (the other side said, "And They Lived Happily Ever After!")

 Coming Down the Isle

Just like Coleton joined Tony and I at the alter for our vow renewal, Anthony joined Daddy for a closer look at the ceremony

 

 

The newest Mrs. Swegle with her groom

Sisters

Three guys and a beautiful woman

A very far away picture of us with Brenda and David

 

The other cute sign bearer

Four tiers, four flavors

Grandma Ramirez, Brenda and David

When our nephew Chris got married, the Swegle women performed....here we are again... Marie, Katie (our niece) Donna, Me and Rose

Coleton and Aunt Rose

 

The beauty of Bok Tower

Polished, colored marble around the sun dial

Clouds reflected in the moat chasing a fish

Rehearsal night...when the boys first saw us, Coleton ran to Tony, yelling, "Papa!"  Anthony ran to me, yelling, "Momo!"  What a great moment that was

The day belonged to Brenda, but Marie radiated beauty at the rehearsal

 

 

 

Next up....our visit to the Dali Museum.   

 

 

Matthew Is Coming To Town

Well, you would have to live under a rock to miss the news coverage and  information on Hurricane Matthew.  I read somewhere that this is the biggest storm the south has had in awhile.  

Tony brought the generator into the lanai in case power goes out and he told me that people at the grocery store were making a run on water and bread.  He also moved the furniture to the center of the lanai so it may get wet, but it won't go anywhere.

 

I will be at the hospital all weekend.  We are on lockdown from Friday at 7:00 p.m. until whenever on Sunday.  That means I get to sleep and shower there, oh boy!!  But, the money is good and the building is strong so it will be OK.  The other ladies I will be working with are calling it a big pajama party!

 

We were at the beach this week and took Dixie.  The first time we took her to the ocean, she was afraid of the noise and the waves.  This time she had a blast.  I think she was still afraid of the waves, but she loved chasing the birds and getting petted by kids on the beach. 

 

We also discovered a new winery.  Only service dogs were allowed in, but since we were the only people there, Dixie got to visit the indoor waterfall.  It was fun and we will be going back again. 

 

Here are some highlights:

 

Our first stop, big surprise

 

The sign says, only service dogs with papers were

allowed in....they didn't count on Dixie visiting!

Nice wall decorations

Dixie stating her case to be let inside...."see how cute I am?"

 

If these dogs could come in, so could Dixie!!

Chard on the patio

The indoor waterfall

 

THE BEACH!!!

Our first attempt at reintroducing Dixie to the waves

She's thinking...

 

 

And then meets a friend on her level...

And another one...furry, this time

A bird spies Dixie....

 

And she spies the bird!

Getting lunch

Checking the weather

Matthew is "graying" up the day

Dixie tells Daddy, "I'm a beach dog, not a bitch!"  She'll be back

 

 

 

 

Up and Coming!

It's been awhile since I blogged...in part, because Jenna changed her blog page and took off other blogs (including ours) and I had to figure out how to access it without just clicking on us from her page.  But, I was able to figure it out  (OK, it took me awhile) and here I am.

 

In general news, Tony and I went to see the movie, "Sully," the true story of the "miracle" on the Hudson River, staring Tom Hanks.  What a great movie!!  I remember the real incident and being glad about the outcome, but this movie really grabbed me.  I sobbed in some parts and chuckled too, because while I  knew the outcome of the flight, the mastery of the movie made me forget it and, in that moment in time,  I was afraid for the passengers.  It's not a long movie, but definitely, a gripping one. 

 

As of today, THE wedding is 20 days away.  We went to Tampa a few weeks ago and visited Brenda's parents, talked wedding with "the kids"  and spent some quality time with David and Brenda.  This is, in my opinion, a real "power couple."  They have a life plan, career plans and they are the real example of a couple.  The other's happiness is top of mind and it is wonderful to see.

 

Another big event is Anthony's 2nd birthday party on October 1.  Tony and I did another Snapfish book--this one being an alphabet book that I hope Anthony enjoys.  Tony did the illustrations and I did the words and coordinated the "real life" pictures of the family.  I think it turned out well and I hope Tony gets to read it to Anthony while he is in Charlotte for the birthday party.  (Big surprise, I'm working!)

 

I am getting older by the minute--I have Rheumatoid arthritis in my left knee.  I could hardly walk after the 9 hour drive to Tampa, but, I am slowly trying go build up strength in my knee so I can walk and slow down the progression.  Walking is good--sitting for hours at a time is really, really not good.

 

We had tons of rain today...hurricane Michael?   Not sure, but I am sure of the rain.  I didn't drive to work today, I hydroplaned!  Fun, but a bit dicey!

 

Dixie and I are on our own while Tony is in Charlotte.  Two bitches in the house...oh geez, what will we get into? 

 

I am on official wedding countdown and look forward to pointing at Brenda Ramirez Swegle and saying, "see that high powered, attractive, well spoken young woman?  Well, that's our daughter in law and we are proud that she is in our family."

 

I hope that everyone we love is feeling loved today and is at peace with the world.