While Sarah and Emily were otherwise occupied, Larry and I decided to find some special things to do by ourselves. Some days, that included getting a little culture.
We spent one morning at the The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park. This museum houses the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany pieces in any museum. The collection includes leaded and stained glass, numerous windows, including three rescued from Tiffany's home after it burned, pottery, sketches, paintings,and lamps. What a beautiful place to spend a day. We took a guided tour led by one of the museum's curators. Obviously well-versed in the museum's history, as well as Tiffany's works of art, she gave us a crash course in the hour and 15 minutes she spent with our group. I've always loved Tiffany's work, but have an even deeper appreciation now for the way his glass is made, and his art put together. Also housed there is the recently restored Daffodil Terrace from Tiffany's Long Island home, Laurelton Hall, as well as the magnificent chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Another day, we took a road trip to St. Petersburg, and visited The Dali Museum. It boasts the largest collection of works by Surrealist Salvador Dali outside of Spain.
I've always been fascinated by Dali's works and the way he looked at and depicted everyday objects in such a unique manner. But I never realized what a deep thinker he was. He hated Voltaire, and had a fascination with science, especially atoms, molecules, and DNA. He did have a sense of humor, but what I previously interpreted as whimsy was actually a deep and symbolic statement on the way Dali viewed the world. I learned so much about him and his works through our recorded tour. I especially enjoyed his optical illusions!
Even the building is a work of art that, I think, would greatly please Dali himself. The interior features a spiral staircase made of concrete that eventually trails off into the air. Truly amazing.
The exterior features a glass window that seems to bubble forth from the building, and giving the structure a feeling of movement, as though it were a living thing.
Even the garden included a bit of whimsy...
...as well as a labyrinth and a depiction of the Golden Ratio.
We took a brief drive down to The Pier with its upside down pyramid at the end.
Too late, we discovered that there is a Chihuly museum just down the street. Ah, to have had more time...
We spent one morning at the The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park. This museum houses the most comprehensive collection of Tiffany pieces in any museum. The collection includes leaded and stained glass, numerous windows, including three rescued from Tiffany's home after it burned, pottery, sketches, paintings,and lamps. What a beautiful place to spend a day. We took a guided tour led by one of the museum's curators. Obviously well-versed in the museum's history, as well as Tiffany's works of art, she gave us a crash course in the hour and 15 minutes she spent with our group. I've always loved Tiffany's work, but have an even deeper appreciation now for the way his glass is made, and his art put together. Also housed there is the recently restored Daffodil Terrace from Tiffany's Long Island home, Laurelton Hall, as well as the magnificent chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Another day, we took a road trip to St. Petersburg, and visited The Dali Museum. It boasts the largest collection of works by Surrealist Salvador Dali outside of Spain.
I've always been fascinated by Dali's works and the way he looked at and depicted everyday objects in such a unique manner. But I never realized what a deep thinker he was. He hated Voltaire, and had a fascination with science, especially atoms, molecules, and DNA. He did have a sense of humor, but what I previously interpreted as whimsy was actually a deep and symbolic statement on the way Dali viewed the world. I learned so much about him and his works through our recorded tour. I especially enjoyed his optical illusions!
Even the building is a work of art that, I think, would greatly please Dali himself. The interior features a spiral staircase made of concrete that eventually trails off into the air. Truly amazing.
The exterior features a glass window that seems to bubble forth from the building, and giving the structure a feeling of movement, as though it were a living thing.
Even the garden included a bit of whimsy...
...as well as a labyrinth and a depiction of the Golden Ratio.
Too late, we discovered that there is a Chihuly museum just down the street. Ah, to have had more time...
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