Art Season: Art in Bloom, Vivian Maier and May Day Parade

It seems after a long winter inside, this city of mine came alive with a larger than usual number of events that celebrate art and creativity.  I soaked in a hefty dose of inspiration and beauty throughout May and have some highlights to share with you.

At The Minneapolis Institute of Art's Art in Bloom exhibit artists are paired with a piece from the museum and create a floral arrangement inspired by the artwork.  The exhibit only lasts a few days as the life span of a floral arrangement is short.  I called up the two women in my life who love flowers the most (my mom and my mother in law) and we went to check it out.  To say it was hard to keep from touching and smelling the flowers would be an understatement!  Here are a few examples of the flower/art pairing: 

We were also there during a fashion show, where models wore dresses adorned with flowers.

This white dress was made of delicate orchids representing winter.  I'll forgive it the winter association because it was so truly stunning.

Next up: I have been enamored with the story of Vivian Maier for some time and was recently able to watch a film about her life and work.  And then I found out about an exhibit of her work in Minneapolis.  Jill and I went to take in the images on opening night.  

I switched my camera to black and white in honor of the great black and white photographs this nanny and artist took.  If you love photography, I would highly recommend spending some time looking at her work.  There are a lot of images on the website in the Portfolio section.  Check out the Street albums first!  As someone who is shy about taking pictures of strangers, I have huge respect for her bravery not to mention admiration for her great eye.

And last up....May Day!  This annual spectacle of puppetry, community, activism, music and joy is a Minneapolis tradition.  It means spring is here!

Mother Milkweed

This is an insane float with a ferris wheel, giant mechanical creature, skateboard ramp, music stage and pig roasting spit.  Its enormity defies being captured in one photo.

The energy of this event can't be properly captured in photos.  The music alone is reason to come out for the parade.  So many good vibes!

The stage on the enormous float.  Did I forget to mention it had shooting fire?

The In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre is the main creative and organizing force behind the May Day event.  This year they celebrated 40 years of the parade and festival.  I wish them many more!

Schaaf's Bluff Hike

Long ago we received a book that highlights 60 hikes within 60 miles of the Twin Cities and we've been meaning to explore some of those areas ever since.  I finally decided that fitting in some of these day trips/hikes is going to be a goal of mine this spring/summer/fall.  We took our first of these hikes today at Schaaf's Bluff Trailhead, which is part of Dakota County Parks' Spring Lake Park Reserve.  How is that for a mouthful!  The trails go along the forested bluff beside a widened area of the Mississippi River just about 30 minutes out of town.

Oh, what a beautiful day it was!  The weather was absolutely perfect for hiking: temperatures in the 70s F with a slight breeze and just a few clouds in the sky.  Perfect, I tell you.  We picked up some picnic supplies and made a day of it.

those are train cars passing by in the background

After a summer of misery last year, I am really, really grateful for each day of relatively little discomfort, but even more grateful for days like today where I am well enough to feel alive and connected to the world.

Family Highlights

Oh, goodness!  I just sorted through memory cards with over 500 pictures of our chickens to find the non-chicken photos that I am so belated in posting.  Note to self: maybe a few less pictures of chickens, ok?  In non-chicken related news, spring has been full of family time, artsy events, gardening and hope for a better summer than I had last year.  So far that wish is coming true!

After brunch on Mother's Day, it came to light that neither my sister nor I came out of our childhoods knowing how to double dutch.  We are both skilled at the kind of rope jumping that is limited to one rope.  Throw a second one in there and we were out of our leagues.  When my mom found this out, she vowed to teach us.  A spool of rope out of the garage, a pile of shed shoes and socks, a lesson from Mom and a short time later, we were double dutching!  Paul, too!  In fact, Paul showed us all up with a stellar first attempt.

We thought it might be nice to get a photo of my sister and I with our mom.  Apparently, Cinco thought it necessary to moon the camera!

Paul, our photographer, noticed right away and let us know of the feline photo bomb.  Cinco didn't stick around long but she left us all laughing at her excellent timing.

Another example of great timing, was one of the two pictures I took at Easter.  Umm...well, I guess it is a group shot.  Everyone was looking off into the distance where Uncle Bill saw a bald eagle's nest.

Here is the second one!  Aunt Marion and cousin Hannah are even steven!

I managed to find other photos mixed in with all of those chicken pictures, so I will post again soon!

Camilla, Petunia and Nellie at 2 Weeks

Wow!  These birds grow and change so fast!  It has been fun to watch their feathers come in more each day.  They develop in a progression but I never can tell what is going to feather out next until they start popping through.  Camilla, Petunia and Nellie are 2 weeks old today, so I think it is time to share some more pictures!

Nellie will be a dark red/brown but her feathers that are coming in now are a much wider variety of colors.

Petunia is growing the fastest and is a bit ahead of the other two on her feather growth, too.

Camilla's feathers are growing in with little white tips and a tiny bit slower than the other ones.  She is also the smallest in size and takes seriously deep naps.  She is our mellowest bird.

This picture is from a week ago.  When they turned 1 week old, I changed their brooder bedding over from paper towels to pine shavings.  I also elevated their water and food above the shavings to try to keep it a bit cleaner.  In case you didn't know, chickens poo A LOT!  They are not above pooing right into their water and food.  I have to refresh these areas for them a few times each day.

Petunia is growing so fast!  I am a wee bit concerned that she might be a rooster.  We won't know for sure until she is about 3 months old.  Fingers crossed she is just a sizable hen with an unusual level of awareness, but in case that is not what happens, we have a back up plan.  You can compare this photo with this one from the first week to see the size difference.  Same box, much bigger birds!

They are also getting a bit more curious about what is outside of their box. I had to make a lid for it in case they decide to test their limits.

When I take the lid off to get some pictures, sometimes they get a little over confident and I get a face full of flailing bird!

We decided to take them out tonight to see if they would enjoy a little more space to move around.  We cleared out the bathroom floor, closed the cat out and let the chicks out of the brooder.

They didn't really know what to do with themselves!  We offered a bit of pasta to see if that would get them moving around more.

It wasn't a big hit.  So far the few bits of "treats" we have tried haven't been well received with the exception of a bit of hard boiled egg during their first few days.

Thanks for the picture, Paul!

I like to hold them a little each day so they get used to being touched.  They don't love it but once they are nestled in my hands, they calm down.  During the picking them up and setting them down part, they often act like the sky is falling.

 

One more photo comparison for you...it is pretty amazing how rapidly they develop!  The photo above is 2 weeks from hatch date and the photo below is the day after hatching.

I am guessing that by the next time I share some pictures with you, they will look a lot more awkward.  I've seen some indicators that there is an adolescent phase coming up soon!

Wiksten Dress

After finishing the Wiksten Tank and not loving it, I decided to give the pattern another go.  This time I  made the dress version with a much lighter fabric.

I was happy about how much faster it went this time.  It helps to be familiar with the pattern.  I also think I am getting more confident in my sewing skills and pattern deciphering.  I sped along pretty quickly and finished this in 2 sessions.

The fact of the matter is that this pattern still creates a very sack-like shape, which I only like when it is belted or drawn in with a jacket or bolero.  I am glad I made it again, but I don't think it will be a go-to pattern for me going forward.  I think of this as a good stepping stone for some of the more fitted patterns I would like to make in the future.

I was glad to have more practice binding edges.  I obviously need even more practice! I ended up employing a bit of creative problem solving (sewing the neck down with 2 lines of stitching instead of one) when it didn't lay that nicely after the first pass.

I think the neckline turned out fine in the end.  I love the colors in this fabric and the dress is certainly comfortable.

I wore it out to our anniversary dinner a few weeks ago.

Paul took most of the photos in this post that day except for this lovely one that I took to commemorate our 12 year anniversary:

Ha! It was kind of bright out and it hurt my eyes.