Chihuly

I know that many people poo poo the work of Dale Chihuly, the famous glass artisan from Seattle. Sure, now he has his minions to do the hot and dirty work that brings life to his creations and probably hasn't blown anything of his own in years. But his art elicits oohs and aahs from people all over the world, so it can't be that bad. Here are some of my favorites from his recent exhibit at the DeYoung Musuem in San Francisco.

Achtung!

These little beauties caught my eye. Haven't seen pointy cabbages like these in the states. They look like soldiers standing at attention, don't they?!

Spaghetti Ice Cream

The Germans are an ice cream-lovin' people, especially in the charming towns on the Rhein River. Plenty of places to get gelato; in Bacharach we had some from an Italian couple who set up shop there. This beautiful plate of spaghetti ice cream was in Rudesheim. I thought there would be some sort of strange pasta in it, but it was simply ice cream extruded through some sort of PlayDough-like contraption. Doesn't it look delish?!

As a woman . . .

. . .I'm extremely proud of the fact that I lived out of that suitcase for 3 weeks! We left for our trip on June 15 and returned home on July 6. I had another tote bag that held a sweatshirt and raincoat for some cooler weather in Ireland, but everything else was in that suitcase. How did I do it? Lots of wash-and-wear tops, two pairs of shorts, a denim skirt, two pairs of jeans and two pairs of shoes. The husband used an identical suitcase and managed to pack a Slip n' Slide . . . don't ask!

TV anyone?

Went to see the Eurocup finals between Germany and Spain. Arrived at the Olympic Stadium in Munich, found our seats, and waited nearly three hours in our seats to watch the game . . . on a huge jumbotron. That's right, 50,000+ Germans watching the game on a screen, for free by the way. How about the US opening up some of our larger venues to drum up some national pride for a sport? Could anyone imagine the Raider Nation watching a stadium game on a screen? Not sure if that would work . . .

Not your average beer hall . . .

Germany was a lot more culturally diverse than I had thought. Imagine our surprise to find a hotel that looked like a Mexican cantina. My dear friend was delighted to pull off this surprise for us, a little piece of Mexico in the heart of Dresden.

Maybe they'll listen . . .

Perhaps if I were to use this get-up, I'd command more attention from my students . . . that's if I had some this year. Yup, out of the classroom, but dealing more with colleagues. A strange paradigm shift for me. I don't want to be a grown up!

Do they know how funny this is

So my husband and I had the opportunity to travel to Germany w/ two very dear friends. We cruised the beautiful Rhein River as we sipped on delicious beers and wines of the area. The towns along the Rheine have big signs . . . this one caught my attention.

Presenting Janzarama

Well everyone else has a blog, so why shouldn't I?! I'm a bit drained as I have returned to the toil that is my job after a lovely 8 week respite. Complaining? No. Just stating the facts of my cyclical life as an educator. They used to say that the best things about teaching were June, July, and August. Now it's pretty much June and July, AND the time when things are going decently at the grind. Yes, I am somewhat jaded, but still believe that there is hope for our future. Every time I see a former student who is doing well, there's my little ray of hope!