Home in Time to Blog!

Woody got up early and walked eight miles. I got up and got ready to head towards Melany's (Murfreesboro). This was the first time that I drove the "new" car out of Tullahoma...first time that I got above 45 miles an hour when driving it. I really don't like to drive...so it is a stretch for me to drive out of little Tullahoma...but going the back road helps some...at least as far as traffic goes. Melany lives on the side of Murfreesboro that lets me avoid downtown Murfreesboro (a nightmare place to drive...it has grown beyond its road system). I only have to go a few miles after I come off the back road and I am at the place to turn into their subdivision. Once I got to Melany's I turned the driving over to her till it was time for me to turn the car towards Tullahoma. I left the house at 8am and arrived back home at 7pm. We really had a fun day and really "did in" the Frist Center. We were there from 10am till almost 4pm. We did take a break from looking at the exhibits and went to the cafe that is part of the museum. We both had yummy sandwiches (mine was a grilled eggplant sandwich...delish!) and homemade potato chips. After lunch we went back and looked at the exhibits that we hadn't seen earlier. The main reason that I went was to see the Italian Fashion from 1945 to the present. It was a wonderful exhibit...part of the Victoria and Albert Museum collection in London. The wonderful displays were much appreciated by me! We even saw a diamond brooch that was owned by Elizabeth Taylor. We saw costumes from a couple of Audrey Hepburn's movies (War and Peace and Roman Holiday). The beading, handwork, satins, silks, laces, furs, Prada shoes, etc. were pretty mind boggling for a seamstress like me! I bought "the book" so when I finish blogging I will go look through the book and refresh my memory. This fashion exhibit has inspired to make a blouse with the Italian shirting that I bought at a couture fabric store some time ago. The head (Isabella) that you see in tonight's photos was an intro to another exhibit that was at the museum. These are part of the artist Jaume Plensa's Human Landscape. This part of the exhibit is in conjuction with Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art (also in Nashville). You can really see them as landscape when visiting there. Melany had been to Cheekwood last week and saw them outside as part of the Cheekwood landscape...they were displayed both on solid ground and in water. Rather interesting as when you walk around the sculptures they seem to change from 3-D to almost flat. The ones inside the Frist represented emotions...they were "Hear no evil, See no evil and Speak no evil"...hanging sort of sideways from the walls in the room. Some of the thinking behind the sculptures was a bit beyond my comprehension!!!! When it comes to art, I pretty much express myself with my photos and my sewing...not a lot of abstract thinking behind "my art!" The other exhibition was of postcards from Austria (Postcards of the Wiener Werkstatte)...part of an American's private collection. I found these very interesting, also. We also stopped in the hands-on-art rooms that they have for children. We ended up talking to a mom and a helper in the children's art center. Lots of fun things to do in that room. Being in that room reminded me of another time that Melany took me to The Frist several years back. Erin was with us that day and she spent a good part of the time painting in this room while Melany and I were looking at exhibits at a too-slow pace for a child! I still have the water color of an elephant that she painted and gave to me. It's right here next to me in the sewing room on my cork bulletin board. Melany and I really had a fun time today. She heads back to school next week...so her "freedom" is quickly fading into the sunset. I appreciate her giving up one of her last free days to take me to The Frist. I know that the neighbors (Nathan & Kathy & family) must have picked blueberries today as we have several pints on the counter. And, I know that Woody must have done some baking as we also have a blueberry dump cake on the counter. Nathan brought us over a piece of the blueberry pie that they baked today. Blueberries abound! Well, I'm off to read through exhibit brochures and check out my Italian Fashion Book. An interesting fact about The Frist...they have no permanent displays/exhibits...so over the months of the year there is usually something new to be seen.