another weekend...another road trip

Phew--just got back from a third trip on the road in as many weekends. This one came up unexpectedly at the last minute, but it was an offer we couldn't refuse. My mom and her sweetie won a "foodie weekend in Seattle" at the Frontera Farmer Foundation auction and found themselves in the unfortunate position of running out of time to redeem their prize package. We were the happy beneficiaries of three fabulous meals at various spots run by restauranteur Tom Douglas, and a comfy night's stay at the Hotel Andra. Even with the six hour drive getting there and back, it felt like a truly relaxing weekend.

We made a little time between all that eating to check out the new sculpture park that's part of the Seattle Art Museum. It's a really nice outdoor venue that runs down a slope to the sound and the Olympic Mountains in the background. Among my favorite things there was this piece by Teresita Fernandez called "Seattle Cloud Cover." I have been following her work ever since she was a resident at the Fabric Workshop, and it was great to get to experience this one. Colorful mages of clouds and water were printed onto glass with clear dots between. It was an amazing experience as you walked through of real and fictional landscapes.

But the real showstopper was the installation by Richard Serra called "Wake" which consisted of huge undulating steel walls--five, I think? The walls are made of two s-shaped panels that are inverted in relation to each other and set firmly in the ground below--walking through them was an unforgettable experience, reminding me of swimming, floating, dreaming. The rusted steel (or "weathering steel" as Serra calls it) has so many gorgeous subtle color transitions like a Rothko painting. Only bigger. (If this little slide show below isn't big enough for your, click on it.)