Solvang -- Danish Capital of California

Snuggled in the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, is the charming town of Solvang, which translates a "Sunny Meadows," and is known as the 'Danish Capital of California."  One of my husband's co-workers told us to make an effort to take a detour east from Santa Barbara to visit this town on our trip north to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway. She knew that we'd enjoy its friendly, fairy tale appearance.

Solvang was founded in 1911 on almost 9,000 acres of the Rancho San Carlos de Jonata Mexican land grant, by a group of Danes who traveled west to establish a Danish colony far from the Midwestern winters. There is still a significant Danish population in Solvang, and a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark. The architecture of many of the facades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style.

 
There was so much to see and do there that I'm sorry we could only spend one afternoon walking around town.

On the top floor of this charming little book store called The Book Loft, located at 1680 Mission Drive, was the Hans Christian Anderson Museum.  Hans Christian Anderson was Denmark's most famous writer.  Although Andersen wrote travel journals, plays, novels, and poetry he is best know for his endearing children's Fairy Tales, which have been translated into more than 100 languages.

The Book Loft also contained a large collection of books about all the Scandinavian countries,  books in the various Scandinavian languages, as well as book in English, and a large selection of children's books.

The museum is devoted to presenting the author's life and works. Displays include models of Andersen's childhood home and of his The Princess and the Pea fairy tale.. The museum also contains hundreds of volumes of Andersen's works, including many illustrated first editions.

We also took some time to visit the Mission of Santa Ines located at 1760 Mission Drive in Solvang.  Santa Ines is the nineteenth of 21 missions established by Franciscan priests from 1769 to 1823.  It was founded on September 17, 1804 by Father Estévan Tapís. Santa Ines is the Spanish version of the name "Saint Agnes." Early English settlers changed the spelling to "Santa Inez" when naming the mountains surrounding the area. Saint Agnes was a Christian who was martyred for her faith in Rome in 304 AD. 

The interior of the church is beautiful and very decoratively painted. The statue of St. Agnes, dating from the 18th Century, is located in a niche above the main altar, and almost appeared to glow, as the soft afternoon light shone upon it.  The mission is still an active parish.

The historical museum at Santa Inés is one of the best in the mission chain. It contains an extensive display of Latin missals and handmade parchment music books, some far older than the mission and many magnificent works of art work, vestments, statuary, documents and mission  artifacts.

As with all the missions we visited on this trip, the gardens and cemetery of Santa Ines were lush and peaceful. We really enjoyed visiting this "Hidden Gem of the Missions," as it is also known.

Before we departed Solvang the next morning we stopped at Olsen's Danish Bakery for a Danish pastry and coffee.  There were so many delicious pastries to chose from that of course we had to have more than one!

We went back on the road, headed towards San Luis Obsipo.   I had to visit a fun location there that I read Susan Branch blog about ... I love Susan's cheerful  blog! I'll be sharing more about that in my blog post for Pink Saturday .. you won't want to miss it!

I'm linking this post to:

Mosaic Monday
Blue Monday
Ruby Tuesday
Our World Tuesday
Rednesday

Many thanks to all the blog hosts!

Derek Jeter Honored for his 3,000th Hit!

On Saturday I went to Yankee stadium to see a game between the New York Yankees baseball team and the Tampa Bay Rays.  Before the game a few special presentation ceremonies were held to celebrate the Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter's recent historic milestone of being the 28th major league baseball player and the first Yankee ballplayer to get 3,000 hits.  Jeter accomplished this feat on July 9th, 2011, in a home game against the same Tampa Bay Rays.

First, Jeter donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame representatives the helmet and batting gloves that he wore when he homered for his 3,000th hit. Then the Yankees’ president, Randy Levine, and the team’s chief operating officer, Lonn Trost, gave Jeter a 14-inch inscribed Waterford crystal vase.

Jeter holding the commerative Waterford vase.

Next, Hal Steinbrenner, the managing general partner of the Yankees, and his wife, Christina, presented Jeter and his father, Dr. Charles Jeter, with commemorative rings, while Jeter's mother and sister were presented with pendants of the same design.  The rings Jeter and his father received have 50 diamonds each, 14 making the No. 2, whcih is Jeter's uniform number.

Finally, the entire Yankee team presented Derek with a a 225-pound, mirror-polished stainless steel sculpture. It featured the No. 3,000, topped by a triple-layered bust of Jeter waving his helmet to the crowd. The inscription under the number 3000 reads: "To our captain, leader and friend. Congratulations on a great achievement, from your teammates."

The Yankees went on to win the baseball game by a score 9-2, including two more base hits by Derek Jeter and a grand slam by Jorge Posada!

I wasn't lucky enough to be in Yankee ballpark attendance when Jeter got his 3,000 hit, but I was excited to be present for the special pregame ceremonies honoring him, as he is one of my favorite players and definitely a baseball legand in his own time in the manor of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio and many other Yankee and baseball greats.  Congratulations to Derek Jeter!

I'm linking to "Mosaic Monday" with Mary of The Little Red House blog, Sally's "Blue Monday" on her blog Smiling Sally, and the My World Tuesday crew. Please visit their blogs and enjoy their special blog events!

Waterlilies and Lotuses in the New York Botanical Garden

My husband and I took a ride to the New York City borough of the Bronx this weekend to visit the New York Botanical Garden.  Like the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the New York Botanic Garden has beautiful aquatic waterlilies and lotuses. The Waterlily and Lotuses Pool in the courtyard of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a serene and magical place in summer. The colors and lingering aromas of these wonderful exotic flowers are a feast for the senses.

The lilies and lotuses were at their peak.

Their colors and shapes were exquisite!

As I walked around the lily pond pool I had a wonderful time photographing all the beautiful flowers.

They were all delightful....

...and a wonderful array of colors.

Dominating the tropical pool is the Victoria amazonica, the world's largest waterlily, whose leaves can span seven feet across!

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The tropical pond also had a large array of the lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, which symbolize eternal life in Buddhism, and are called "sacred lotus" for that reason.

They shimmered in the sunlight.....

....and their buds and pods were so exotic to see.

Both of the botanical gardens in New York City are gems waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Come back next post and I will show you the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. 

May I ask a favor? Flowers have been on my mind quite a bit lately, as I'm in the middle of planning my daughter's spring time wedding, and I have also been visiting local florists to look at table centerpieces and floral decorations.  My daughter loves the color purple and wants it to be the predominate color of her arrangements.  If you have some suggestions for beautiful purple flowers, websites that have floral arrangements, or even general wedding websites, I'd be thrilled if you place them in your comments. Thanks!

I'm linking to "Mosaic Monday" with Mary of The Little Red House blog, and My World Tuesday with Klaus and all the My World contributors. Please visit their blogs and enjoy their special blog events!

The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

The weather this past weekend was beautiful in New York City and my husband and I decided to go over to the new Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sunday to enjoy a stroll along its paths and take in the views of the Manhattan skyline. As we approached the park entrance we saw the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory building--the white building in the photo above--and decided that an ice cream cone would be a perfect refreshment to carry along on our stroll.

The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is located in a landmark fireboat house on the Fulton Ferry Pier, and features one of most sweeping views in America-- the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. They offer simple, pure and delicious ice cream, home made in small batches. It is so delicious there is almost always a line of people waiting to get in to purchase some.  We saw so many people coming out of the factory with banana splits that we quickly decided to treat ourselves and share one.

We chose coffee, vanilla chocolate chunk and butter pecan ice creams, with toppings of caramel and hot fudge syrup, walnuts, and fresh whipped cream. It was absolutely fabulous!

It was a wonderful summer treat that we shared in the shadow of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

Please join me on my next post and I'll show you scenes from the new Brooklyn Brdge Park and its magnificent views!

I'm linking to "Mosaic Monday" with Mary of The Little Red House blog, and My World Tuesday with Klaus and all the My World contributors. Please visit their blogs and enjoy their special blog events!

The Brooklyn Museum - Part One

This past weekend my husband and I visited the magnificent 560,000-square-foot Brooklyn Museum, located at 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn Museum is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Its world-renowned permanent collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art, and represent a wide range of cultures. (All photos will enlarge if clicked on once and then again when it re-opens on a new page)

The museum is only a 30-minute subway ride from midtown Manhattan, with its own newly renovated subway station located very close to the museum entrance. There is also a paid parking lot next to the adjoining Brooklyn Botanical Garden. You can buy a "Art and Garden Ticket" at the Brooklyn Museum and present your receipt for same-day admission to the garden.

The beautiful Beaux Arts building was opened in 1897 and founded by Augustus Graham. The museum is well-known for its expansive collections of Egyptian and African art, in addition to 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts. It hosts many special exhibits as well as long term installations.

Here are a few of my favorite paintings from the American Art Collection:

The Brooklyn Bridge - Georgia O'Keeffe

One of the last works that O'Keeffe painted in New York before her permanent relocation to New Mexico in 1949, is considered her farewell to the city where she had lived and worked for many years. The Brooklyn Bridge is near and dear to my heart and O'Keeffe's image has always been one of my favorites.

A Storm in the Rocky Mountains, Mt. Rosalie - Albert Bierstadt

Mt. Rosalie is now called Mt. Evans. Bierstadt established his artistic reputation with "Great Pictures" of the American West. Having visited Colorado many times since my son and his family live there I am always attracted to Rocky Mountain views.

The Peaceable Kingdom - Edward Hicks 

Self-taught artist and Quaker preacher Edward Hicks painted approximately sixty versions of The Peaceable Kingdom.  I have always found the scene of the "lion lying down with a lamb"  a wonderful symbol of peace and redemption.

An Out-of-Doors Study - John Singer Sargent

Sargent painted compelling landscape and figure subjects, including this image of his friend Paul César Helleu and his wife, Alice by plein-air using an Impressionist-inspired technique. The red canoe, grassy shore and painter hard at work while his wife rest nearby reminds me of a beautiful, relaxed summer day.

Niagara -  Louis Rémy Mignot

The view is taken from the American side of the great Horseshoe Falls, facing the Canadian shore. Looking at this painting I felt as if I could hear the water thundering down the side of the cliff and feel its spray on my face! It brought back memories of trips I've taken to Niagara Falls, where I have experiences just such wonderful things.

Bust of Abraham Lincoln -  Augustus Saint-Gaudens

This bronze bust is a replica of the head of a standing Lincoln completed by Saint-Gaudens in 1887 on commission for the City of Chicago's Lincoln Park. Lincoln in 3D is always the best way to appreciate the features of his interesting face.

George Washington. On the left painting by Charles Wilson Peale on the right painting by Gilbert Stuart

The Peale portrait was commissioned by John Hancock of  Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in order to flatter and reward him for liberating Boston from the British in March 1776.
Gilbert Stuart portrayed George Washington several times in this stately, full-length portrait format known as the Grand Manner, and filled the painting with many iconic American details.

The differences in Washington from his somewhat youthful face from the beginning of the American Revolution in 1776, to his aged look during the years of his presidency beginning in 1789 are fascinating to see side by side as the paintings are displayed in the Brooklyn Museum. It seems from the office of our first president, being the president ages a man!

One area of interest in the Brooklyn Museum is the Luce Center for American Art on the 5th Floor. It is a 5,000 square-foot dense display in the Visible Storage and Study Center which offers an inside look at how museums work and provides a glimpse of the breadth and scope of the Brooklyn Museum's extensive American collections. Whereas only about 350 works are on view in the adjacent American Identities exhibition, this facility gives open access to some 2,000 of the many thousands of American objects held in storage, which are now available for viewing and research by students, scholars, and the general public.

Glass display cases contain a selection of archived objects from the American decorative arts collection: pewter, commemorative pressed glass, Tiffany glass and lamps, examples of contemporary industrial design and furniture, silver, eighteenth-century furniture, nineteenth-century seating furniture with original upholstery, and Brooklyn-made ceramics.

It is fascinating to think that as large as the Brooklyn Museum's building is, just a small fraction of the permanent collections can be displayed in its limited exhibition gallery space! To open some of the storage space for a glimpse of it's contents in this way was wonderful to explore.

It was also wonderful to see so many students and artists hard at work copying artwork in the museum and enjoying the galleries.

There is a lot more to show about from Brooklyn Museum and I will be doing a few more posts about it this week. In my next post I'll show the special exhibit we wanted to see at the museum before the show closed.


Linking up to My World Tuesday hosted by Klaus, and the My World team, Ruby Tuesday by Mary's The Work of the Poet blog, Outdoor Wednesday on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer and Rednesday on Sue's blog It's A Very Cherry World

Please visit their wonderful blogs next and join in all the fun!