This One's for You, Robin

I woke up bright and early this morning, and C begged me to try to nap a bit longer. When he finally got up at about 6:30, this was the view from our room at the Marriott. It was a lovely cool morning.

I zoomed in a bit to get a little closer view of Country Club Plaza for you:

There is a very nice 1-mile loop across the street from the hotel in a park which houses this lovely fountain. We have been walking there in the early mornings, and then going to Starbucks for a coffee and breakfast. Did you know that KC is known as the 'city of fountains'? We learned that last night at the baseball game.....of all places!!!

I attended two morning sessions at the SDA conference. The first featured Jerry Bleem, speaking about "Unconscious Advice for the Self-Conscious". Fr. Bleem is not only a Roman Catholic Priest, but he is also an artist who teaches in the school of fiber and material studies at the Art Institute of Chicago AND, AND, AND: he is hilarious! What a great way to start the day: laughing and learning! I met up with Gerrie and also my friend Margaret, and we headed on over to the KCAI campus to hear Jane Dunnewold talk about "Soy Wax Three Ways". Fantastic!! ........and then the SDA conference was over for me. I loved it, and can hardly wait for the next one in 2011 in Minneapolis!!!

C and I enjoyed an incredible lunch at Gates BBQ. We split the ribs......

.......and the onion rings.
I'm happy to report that we couldn't finish either one! But, they were wonderful!

OK, now here's the part for Robin! You may recall that C and I visited several Fay Jones Chapels last Fall on our trip to Ft. Worth. Robin actually instigated that chapel pilgrimage, and we were so thankful for his introduction of Fay Jones into our lives. When Robin learned that we were going to KC, he quickly suggested that we visit the Powell Gardens and the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel there, another of Fay Jones' incredible creations. Well, we couldn't wait!

the diamond motif is a recurrent theme




I love this quote from the architect, Fay Jones:

This is the fountain just beyond the front doors of the chapel


So, as you can see, we had a fine, fine day!

PEACE!!!

On the Road Again

We are on a wonderful Autumn trip through the Southland of the US, meandering along country roads, eating tasty Southern BBQ and taking in some of the fabulous architecture of the late E. Fay Jones.

C and I departed Gainesville yesterday morning, heading northwest to Sewanee, Tennessee home of the University of the South, or Sewanee by those who know and love her. We have many friends who have attended this university, but we had never visited there. Most recently we have become interested in the the architectural style of E. Fay Jones, and learned early on through our friend Robin that the Chapel of the Apostles at Sewanee was designed by Mr. Jones. The new dining hall at Sewanee has a marvelous reputation, so we stopped there first for a great lunch, and then on the the Chapel of the Apostles:

It was truly a spiritual experience for both of us.

and yes, that is a Casavant Freres organ, similar but smaller than ours at Grace Church!

the sun wasn't always shining while we were there, but when it was, the nave was breathtaking:


Similar to the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, Fay Jones designed many of the furnishings in his homes and chapels, including these magnificent yet simple chairs in the narthex of the Chapel of the Apostles:


........and did I mention Barbecue???? Well, yes, there is always that cross to bear when one travels with C! We just happened to pass through Lexington, Tennessee, the home of whole hog barbecue, and also Scott's:


and boy, were we lucky! This joint opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 6:00 PM sharp! We arrived at 5:35 and felt blessed to score a couple of pulled pork sandwiches with slaw on top:

that was mine, with a side of delicious potato salad.
This is C's, with a side of baked beans:

and, oh yes: he had the LARGE sandwich! It was mighty good!

We drove on to Memphis, where we spent the night.

PEACE, HOPE, CHANGE, NO WAY: MCCAIN/PALIN!

I AM ANOTHER MAMA FOR OBAMA!!