Saturday, November 29, 2014
Larchmere Holiday Stroll:
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| Bingham's Antiques Christmas window |
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| Santa and Kent |
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| Larchmere Boulevard Mural Project (2010) by Ted Kurz |
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| Conservation Studio holiday decorations |
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| Unique bird cage in the Dancing Sheep Shop |
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| Unique clock in Dancing Sheep |
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| Free horse and carriage rides |
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
This year we tried hanging strands of lights, as we did at the entrance to Osprey Pointe in Florida.
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| Holiday lights |
Monday, December 22, 2014
Holiday Lantern Tour at Hale Farm & Village, in Bath, OH.
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| An old truck at the Gatehouse |
No photos were allowed as we wandered from house to house in the village with only candle lanterns to guide us. As a group, we were collecting items for a Christmas stocking to "send" to a Union soldier who had no family. We were asked to sing Christmas carols, take part in a skit of the "Visit from St Nicholas" (better known as "The Night Before Christmas" poem), and were given hot chocolate and Snickerdoodles.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
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| Nativity scene |
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| Winter scene |
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| Christmas tree |
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| German nutcrackers and smokers |
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| Imitation Schwiibogen |
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| Real greens |
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| Mantel decorations |
Monday, December 29, 2014
"Deck the Hall" event at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, OH.
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| In front of Stan Hywet Hall |
The inside of the mansion was beautifully decorated with a theme of Christmas Around the World. (No photos allowed.)
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| Grape arbor lights |
The grounds were full of light displays, including one that changed in time to holiday music.
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| "Gingerbreadland" |
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Brynne and Kent with the poinsettia tree
in the conservatory |
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| The Conservatory |
Throughout the house and grounds they emphasized how the former mistress always gave gingerbread to her holiday guests. I was hoping for free gingerbread, but no!
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| Molly's Café in the former stable |
In Akron, we ended up at Luigi's Restaurant for dinner. A popular place as we waited outside in the brisk cold. It looks like a much expanded diner, and the walls are lined with old photos of movie stars and bowlers.
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| Chicago Coins Band Box restored in 1977 |
Friday, January 2, 2015
With Fernando and Josephine, we went to the Asia Plaza for a Chinese dim sum lunch at the Li Wah Restaurant. There was a huge Asian supermarket next door.
As we drove towards University Circle, we took a detour to Gallucci's Italian Foods & Market to salivate over the offerings.
Our destination was the Museum of Contemporary Art to see the exhibit:
Ferran Adrià: Notes on Creativity. An avant-garde chef, Adrià used drawings to visualize and create innovative dishes.
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| Adrià's sketching and resultant dish |
Many notebooks and drawings covered 20 years worth of cooking.
Another fascinating art installation was a video called "Judy Crook, 4" by Jennifer Steinkamp.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Cleveland Museum of Art:
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| Holiday tree in the atrium |
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| Han Dynasty Reflections, lanterns by Robin VanLear |
