Happy Fourth of July!

Armed with bottles of water, sunscreen, and battery-powered handheld fans, Garrett and I set off to Bayou Bend to celebrate Independence Day 2009. The thermostat read 102 degrees.


Bayou Bend is now part of the Houston Museum of Fine Arts but used to be the home of one Ms. Ima Hogg (yes, that's really her name and not a Moe Syzlak joke). The house was built in 1928, but Ms. Hogg had a penchant for all things colonial America. Since 1966 it has been a museum for the decorative arts, with items dating from 1620-1870. The land also boasts a large garden with winding paths and a somewhat wobbly but fun bridge that crosses over the bayou.

Today the museum offered free admission, free fans, and free snacks. There were crafts for the kids (paint fireworks using watercolors and straws! make your own drum from a coffee can!), tours of the house, people in period costume, and a brass ensemble.

A giant copy of the Declaration of Independence was posted for everyone to sign -- with quills, no less!

After a rousing performance of "Stars and Stripes Forever" by the brass ensemble, with the small children providing back-up on their newly made drums...

...the Declaration of Independence was read out loud. Afterwards everyone celebrated with a birthday cake for America. Yum! Freedom is delicious; it tastes of buttercream.

We returned home to refreshing patriotic showers. Now we plan on curling up next to the AC and spending the evening indoors. Happy Holiday!

Weird Science

For the last several weeks, the temperatures in Houston have routinely been in the 90s and even 100s each afternoon. We're breaking a sweat -- and records! Today, when we nearly passed out walking from the car to our building, Garrett made an offhand comment about frying an egg on the sidewalk. So we thought we'd give it a try.

We placed a frying pan on the driveway and left it in the sun for about 10 minutes. Then we attempted to cook an egg on it. The Prius said it was 102 degrees at the time.

Short story short, it didn't work. But it was fun to try!

This is your weekend. This is your weekend when it's really hot out and your brain is fried. Any questions?

The Art Guys Marry a Plant

On Friday night, my friend Lori called and invited me to a wedding the following morning. "The Art Guys are marrying a plant," she said. Count me in!

In an eccentric event I'm surprised I didn't witness while living in New York, the Art Guys (local Houston artists Jack Massing and Michael Galbreth) were married to an oak sapling in the sculpture garden at the Museum of Fine Arts. The festivities included an ordained minister, a string quartet, and a number of guests wearing fancy hats.

During the processional, the Art Guys wheeled in the tree in a small wagon. There were readings from the Book of Genesis and from William Clifford, English philosopher and mathematician. Vows were said, and a ring was placed on an upper branch. A lovely reception was held inside the Contemporary Arts Museum, with refreshments and cake.

I was there, and I'm still not clear on the meaning of the event. It's part of an exhibit called "No Zoning: Artists Engage Houston." I liked Lori's theory best, that it was a statement about the artists' commitment to the environment. Garrett (who chose not to attend) didn't see it as art, and even thought the ceremony was mocking gay marriage (i.e., "If we let homosexuals marry, what will happen next? a man getting married to a tree?!").

All in all, I was pleased. It was a beautiful, simple ceremony -- and I didn't have to bring a gift.

Hot air, of the nicer variety

I took Garrett and my brand new digital camera to downtown Houston to see an exhibit of inflatable art (see previous entry for history of whimsy).

One installation evoked both sea anemone and trash bags. The long, dark arms absorbed the heat of the sun, causing the air inside to rise and the balloon to lift and wave as if moved by an invisible breeze. (And believe me, there was no breeze!) The accompanying description said it was a commentary on waste and the pollution of our oceans. Interestingly, Garrett made his very own hot air balloon last summer using the same heated-trash-bag method.


The Wicked Witch of the West was not well-received on her recent visit to Houston.


Garrett found the sailboat for which he has been yearning, while I meditated upon the sacred lotus.

Om!

Houston Highland Games

In the spirit of pursuing all things "quirky" (Kristin) and/or "cultural" (Garrett), we attended the 37th Houston Highland Games and Celtic Festival last weekend. It was just like the rodeo, except with much smaller crowds and much more plaid.


We perused the vendor booths (you could purchase an ocarina, the flute-like instrument featured prominently in the video game Zelda) and took in some highland dancing (did you know the girls raise their arms to imitate the antlers of a stag, an important animal back in the day?). We also learned how to herd sheep (a very useful asset when the economy is down).


Other highlights included Scottish food. We were feeling cautious and passed, but I thought this sign sounded like a Celtic law firm.


There were pony rides with horses featuring most excellent bangs.


There were nearly as many dogs present as people -- mostly collies, shelties, and terriers. Then there was this impressive Irish wolfhound.


What we were most looking forward to, of course, was the men's athletic competition. You know: big, burly men in kilts from competing clans throwing heavy objects. It was very impressive and was what made the trip worthwhile.

There are a variety of tossing events, in which the greatest distance makes you the winner.

In the weight toss and the sheaf toss, you must throw a weight over a high crossbar. The sheaf toss simulates the act of tossing hay into a barnloft.


The crowd favorite is the caber toss -- "caber" being Gaelic for "tree trunk." Each competitor must lift and then toss, end-over-end, a 19-foot pole weighing 120 pounds. The winner is the person who can complete the straightest flip (i.e., a "12 o'clock" toss). Amazing!

Overall, it was a very entertaining day -- We "clan't" complain!