Blown Away....

I was feeling somewhat under the weather today until I got a surprise email from Lois, a friend who lives in Colorado, and whom I have not seen in years! 

Lois and I and another friend Audrae who lives in Minnesota were the best of friends for years when we all spent our winters in Arizona..We took workshops together, attended book talks, went on outings to art galleries, museums, festivals, quilt shows, and lots of really interesting day trips through the local college. Oh how I miss those two.. and those Arizona days..

So, anyway, this email said that a package was to be delivered to my door today and she hoped I would be home to receive it...Say what? Oh the suspense...a package? from Lois? Sure enough it arrived..and surprise - it was an early birthday gift - a jigsaw puzzle of a work of blown glass by Dale Chihuly!  (main)

Now that may not sound all that special to some..but  to me it was! The three of us had gone to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix back in 2008..It was amazing - we were blown away - and it turned out to be one of our favourite days out...

I just loved the exhibit..took oodles of photos and later bought a monster-sized coffee table book -one I can hardy hold up to read - to relive not only that exhibit but another one featured in the book as well - one in Grand Rapids Michigan that Lois had taken me to when I was visiting her at her family's farm.....

I have no idea what possessed Lois to send me that puzzle - we don't even exchange gifts of any kind - let alone one for a not-so -special birthday - but it was a very special treat to receive it - it sure perked up my day!  I went and pulled that huge book off the shelf - no room for it on my coffee table anymore - and poured over those vibrant, stunning displays of glass for the rest of the afternoon!.. 

After seeing that particular exhibit in Phoenix and another one here in Toronto,  I have yearned to have an old wooden boat full of glass balls in my garden..just like the one Chihuly uses in his installations... so far, I have not managed to acquire one! But I have the book and in it is a full page spread of said boat!