Alter Ego?

Stratford-upon-Avon, England ~ February 17, 2010

Shakespeare's Birthplace

My Web Page: tapirback.com

A Horse, of Course

Houston, Texas ~ February 7, 2011

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

It's always nice to run into a friendly equine.

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Ancient Eyes

April 18, 2004 ~ Naples, Italy

Naples National Archaeological Museum

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All Quiet before the Tornado Warning

Dallas, Texas ~ April 13, 2007

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

See more Weekend Reflections from around the world.

And check out a closer image of the bird mosaic on this post.

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Modern Art at the Louvre

Paris ~ October 16, 2008
Outside the north gate of the Cour Carree

I didn't know what to make of this when I saw it, and I still don't know. Did someone smash the sculpture to pieces, hence the crime scene tape and the fence? Or is that part of the installation? Sometimes it's hard to tell.

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Glass and Sky

Tacoma, Washington ~ May 21, 2004

Dale Chihuly sculpture

on the Bridge of Glass

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Chihuly Reflected

Tacoma, Washington ~ May 23, 2005

Weekend Reflections

The shiny floor and dark interior of Union Station created a wonderful atmosphere for this reflection of Dale Chihuly's organic glass art. The station was closed, but we crossed the nearby Bridge of Glass, seen here and here in earlier posts.

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Glass of St. Denis Basilica

St-Denis, France ~ October 15, 2008

At the end of the Metro line from Paris

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Near the Locks

Seattle, Washington ~ October 21, 2006

At The Lake Washington Ship Canal Fish Ladder,

Ballard Locks

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Alabaster

Paris ~ May 6, 2004

The Louvre

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Bridge of Glass, part 2

Tacoma, Washington ~ May 21, 2004
In December, I showed a detail of Dale Chihuly's Bridge of Glass, but this photo is more of an in situ shot. Here you can see that the fantastic blown glass shapes (mostly sea life) are resting on the clear ceiling with light provided by the sky above.

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Mosaic butterfly

The Louvre, Paris ~ May 6, 2004 (?)

I seem to have taken this somewhere in the Louvre on my birthday. It's with other photos from that day, but these are recovered photos from an SD card that got messed up, possibly from going through an airport scanner in my luggage. To make it a little worse, I had never set my old camera for the right date, so everything from that trip is two days off. The date above is as near as I can get to the truth. I believe it's accurate, but I can't say I actually remember this mosaic, as lovely as it is. I guess it would be an understatement to say there's a lot to see in the Louvre. . . .

Lee and I were also a distracted that day. I don't remember the whole story, but I do remember that his credit card was swallowed by an ATM machine that morning on the Blvd St-Michel (a long way from the Louvre). There was nobody in attendance (I don't remember why - I thought this happened on a Saturday, but May 6, 2004, was a Thursday. We tried going to the Louvre and said we'd deal with it when someone was in the bank's office, but the situation was unsettling. I remember we ended up walking up and down the Champs Elysee looking for the head office of the bank, which was supposed to be open. We finally found someone there who could help us by means of a few phone calls, and then we had to get back to Place St-Michel to find the person we were supposed to see about the card. Long story short, we got the card, and promised to spend more time in the Louvre another day . . . which we did on another trip, although I believe that on the later visit the Roman mosaics were out on tour.

Anyway, nice butterfly.

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Contemplating the Pompeiian mind

Pompeii, Italy ~ April 19, 2004

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Christmas colors on New Year's Eve

Governor Hotel, Portland, Oregon ~ December 31, 2008

The ceiling "skylight" (which actually has bulbs in it) in the lobby was magnificent. The colors were so festive and Christmas-like, and the adjoining restaurant was still in holiday decor.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Byzantine Pride

Ravello, Italy ~ April 22, 2004

I was taken aback by the combined simplicity and artistic beauty of the Byzantine interior of this church on the Piazza Vescovado, the main square of Ravello. You can see how plain much of the interior is in the background between the lions.

The church was built in the 11th Century and renovated in 1786. The lions form part of the base of one of two 13th Century pulpits. The Rough Guide to Italy says these lions were made in 1272.

I can't tell you how much I loved Ravello, an amazing Medieval town overlooking the Amalfi Coast, but I'll show more in pictures as the blog continues. A scene of Ravello was the second image I used when I started Tapirgal's Daily Image. This post shows the outside of the church on the piazza.

Bridge of Glass

Tacoma, Washington ~ May 21, 2004

These blown glass shapes are what you see when you look skyward inside Dale Chihuly's Bridge of Glass in Tacoma. It's literally a covered section of a bridge across the highway, and this is its ceiling. To look up plunges a person into a wonderland of delight. When I saw it for the first time, I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it before. Where had I been? Another artist, Christo, is so famous for wrapping things (including bridges) which I find only mildly interesting. This, on the other hand, was something more people should know about. I suppose it doesn't get the press because it's only beautiful and not that weird or huge.