Mass MoCA

 I'm starting to feel very cultured this vacation, as I have now ventured to three different art museums this week alone. I will say this much for the Massachusetts/New England area you will not want for a lack of art or artistic expression.  Yesterday, I went to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in the small town of North Adams about a 30 minute drive from our resort.

The museum itself is located in an old 19th century Mill building lending to its overall character, size and scale. I do have to say that because of this the museum was a bit of a maze and I found I was frequently asking for directions. The featured/special exhibition was titled "Oh, Canada" and displayed the works of several different Canadian artists. I'm not going to lie, some of it I loved, some of it I hated, and the common complaint most of us have about modern and contemporary art, a lot of it went over my head. I loved artists who did more fiber art and stayed away from the ones that did visual/videos. To the left is another one of my favorites. It is this cool looking spaceship made out of old children's toys and trinkets. I cannot even begin to describe all the little intricate things in and around this piece.

Within the museum's permanent collection is the work Sol LeWitt, who I am assuming is from this area or once lived here because I saw another one of his installations today at the Williams College Museum of Art. LeWitt's work is composed of several large "wall" drawings and paintings which quite literally take up the entire wall. The museum breaks up his career by floor going from early work to later as you travel up the staircases. In my humble and not so critical opinion, his early work was the most impressive. In several of the installations on this floor, LeWitt left the work unfinished so you could read and see his artitstic process when executing a design. It is unbelievable of formulaic and intricate some of his designs are when the finish product looks quite simple. Some of his instructions seemed more like problems a geometry teacher would assign for homework rather than a large scale art installation.




Also, as a side note for if or when you visit. I was brave and tried lunch at the cafe located within the museum. It was surprisingly phenomenal. One of the better meals I have tried while we have been in the area. It was a simple black bean burrito with corn chips but all together delicious and full of flavor. Def. grab something to eat while your there enjoying the museum.

Farmer's market finds of the week

If there is one thing I love about living in North Carolina is the State Farmer's Market, located off Lake Wheeler Road. It is great in the spring in summer time for finding some great, fresh, local produce at really affordable prices. This week when J and I went to the Farmer's Market, I saw for the first time orange and purple cauliflower... and well, aside from my curiosity as to how it tastes different than it's boring cousin white cauliflower, I just couldn't resist that beautiful color. (Sorry we ate the orange cauliflower before I had a chance to get a pic of it, but it was just as yummy too!)

Also, as a random side note, I think finding colorful veggies like this is great to try on the little ones. It's so different and bright from what we tend to think of as cauliflower. Maybe, making it as whipped cauliflower will be a fun and healthy substitute to mashed potatoes. I don't know, something about bright purple veggies just seems more fun than the everyday.

Along with our colorful finds we also scored on some delicious red tomatoes, green tomatoes, spinach, spring onions, regular onions, broccoli, and carrots. And believe it or not, we only paid like $15 for all that amazing produce!!! That would cost at least twice as much in the supermarket and isn't nearly as fresh. I really do love this time of year because of the Farmer's Market and the ability to each such fresh delicious foods. I cannot wait for sweet peppers to start appearing at the market soon!

Since last night was Wednesday it was date night. Instead of going out to eat we decided to cook our delicious, fresh food at home. Now, I don't know about you guys but I love to eat any form of Asian cooking, whether that be Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc. One of my all time favorites is, Tempura. So when I stumbled upon a box of Tempura Mix at the Harris Teeter, I just had to try it.

It was really easy, I just followed the recipe on the back and read a few people's tips on the internet. And let me tell you, my purple tempura cauliflower was so flavorful and delicious and the light, crunchy tempura batter around it was amazing. Please, if you like tempura try making it at home. It was really easy, just took a little bit of time more than anything. Along with the cauliflower we fried up some carrots, mushrooms, and green peppers. We paired our veggies with some steamed rice and a fresh spinach salad and it was one of the best meals we've made at home in a long time. Out to eat, this all probably would have cost at least $30.

 

It was all together a delicious meal that I will definitely repeat again!

Marble's Kids Museum

Hello lovlies, today I am going to talk to you guys about the children's museum here in Raleigh known as, Marbles. Marbles is a great place to spend the day with your kids or take a friend along for a play date. The aim of the museum is to teach kids through interactive play. It is absolutely great and the entire building might as well be one giant playground. There is literally something for every kid at any age or interest.

The bottom floor of the museum is definitely geared towards a younger audience. There is a large play area where kids can pretend to be a fireman, policeman, EMS worker, Veterinarian you name it. In addition to this there is a small stage set up where kids can put on costumes and give the adults a mini performance. Right next to here is an expansive train table that is big enough for at least 15 kids to play on at the same time.

Also on the first floor is a submarine where you can play pretend science experiments and a pirate ship to take you looting and plundering. Arrrrgh! There is more fun on the bottom floor but I can't give it all away, your going to have to go to find out for yourself.

Upstairs there is the "Money Palooza" room which aims to teach kids financial responsibility through play. Watch out for the hanging piggy bank because he will occasionally break open dropping down small plastic balls on anyone underneath. Next door to this room you can build your own car and race it down a track, build a house out of giant legos and even try your hand a little bit of woodworking. There is a great sports room (with a hockey rink) and mini basketball court, and soccer too.

The staff at Marbles is great too! They are in general really nice and are always willing to play with the kids. My favorite times to go are after lunch because usually most school groups have left by then.

Oh and don't forget to check out what movies are playing at the IMAX attached to the side of the museum. D and I have seen some really neat documentaries there.

All in all, Marbles is a great way to spend the day and for $5 a person you really can't argue for the value. Kids will play and play and play all day. C and D frequently ask me when they get to go back. It's a great reward for good behavior and good choices too.