Aselin

Last night some friends threw a birthday party for me. My birthday is in July, so I suspect it was more a reason to get together than an actual celebration of me, but hey, I'll take it. Among our crowd we had an ecclectic mix that included a wild rabbit hunting jock, a fired Phoenix Art Museum Docent, a midwesterner who tried to marry off her five year old and a lady who lets her dogs run on her roof.

There was lots of food, conversation and fun - standard party fare, but we also had an activity planned. At trip to the Desert Botanical Museum, when it was dark, to view a Chihuly glass installation. I've seen the PBS special about his installation over the canals of Venice, Italy. I've seen the chandellier at the Bellagio hotel in Vegas, and the replica on the Disney cruise ship so I thought I was familiar with his work. For those of you unfamiliar with Chihuly, he looks just like the "Mad-Eye Moody" character in the Harry Potter movies except he forges glass with an amazing skill.

I admit, I was concerned about the whole field trip thing with this group. I just couldn't picture us leaving a place that was mixing glass and cacti without incident.

We arrived about an hour before closing. The light was spectacular, breathtaking as the sun set and the glass came to life in its waning rays.
Despite the crowd, the tripod wielding amateur photographers and the people making loud inane comments like "how come the cactus doesn't pop the glass?" the event was magical.

As we wound our way along the garden paths I was spellbound at what had been created, placed, and illuminated. I know, my little digital camera and poor photography skills don't do it justice, but since the show is leaving on Sunday I just have to share a few shots with you.


I just wanted to touch everything, but we were held back by propriety, and metal handrails.

The Dry Wash



The forests of glass and desert plants were like a science fiction production


Some sculptures seemed alive and frozen at the same time
It was like George Lucas and Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) planted a garden.


Through this lovely, surreal experience I felt sadness that by Monday it would be all packed up. It seemed so lovely, so perfect that it should be a permanent installation. But anyone who lives in the desert knows that the vibrant unexpected explosions of color are fleeting. The textures are often unexpected and the beauty is found in the contrasts.

What a lovely birthday party.