| Herself: Something went wrong with the new fiber, and I spent the day nursing my middle with G’s help. Quiet……movie, book, nap……Grrrrr…….. Food: Toast for plus chicken soup and vanilla ice cream……..ah, ice cream is heaven. Vacation Day 4 and 5: After a stop at the wonderful Marin Headlands, we found our motel….much diminished from it’s heyday, and rode a bus to ride a cable car and ate a hamburger downtown. Simple stuff. Day five, we did the Asian Art Museum plus a light lunch, and more busses, trolley’s, streetcars and BART, before half a dinner and a retreat with our stomachs. |
One of my fellow writers in my Wednesday workshop urged me to take the time to see the Asian Art Museum while we were in San Francisco. Not only is it one of the best museums of it’s kind in the world, it is housed in the old San Francisco Central Library building….in all it’s magnificence.
Buddhist diety Simhavaktra Dakina
Not only was my interest piqued by the fabrics and ceramics, I tried to see as many architectural details of the old building as I could at the same time.
Even the simplest of ceramics or stone, in the disks doe example, were exquisitely crafted.
From shawls, antique rugs, and Korean piecework, these fiber arts were truly eye catching.
Federal Style Beaux Arts architecture mixes surprisingly well with stenciled beam ceilings and centuries of Asian history thanks to architect Gae Aulenti…he turned a railroad station into the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. Giving up being a stuffed shirt purist about architecture lets me thoroly enjoy the blend of old and new that architectural reuse has become. Glass curtain walls juxtaposed with vaulted ceilings contrast nicely with the drama that are Asian Art and artifacts.
Magical Foo Dogs guard the portals and keep us all safe.
Tang dynasty camel and horse.
G and I could barely tear ourselves away from the marvelous artifacts collected and saved here to move on to trolleys, streetcars and BART, but we only had one day.
Links:
Asian Art Museum
Wikipedia covers San Francisco
Foo Dogs
Wonderful photos as always.
ReplyDeleteLove the doll display. Have you any more information on it? I've always been fascinated by Dolls.
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