Sunday, June 20, 2010

Of chefs, museums and the sun...




The Phoenix Public Market just blocks away was a real treat and a wonderful way to meet people who live and work in the area. And the planners really know how to do it -- giant fans, misters and plenty of tent coverage kept the entire market if not cool, at least shaded and breezy.

Getting an insider's view of the goings-on at Top Chef was a real bonus for those of us who are hard-core fans..and we got to sample the food, too. Chefs CJ and Ryan were consummate showmen (the margaritas didn't hurt) and put on a fun show.

Then a group of us headed to the Heard Musuem, a must-see in Phoenix for anyone interested in the culture of the Native American tribes in the area. The Heards, a Midwestern couple who settled in Phoenix in the late 1800's, collected works from all over the world in addition to fostering a collection of Native American art and artifacts that informed with a depth of information and thrilled with intrinsic beauty. I was amazed to find out that Barry Goldwater was an avid collector of katsina figures and over the years donated more than 400 to the museum, all of which are on stunning display. The blown glass in the photo represents only a tiny part of a wonderful 30-foot "fence" of varying colors and textures of glass, wood, fiber and other natural materials.

Finally, because I am intensely aware of the sun here in Phoenix, land of little shade and extreme solar heat, this piece on the sun jumped out at me. Turns out that the sun, after a longer-than-normal period of "deep sleep" and absence of intense magnetic activity, is coming back to life with "spectacular outbursts of magnetism and light." Here's the link to the weather.com story: http://www.weather.com/blog/weather/8_22170.html. The photography is amazing.

Here's another link to a short mpeg movie showing one of the bursts: http://spaceweather.com/swpod2010/20jun10/prom304.mpg?PHPSESSID=0chq7totvpift4qqon802c9g20.

Have a great day and use that sunscreen!!

Leslie Wolfe-Cundiff
Centennial H.S.
Roswell, Ga.

2 comments:

  1. The pictures are, indeed, spectacular but the idea of increased solar flare activity is something I don't take lightly. Yikes! I'm going to have to keep an eye on this development. Thanks for the heads up, Leslie.

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  2. Overall the blog looks real good. I like the magazine layout. Of course, your story about your Saturday walkabout is superb as always.

    Thanks for the link!

    Jim "Spending Father's Day as a Single Parent" Cundiff

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