July 5, 2010

this week
Let me say that I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. It is such a great opportunity to get out and explore your area and that is exactly what I did this week.
I know this isn’t about genealogy, but let me say that this is our ancestor’s legacy to this generation and to the generations to come-Be it the beauty of art, the horror of war or the wonders of nature.
On Thursday night my husband and I visited Cheekwood. Cheekwood is an estate on the outskirts of Nashville TN. It was owned by the Cheeks, the developers of the Maxwell House Coffee Blend. They bought 100 acres outside West Nashville and began building their home there and it was completed in 1932. The heirs of Cheekwood offered the house as a site for a botanical garden and art museum in the 1950s and it has been celebrating the beauty of art and nature for the last 50 years. Cheekwood is well worth the visit.
They now have an exihit that will last until called October 31 called Chihuly. It features hand blown glass sculptures artfully placed throughout the botanical gardens and in the Cheekwood house. It is a must see. They also offer unique grounds, art exhibits and sculpted walking gardens. The reqular admission is $10.00 for adults but it is $15.00 during the Chihuly exhibition.
You can also learn more about Chihuly before visiting Cheekwood by the many books that are published about Dale Chihuly’s work such as:
Chihuly Gardens & Glass
Chihuly Seaforms
Chihuly:Form form Life
Fire
Chihuly Over Venice
Chihuly Bellagio and many more

Click on the video below to see a slide show of Chihuly taken by Mark E. Poole.

http://www.cheekwood.org/About.aspx
Pineapple Room At Cheekwood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheekwood_Botanical_Garden_and_Museum_of_Art