Break in the 'Burgh

Like last year, I went to the museum and Phipps for spring break. Wooo! Docents gone wild!

Yeah, I know, not so much. But I took a butload of pictures and drove my poor Flickr account to the point of a breakdown with all my uploading. God I love Flickr. What did I do without it? Anyway, for the five of you that read this, you can look at all of them on Flickr, but here are a few highlights.

At CMOA, Forum 64 featured a fractal-based installation by Cecil Balmond. A FRACTAL-based installation. You know how much I love fractal-inspired art.





Pretty cool stuff. For some reason, I really feel this Nauman piece.



Of course, I visited the dinosaurs.



And the rest of the CMNH, though I didn't/ couldn't take too many pictures of that. Lots of kids on field trips, lots of display situations that my camera can't handle, proprietary exhibits. And then I popped by Phipps. The volunteer went out of his way to greet me (when you're a member, your status and name are printed on your tickets). He wanted to make sure that I knew what orchids were in bloom, that the Spring flower show starts Friday but the installation was wrapping up today and tomorrow, and did I know that the OSWP show at the garden center is the weekend after next? The students behind me were a little surprised at the in-depth welcome. Hey, membership has its privileges.

And there were plenty of orchids in bloom, held over from the orchid show.







And I got a sneak peek at the spring flower show (opening Friday).

orchid fever

Actually, I wasn't impressed with that book at all. Lazy writing and research, too many strawman arguments and too much reliance upon stereotypes about "orchid people." Very disappointing.

I have free admission to Phipps & the museums for just under a week, so I guess I'd better hurry up and see everything. Thursday : Phipps.

Phipps conservatory is probably my favorite place in the city, especially on a weekday when it's nice and quiet. Someday I'll have a greenhouse/ conservatory of my own, one that's a hybrid of the Palm Court and Orchid room, I think.

The spring show is over, so the staff was in the midst of changing the exhibits. The daffodils here in particular are spent, but it's still an absolute riot of color



Of course, I had to dawdle in the Orchid Room. A lot of the scented orchids were in bloom, like this Bifrenaria harrisoniae. Delicious floral lemon cologne scent.



A butterfly escaped from the butterfly forest and decided to hide out in the Orchid Room. You know, the room full of plants that have evolved to look like flying insects? I felt so bad for the poor guy trying to catch the escapee.



Vanda 'Patricia Low.' Breathtaking.



Dendrobium yukidaruma "the king." Beautiful, slight scent (maybe more of a night-scented orchid?). Den. nobile based hybrid, I think.



No id, but I believe this is a Brassidium 'Fly Away'



Den. thyrsflorum. It looks like a cluster of sunny side-up eggs.



Phragmipedium Sorcerer's Apprentice x Grande



Leonara appleblossom 'pippin'. Very elegant.



The teeth-looking structures on this Chysis are a bit alarming. With the whole cluster in bloom, it looks like something Bosch would paint if given a more cheerful palette.



Much of the rest of Phipps was torn up in the process of creating new exhibits, but there are more pictures on Flicjr. Dippy lost his Steelers scarf, but now he's carrying flowers



And what of my own orchids? Some might think it a little odd (and some would say it's because of things like this that I can't get a date...), but I moved my orchid family to the window in my shower. Yes, it's a little awkward to start the shower, let them steam a bit, and then take them out so I can shower, but they're about ten billion time happier. My old and new Dens (or as I think of them, cane and pseudobulbous dens) are putting out new canes/ pseudobulbs.



The suspected Miltonidium that lives in my shower, greeting me with its last blooms.



So they mostly seem to be doing well. :)