Pasadena Part II: Norton Simon Museum

After the the Vinyl Toy Network show, we went to the Norton Simon Museum to see the Marcel Duchamp Redux exhibition.

I took a few pictures out front of the Barbara Hepworth sculpture Four Square (Walk Through) and some of the Rodin sculptures. Dan helped by making the sculpture of Saint John the Baptist suitable for family viewing.

We went to the Duchamp exhibit first. It was smaller than I expected but they had some good pieces on display. They had a set of four "rotoreliefs" that were best viewed in person. These were motor driven turntables that rotated an image to give the impression of a form in movement. I had seen the still images in books (such as the fish in a pond) but it was good to see them in motion. I also enjoyed Boite-en-Valise which was a collection of some of his works (including The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even/The Large Glass) in miniature.

Next we went through the 19th century gallery because Mike prefers the older works of art. We also saw the Mallol Miniatures exhibit. It was interesting to see these smaller pieces after seeing his much larger sculptures in the garden.

We stopped in the museum store to see if they had a book on the Duchamp exhibit. There were books on Duchamp and DADA but nothing specific for the show. I got a post card of Duchamp as Rrose Selavy and some cool goldfish magnets. On the way out I got one last shot of Rodin’s Monument to Balzac.

Vinyl Toy Network Show, Pasadena

Last weekend Dan, Mike, and I went to the Vinyl Toy Network show at the Pasadena Convention Center. It was very interesting and there were a lot of unusual vinyl toys there.

The first stop was the Mr. Toast table. I found out about this show from the blog a sampler of things. I met the creator, Dan Goodsell and purchased a Mr. Toast plush toy, a key chain, and Imaginary World Comics #2.

Next I found someone who was selling the Spider Baby Boom figures and purchased a couple. I got Daisyboom and Biingaboom (now Softyboom has some siblings!)

We also got some Sketbots, Sheep Dream Stars Dream (Zodiac sheep), Zipit and Muny zipper pulls, a Mint Chocolate Chip Buff Monster (in a very cool package), a weird Liberty Meadows cow keychain, and a very cool Dumb Dummies chase figure.

Mike bought a very cool Rement Donuts To Go set for me. It was the Coconut & Healthy Donuts set. It was really nice of him to do that (but he should have got the Homer as Mr. Sparkle tee shirt for himself instead.)

After overloading on vinyl toys, we decided to get some lunch at the Fair Oaks Pharmacy . They serve delicious hot dogs and deli sandwiches at their old time soda fountain.

Happy Hollow Zoo

Here are some pictures from last summer’s trip to Happy Hollow. They have a small zoo but it has some interesting animals. The day was overcast so some of the animals were hiding. We didn’t see the jaguar but we did see a wallaby, some zebu, meerkats, guinea pigs, some capybaras, lemurs, and some goats. I wonder if they will add some new animals when they renovate the park.

Happy Hollow

These pictures are from Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose, CA. Dan and I took a short trip there last summer. Happy Hollow was a place I used to visit when I was a child. The park has been there since 1961 and I wanted to see it again before someone got the idea to close it. It was good that we saw it when we did. The park and zoo will be closed in July for some major renovations and won't be open until fall of 2009.

The one part of Happy Hollow that I remembered the most was Danny the Dragon. How could anyone forget something so cool! I had vague recollections of the Small Carousel and the Mini Putt Putts. I didn't remember King Neptune's Carousel or the Granny Bugs.

We will have to make a trip there after it opens again to see the changes.

The Magic Castle

Last weekend Dan and I were invited to visit the Magic Castle by friends. None of us had been there before so we were not sure what to expect. The Magic Castle is a private club and you need to be a member or get guest card from a member. They also have a strict dress code.

We arrived about a half an hour before our dinner reservations so we would have some time to look around. The Magic Castle is in a large Victorian house and is decorated with antiques and magic memorabilia. There is a piano playing ghost who takes requests. Other haunted elements are portraits with eyes that seem to watch you and a table in one of the bars that mysteriously rotates when you set your drink down.

Dinner was served in the elegantly decorated dinning room. The meals were good and filling (especially the Chicken Marsala and the Crème Brulee!) Some people had birthday celebrations there and a cake was brought out by a wizard.

After dinner we went to see some of the magic shows. The First was the main show in the “Palace of Mystery”. The show featured two magicians and a ventriloquist. The second show was in the “Parlour of Prestidigitation” (I just love that name!) The show featured the magician that our friends knew. The shows were very entertaining and the performers excellent.

The last stop on the way out was the gift shop. Dan and I purchased some souvenirs to commemorate our visit. We all enjoyed our first experience at the Magic Castle.

Happy Birthday George!

This place card is from my mom. I’m not sure where she got it and I don’t remember having any Washington’s Birthday parties. Did anyone ever have any parties like that? Maybe I should go out and get a cherry pie!

Getty Center

On Saturday we visited the Getty Center. It was a nice day so we spent a lot of time in the garden and looking at the various sculptures that are exhibited outdoors.
The first sculpture, Spiny Top, Curly Bottom is by Alexander Calder. The second image shows a pair of sculptures, also by Calder, titled The Jousters. The third image is Two by Robert Adams. Next is Three Squares Gyratory by George Rickey. This is a kinetic sculpture so each photo you take shows a slightly different view. The last image is of Gandydancer’s Dream by Mark di Suvero.