Oh, the Paine

One of the day trips we planned for this summer was to visit the Dale Chihuly Venetians exhibit at the Paine Art Center and Gardens in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  We went there last Saturday, and it was exquisite!

And here is where I wish I had stunningly beautiful photos of the Chihuly Venetians on display, but on arrival we were advised that no indoor photography was allowed.

In a word:  Bummer.

There was camera surveillance and official looking people roaming the gallery, so it's not like I could even sneak one (not that I would have...okay, maybe).  But come on, no photos?  Ugh.  And did I mention bummer?

So this middle-aged gal, who can barely remember what she had for dinner last night, was forced to stare intently at as many exhibits as I could to try to burn them into memory.  Because who knows when, if ever, I will see them again, right?  Unfortunately, that does you no good, dear blog reader, so here is a representative sample.

This image is from the website of the George R. Stroemple Collection, of which part is on display at the Paine.  You can follow that link if you'd like to see more, although I didn't recognize any of them as being the exact ones I saw in Oshkosh.  There must be a ton more; either that, or my memory is worse than I thought.

In the center of the gallery were Chihuly's Laguna Murano chandeliers, also a part of the Stroemple collection.  Simply breathtaking to see up close (and they were arranged more dramatically than depicted here).

All bellyaching aside about the restrictions (and I totally get the reasoning), it was a wonderful exhibit.  If you live near or are traveling through Wisconsin anytime this summer, consider a stop in Oshkosh to experience close up a fabulous Chihuly blown glass collection.

And the Paine is a marvelous place to visit in and of itself.  Outside (where you can take all the photos you want, of course), the gardens and grounds are a joy to explore.

The mansion was built by a lumber baron in the late 1920s to early 1930s.  In addition to the art galleries, the house serves as a museum.  I see something new every time I go (and that's been at least a half dozen times through the years).  I love the place.

Through the lens of the Garden Kaleidoscope (above).

And love was definitely in the air, as there were two weddings taking place on the grounds on Saturday.  We sort of felt like wedding crashers, but since the gardens stay open to the public, we did our looky-loo thing while they did theirs, and just tried to avoid bombing the wedding photography.

Oshkosh Public Museum

Kitty-corner across the street is the Oshkosh Public Museum, and we also ventured over to check out the steampunk exhibit.

Norm is into the steampunk thing.  Me, not so much, although it's cool to see the unique contraptions and costumes.

We toured the entire museum, which is laid out very well with interesting interactive displays throughout.

Had to get a picture of this Victorian table made of spools!

How about you?  What floats your boat as a summer day trip?