Sculptures – Valerie's Voice

A Fun Twist

There was a twist in plans this year, for an annual get away (this would be #36) with my friend Frances. During the past year, she and her husband moved to Vermont. We wondered, what will we do for our trip this year? Then, there was a fundraising auction and she won a bid for a beachfront condo.

She asked if I wanted to join her on Fenwick Island, a coastal resort town in Delaware. Sure, I said, even though I had never heard of Fenwick Island. And then, we decided to include our husbands…that was the twist…that was new for us…and we had a delightful time.

The criteria for our get-aways include three things: some body of water to enjoy, thrift stores and/or antique shops to peruse, and gardens to meander. Would Fenwick Island meet these criteria?

The condo was facing the Atlantic Ocean and we had lovely weather so we could walk along the beach and sit on the balcony… a wonderful fulfillment for our water requirement.

We had a fun time trying on matching shirts (which we did buy).

One day all four of us drove to a nearby, historic town with tree-lined streets, and quaint boutiques – we found sidewalk sales and ice cream. Another day we left the husbands behind, and sought out the thrift stores and antique shops we always enjoy. There is usually no problem finding these kinds of stores anywhere.

A landscape by Piet Oudolf, a Dutch garden designer.

The third requirement is all about gardens, and we found out the Delaware Botanical Garden was only a half an hour away! How convenient.

The four of us walked the trails, and in addition to lovely flowers, there were other surprises along the way.

This “nest” was created as an outdoor classroom at the botanical garden.

Apparently two volunteers at the botanical garden are clever at creating sculptures with natural materials from the forest floor. They were very creative, and fun to discover as we meandered through the grounds.

A turtle – a clever use of tree trunk slices for the turtle’s shell, with green moss in-between the spaces.

Another blessing was seeing the nearly full moon (officially the following evening) over the Atlantic Ocean, the night before we left Fenwick Island.

We could see its refection on the wet sand…so amazing.

Our criteria was met…we had a great time…with added blessings.

Sugar Sand Festival

While in Florida, we checked out a Sugar Sand Festival exhibit, “Sandimals,” while on Clearwater Beach.

These incredible sculptures were made from the beach’s white sand. It was held in a huge tent, shaded from the sun, and cool inside.

We meandered through the one-way path observing this amazing and unique artwork. The sculptures were arranged according to the alphabet…like many children’s books: A for aardvark, B for bear, C for cat, etc…and the displays were all different animal types.

These two reminded me of Frog and Toad – beloved children’s book characters.

It was fascinating.

My favorite: the leopard…his spots were holes in the sand.

There was one artist working silently on a dog sculpture, putting on the last touches. It would be fun to watch the whole process…starting from the top down. I’m sure it takes a long time. It definitely takes talent.

It’s hard to remember these are all sculpted using fine sand.

It was really fun to walk through this display of sand animals…an unusual “walk on the beach” experience.

Old School Cafe and the SPAM Museum

Antique, pull-down maps, chalk boards, pictures of George Washington and Abe Lincoln, and an aged, class photo decorate an old, country school building converted to a restaurant in Mantorville, Minnesota.

Front view of the Old School Cafe with bell tower.

The old school house is now the Old School Café, with good cooking, and a popular spot for town folks to eat. The portions were generous and the food was tasty and the ambiance was nostalgic and cheery.

Outside was also inviting. There were old wooden benches and a school desk on the wide, front porch. There was a bell tower with the bell intact and rope hanging from it. Sculptures of children were placed around the grounds…a lovely idea for a school house yard.

The children on the slide was my favorite sculpture.

Another sculpture of children at a drinking fountain.

There were many, pretty flower pots scattered throughout the yard. On one side of the café was a charming, old wooden house dated 1855, that looked occupied, and the other side of the cafe was a garden area. It was fun to look around, and a delightful way to start the day.

I love whimsey. This little troll was attached to the 1855 house outside wall.

An outdoor seating area along side the cafe, between the cafe and the old house.

There always seems to be a kitty cat hiding in gardens.

Our next stop was the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota.

A well-done sculpture of a farmer and two pigs, outside the SPAM Museum.

An interesting, fun (and free!) museum dedicated to the story of Hormel’s specific product SPAM. Hormel began in the late 1800’s but SPAM was created in 1936 and became popular in WWII when the military ordered lots of SPAM to provide for the armed forces overseas… because it was convenient, and the shelf life was lengthy.

A life-size figure, a screen projection, was lamenting how he felt he had an overabundance of SPAM while in the army.

Some in the military might say the government overused SPAM. But it continues to sell today and there are multiple flavors of SPAM, and it is sold in multiple countries all over the world.

An interesting story on how SPAM got its name.

Free samples of SPAM were offered. We tasted the hickory smoked version and it was very good.

Of course, there is a gift shop featuring all things “Spam”, including flip flops that spell out SPAM when you walk in the sand!

A parting shot…a stunning blossom in the gardens of the Old School Cafe.

A New Sculpture in Town

bicycle schulpture

There is a new sculpture near the bike trail in our town. I really like it…it’s colorful, it uses flowers and bicycles and it’s along the Cannon River in front of the Peggy Prowe Pedestrian Bridge that crosses over the river. The bridge was named for a town advocate for the Mill Towns Trail, which will run from Faribault to Cannon Falls, and continues on to Red Wing. My husband and I like to bike…he’s an eager biker in the Faribault Flyer’s Bike Club and I’m a casual rider.

I wrote this poem earlier this spring.

The First Ride of the Season

The tires pumped up

Hop onto the seat

The helmet on snug

“Start pedaling, feet!”

It feels good to be back

In the saddle once more

Though the going is slow

we will work up to soar.