R W NORTON ART GALLARY

One of my favorite places to go is to the R W Norton Art Gallery @ 4747 Crestwell, Shreveport, LA  318-865-4201. Open 10-5 Tues-Fri 1-5 Sat & Sun, closed Monday.  Admission is Free.   www.rwnaf.org   Norton Art Gallery
It's hard to believe that this wonderful museum is free, but it truly is.  The Norton's like to collect things and they needed a place to show their stuff so they built this incredible building.  They have a love for our community so they've opened it up to the public so everyone can enjoy their things too.  The surrounding area is beautifully landscaped too, and is also free to the public.(Now that's true Southern Hospitality to me.)  I am so extremely Thankful to the Norton's for letting me see their spectacular things and creating so many wonderful memories for me.

Every year I've gone there on a field trip about this time of year with one of my children's classes.  My boys are getting older and my youngest in now in middle school and  is not taking field trips like that anymore. So I went on my own.  This time of year the surrounding property is usually unbelievable beautiful.  Words can not describe how pretty it can be.  Even pictures can not do it justice.  I must admit I got there just a couple of days early to see the azalea's in full bloom but it is still very pretty.  Since I don't know when I can get back there again I'm going to share the pictures that I did take with you. 

R W Norton Art Gallery, Shreveport, LA

 This is the view as you pull up to the right side and park.

Camilla

 I was surprised to see the Camilla's still blooming. Usually they are some of the first things to bloom and are normally gone by the time the azaleas start to bloom.  With the above picture you can see the lovely paths that they have put in so people can walk around the property. 

Camilla

A dog wood in bloom by the pond

The back side of R W Norton Art Gallery

This year I was surprised to see this new addition to the Gallery.  I took a couple more pictures of it since I liked it so much. 

'Canyon Watch (Puma) by Kent Ullberg  with the R W Norton Art Gallery in the background

Canyon Watch (Puma) by Kent Ullberg at the R W Norton Art Gallery

Azaleas just starting to bloom

 This is a hill that goes up to the building and down to a pond.  In the past it is so, so beautiful when you catch it on the right days because it is just a cascade of flowers flowing down to the pond. 

Pond at R W Norton Art Gallery, 'Brown Pelican' by Sandy Scott

 The state bird of Louisiana is the brown pelican.  This is one of the first sculptures that they had put in on the grounds part of the property. 

  'Brown Pelican' by Sandy Scott -  Sculpture at R W Norton Art Gallery

 This is a better picture of the Brown Pelican with the gallery in the background.

R W Norton Art Gallery grounds

 This is not a natural stream.  In fact two years ago this did not even exist.  They put it in to help channel some of the run off water from the parking area, and to help circulate the water in the pond.  Last year I saw them building this and I actually know the person who was designing it and putting it in.  I didn't realize she was so talented.  I'm very please to see it finished and looking so nice.

 This is where part of the natural stream used to go.  I can see that they put a border and some ledges into it to make the water look like it is flowing in a more natural way. 

Tulip tree

 This is the back side of the gallery.  I noticed this yellow Tulip tree.  I'm used to the Japanese Tulip Magnolia's.  This one caught my eye because it is different from the ones I am used to.  My Tulip Magnolia Tree

A Rose

I was also surprised to see a rose actually blooming at the garden.  The roses in this area usually don't come out until the end of April to the first week in May.

'Wild Boar Fountain Piece' or ' Il Porcellino' by Giuseppe Benelli  @ R W Norton Art Gallery

 This wild boar sculpture is/was always one of my children favorite things to see while we visit the grounds at the museum. 

The sign said Sophora Seundflora,   Silver Sierre;  Texas Mountain Laurel

Sophora Seundflora; Silver Sierre;  Texas Mountain Laurel

 They now have a desert looking landscape area.  They were building it last year and was sectioned off so I couldn't see what they were doing.  It's nice to see the area completed and some of the plants actually blooming.  This Texas mountain laurel caught my eye.

Azelea's starting to bloom at the R W Norton Art Gallery

The R W Norton Art Gallery

 I turned the corner to see this pretty view from the left of the gallery.  What is neat about the museum is when you go in there are two wings to it that go off on either side of it.  I've watched both wings being added through the years.  I'm glad they added the other wing because now the building has a symmetrical look to it making it more pleasing and impressive to see when you first pull up and see it.
   One of the things I really like about the museum is the fact that it is always changing and evolving.  You never know what they are going to be working on next.  It just keeps on getting better, and better, and better.......  And it always amazes me that its still free.  I keep on expecting them to start to charge something so they can continue to do all the fascinating things that

Azalea's @ R W Norton Art Gallery

 Even thought these are beautiful, you should see them when they are in full bloom. Below you kinda get a hint as to what they can be like.  Usually there blooms are so profuse you don't get to see any green leaves at all, just a sea of pinks flowers. 

Azaleas @ R W Norton Art Gallery

And here's a closeup of some of the Azaleas that were blooming.  See all the buds that still have yet to open.

Azalea's at R W Norton Art Gallery

Needless to say it is a favorite place for people to take pictures and I think you can understand why the R W Norton Art Gallery is so popular.

I hope I can get back there soon when everything is in full bloom.
I just got done going back to their web sight and they have a web cam going so I'll be able to watch them even if I can't get there.  Here's that location Norton Art Gallery - gardens. Isn't modern technology wonderful.  I can't believe I can see it today with out going there.

KC

I have a dog named KC.
   She has a heart condition and yesterday was a bad day for her.  I almost lost her.
   She was born August 9, 1997. When she was born the Vet said anything over ten years would be on borrowed time.The Vet knew the history on her dad's side of the family.  Her great grandmother died when she was 11 from a failed heart, her grandmother when she was 8 while getting her teeth cleaned, her grandfather died from a reaction to heartworm medicine he was taking.  Her dad died at 13 from a heart condition and her paternal uncle died from heart worms.  Her mother and sister died from a car accident.  Her brother was put to sleep after he had been hit by a car and just couldn't recover without being in a lot of pain. She's lived over 13 and a half years, which is remarkable for her family. She is the last on of her relatives living and I am lucky to still have her. What amazes me most is for a mutt like she is, I know so much of her families medical history.  
Like said I almost lost her today.  She wants me to be around her and I can't get any work done since she needs constant attention.  While I was holding her I decided to get the photos of her out, of her first year. She was born August 9, 1997.  Here are some of them**.

KC - the first day I got her and her first photo Sept 19, 1997

KC (9-19-97) abt. 5 wks old

 I got her  on my dad's birthday.  I teased my dad about her being his dog.  He had enough problems with her dad since I got the dog that was named Tom Collins.  When I got her dad he was going to be the only male in my life.  My dad had a fit that I had a dog named Tom since that was his name.  To please my dad I called the dog TC.  I tried to breed her dad since he was a papered dog, but he didn't produce anything until 13 years later when he met.......

KC Mom, Rascal (Oct 1997)

 KC mom - Rascal, who was a Chihuahua.  TC was a Dachshund and papered.  Needless to say the owners of Rascal were not to happy for their dog to have puppies with TC.  They produced 7 puppies but three of then died right after they were born.  By the time we had gotten KC we had had TC neutered to keep him from running off again. When we found out about the puppies we said we would take the girls, since the boys had already found a home.  But the owners got so attached to her sister Little Rascal that they decided to keep her so we only got KC.

KC & TC meeting for the first time (9-19-97)

KC with her brother ChoCho (Oct 1997)

KC's other brother ChiChita and sister Little Rascal and her dad TC

KC when she was 7wks (Oct 1997)

Her favorite place, the guess bed.

Where KC was suppose to sleep.  8 wks old.  She was smaller than her sleeping companion. We had rubbed the toy on her mom, so it smelled like her mom and other family members. It was a trick the vet told us about to make her adjust to her new home.

KC started to have the biggest ears.  People who saw her would always say she looked like a bat.

KC as Batdog  (Dec 1997- 4 mo old)

 It was around this time that her daddy died.  We all missed him a lot, and she missed him the most since they were always together.

KC and her toy companion.  She is now bigger than it.  Jan 1998- 5 mo. old

I like this one because it gave you an idea of how big she was.  Each square was 6" x 6".

KC at 6 months old.  Chewing on her Mardi Gras toy (Feb 1998)

 As you can guess she was a very good watch dog.  Her hearing was always incredible.  I wonder why?

Because KC was so lonely we got her a companion.  At first we called him 'E' or 'EC' or Galaxy  because of the mark on his head, but then we were always calling him KC's Buddy.  He started to answer to Buddy and not the other names.  It was a no brainer to change his name to Buddy.

Buddy's first photo (3-6-1998)

Buddy and KC  together at our house (3-16-98)

It wasn't long before KC got Buddy to realize the place to be most comfortable was the guess bed.

It didn't take long for them to be inseparable.  They are always together.

Now here are the photo's I took of her and Buddy on 3-21-2011.

They are both getting to be so old.  I will miss them when they are gone.
It is so hard trying to decide what to do.  She doesn't seem to be in pain but yet you can see the panic in her eyes when she gets short of breath like she does.  I was hoping mother nature would make that decision for me.

** I know the early years are not the best pictures, but they are all I have.  They were taken with a camera that used filmed ie before digital cameras were popular.  Back then you had to buy roles of film that would let you take either 24 or 36 pictures at a time.  To develop them it would cost about 25 cents a picture which would be the equivalent of spending about a dollar today.  I would take pictures sparingly and hope they would turn out. The only way to preview them would be to get the film developed and then print prints - problem with that was the prints would be about a dollar a piece so it was cheaper just to print everything and hope for the best.  With most roles of film I would be happy if I got 3-4 good ones, because you never knew if they were going to be blurry, or have the right lighting ect. 

IT'S NOW OFFICIALLY SPRING!!!

For weeks its been feeling like spring where I live.  I'm so glad its now officially here.
   Yesterday (3-21) while I was taking my son to his piano lesson, it was so hot in the car I had to turn on the air conditioning. Outside temperature was 82 degrees with 40% humidity, inside the car it was registering 86 degrees but felt hotter. When I turned on the A/C my son teased me, by  saying aren't you going to complain about turning the air conditioner on in winter - like you always do.  I said 'no' because its not winter anymore, IT'S OFFICIALLY SPRING.  He said 'no' that I was wrong that it wasn't until tomorrow. I informed him he was wrong, and that its today.  We went back and forth a little bit about it and finally he said 'prove it'.  I told him I would when we got home.
  When we got home I went and got an egg from the egg carton and said to my son.  'Remember last fall on Sept. 22, when at dinner, I told you guys about how you would know it was the equinox because on the equinox an egg would stand up and you didn't believe me?  He said no - so I showed him this picture to remind him.

Sept 22, 2010 Fall Equinox

  He now remembered.  It all started with a post Lockwood had posted at Outside the Interzone
that is was the fall equinox where the days are equal lengths. Here's more of what Wikipedia has to say about the Equinox   I think it was from Lockwood or someone else blog where they bet people that they can make an egg that is still raw to stand up on this day.  We tried it and my family was amazed that it worked.

  Getting back to now, we got a raw egg out and decided to try it again.  And guess what!  It  actually did stand up again.  I was surprised because I thought it might be too late for it to do it, since the equinox was officially at 23:21 March 20.  So we took a couple more pictures.

Vernal equinox 3-21-2011

Spring Equinox (3-21-2011 at 6:09 pm -CST)

Vernal equinox, looking down at the egg from directly above (3-21-2011)

Vernal equinox : 3-21-2011 @ 6:09 pm CST

    My son was not impressed that the egg stood up again.  He said, 'I bet it's just a trick and the egg can stand up like that all the time'.  I was like lets wait and see.  So this morning we tried to get the exact same  egg to stand up again. And guess what - we couldn't get it to do it.
Here's the pictures to prove it:

Trying to stand an egg up on March 22, 2011

March 22, 2011 at 7:35 am CST

As much as we tried we couldn't get the egg to stand up again.  It really did prove my point that the equinox is over and we are now into Spring and not winter.  

Seeing this egg makes me think of the Easter Bunny and dying eggs  -- another sure sign that it is Spring time.

In the mean time, I'm hungry.  I think I'll have some scrambled eggs for breakfast.