Beach Time and Chihuly

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 – Beach Time and Chihuly

I wouldn’t call myself a beach person.  I’ve never enjoyed lying out on the sand, baking in the sun.  But I do like to walk on the beach, to feel the ocean breeze, to pick up shells, and to listen to the waves.  I definitely was not going to go back to Virginia without seeing a few of the Gulf Coast beaches, and we only have a few more days before we leave.  So this morning, we set out for the beach.  All we had to do was drive west on Central Boulevard, cross over the Treasure Island Causeway, and go straight ahead to Gulf Boulevard.  Then we drove a couple of miles north to John’s Pass, where we met up with Agnes and Roy.  While Elliott and Roy sat on benches on the boardwalk, Agnes and I had a good 40 minutes of traipsing through the sand.  Along the way, we saw very few people but lots of little shells, bigger shells, and – surprise – sponges!  I picked up a couple of the sponges as souvenirs.  

After lunch at Bubba Gump’s (of Forrest Gump fame), Elliott and I continued our beach exploration on our own.  We drove south so we could get a look at the Treasure Island beaches.  This time, I actually took my shoes off and walked barefoot through the sand, which was pale and slightly coarse.  I couldn’t help feeling a miniscule drop of disappointment when I thought back to the powder-soft sands of Siesta Key near Sarasota.  But the beach at Treasure Island was wide and nearly deserted.  It was the perfect setting for the ritual of immersing myself in the surf (at least up to my ankles).  I performed the ritual one more time at the Pass-A-Grille Beach, a little further south.  And that’s the extent of my beach experience.  

Now that I’m counting down our remaining days in St. Pete, I’m trying to fit in a few final activities.  This afternoon, while Elliott napped, was a good opportunity for me to visit the Chihuly Collection.  I remember seeing photos of Chihuly glass displayed outdoors in Venice.  I’ve even seen the glass flowers that decorate the ceiling of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, but I wasn’t very well informed about his work.  It was quite exciting to see the collection here in St. Petersburg.  The pieces aren’t displayed in isolation but are assembled into integrated compositions that include careful lighting.  Given what I know now about glass blowing from my earlier visit to the Hot Shop, I am in awe of the scale of the works.  No wonder it took a dozen people or more to produce some of the larger pieces.  The series I liked best was called “Floats.”  In the installation “Float Boat,” a wooden rowboat is filled to overflowing with large round globes of glass, in all color combinations.  Unfortunately, words can’t really do it justice, and photography wasn’t allowed, but you can find some images online.