VanGogh Immersive Experience

This year when I got a little bit of a tax return back I decided to do something that I don't often do...splurge a little on myself.  I invested in myself in two ways.  The first was to take the Ancestry DNA profile.  I have wanted to do this over the years for lots of different reasons, that I may get into another time.  The second was to get tickets to an event.  I don't often do events because they're typically expensive, and there is normally a long list of things I should spend my money on.  So, I went with tickets to an Immersive VanGogh experience.  I bought 4 tickets about 4 months ago and had been looking forward to this the whole time.  

If you have the opportunity in your area to do this experience, I would definitely recommend it.  I've always enjoyed Van Gogh's work, though I do think he's a bit over-saturated.  Still, there is something to be said about the immersive experience.  It's like being dipped into a sea of familiarity, or cocooned in a quilt that a friend made.  It's comforting and familiar, taking what you know and have seen to point so expanded you find differences in that familiar.  

I'm not sure if Mom and the kids liked it as much as I did, but I know we all had a fantastic time.  We ended up doing the show twice, once in the large room, and another time in a smaller room.  Personally, I enjoyed the smaller room better.  Perhaps because of the intimacy of it, or because I felt you almost saw more in a smaller space.

I enjoyed watching the paintings wash across Joe and Joci's faces.  Seeing their eyes light up as something special would pop up, or watching the colors change and slip along the walls.

 Chicago, August 31, 2021

Chicago Botanical Gardens

 

Jocelyn and I spent a lovely Sunday in July at the Chicago Botanical Gardens.  We had been there once before with Mom for Mother’s Day, but we weren’t able to see everything.  This time more things were open including the greenhouses, both tropical and dessert, and the butterfly exhibit.

These one to one moments with her are so precious.

My Superhero!

I loved how the water pooled in the heart of this plant, soaking into the inner, spongy, heart.

Very rare Ghost Orchid.  Only one in the whole garden, displayed in the case shown below.  It was tiny, about the size of my thumb.

I've seen lots of cactus flowers in my life, being from Arizona, but these were just so vibrant and colorful.  They almost looked fake.

Joci really loved being our navigator for the day.  Grandpa would be proud how well she read the map.

My beautiful, precious girl.  Always so many smiles!

We thought these were amazing.  They were dense and furry like a soft coral that had been flocked.

Loved how the dew on these leaves looked like rhinestones sewn onto the edges.

I loved this spot in the gardens.  The way the arch looked out onto the lake.  I could spend some serious time there.  If I could I would hang a hammock, grab a book, and spend the day napping and reading.

Next to the butterfly garden there was a little 'river' that the kids were running around in.  By the end of the day, Joci and I decided to soak our sore feet in the cool water and hang out in the shade.  It ended up being one of our favorite parts.