So, the thing about having a job, having this project and having a not-technically-a-boyfriend is that it takes up a lot of time. The past two weeks have consisted of a lot of sleep, doing fairly easy project things and making sure not to get behind on work, despite being super crazy tired. Thus ends my excuses about why the updates are so far behind and begins the actual update.
About three weeks ago, I let it slip at work that I'm doing this project. See, one of the attorneys mentioned that there is a festival coming up that has a power tool race. It seemed just kitschy enough to be completely unmissable. Of course, that wasn't how things turned out, but having let the cat out of the proverbial bag, I found that my coworkers (in addition to being delightful human beings) were a veritable goldmine of new project ideas.
A few days after my initial, accidental act of shameless self-promotion, one of my fellow interns (a young woman by the name of Rachel) showed me a book with the 1001 places to visit before you die. One of those many, incredibly interesting looking places, was the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. Being in Lansing already, it struck me that I was only about an hour away by car. So, after work that day, I hopped in the car and headed west to see what all the fuss was about.
It was easy to tell what made got the gardens into that book. Pulling into the parking lot, I could see the botanical garden structure rise up in the distance. It had to be six or seven stories tall. The entrance was positively grand to behold - even the potted flowers by the door were nicer than any I'd recently seen. It wasn't until I got inside that I realized just how incredible an experience I was about to have. In addition to being politely hit on by a strapping young security guard, I discovered that I'd come to visit during a temporary, but incredible exhibit.
Until September, the gardens will feature various pieces by Dale Chihuly. For those who aren't super artsy (like myself), Dale Chihuly is one of the world's premier glass workers. The things he can do are absolutely mind-boggling. I was blown away by the pieces he'd presented to the gardens. They will be there until September and while I know you all miss my pithiness and wit, I think the best course of action is simply to post the pictures I took to show you what I was lucky enough to experience. I had one of those moments (that have become ever so frequent) of feeling so lucky to be on a project like this. My response this time last year would've been "oh, well, thanks for the suggestion, but Grand Rapids is so far away". And really, it wasn't a bad drive at all.
So, without further adieu, here are much better pictures than my words could do justice.
Breathtaking. And completely worth the drive.
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