Mrs. Hefty and Mrs. Ulrich Go the Museum

Today my friend Katie took Evie to breakfast and then for some playtime with her kids, so my mom and I enjoyed a morning walk along the Truckee Riverwalk in Reno, and then we took in the Nevada Museum of Art.

Our first stop was Riverwalk, and I must say, it was beautiful. Not only are the trees blossoming, and the cold waters rushing, but the ducks and birds are plentiful and playful.  If anyone questions the beauty of Reno; they need not look much farther than the heart of downtown with the dazzling architecture, blue skies, abundant and diverse bridges arching over the rushing Truckee River...and the ART along the way...fabulous~oh, and did I mention that the entire town is surrounded by the snowcapped mountains of the Sierra Nevadas?

We new our time was limited at the river, however, since we had to get to the museum and give ourselves enough time to take in the various collections on display.

The first collection we took in was appropriately inspired by sightings of random UFO phenomena.  It was well done with alternating portraits which, at first glance, seemed ordinary, but upon closer observation contained hidden alien or UFO figures.  In between each portrait was a photo of flying saucers, or, mysterious orbs and discs that were seen floating in the sky.  I loved it!  Very X-Files.

Another remarkable collection were works of art by Maynard Dixon.  I recognized several of the pieces as ones that had been on display during the Tahoe exhibit I fell in love with at the museum a year ago.  Mom and I now feel like we are EXPERTS on Maynard Dixon...and, well, his entire family history as well as his love of the Tahoe area.

I had to pull out my phone and do a quick Google search to answer a question I had about another exhibit, the collection of John and MaryLou Paxton.  As we were leaving this exhibit, we saw embossed on the wall, "In Loving Memory of Bill Paxton, 1955-2017").  Sure enough, these were late actor Bill Paxton's parents.

Go figure, but our lovely trip to the museum gave me a new idea for what to do during our annual trip to Las Vegas with our friends this fall.  Seven Magic Mountains is a two year display in the desert south of Las Vegas.  This fall will be our last chance to see it before it's gone!  It looks absolutely magical!!!

Finally, The Altered Landscape is not to be missed.  How can we deny that our very existence has impacted the world both for good AND bad.  God made an unfathomable universe, and yet He plopped us here on the planet earth to inhabit it, tend to it, and live off it.  We marvel at its beauty, and we tremble at its brutality.  We delight in its liveliness and we fear its inevitable destruction.  But, we are promised that there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth and that those will last forever...unalterable, and indestructible.

Another fun day with my mom here visiting.  It will be hard to have her leave next week, the time always go by too quickly.  Evie has been giving her a good butt-whooping at their annual Spring Break Bunco Tournament too.  Every morning I get to hear Evie ringing the Bunco Bell and announcing her triumph over G'ma Jack.  :)

As my closing thought, and for your viewing pleasure, you can enjoy the sight and sounds of the Truckee River today.