Ok, so I threw a few extra stops in there - 782 actual miles; left at 6:30 AM Saturday, home at 4 PM Sunday.
In March of this year I received an email from an old rowing friend asking me to hold the date of October 24 for a Rowing Event at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Since I hadn't done anything for my 40th Reunion (last year), I liked the idea and penned in the date (ha ha, as opposed to "penciled in the date", because I went to "Penn"). Well, time passed, and last week I commenced planning, starting with Saturday night at the Super 8 in Bellmawr, New Jersey (10 miles from Penn).
In the last couple of years I have grown to love the art of Canaletto - the almost-photographic renderings of Venice in the mid-1700's that Europeans bought (mostly British) in lieu of photographs/postcards ("needed something to put up on those walls, anyway"). I have built a little Google Maps web page showing the locations of Canaletto's paintings (click here).
It turns out that the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, PA has a Canaletto (and yes, I called them, and it is on display):
So that was my first stop after leaving Home:
Canaletto - View of Piazzetta San Marco, Venice, about 1740-45
detail:
Also on display was a lovely Bierstadt - Snow Covered Peaks, oil sketch, about 1859
Then back on the road south to Philadelphia. Driving into any major city on a Saturday is a bit of a headache - there is always SOMETHING going on! Today was both the Head of the Schuylkill rowing regatta during the day, plus the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light The Night Walk beginning at 4:30 - and don't forget the random social events:
Needless to say, I got to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and was able to glimpse the Regatta:
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a fabulous collection! And all the pieces I saw were in Excellent Condition. After the 4 highlights Wendy and I saw in April 2014 (click here), today's highlights include:
Winslow Homer - The Life Line, 1884
Frederic Edwin Church - Pichincha, 1867
Thomas Moran - Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, 1892 and 1908
Claude Monet - Morning at Antibes, 1888
I was able to wrap-up by 3:30, so I walked down into Philadelphia to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum. Highlights include:
Thomas Moran - Venice, 1887
Thomas Moran - Two Women in the Woods, 1870
unidentified (Wendy liked this one)
Alexander Harrison - Wave, 1885
Also on the Parkway is the Rodin Museum (next time)
Back at Penn, there are 2 wonderful paintings in their collection:
Thomas Cole - The Last of the Mohicans: The Death of Cora, 1827
William Stanley Haseltine - Greek Theater Taormina, 1891
but their locations are not open on the weekends - oh well, next time.
The reception at Penn was a lot of fun, and I got to surprise Deede's old coach, Wesley Ng, who is the new Head Coach of Woman's Crew at Penn
off to spend the night at the Super 8 in New Jersey - Thank You God for a Great Day!
Music for these 2 days was albums from my iPod - Day One:
Grateful Dead by the Grateful Dead - live double album, 1971
Discography: The Complete Singles Collection by the Pet Shop Boys, 1991
Galore by The Cure, 1997 (greatest hits)
Gasoline Alley by Rod Stewart, 1970
Gaucho by Steely Dan, 1980
Genesis by Genesis, 1983
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! by The Rolling Stones, 1970 live album
Ghost in the Machine by The Police, 1981
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire (I have done 41-of-48 thru October 2015)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/
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