Tulips and Butterflies and Glass , Oh, My!

We took a little trip…

Nigel and I, being doubly vaccinated and boosted, took a little trip to Columbus, Ohio. This marked the third time I’ve been to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Nigel’s second. We went last fall and really enjoyed the seasonal outdoor displays (you can read about it here). Newfields has a reciprocity agreement with the conservatory so we get in for free! I couldn’t wait to see those tulips, the hand blown glass, and the butterflies! Although this is only about a 3 hour drive from our house, we sometimes make a stop at the Warm Glow Candle Company.

Warm Glow Candle Company

This is an Indiana company specializing in those rustic “lumpy, bumpy” candles. I have always lived in Indiana and had never heard of this company until a few years ago when a friend mentioned it on Facebook. The place itself is a hodgepodge of buildings and offerings. The first time I went it seemed the main building offered only the candles with a restaurant and really yummy chocolate. Now, it appears the main building also houses an area for various types of vendors geared toward the homey and rustic. I bought this candle the first time I visited in 2019. I didn’t read the directions so I wasn’t pushing in on the tops of the candle to keep its shape. Mine is now rather misshapen, but it still smells wonderfully like cinnamon buns! This visit, we bought this candle. I don’t know how much of the amount will actually end up being donated, but I am choosing to believe a good bit will.

A Wedding

Now, before anyone (in the friends or family group) gets too excited, this wedding was taking place at the Conservatory. We were not invited. I was dressed for the event, but Nigel, alas and alack, was not! At least, he was wearing hard pants! I found it interesting someone was getting married on a Friday afternoon. As we were walking around outside, I caught a glimpse of the bride in the Palm House. I think it would be splendid to be married in such a gorgeous place! Nigel thought we should try to sneak into the reception…he in his tattered jeans!! We saw some of the guests…they were dressed quite nicely in cocktail dresses and suits. I think at least one of us would have been identified quite easily as “not a guest”!

The hot shop

One of the things I like best about the Franklin Conservatory is the hot shop. This is a working glass blowing shop. When I was a kid, we often went to Cedar Point in Northwest Ohio. They had a hot shop there, too. I loved watching the glassblowers. It’s fascinating to watch that molten glob of orange goo turned into something with form and color. This visit, the gaffer made vases and bowls of different shapes. In the hour we watched, he produced two vases and two bowls.

The main “furnace” (the metal box to the left of the first photo…you can just see a bit of the glow from the fire) contains the molten clear glass. It’s over 2000 degrees F (1,093 C). The second furnace has the “glory hole” where additional glass may be added and shaped. On the table in the two outer pictures, there are three bowls containing bits of colored glass. The gaffer would roll the orange glass (but actually clear) in those bits to pick up different colors. He then put that into the furnace (I forget how hot that one was) to meld into the original glass. As he sat at the bench, he was constantly rolling the rod back and forth to keep the shape. If he’d stopped, the glass would have drooped creating a shape he didn’t want.

It’s hard to believe but this fluted bowl began life as a round blob of glass. By placing it into a metal mold, the gaffer was able to create the striations you see on the almost finished bowl. He then had to open the mouth by means of a pair of metal tongs and physics! I had no idea this would be the end result as he was working! Everything he made was placed in a kiln (900 F, 482C) to cool gradually for about 24 hours. If the glass cooled quickly, it would stress and shatter. As I mentioned, we sat for about an hour watching the gaffer. I could have easily spent the entire day there, but Nigel cannot sit that long!

A lovely day…

I have to admit we picked the perfect day for this outing! The weather was just right…a little on the cool side with a few clouds here and there. We started inside the conservatory but soon moved outside as we wanted to check on the hours at the hot shop. As we meandered along, we passed by the children’s area. It was wonderful to see so many kiddos and their families playing in the varied areas. The tulips were out in full force…ranging from the traditional yellows and reds to a few more exotic parrot varieties. Here and there you could see hostas peeking up through the mulch. And, of course, there were pansies all around. I love pansies…those little faces just bring a smile to my own.

Back inside…

We grabbed a quick lunch and then ventured back into the conservatory. The desert biome was just right as I’d caught a bit of a chill while being outside. Usually, it’s suffocatingly hot (to me anyway), but today it felt quite nice. Another reason I love the Franklin Park Conservatory is the Chihuly installations sprinkled throughout the area. A film showing gaffers working under Chihuly’s guidance plays in the lower level of the conservatory. Nigel got one couple all excited when he told them, “He’s out there working right now.” The looks on their faces were priceless. I had to quickly point out it was the studio gaffer and not Dale Chihuly! I mean, they were just about ready to bolt as fast as they could for the hot shop!

Butterflies!

The Pacific Island Water Garden is home to many butterflies. This was new to us. There were two sets of doors at both “ends” of the garden. We were advised to make sure the other set of doors was closed before opening a door when entering and leaving the garden. There were also mirrors close to the doors to ensure we didn’t have any winged stowaways! As we wandered through the garden, we saw a woman and young boy studying the butterfly that had landed on her fingers! Glass bowls of some kind of nectar were situated all around the garden. I tried to get some photos, but I couldn’t capture any.

Just a little flustered…

When we were packing to go on this little excursion, I was a little flustered. I almost always make a list to ensure I’ve included everything I need. This time I knew we weren’t going to be gone long so I skipped the list…big mistake! I forgot a necklace, forgot my bobby pins and hair elastics (to hold my velcro rollers in place), forgot to iron my dress, forgot my Spanx, and forgot an alternate pair of shoes! We were only gone two nights so I’d packed lightly…a little too lightly it seems!

Easton Town Center

After leaving the conservatory, we headed to Easton Town Center. This “mall” is an interesting concept. Opening in 1999, the idea man behind it was none other than Leslie H. Wexner, the billionaire behind Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, and Abercrombie and Fitch! You can read more about Easton Town Center here. Until a couple of years ago, I’d never heard of this place. In fact, I discovered it by googling for Macy’s! I’ve found, if you google Macy’s, you can usually find a mall. Why do I want a mall you ask? Because malls are good places to kill time when you need to do so! But, I digress.

Compression shorts to the rescue…

As we were leaving the conservatory, I admitted to Nigel I had a case of the good old chub rub and needed some Spanx! I knew we would be walking a lot at the Easton so Spanx were necessary. I haven’t bought Spanx in years so I was shocked to discover they were $72+! No way was I spending that when I had two of them at home! Luckily, whoever runs that particular department in Macy’s realized others would feel the same way. Hanging on a rack around the corner from those pricey pieces of compression torture were regular compression type sports shorts! I spied my size, tried them on, bought them, returned to the dressing room, and eased into them! Instant relief from the dreaded chub rub!

Headed home…

With the exception of the shorts, I didn’t buy a single thing! Brick and mortar stores are still struggling, it seems, to recover from the pandemic. Most of the stores I entered were low on inventory in almost every category. The only exception was the candy store! We went in there looking for some mints (nary a one to be found). I visited Soft Surroundings, Nordstrom, Lilly Pulitzer, and J Jill as well as Tommy Bahama and Banana Republic. I wasn’t even tempted to buy a single thing.

A reminder…

10 on the 10th will be here soon! I do hope you’ll be a part of the party! Check out Thursday’s post for a little more information!

Something new at MitM!

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. As of right now, I do have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

The Lewk!

I didn’t think to grab a photo of my shoes or my jewelry. I was wearing my Jambu shoes (seen here) and my diamond earrings. Like I said earlier, I’d forgotten to pack a necklace to fill in all of that real estate on my bosom! My dress is on sale (along with many other pretty things) and is such a pretty shade of lavender. The Victorian Rose Short dress is so very comfortable. It features lovely crocheted detailing along the neckline along with the smocking on the sleeves. This gorgeous print has varying shades of lavender, greys, and blues. It also has pockets!! As with most April Cornell dresses, it also has a button on tie to adjust the waistline. This dress has a higher (not quite empire) waistline so it fits better on my short waisted torso. My denim jacket is an old one from J Jill. My purse is the Katie crossbody by Brahmin. It was a Christmas present from Nigel two or three years ago. Macy’s is having their Friends and Family sale right now so you can pick one up for 30% off! I find this purse is perfect for traveling and shopping. I can just fit my wallet and other necessary things in it.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I can’t even tell you how it was I came to discover the Franklin Park Conservatory. I think I might have been searching for Dale Chihuly installations, but I really don’t remember. As we begin to venture out and about, it’s nice to have places like this to visit within a few hours’ drive. I remember, when the open air malls first came to Indiana, thinking they wouldn’t be around for long. I’m still not a fan of going in and out of stores when the weather doesn’t cooperate. But, on a nice day, they are very enjoyable. So, can we talk? Do you enjoy short car trips? What do you think of open air spaces like Easton Town Center? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can have a conversation! Thank you, as always, to those of you who have subscribed to my blog. If you’re interested, you can also find me on Instagram @marsha_in_the_middle.

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, Being a Wordsmith, and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I’m also a co-host on the Weekend Traffic Jam (here).

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