if only this were my backyard...

Last week I had friends visiting from out of town and I took them to one of my favorite spots in Chicago, the Garfield Park Conservatory. The first time I ever visited the conservatory was to see a Dale Chihuly show. This installation, Persian Pond, is still there. A bench is situated directly in front of it, so you can sit and pretend you are in the tropics and watch the koi fish. Seeing Chihuly's work again inspired me to visit his website to look at some of his other installations. If you're interested in taking a visual a vacation, you should look too. He has put his art around the world in many different environments, and he's even done set design. One of the reasons I like his sculptures is because he doesn't let the fragility of the glass limit him. He finds ways to juxtapose them in harsh environments, or do just the opposite - make them seem like they've belonged all along.