This weekend kicks off the annual International Festival with The Silk Road – Journey Across Asia as this year’s theme. Not sure if I’ll be able to make it there, but in its place here is photo of the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple just to get everyone in the mood.
There are several versions of Mexican sculptor, Victor Salmones’ “Cancer...There’s Hope” located throughout the country.
Houston’s edition is part of the Bloch Cancer Survivors' Plaza on the edge of Hermann Park.
The Heritage Lanterns, completed by artists Carter Ernst and Paul Kittelson, highlight the northeast corner of Root Memorial Park. These stainless steel sculptures are internally lit in the evening and their tower-like spires give a certain Victorian feel to the display.
The Sweeney, Coombs & Fredricks Building is a late Victorian styled commercial building that was built around 1889. Highlighted by its 3-story corner turret, this is one of the very few original Victorian left standing in downtown.
Built entirely utilizing private funding, the Wortham Theater Center is the hub for our city’s performing arts, and home to the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera. Since opening its doors at the height of the 1980’s oil bust, the Wortham Center has entertained over 5 million patrons.
Post Oak Boulevard in the uptown area has a combination of high end shopping and sparkling office buildings. Plus… these very modern adornments to the pedestrian road crossings.
I touched a bit about James Baker’s influence HERE, and today’s image again reflects just that. This is the entrance to the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy on the campus of Rice University.
Another magnificent building on Rice’s campus and a fitting tribute to its namesake.
MOCAH or rather the Museum of Cultural Arts – Houston is a museum without walls whose mission is to use art and creativity for community development and social awareness. They bring the arts to public venues in the form of murals and mosaics to be enjoyed by those that typically don’t visit the many galleries and museums that abound within Houston.
Utilizing local community leaders, volunteers and students of all ages, MOCAH gives them all a hand in creating a piece and then making it a permanent display within the community.
The Kashmere Multi Service Center in the Fifth Ward displays just one of the over 80 projects already completed within the city.
This past Saturday I joined over 12,000 cyclists as we participated in the largest Multiple Sclerosis charity ride in the country.
Riding from Houston to Austin over the course of two days and over 180 miles, the BP MS-150 raises funds towards research and a cure, as well as, providing vital services to those stricken with this disease.
Unfortunately, this is not my image (it’s taken from The Houston Chronicle website), as I was actually on my bike, and not able to take a proper photo. I made this exception, because this is such a huge local event.
Now… you’ll have to excuse me… I am going to try and find some place soft to sit.
Jack Yates was a former slave, pastor and educator that developed the hopes of African Americans in post-emancipation Houston, helping form this area into what it is today. Yates was the first pastor of the Antioch Baptist Church in 1868, and also organized Bethel Baptist Church in 1890. Not only did he insist his congregation educate themselves, he led by example in lobbying for the opening of Bishop College, the first black Baptist College in Texas. His family cemetery plot, as seen here, is located in the nearby College Memorial Park Cemetery.
There’s nothing like going to see the local Major League Baseball team, the Astros, play in April. Mainly because the weather permits and the retractable roof is open, allowing the game to be played as it was intended: OUTSIDE. With Minute Maid Park’s downtown location, it also gives a great glimpse of the skyline as the sun sets. …AND with the team not predicted to finish very well in the standings, the attendance won’t be as great, making parking that much easier for those of us that still attend!! Welcome back, baseball.
This unique point of view from the James A. Baker Monument in Sesquicentennial Park shows how his statue is actually looking over Buffalo Bayou at a similar statue of his friend, former President George H.W. Bush. If you look reeeeeeeally hard, you can see him on the knoll on the opposite bank. A native Houstonian, James Baker served senior government positions under three presidents which included Bush’s Secretary of State and Ronald Reagan’s Chief of Staff.
When it was originally built in 1973, the CenterPoint Energy Plaza building was just another black glassed box lost within the growing skyline of Houston’s oil boom. Then… in 1996, the powers that be made a decision that transformed it into an architectural landmark. By adding the six-storied “cap” you see now in this photo, it is now easily recognized from almost every skyline vantage point. Good call,as I always enjoy buildings that think out of the box.
Constructed in 2006 on the campus of the University of St. Thomas, the Gueymard Meditation Garden contains this replica of the labyrinth at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres located just southwest of Paris, France.
Located within the Cullen Sculpture Garden is French sculptor, Emile-Anotoine Bourdelle’s “Adam”.
I mentioned yesterday about the individually carved Italian marble pieces that make up the mandir. This is a close-up of its intricateness. Simply amazing.
This… is one of the hidden beauties of our area, and I doubt most citizens even realize it exists. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Temple was the first traditional mandir of stone and marble constructed in the entire country. Completed in 2004 without the use of iron or steel, the mandir is constructed of over 33,000 individual pieces of Italian marble and limestone from Turkey. These marked pieces were initially shipped to India where they were hand carved with traditional Vendic deities and motifs, and then shipped to Houston and assembled like a huge puzzle. Without a doubt, this is one of the more breathtaking local places that I have visited.
Not that I’m counting… Or for that matter still be around, but this is marker for a time capsule placed in downtown’s Sam Houston Park in honor of the country’s Bicentennial. Oddly, I haven’t been able to dig up much info on this particular time capsule. Good thing it’s in such a public place or it very well might be forgotten.
Simply… all this is a capture of the pedestrian bridge that traverses over Loop 610 at the Gulfgate Mall. Now… YEARS ago, I would take this bridge across, as the mall’s theater (since demolished) was located on the other side. Ah… childhood memories.
Today’s reflection is brought to you by the Alfred C. Glassell School of Fine Art. Part of the Museum of Fine Art - Houston, it’s exterior mirrored glass blocked wall is quite the eye catcher as one walks or drives by.
Well… bluebonnets that is. This wildflower is actually the state flower of Texas, and usually blooms profusely across all parts of the state this time of year. I am fortunate enough that my urban bike route (remember… I’m training for a big cycle ride) was one of the beneficiaries of a local initiative to seed wide flowers within our city limits.
This month’s City Daily Photo Community theme is “Edges”. No… this isn’t the bow of a cruise ship, but rather an interesting perspective of The Hobby Center for Performing Arts, which is the relatively new (opening in 2002) venue for Broadway type musicals and productions. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
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