BfloGirlGeek: The Art of the Brick

Yes, I finally made it…

With a week left, I made it to the Buffalo Museum of Science for “The Art of the Brick,” the amazing Nathan Sawaya Lego exhibit that I have wanted to see for years - and I was not disappointed.

I may have walked around the exhibit three times…

I may have wondered – out loud – how did he come up with these things?!?! (good thing my mom was with me…)

I may be in love with Legos again…(my inner 12 year old is happy about that)

(actually, that happened when I put together this ‘67 Mustang…

…or maybe this Avengers Quinjet…)

Closing for the exhibit at the Buffalo Museum of Science is THIS WEEKEND, and the Museum is pulling an all-nighter, open from Saturday, May 4 at 10 a.m. straight through to Sunday, May 5 at 4 p.m. – find out more about it here.

all photos: Paula Thompson Freelance

Find more photos on my Facebook page

BfloGirlGeek: “The Art of The Brick” comes to Buffalo

Oh, to be a kid again…and play with Legos.

video: YouTube

Yes, I had Barbie dolls, but I also had all the building toys – Legos, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Erector sets – because, well, Dad wanted a boy…so he got a tomboy instead. Mom tried her best to “girlify” me, but she eventually accepted my fate in life (thanks Dad!).

My favorites among those toys were Legos.

Legos have become much more than a toy since I played with them; they’re now art, technology – even an investment in some cases. Art meets tech in a new exhibit at the Buffalo Museum of Science, located at 1020 Humboldt Pkwy. in Buffalo: “The Art of The Brick,” by artist Nathan Sawaya, opens Saturday, Feb, 9 and runs through Sunday, May 5.

The exhibit was named one of CNN’s Top Ten “Global Must-See Exhibitions,” and features not only original art by Sawaya, but reimagined versions of masterpieces like Michelangelo's Statue of David, Van Gogh’s Starry Night and DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. There will also be a hands-on activity area within the exhibit entitled “The Science of The Brick.”

Timed tickets for the exhibit (includes museum admission and exhibit fee) are available at www.sciencebuff.org; tickets are $18 for adults (no ages given); $15 for children ages 2+, seniors, students and Military (with ID) (no ages given); and $5 for members.

Since this exhibit runs into May, I’m hoping Mother Nature cooperates and lets me go see this!

A little inspiration…

I’ve not been very inspired lately.

In fact, I had a blog post started early last week and was completely uninspired when it came to finishing it.

Yep, Mother Nature has a lot to do with it – I mean, come on, it was April 19^th and it was still flurrying (Is that a word? It probably is in Buffalo).

My poor daffodils were confused. I don’t blame them one bit.

Writing wasn’t the only outlet I was uninspired in. There was also photography – you know, she took away two weeks of my new gig at my happy place (Lancaster Speedway)…she’s not on my nice list.

Then, suddenly, inspiration appeared.

In the form of a few birds.

Actually, some loons…and grebes…and goldeneyes…and osprey.

Work took me through UB’s North Campus last week, and the ponds off of St. Rita’s Ln. were full of migrating birds and ducks.

An oddity of Mother Nature’s wrath? Maybe.

Maybe I’ll forgive her. I’ll think about it.

See more photos on Facebook and Smugmug.

Laying Low (not by choice…)

Yep, I’ve been pretty quiet lately – not by choice, but by season. See, my real-life job is weather-influenced…as in snow-plowing. Mother Nature has not been kind to us this year (I’ve used a few choice names for her…), and particularly on the weekends, leaving me little time to do much of anything besides wait for the phone call to come into work – and little things around the house while I’m waiting (like cleaning the basement…little things, y’know?).

That’s not to say I’ve been completely quiet:

• Christmas is my favorite holiday (in spite of the snow), and I was able to enjoy it a bit longer since I had my decorating done by the end of November.

• I was able to do some baking (strategically between snowflakes, of course): cinnamon rolls (the post-plowing breakfast of champions!), mini pigs-in-a-blanket to keep my dad happy, and this easier-than-it-looks pane bianco (already planning to make this again).

• I was given the amazing opportunity to live out a dream: I will spend the 2018 season as the stock car photographer at Lancaster National Speedway. Having grown up at the track and practiced photography in the stands for many years, this is an absolute #dreamgig.

• I’ve been dreaming that this winter will end soon…

(Is it spring yet??)

Modeling debut (lol)

I love the folks at Phoenix, A Salon in Williamsville (hi, Amanda!), and was recently featured on their Instagram account (cardi - CuddlDuds on QVC - of course!). [not sponsored - just love this cardi!]

A post shared by Phoenix, A Salon (@phoenix_a_salon) on Aug 31, 2017 at 12:36pm PDT

A Buffalo Girl’s World…

Over the past three years or so, my main idea for this blog changed from aspects of my life that might appeal to others living in or visiting Buffalo to a replacement for my writing outlet at the now-defunct (I love that term) Examiner.com.

Somewhere along the way, I got bored – like, really bored – with that idea, hence my absence the last few months.

I’m feeling the need to restructure, reinvent, reconfigure some things about this blog – and maybe even reintroduce myself…

I’m in my 40s and don’t feel like it.

I have three fashion addictions: nail polish, boots and thumb holes.

I was brought up in auto racing, and consider it an honor to be able to call Turn 2 at Lancaster Speedway my Saturday night home from April through September.

I think I’m a pretty good photographer, but I can’t take a selfie to save my life.

My annual pilgrimage: Cleveland for a Yankees game (even though the Yanks usually lose, the food package with the bus tour I go on makes up for it!).

My favorite place in Buffalo: the Botanical Gardens (but there are lots of places I have yet to visit!).

I’m a self-professed geek: books, television, movies…Star Wars, GoT, LotR, Marvel, Transformers, etc, etc.

Gardening = therapy. Baking = therapy too.

I should own stock in QVC (actually I do…), and more recently in HSN (oh, yeah, QVC bought them…).

I love music, but my tastes totally run the gamut – the last three CDs I bought (yep, I still buy CDs!) were The Killers, Fergie and Shania Twain.

I love a good pick-up truck, and an even better muscle car.

I have a sick addiction to CuddlDuds (it’s the thumb holes…).

I already miss Chip and Joanna.

I’m not sure where this goes from here, but here’s hoping it’s one hell of a journey.

BfloGirlGarden: Khaleesi’s Garden wrap-up

This was my fun project for the year, and for years to come as well. From collecting “dragons” to finding the perfect wind spinner to telling the story of the garden to anyone who would listen, I loved my little corner of Sci-Fi/Fantasy in the garden (my kind of geekery!). Since this was the first year for the large garden (it was previously much smaller), I learned a few things, like:

Hedwig gets MUCH BIGGER than Lord Voldemort (remember, the “t” is silent!).

Hedwig (left) and Lord Voldemort (right)

The Red Witch has a BIG ego (she must go to the background next year – sorry, sweetie!).

yes, that is just one coleus plant!

Belarion was engulfed by these Black Dragon coleus.

there is a dragon in there...

Bunnies like the Dragon Blood sedum…1) must buy more, 2) must cover them earlier!

munching bunnies lead to...strawberry basket covers!
(I kinda miss those types of strawberry baskets!)

And a few more photos of the garden in its glory:

 

Apocolypse...sooooo need that movie already!!

 

King Peter's Unicorn protecting his end of the garden

Baby Dragon :)

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

BfloGirlGarden presents Garden Week: Just flowers

I just love flowers – the process of growing them, their bright colors, the ability to pick them and brighten up your home as well.

I’m very fussy when it comes to picking flowers for my gardens and containers – I like certain colors, I like unusual combinations and I like certain types of flowers, favorites being impatiens, cannas, dahlias and calibrachoas.

Here are some of my beauties from this year: 

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

BfloGirlGarden presents Garden Week: Container gardening

Container gardening is one of my favorite things when it comes to my gardens – especially on my front porch, where I have an awesome corner plant stand that fills in with lots of color. My favorite plants to use in containers are coleus, to which I add petunias, calibrachoas and exotic impatiens.

 

Garden experts always talk about “thrillers, fillers and spillers” when it comes to container plantings. I don’t always subscribe to that theory – I just like mixing flowers up and seeing what happens throughout the summer.

One of my go-to combinations for the last couple of years is Wizard Coral Sunrise Coleus with Fusion Peach Frost Exotic Impatiens – I used this on a few containers this year.

I’m always amazed at how “drapey” a Trailing Coleus like Chocolate Drop can get, easily filling out a shady area almost by itself.

This little cutie is part of the Proven Winners collection I received earlier this year – I just love the look of the Lemon Coral Sedum in this little faux-rock planter.

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

BfloGirlGarden presents Garden Week: The big backyard project

A funny thing happens from late July to mid-August – life gets really busy. Trips, events, parties, just hanging out…you know how it is. So instead of trying to catch up on all the garden posts I missed, I’m just doing “Garden Week” (or at least four or five days!).

I’m going to start with the newest project first – my “back 40,” behind the shed. Ever since my fox family left from underneath the shed about 15 months ago, I figured it was time for a change back there – there was too much harborage for the fox family, and while they were cute, they did damage my shed (that was last year’s project!) and that didn’t make me happy.

It’s strange how you find a good thing – the owner of the company that did the backyard job (and later this year my front flower bed) is the step-father of one of our favorite former waitresses at our local pizza joint (she has since moved on :(). Lesson learned: it’s always a good thing to talk about random topics with people you kind of know!

Here are some of the before photos:

And here are a few after shots:

The orange line is for the new shade garden :)

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

A little update…

There will be some changes coming up here at BfloGirlWorld – like more blog entries! There was a recent parting of the ways with a site I freelanced at (no real explanation given…), so a lot of the stuff I really enjoyed publishing there about Buffalo will now be published here, with a few new category names like “BfloGirlSports,” BfloGirlGarden” and “BfloGirlTravel.”

I’m looking at this as an opportunity, not a parting of ways – I’ve got a few new ideas up my sleeve as well! ;) 

2015 Buffalo Bucket List

Last year, I made myself a Buffalo Bucket List of places I wanted to explore in the area – I made it to five of the 10 places listed. Here’s my updated list for 2015 – five from last year and five new ones!

Carryovers:

• Erie Basin Marina Trial Garden – visited this on a Garden Festival bus trip a few years ago – hopefully this will still be on Garden Walk Buffalo’s drop-off route.
• Seneca Niagara Casino – I haven’t been to the casino in over three years – therefore I haven’t seen the updates!
• Buffalo Bisons game – I haven’t been to a Bisons game in years either – affordable fun!
• Buffalo Bites food tour – I saw a television piece on Ch. 2 about these tours a couple of years ago – I immediately said, “I need to go on one of these!”
• Buffalo Central Terminal – the Central Terminal is being renovated to its former glory – my uncle is one of the retired volunteer sheet metal workers who have already reconstructed some of the pieces.

New adventures:

• Canalside – this was actually one of last year’s items, and I did make it there – but that was before the HarborCenter, (716) and Tim Horton’s opened, and all the other changes! I need to go back!
• Lewiston Gardenfest – I always tend to hit the same Garden Walks – Amherst, Williamsville, Parkside, Capen – so this year I want to hit at least one new one, and Lewiston is such a beautiful area as it is, that’s my planned adventure (along with a few others I hope!).
• Darwin Martin House – I’ve looked at the outside while on the Parkside Garden Tour, but I haven’t been on the inside since I was in elementary school – before most of the work was done.
• Melting Point – a restaurant dedicated to grilled cheese sandwiches? Yes please!
• Buffalo Zoo – I haven’t been to the Zoo in a couple years, and I want to see the new giraffes and Luna and Kali’s new digs!

The Fever: Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood at First Niagara Center

I’ve been a Garth Brooks fan since the beginning – I remember being totally impressed the first time I heard “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).” I’ve got all the CDs, the box sets and DVDs…I just hadn’t seen him live :(

Check that off the bucket list!

Mom and I went to see Garth and Trisha Yearwood last Thursday, March 5^th, at the First Niagara Center, the first of six shows over four nights – I don’t know how he does it, that’s just crazy scheduling! Did we get to see the best show? I don’t know…we did in my mind, just because I was there!

The first time I looked at the stage, I looked at Mom and said, “Something’s going to happen to that stage by the end of the night” – I was right. I will never listen to “The Fever” again without thinking of that performance!

He only did three songs from the new album – the opening “Man Against Machine,” “People Loving People” and “Mom” – but as he acknowledged in the beginning of the show, he was there to play the hits…and I forgot how many there were! I was most happy to hear my favorite, “Callin’ Baton Rouge,” – that song is just too short! – and to finally hear the “lost verses” of “The Thunder Rolls” and “Friends in Low Places” live.

Garth and Trisha, you loved Buffalo, and we loved you back…so come back soon!

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com