After having heard about it for a number of years, I finally visited
Glenstone. It might sound like a pretentious private club (in that case - what in the world would I be doing there?), but in reality it is a private art museum in Potomac, Maryland. Owned by billionaire businessman Mitch Rales and his art historian wife Emily, the intimate museum can only be visited with a reservation. A visit lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, and groups are kept small - only about a dozen people. Several docents accompany the group, but they do not present a lecture-based tour - they only tell you a bit about the artists and the work, then let you enjoy. The docents were friendly and personable, and always happy to answer questions. Photography is not allowed in the museum, but I greatly enjoyed my visit, as did my friend who came along. The grounds and the space are stunning, and the current Fischli & Weiss exhibit, which runs through December 2014, is in turn amusing, thought-provoking, whimsical, and beautiful. A new larger building is currently under construction, and I look forward to visiting again in the future.
I also took advantage of the good weather this weekend for a 4.6 mile walk along the C&O Canal and Potomac River, exploring a portion I had not yet seen. I walked from Great Falls to the next canal lock, Swain's Lock. This area is less popular than the part on which I usually walk, and while there were other walkers, bikers and runners out, I often had the trail to myself, with only birds, frogs and dragonflies keeping me company.
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| Quiet Sunday morning on the Potomac River |
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| Dragonfly enjoying the sunshine |
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| Swain's Lock on C&O Canal |
Additionally, I took a young friend for an outing to
Cabin John Regional Park, easily one of the coolest Montgomery County parks. We I took a ride on the mini-train (only $1.75 each), then spent a good while making use of the fantastic playground.
Work and life have been busy, which is nice, but it also means that I've started writing a number of posts, yet have not managed to finish them.
Hope you are having a good week!
It looks so peaceful there! I really wanted to visit Great Falls while we were back in the States, but it was just too difficult to get there without a car. The one downside to living in the DC-metro region.
ReplyDeleteOn a beautiful day I'd say that renting a Zip-car or something similar is worth it to check out Great Falls. Is really is very lovely there, and definitely tops my list of DC area "must sees"! Or you just have to make plans with understanding friends who are willing to pick you up at a nearby Metro station! :-)
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