Done with the docs, fun outings, N.E.D.

I celebrated being done with the docs (for the month) by going to the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) today. The Dermatology and Skin Cancer practice I go to for my full body checks as part of my routine follow up as a melanoma patient happens to be around the corner from the NCMA. All of my too many follow up appointments this month have gone well and I'm officially 3 1/2 years disease free after my diagnosis with Stage III node positive melanoma. Woooohooo! The NCMA is having a special exhibit of Julie Mehretu: City Sitings but since photography isn't allowed in guest exhibition rooms the banner in the first photo is all that I can can show of that. However you can click on the title above, if you are interested in reading about it. Her work is very interesting and quite expansive with some individual works covering an entire large wall. The second and third photographs are from the 17th century Flemish kunstkamer (art room).
I like the mixture of paintings, sculpture, furniture, books, and such in the Flemish kunstkamer but unfortunately my non flash photography didn't turn out very well. At least it gives you an idea of some of what I saw.The Garden Parasol by Frederick Carl Frieseke (American, 1874-1939, active in France from 1898) makes me think of my father. Back when the NCMA was downtown in the old museum in Raleigh prior to it's move to a larger new one, I recall looking at this painting with him. Then when my daughter was about 8 we took her together to the museum where the NCMA has been for many years now and the three of us looked at this painting. You can click on the title for a better photograph on the NCMA site.
The Cebolla Church by Georgia O'Keefe is a favorite of mine in the museum's permanent collection. The title link will take you to the full painting but this shot where I chopped off the top is the only one I took which didn't blur. I like how you can see a suggestion of what's inside in the window on the left.
This was the first time I'd seen the photograph above by Thomas Struth titled Musco del prado 5, Madrid 2005. Nestled in one of the painting galleries it's startling to see this german photographers works of a school group standing in front of a Diego Valasquez paiting at the Museo del Prado in Madrid. I wish I could find a better copy online to link but my crappy photo gives an idea of the work. The blurb on the wall discusses how this photograph questions the art of looking and what happens when art is viewed in museums with crowds of people. On a rainy Tuesday I was the only one in that particular room so I didn't have to contend with crowds.
I have barely scratched the surface of my post doc tour of the art museum but I'll save some of it for later. The shot above is of two of the winners of the 2008 Kids Wildlife Art Competition and you can go to the Web Page for the Winners to see all of the children's art. They blew me away as much as anything in the museum. Speaking of wildlife, yesterday after my other doctor's appointment; I saw a hawk that flew so close to me it actually scared me. By the time I photographed it, the hawk was too far away although I'll look through those shots later and see if any are worth posting.I had fun going on a photo walk yesterday, across the street from the end of neighborhood park where I grew up. It was a perfect day for a walk outside after my appointment with the other doc I saw this week, and his office was near this park and greenway. My brother played little league football on the field above almost 40 years ago and it hasn't changed much except now they play soccer on that field.
When I was growing up, what is now a greenway trail was all woods. We had the park on the other side but no paths on this side. Last time I walked on that trail before yesterday, was at least 5 years ago and there were only a few directions the path went in. Now they've added about 4 more bridges and the path cuts across the stream at many more locations that it did the last time I was there. I suspect the more extensive trails are being put in to connect up with new townhouses in the area.
This post is so much longer than I intended but later I'll post some more of those bridges. Each one is a little different from the other. Although all of my appointments this month were routine follow-up, having them pile up together did make me tense. It's been very helpful to combine all of these fun outings with the not so fun exams. Fortunately all is well and I'm home free until the next cycle. Also, my dermatologist is letting me extend out my next appointment with him so it won't collide with my March oncology appointment. However, at this point now that I'm done with the docs I can look back and realize that so far this month I've been to an Art Museum, Art Park, Greenway trail I usually don't go to, and three separate university gardens. All that and I'm still N.E.D. (no evidence of disease) as far as the cancer goes. Wooohooo!