grandma is here!

This weekend Grandma Lena came for a visit.  She drove in last night but today we had her for the entire day and boy! did he have her booked up.  We went out to breakfast to start off the day right.  We were going to need a lot of energy.  We hit up Carl's Diner in Oxford, MA which is the best.  They served up pancakes as large as a dinner plate, two pounds of bacon as a side and omelettes that could feed a horse.

Once Bennett had his fill we headed to the Worcester Art Museum.  I had wanted to check it out for a while now.  At the end of the month they are opening a knights exhibit so I wanted to come see it before all the changes and the crowds.  

I was impressed by the selection of paintings they had on display.  They had a Monet, a Kandinsky, a Renoir, a Pissarro and a Gauguin.   My favorite was this Georges Rouault.  I don't think I have ever seen any of his other works.  I love the colors here.  

We saw quite a few European paintings.  The rest of the time we spent wondering around the other three floors at the museum.  On the first floor they had a Charter House.  It was moved and reconstructed here in 1932 from it's original location in France.  Originally it was a part of the Benedictine priory of St. John, founded at the end of the 11th century at Le Bas-Nueil.  

However,  I don't think this furniture was part of the original.  I love this very modern bench.  I really want one but something tells me it's going to cost more than my house.

All of Worcester's mosaics once paved the floors of dining rooms, reception areas, cemeteries, baths, and porticoes. Many of them weigh more than 1000 pounds and were brought to the Museum in several shipments (1933, 1936, and 1939) and installed in and around the Museum's Renaissance Court.  The Museum's enormous Hunt mosaic covers about 500 square feet and was part of a Roman house that had been destroyed in the 526 earthquake. Brought to America in five sections that each weighed more than a ton, the mosaic was reassembled on the floor of the Renaissance Court.  The pavement below, was excavated from a villa at Daphne, a resort in the hills above ancient Antioch, a Roman city.  It was in great shape considering it's age.

We also saw some Japanese jade carvings and American paintings.

We felt very smart after leaving the museum after this cultural fix.  My mom enjoyed herself more than I expected which was nice.  We went home and spent some time outside going for a walk and playing in the snow.  Bennett got a bunch of time in his new sleigh this afternoon.   

We didn't get out of the house that night after such a full day of running around.  We made a nice dinner and went to bed early.  Tomorrow time springs ahead and we are going to need our rest.  Thanks for coming Grandma.  We really love your visits.