It's March and that means two things: taxes and butterflies!
One of the things that I teach my students during my end-of-semester professional development lecture is the importance of having a good accountant. I understand the desire to save money and do things yourselves, but I cannot stress how important it is to have someone double-checking your numbers. I manage my own books for Smudge Animation, but my accountant is the person who keeps me from making mistakes. So the drive to Grand Rapids every year is well worth the time.
Now, if I'm going to be on the west side of the State, I like to visit some artistic venues and recharge my batteries after the long, cold winter. I normally maintain a yearly membership to the Detroit Institute of Arts. This year though, I decided to let it lapse and reallocate those funds to the Frederik Meijer Gardens. Nothing against the DIA, but they're doing a lot of construction and it's affected a number of the displays that I like to frequent. Some have been moved to less accessible rooms, others taken off exhibit for the time being. So, I'm kind of staying out of the way while they get the renovations completed and the artwork back to their usual rooms.
Looking for alternates, I reviewed what Meijer Gardens was offering this year and quickly determined that there were four upcoming events that I'd like to see. There was my two yearly visits to see the butterflies which coincide with the meetings with my accountant. However, this year they're bringing back the indoor/outdoor Chihuly exhibition. Last time Dale Chihuly's works were on display at the Gardens, I didn't learn about the exhibition in time to drive out there. So, I'm not missing out this year. I won't say that I'm an expert on his artwork, but I fondly remember seeing the glassworks that the students were producing back in the '90's when I was at R.I.T. and that fondness for glass and ceramics hasn't dulled over the years. Look for those photos later this year. So there will be more than enough going on in Grand Rapids to justify the cost of a one-year membership.
And for the rest of this post, here are some of the best photos that I took with some very agreeable butterflies.
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| Zebra Longwing Heliconius charitonius |
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| Doris Longwing Heliconius doris |
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| Tiger Longwing Heliconius ismenius (possibly) |
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| Postman Heliconius melpomene |
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| Doris Longwing Heliconius doris |
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| Banded Orange heliconian Dryadula phaetusa |
And here's the obligatory lunch photo from the cafe. They've done some remodeling recently. Not sold on it yet, but the menu is still solid.
