The Art of Date Night

It always ends up being so great and we are both totally glad we
made the effort. Sometimes, we wobble or get a bit derailed getting there.

Date night was suppose to be last Friday night. My head was pounding from
who knows what, it just wasn't going to happen. I couldn't even think
straight.

Date night happened last night. It was awesome and fun and happy and
uplifting and completely fresh and enjoyable.

For my part, my lovely locks were dyed and highlighted. My pedicure
and manicure were fresh for the evening. I sewed a new skirt. Oh,
how I love hounds tooth. The new skirt turned out smart and sassy and comfortable
and fit perfectly. I completely lined it and it hung beautifully. I am always
so happy that I line things and sew the hems in by hand. Worth the extra
minutes in the sewing room.

Picasso. Certainly not one of Mr. Right's favorite artists. However,
it was Picasso. period. We made the choice over a year ago to attend.
(A written down goal tucked into our entertainment envelope.) I will say,
it is meaningful to know that the person you
have chosen to view an exhibit with, (even though that is not his
favorite), has gone to the effort to study and learn and be in the moment
of your interest, very empowering.

I worked through about 9 hours of studying several of the pieces prior to attending.

We stopped and purchased our tickets (sold out online). Our time was for
9:20 pm.

We went to dinner first, Le Cote in the Madison Park area of Seattle.
Such a charming, very small, lovely French creperie. The service is
unobtrusive and thoughtful. The food was more delicious than our last
visit, if you can imagine that. The beverages pared perfectly with our food
choices. We had a relaxed meal with dessert and coffee to finish.
Oh, what a treat. Now, I know you are thinking, argh, dinner and looking at
your watch ........not like that. Our tickets were far enough ahead we could
simple "be" at the restaurant.

We arrived at the SAM an hour plus before our time. We were able to
take in some of the museum and other pieces. A Jackson Pollack hits you right
between the eyes. It is certainly eye candy and a bit hard to wrap your brain
around. His work stretches our being. Remington, need I say more? Those lines are unmistakable.
It brought instantly to mind Oklahoma. Where we were fortunate to
view our very first piece of his sculpture. Yes, a painter first, but by golly he
found his calling within the folds of bronze. Willem de Kooning, one artist that
I simply can't figure out yet. I am still learning and trying. I guess it doesn't matter what I think, he knew exactly what he was doing.

The tie my "date" had chosen to wear was indeed 'art like". Yikes, might
have to be retired. Not a fan of the lines nor the color. It might be just too much color in one sliver of fabric. Yes, Virginia we judge what
our dates are wearing and love and appreciate the thought that went into
the preparation for an evening out.

The queue for the 9:20 ticket holders started to form. oh my........ I had
done my research, prepared, had a lovely dinner, we are almost there. No,
thank you, no audio for me (do love that you can utilize electronics
to learn and hear about 40 of the over 150 pieces shown). That is just not for me/us. Too distracting and "herd like". I don't want to move to the next piece or wait to follow the audio.

Time... 9:20 pm. dark, raining, Seattle, Washington..............our turn. You could feel the energy. That many people at one time, that much body heat can not be good for any piece of art. Being surrounded by his works, his favorites really, just a bit overwhelming.

The drawings, the sculpture, the oils....so real, so up close and personal, you have
a real sense of the person, his life, his passion. Passion... that is the perfect word to describe this man. You may not feel all warm and fuzzy over his work or the man himself, but oh you can feel the intense passion for life. Passion can be joy filled like "Two Women running on the Beach" or dark and evil just prior to war, "Cat Seizing Bird". Very, very intense, very purpose filled.

The temperature in that particular wing of the museum got very warm. Actually,
we had worked our way through 2 hours and 20 minutes of time. That is about our
limit at any museum. One's brain can only hold and grasp so much.

As with every visit to a museum, the gift shop pulled me in.
Postcards chosen to send to other art lovers , were purchased.

It was time to end.

Lovely, to be with other "date night" folks. Some, you could tell, were way too in love and new to each other, they really didn't have eyes for Picasso, only each other. He would have appreciated that. Pablo Picasso, a radical and influential artist of the 20th century would be one of the first to "see" the beauty in both couples in love and the magnitude of the exhibit.

Just as it was about 30 years ago, date night still holds a certain something, something. Some how, some way, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of people, you feel like it is just the two of you, taking in a little art show. Like the thread that is strong and constant, that holds a beautiful beaded necklace together, date night might just be the secret thread that ties together year after year after year of a lovely relationship?