Saturday, October 17, 2015


There were two museums in Columbus, GA, we wanted to visit.  I was not sure a Saturday visit would be a good idea, but it all went well - neither place was crowded.


The Coca-Cola Space Science Center had a nice 3-D printing technology display.  We noticed 3-D printed pieces in many of the displays around the museum.



How crazy is it that NASA e-mailed a file to the space station. Astronauts then 3-D printed a 3-inch pound torque wrench specifically designed for a task onboard the station.




The museum had four flight simulators that bounced me around pretty well.  I never crashed the plane, but apparently, I was supposed to find other planes and engage in a dogfight.  Fortunately,  the Air Force won't need to rely on my piloting skills.


Outside the museum was Heritage Park where the history of the region was highlighted.  It was interesting, but not really very photogenic. We could not have asked for a  more pleasant day to walk around the displays and read about the past few hundred years of development along the Chattahoochee river basin.

Only a few blocks away was the Columbus Museum.  It included a historical gallery along with several art collections.  Interestingly, there were many pieces of 19th-century furniture presented as art.  



The museum had a "boatload" of Chihuly glass.  It seems like Dale's artwork has been in a lot of places we have visited on our journey around the country, but then, he probably has the most well-known glassworks in the country, if not world.

Boat Installation 2001, handblown glass, wood by Dale Chihuly

The artwork collection did not really "bang my shutters".  It included a lot of modern impressionist work and some really bizarre 3-D and multi-media pieces that just made me scratch my head and ask "huh?"


Self Portrait with Skill, The Tam, The Smoker No. 21, The Torso, 1983 oil on canvas by Joyce Treiman.

Yellow Pad 1997 oil on linen by Janet Fish
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Despite the signs warning patrons not to touch, Joani really wanted to feel the authentic Eames designed chair and ottoman below (don't worry, she behaved herself - no touching).  Although it looks a lot like something you might find today in IKEA, this was really unique and very futuristic in its day.

Lounge Chair and Ottoman 1958-70 rosewood, aluminum and leather by Charles and Ray Eames
(above) Composition 1939 oil on canvas by Ray Kaiser Eames

We finished the museum pretty quickly so we could get ourselves to a late lunch/early dinner (we were both famished).  The Space museum had an astronomy program scheduled for the evening, but we didn't want to leave Sam alone that long, so we headed home.

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