Building with Gingerbread

I know I didn't post on Friday. I'm sorry. As an apology, I'm bringing you gingerbread.

Saturday was the 5th Annual Gingerbread Build Off, held in downtown Houston in front of City Hall. 

I had never heard of it before, but it sounded too cool to pass up. The rules are very strict. Everything must be edible, so no toothpicks or straws or other means of support, and the structure must be built on site. Nothing can be pre-cut or pre-assembled. It's tough.

Plus, because it's outdoors, you have Houston's weather to contend with. Everyone was cold, but very happy because that meant the frosting would set up. A warm day would have been disastrous. As it was, the humidity made the cotton candy a little clumpy.

There were all sorts of Houston landmarks: the George R. Brown, the now demolished Foleys, the Astrodome.  There were the storybook buildings: Rapunzel's tower, Hogwarts, the Land of Oz, and because most of the contestants were either architects or architecture students, the Parthenon, Falling Water, and some very famous bridge that I can't remember the name of.  

I couldn't post them all, but here are some highlights. Have a happy Monday y'all!

Hard at work

Eiffel Tower with parsley flake trees

Dorothy and the Emerald City - most innovative use of cucumbers

 

Breaking Bad - see all the blue (candy) crystals?

 

Falling Water - for all you Frank Lloyd Wright fans out there

 

The Burj Khalifa - I had to look that one up

 

Hogwarts Castle - complete with dragon

 

My favorite - the 8 story pagoda

Bayou City Art Festival

Floating display in the reflecting pool in front of City Hall

One of the bi-annual perks of living in Houston is the Bayou City Art Festival. Every Spring and Fall, artist from all over the United States come and show their works for two days. There's just about everything you could imagine, and quite a few things you never thought of. 

I don't know what they are but they do make you stop and look. Do you ever have the feeling that some people live in a far more interesting universe than you?

I have an abstract print from a previous show. I didn't buy anything this year, although that fox is awfully tempting.  I may have to look that artist up and see if they still have it.

Local business: Iron Plus

Boo!

This weekend my parents went to Florida and I was given custody of their dog, which put a crimp in my plans. He's a sweet dog, but old and arthritic; he doesn't travel well. So I had to stay close to home this weekend to let the dog in and out.

This means that instead of going to the Silk Road Festival as planned, I ended up catching up on a lot of housework. So next weekend watch out! I'm going to the Bayou City Art Festival and no-one's going to stop me.

I couldn't spend all day inside, so I decided to visit this place I've been driving by for years: Ironplus. It's off of FM 1960 and looks like a collection of pots and lawn stuff.  Since I now have a lawn and a patio, I thought it might be worth a look. 

It's a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I have a weakness for this brightly-colored, metal statuary. If I was English I'd probably go for garden gnomes, but as a Texan, I love a jalapeno mariachi band.

 

I think I need the goats. A little herd of goats, grazing my lawn. They'd be a hassle to mow around, but aren't they adorable?

The really interesting thing is that these small decorative pieces are not really what they do. Ironplus specializes in wrought iron, a rare skill in this day and age. There is a forge in the back and they will make whatever you want.  They have a catalog of thing to look at in addition to the furniture, wall pieces, etc, that they have all over the store.

The saleslady and I got talking when she saw me examining a pair of wooden doors with elaborate wrought-iron detailing. They were at least 9 ft tall and arched at the top: doors for a church. She asked me what I thought the doors were for - "A church?" "No. They're a custom order for a closet."  Can you imagine? That's a big house.



They had some beautiful fountains, which as soon as I own a plaza, I'm going back to buy, but for now I'm thinking about replacing the boring painted steel gate on my house with something more artistic. Maybe wrought-iron cattails?

Bzzzzz!

What do you think? Do these things add to the garden or make it too "buzzy"? (Full disclosure - my mom made this)