It’s winter in Seattle and so where can one go for warmth and great art…how about St Petersburg….Florida. Yes that one. The new Dali Museum is opening there this month in an amazing building by HOK Architects of London and set in a landscape designed by Graham-Booth Landscape Architecture to remind visitors of Dali’s summer residence in Cadaquez in Spain.

The grounds are full of colorful flowering shrubs, palms and trees that represent the coastal character of Spain, and over one thousand tons of Florida limestone boulders, (some as big as cars) are placed throughout the site to suggest the landscape of Dali’s Catalonian home. The rocks in his landscape paintings are referencing this same landscape.

At the entry a 20-ft. tall man-made boulder supports one corner of the massive cube and a living wall has plants in pockets and flowing water that weeps out of crags and crannies. A misting system gives the whole area a mysterious and cooling effect before visitors enter the museum.

Large boulders were split in half to define the steps, a spiral labyrinth invites exploration, a bench morphs into a pocket watch, entry gates disappear into boulders, this is a site as much fun to explore as one of Dali’s paintings. On the roof solar water heaters heat water for the bathrooms, LED lighting lowers energy use and passive solar addresses cooling. As it is built in Florida the walls are 18” thick and the glass specially designed to resist hurricane force wind speeds, and all the art is on the third floor, keeping it above any incursion by storm surge. Now doesn’t that take your mind off Winter?

Drive by 5407 37th Avenue SW in West Seattle and you will find a garden designed for whimsy and fantasy.  Created over twenty years ago by Milton Walker, a Boeing mechanic, its towers, walls, and paths are Seattle‘s version of the Watts Towers (in the Watts neighbor in California).  This unique garden is constructed using rocks Milton transported from Eastern Washington in the trunk of his car, and embellished with gem stones and minerals.  The result is a colorful delight.

Unfortunately, Milton and his wife have died.  Their family continues to maintain the garden and has opened it for public tours.  Visitors are welcome to tour the garden on specific Sunday’s and holidays.  From the first of June through Labor Day the garden is open Sunday’s (except for the first Sunday of each month) from noon until 5PM.  The gardens are also open on Mother’s Day from noon until 5PM.  The Walker family will allow people who would like to visit the garden outside of these scheduled times by appointment.  For appointment requests call the Walker Rock Garden by calling 206.935.3036.