summer blues 2

More summer blue ~ a textile design by Shirley Craven for Hull Traders. Stay cool...happy monday.

(image: Shirley Craven, "Kaplan" printed cotton fabric, 1960, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, T.139-1989)

summer blues 1

I apologize that I didn't get a snapshot up yesterday...let's blame it on the heat! This beauty isn't from my own collection...just one of the many new goodies over on Look at Me. I'm finding inspiration in cool summer blues...but more on that next week.

Cheers for now...and happy weekend!

simple and poetic

One last little scene from Basel...and favorite from the fair: Helen Mirra (more here), whose work I found profoundly simple and poetic.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I fell in love in Basel...with white asparagus. Where has it been all my life?!?! It was the peak of the season, and so divine!

room with a view

More from Basel ~ a rare sunny view from my window ~ along with a couple faves from the fair:

* Rachel Whiteread (love her cabinets and bookcases)
* El Anatsui (whose work I first saw in Venice last year, draped over the facade of Palazzo Fortuny)

Cooler air blew into Washington last night in dramatic fashion ~ today is gorgeous! Cheers!

scenes from a swiss town

I love seeking out the quiet parts of Basel, away from the crowds and the drama of the art fair ~ there are just so many lovely little vignettes. But...where to begin with the art fair? Well, perhaps this week I will share one thing a day. (And for those of you who are curious, I did not see Brad Pitt *sigh*).

One of the things that stood out this year at the fair was how many more Asian galleries and artists were represented...which I really enjoyed. My favorite was a Japanese photographer, Rinko Kawauchi ~ how I have missed her work, I have NO idea! So lovely (see more here). I was particularly taken by her series The Eyes, The Ears (took me a while to find the publication, but photo-eye has it ~ yay!), and her dairy, # 1 and # 2.

So, enjoy...more tomorrow. Stay cool dear friends on the east coast.

back from basel

Home at last! Basel was cold and rainy, but there was lots of art to see. Not all of it good...though there were a few things that caught my eye. More on that tomorrow, along with little bits of Basel. For now ~ the view from my hotel window at 11pm. The tower to the right was the bell tower of Peterskirch, and the first time I heard it ring, it nearly blasted me out of bed (at 7am)!

Oooooh, it is hot in Washington...a wall of heat. Cheers...it is good to be back. xo.

flying off again

Time to pack my bags...I am off to Art Basel this afternoon. I will be back next week with tales from the art fair. I leave you with happy, warm thoughts and a photograph taken last year in that little Swiss town. Cheers!

trouvée: the hay stack

I recently found this photograph on eBay. It isn't inscribed or dated, but I loved the freshness of it...and it seems a perfect way to end a week of outside-ness.

Another streak of lackluster posts...I apologize. I am pouring all my energy into the new apartment ~ granite or Corian? solid wood or veneer? I *love* it! But, ahhhh, the poor blog suffers. Anyway, here's what I have been looking at this week:

* A Series of Disappointments by Stephen Gill
* Floriane de Lassée's Night Views
* and Scattered Sea (via ah-yi)

Happy weekend all...I will be in line for SATC (actually, I already bought tickets online)! You?

virginia vines

Back to digital. The grape vines at Pearmund on a gorgeous, gorgeous saturday. Summer is coming ~ I can just taste it! Here are a few things to put you in the mood:

* being On the Beach
* lemon verbena ice cream
* and lovely photographs by Birthe Pinotek

Enjoy...happy wednesday!

scenes from a picnic

A few more polaroids from the weekend...

a start to summer

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day. At long last the east coast saw a weekend full of sun ~ perfect for a day trip out to Virginia. And picnics, and flying kites, and napping in the grass. I ventured out to some wineries with friends, armed with an old polaroid camera and a couple boxes of expired film. Much fun was had at Pearmund and La Grange...and we came home with several cases of wine and a stack of photos (more to come)!

It's time to start thinking of summer reading...and I nabbed this off of the bargain table at Barnes & Noble.

trouvée: bathing beauties

Found, where? I can't remember! I have had this one for a while. No inscription, no date. But full of joy ~ it is hard to see in this scan, but these two are grinning ear-to-ear.

Before I leave you with a few links, I wanted to say thank you *thank you* for all your well wishes this week, which made me so happy, and buoyed me up throughout the process. I am proud to say that I am now a homeowner ~ the place is tiny, but it is my little corner of the world. This weekend enjoy:

* Our World
* this photograph
* and a big glass of this!

Be safe, and be joyful this Memorial Day! xo.

under the piles

This is what my desk looks like right now. There are piles. And piles. Mortgage applications, financial statements, loan agreements. But if all goes to plan, tomorrow I will be a homeowner and it will all be worth it. So exciting, and soooo scary! Also buried somewhere under all those papers is my blogging inspiration. It is tucked away safely, and I know it will turn up eventually. So until then, please excuse my absence. I'll leave you with a piece in The Brooklyn Rail that I enjoyed. Cheers!

poppies

There were the most gorgeous poppies at the farmers' market on sunday. They were so ethereal and just glowed! However, I resisted their siren call and went for the peonies instead. How do I manage to spend half my grocery budget on flowers? Insane, I know! But, I am not the only one obsessed:

* Irving Penn's flowers
* ah-yi's poppies

Wishing you a bright, happy monday!

trouvée: a birthday

Found this past April in Texas...no date or inscription. I don't know why, but I love photographs of cakes. And there is something pretty fabulous about this one ~ somebody was turning two.

Just stopping by quickly to wish you all a wonderful weekend ~ and a happy, happy birthday to my mom! I hope you get a big piece of cake!

Some friday links:

* Mandy Lamb (makes me homesick for New England)
* Sonja Thomsen
* and Gourmet has a new cookbook club!

Cheers!

up on the roof

One of my favorite places is the roof of my apartment building. I love sipping wine up there in the evening, and watching the sun set over Georgetown...as it slips below the horizon, the town houses below come aglow with magic light. My cares slip away...just like the lyrics of that old Carole King song.

Big changes are afoot in my life (all good!) and the next week will be rather hectic. So, please forgive me if I stop by here less frequently in the coming days.

Oh, doesn't this look fabulous?

P.S. I loved getting all of your dandelion comments last week!

a glimpse of blue sky

A small peek at the Virginia countryside around Belle Grove ~ and the barn (a 1918 addition to the plantation). The rolling green hills of the Shenandoah Valley were just coming alive with little red poppies and mustard flowers.

A couple links to enjoy:

* Inside Out online
* Three Layer Cake

Oh, happy tuesday (blue skies at last!)!

historic house tour: belle grove

Saturday afternoon found our little historic house group at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, Virginia. Nestled in the foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains, the house was built by Major Isaac Hite (who married James Madison's sister Nelly). Completed in 1797, it is a delightful example of Jeffersonian Palladian architecture. I loved the T-shaped floor plan and simple, but elegant rooms (particularly the sitting room, above). The grounds are extensive, and feature an ice house and smokehouse (built 1815), dairy (a reconstruction of the original, which was destroyed by fire), and a slave cemetery. And of course, the setting is stunning (and I'll give you a peek at that tomorrow!).

For now...happy monday!

trouvée: the lover's walk

I found this several years ago. An old albumen print inscribed: "Lovers Walk / Ryde." Ryde, on the Isle of Wight ~ and the walk, which takes one through Quarr Wood, is famous for its daffodils, primroses, and blue iris in season. Some day I'd like to go...

And in Washington, last night was anything but idyllic ~ sleep disturbed by thunder, lightening, and constant tornado warnings. Just a steady rain this morning, but my head hurts a little. So, I think a few soothing friday links are in order:

* Fireflies
* The Orchard
* and some rhubarb

Happy weekend...tune in monday for a historic house tour. xo.

the dandelion

I know most people hate dandelions (that humble flower, much maligned), but I have always loved them ~ from the time I was little and used to pick fistfuls of them to proudly present to my mother (who would always dutifully arrange the bouquet in a small vase on the windowsill). I also love them in the seed (or "clock") stage ~ so delicate and fleeting, but full of wishes.

(image: Anna Atkins, Dandelion, cyanotype, c. 1854, from British and Foreign Flowering Plants and Ferns, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, PH.382-1981)

spring fever

Oh, it is so gorgeous outside! A soft breeze, dappled sun. Sigh. Just a couple goodies today ~ loving this book and craving this!

So, until tomorrow...

sun prints

I was going through a stack of papers last night and came across some cyanotype prints I made a couple summers ago with my nieces. It was such fun to watch them running around, finding little bits of nature to test out ~ everything from hydrangea blossoms and dandelion seeds to ferns and seashells. Anyway, they speak to my current obsession with leaves, so I thought I would share.

Two places I am finding inspiration today:

* Rita Maas
* Raymond Meeks

Wishing you a little bit of beauty on a tuesday afternoon. Cheers.

an afternoon in finland

One of my favorite Washington buildings is the Finnish Embassy. I drive past it all the time, but until this past weekend, I had never actually been inside. On Saturday I took advantage of the EU Embassies' annual open house to pay a visit and see it up close. Its simple constructivist exterior is softened by a bronze trellis covered by lush green vines, and inside (no photos allowed) is a lovely mixture of glass, metal and wood with soothing views of leafy trees. And until June 8, there is a wonderful exhibition of photographs and models of Finnish architects' summer homes.

P.S. I also adored the Danish Embassy residence, which was built in the late 1950s and is furnished with a mixture of 18th-century Danish antiques and mid-century modern furniture and art. (There was a strict no-photography policy, so just think Arne Jacobsen "swan" chairs...).

trouvée: the hand

This was one of the snapshots I found at the Round Top antiques fair when I was down in Texas. I just love the humor of it.

A few friday links (from the lovely to the bizarre):

* a searching line
* the Capa cache goes to ICP
* and Fig. (a new publication by Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin)

Oh happy friday! xo.

may day

Just stopping by to say a quick hello. And show you a few more of my favorite things...a couple pieces from my collection of Chinese enamel dishes. My apartment is mostly white, so these little dishes provide a dash of color here and there. It is fun to mix and match!

Ooooh, and I bought the May issue Gourmet the other day ~ lots of yummy!