...and into the woods. Fallingwater really is one of the most magical places I have ever been. I have seen it in the winter, silently covered with snow, the waterfalls frozen...at dusk, the stucco walls pink in the sun's afterglow...and now in the fall, water rushing and leaves ablaze with color. And I am always in awe.
There is nothing like a weekend in the mountains of Western Pennsylvania to restore one's spirit. Take along 9 friends, several bottles of wine, a case of beer and a cooler full of food...and it is pure perfection! The days were spent touring houses from Gilded to Wright, eating good food (ummm...LOTS of good food), and drinking wine at sunset. Can't wait to share it all with you, but first I have some 400 photographs to sort through.
It is beginning to look a lot like fall at the sunday market: beans, squash, apples. I have been cooking simple meals this week ~ roast chicken with green beans and garlic, quiche and tomato salad. Oh, and there's an acorn squash on the menu for tomorrow.
Stepping in the front door of Ten Chimneys I was blown away ~ not only by its intimate scale, but the endless creativity of its owners. It is no easy task to describe the interiors of the house, however if anyone is up to the job, it is KDM. So, we take a Wisconsin cheddar cheese and Ritz cracker break, refill our glasses, and begin again...
JCB: Tell me about the house itself ~ how would you describe it?
My dear KDM ~ thank you! thank you! And may spring bring you all the azaleas you could possibly hope for! (p.s. more photographs of the interior here!)
No date or inscription. I don't recognize where this photograph was taken...do any of you?
Being on grand jury means that one has odd stretches of time with little or nothing to do. I generally spend it stitching ~ and day dreaming about all the food I would cook if I had time to cook it. Like Nikole's fig and chambord jam. And roasted fingerling potatoes with rosemary and sea salt (Andy, you inspired me!). Or using the last of the summer peaches to make cobbler. Mmmm...and mini provolone popovers (which I would serve with that pork tenderloin I have in mind).
One of the many highlights of last month's trip to Wisconsin was seeing my dear friend KDM and taking a private tour of Ten Chimneys, where he is now the director of historic preservation. Located on 60 acres in picturesque Genesee Depot, the estate was once the summer retreat of theater legends Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne. And while I could tell you all about this extraordinary place myself, I thought it would be a lot more fun for you to hear about it in KDM's own words. So imagine this: JCB with sauvignon blanc in hand, and KDM with a (large) martini, sitting down for a serious tête-à-tête...
JCB: So, why Ten Chimneys?
Later this week I will take you inside the house with the second part of KDM's interview, so stay tuned! (meanwhile...there are more photos here).
Today is the last full day of summer. It is a hot, sunny afternoon here in Washington, but the shorter days and frenzied schedules mean that autumn is moving in. 
Uninscribed, undated. I love the layers of fabrics and accessories: hats, gloves, purse, stole. All I can say is that wherever these ladies are going, I want to go too.
As a child with a voracious literary appetite and a penchant for the gothic, I was naturally drawn to books with a strong sense of place and vivid drama. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a favorite. In fact, I will never forget the first time I read The Scarlet Letter ~ its tragically poignant characters burned into my mind. However, when I read The House of the Seven Gables, it was the place, rather than the characters that struck me. Needless to say, the prospect of visiting the house that inspired Hawthorne filled me both with excitement and trepidation ~ I mean, what if it was just a big let down?
Well, the moment I stepped through the gates of the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, built 1668, the critic in me was seduced and I was transported into another world. At its core, it is the oldest surviving 17th-century wooden mansion in New England. However, much of its original structure was modified in the early 19th century to make it a more fashionable Federal-style residence, reducing its gables from seven to three. The house was then owned by Hawthorne’s cousin, Susanna Ingersoll, who entertained him there often and through whom he heard stories of its original appearance.
Nestled in the garden behind the Gardner-Pingree House at 128 Essex Street in Salem is a hidden treasure ~ the Derby-Beebe Summer House. Designed by Samuel McIntire and built in 1799, it is one of the finest examples of Adams-esque Federal architecture in Massachusetts. The one-room building, originally located on the grounds of the Beebe Farm in Wakefield, was acquired by the Peabody Essex Museum and moved to its present location where it now keeps company with the afore-mentioned quince tree. It should also be noted that it is one of only two surviving summer houses designed by McIntire ~ the other, the Derby Summer House, was built in 1793 and is presently located in Danvers.
When I stopped in Salem last June for a quick cup of tea with a friend at the Peabody Essex Museum, I knew I would have to come back with a little more time. So, on my way up to Maine the other week, I decided to spend a day there, seeing some Dutch seascapes, the amazing Yin Yu Tang (no words can describe), two historic houses, and one fabulous 18th-century quince tree. Even so, I barely scratched the surface. 
Uninscribed. Undated. Printed on postal card some time between 1904-1918. To me this image so perfectly captures the change of seasons. It just feels autumnal ~ and a little wistful, don't you think?
From Florida to Maine in a matter of days! 
Just stopping by with a couple bits from a quick trip down to Florida (more here). I flew down for a meeting yesterday morning, but was able to spend sunday evening on the beach. Bare feet in the sand, with a burger and a glass of wine. Sort of a nice way to end the summer.
Simply inscribed (along the bottom edge): "Stewie / me." Picking wildflowers just seemed like a nice way to end a hectic week.
Wherever I go ~ I can't resist a market! This one in Ann Arbor (after lunch at Zingerman's of course!). The light there was insanely gorgeous.
A few details from the Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee (more here). Built 1890-1892 for the beer baron Frederick Pabst, the Flemish Renaissance Revival mansion is festooned with with stone garlands of hops. It is one of the city's last remaining grand houses, a classic example of Gilded Age architecture. And each Saturday in August, one's tour is concluded with a tasting of Milwaukee's best beers ~ now, how can you pass up an opportunity like that!?
9 days, 1 great lake, 4 historic houses, 5 museums, 2 farmers' markets, 1 fabulous afternoon spent in the company of some Queen Annes, several Gothics, and a pair of Greeks. Add to that some good food, good wine, a few special people, and it all makes for a pretty fabulous week. I am slowly getting caught up, but obviously...there is lots and lots to share!
Inscribed: "Bixby Park - / Long Beach, Cal. - 1914." Dining al fresco. I think this is such a beautiful image, with the trees and mottled sun light. I would have like to have joined them.
Thumbing through an old stack of postcards I found this image of Marie Adrien Persac’s painting of Shadows-on-the-Teche, 1861. The French-born Presac (1823–1873) is not particularly well known outside of Louisiana, but his legacy is significant. He was a true renaissance man, a civil engineer who worked as an architect, cartographer, photographer and artist. Persac’s renderings of Louisiana plantation scenes are invaluable records of mid-nineteenth-century life along the Mississippi and the bayous. Although I was familiar with the plantation scenes, I was delighted to discover that while employed by the New Orleans Notarial Archives he produced an amazing series of architectural drawings and paintings of the city. He also created a group of charming watercolors for sale posters of properties intended for public auction (see below, and here).
(top image: Shadows-on-the-Teche (Front View), 1861, collection of Shadows-on-the-Teche, New Iberia, Louisiana, National Trust for Historic Preservation; and below: Eugène Surgi and Marie Adrien Persec, sale plan, 25 February 1860, New Orleans Notarial Archives)
I have been obsessed with food ever since I saw Julie & Julia this weekend. Seriously, no one does onions like Meryl Streep. No one. She was extraordinary.
Found recently on eBay. Uninscribed, undated. I'll let you write your own story on this one...because you know it has to be a good one.
I should have had this image last week when I posted the apple-blackberry crisp recipe, no? Ah, well, apples only just made an appearance at the market on sunday.
...summer is just an embarrasment of riches. Okay, I need to get cooking. Hope you all had a good weekend.
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