a grey day in maine

Mainers spend a lot of time apologizing for those grey, foggy days that obliterate the view. But, honestly, I love them ~ the sort of days that make you want to curl up with a good book and a warm quilt, and dream of craggy moors and ill-fated romances.

This particular day found us on the door step of a certain Down East Dilettante, a bottle of Albariño in hand. As we sipped wine from ruby-glass goblets and talked furniture and old houses the fog swirled around us outside. While the gentleman and the Dilettante chatted, I slipped out and captured the view from the back window. I don't think there's anything much to apologize for do you? As for the inside. . . well, he'll have to show you that himself some day.

Thank you Dilettante for letting us interrupt your day!

P.S. There's a Maine set on Flickr.

summer idylls

Back from Maine. Missing cool nights, salt air, blueberries, fresh corn, crab rolls, sticky popsicle fingers, and squeezy hugs. And for some reason Washington feels even hotter than ever now.

There are no house tours, or intellectual insights from this trip ~ just a series of summer idylls. Which (in my opinion) is just the way vacation should be.

My only complaint is that it all flew by so quickly. . .

trouvée: the schooner

This photograph is not inscribed. However, I am told it was taken on Owl's Head, Maine, in the summer of 1892. It is hard to believe this little scene was captured more than 100 years old, it seems so fresh. Ahhhh. . . some things never change. {click to view larger}

The gentleman and I are off to Maine early tomorrow morning. We will pick up my niece and nephew along the way, experienced beachcombers both.

Oh happy summer!

See you in a week. . .

summer cookin'

As you can imagine I have been doing everything I can to avoid cooking in this heat. So I have become a little obsessed with summer soups. Fresh flavors blended together, which once prepared can be pulled out of the fridge and quickly heated (or not!). And garlic, lots of garlic (!) seems to be the common element in almost everything I make. Of course the garlic scapes are gone for the season, but they were glorious while they lasted.

Here are some summer favorites:

* a bevy of garlic recipes
* green gazpacho
* sautéed zucchini
* and peaches!

Yum. What are you cooking these days?

(un)mellow yellow

A few last bits from De Wiersse ~ the wisteria in bloom was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I have almost finished uploading all the Netherlands photographs (see here!). Just a few more to go.

Transitioning back to this side of the Atlantic. . . there was a little piece in this month's Elle Decor that caught my eye, about the reinterpretation of some of the rooms at Monticello (if you blinked you would have missed it). The dining room has had a most dramatic makeover ~ going from periwinkle blue to a vibrant chrome yellow. And for the first time, the second floor and famous Dome Room will be open to the public. If you are interested, there's a good post here with lots more information and some really fabulous photographs.

trouvée: the farmer's wife

"The farmer takes a wife, the farmer takes a wife. . ." For some reason this photograph makes me want to giggle.

A few things:

* the Tenement Museum launches a new image database (really amazing, amazing stuff)
* Rokeby House ~ a stunning legacy or a family burden?
* and the Gettys in Tuscany (a different sort of legacy)

Gosh, it has been a busy week ~ reports to write, gardens to water, weddings to plan (you know, the usual). So I hope you'll forgive the spotty posting. I have a few goodies for next week though. Until then, have a wonderful weekend.

Oh, and do try to stay cool.

wine and rosés

Here is a great idea for a bachelorette party: invite a bunch of friends, hire a van and driver, and spend a day in the Virginia wine country. This past saturday we celebrated my friend Hillary's upcoming nuptials amidst the vines with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Just glorious.

Along the way I discovered a wonderful new rosé at La Grange winery. It smells just like strawberries, but tastes crisp and dry! I paired it with a bowl of José Andrés' Gazpacho al Estilo de Patricia, and a soft blue cheese. Perfecto!

night lights

In Washington you can almost set your watch by the summer thunderstorms. The heat builds all day, and the air become pregnant with electricity. Then POW! it all explodes in the evening. These photographs are from 11:00pm last night. The sky lit up with the most amazing pinks and lavenders.

Here's wishing you. . .

A peaceful night.

trouvée: sunshine

Time out for a trouvée! This one found in Texas earlier this year. Inscribed "too much sunshine" and printed by Hicks Photo Finishers, 3828 Georgia Ave. Washington, DC.

I saw two fabulous photography exhibitions in the Netherlands:

* In Atmospheric Light at Rembrandthuis
* and Amsterdam 1845-1875: The First Photographs at the Stadsarchief

They have since closed, but there are catalogues available in Dutch and English for both (available here and here).

Happy weekend. . . and enjoy that sunshine!

long summer evenings

Long summer evenings in Michigan, when the sun doesn't set until after 9:00. You sip wine on the porch and steal occasional kisses from your gentleman. You eat from the garden and cook on the grill. You watch fireflies signal to each other as they slowly float across the lawn.

And you are thankful ~ because these are moments of pure contentment.

into the garden

De Wiersse. I am almost speechless. The property, which dates back to the 13th century, has been cared for by the same family since 1678. The house is lovely and its collections beautifully curated, but it is the gardens that stunned us with their elegance and complexity. Even on a rainy day, we felt our nerves calm and our hearts lift. Our normally fast-paced walk become an involuntary saunter ~ through fields of buttercups accented by modernist topiaries, wooded glens, and idyllic vegetable, fruit and flower gardens.

I have an airplane to catch, so I will leave you with a view through the asparagus to what can only be described as the most glorious kitchen garden I have ever seen. There is more to come next week from de Weirsse (however, if you haven't the patience, you may wander through some photographs here).

Happy weekend.

green fields

Ahhhh. . . I am dreaming of cool summer greens. And fields of wildflowers that are anywhere but here. Because 102 degrees is much too much.

There is an extraordinary garden I am dying to show you (because I think it is time for a really good garden). Tomorrow, tomorrow. It will be worth the wait, I promise. There is a little something for everyone ~ from fields of buttercups and wooded allés to bowers of wisteria and espaliered fruit trees. Above is a sneak peek.

Until then. . .

Good night.

Stay cool.

xo

evening at rosendael

After a weekend of friends, food and fireworks, my head is back in the Netherlands. A little escapism from the horrible heat. . .

Today I am thinking of Rosendael. Architecturally, the house is a bit disjointed with a medieval keep and two 17th-century wings. Over the centuries it seems to have grown organically, added onto and modified in stages, rather than subjected to wholesale renovations. It has passed through only two families in its long history and is regarded as one of the most important houses in the Gelderland.

However, it is the landscape and gardens that truly make Rosendael a standout. Only a few miles from the German border, the terrain is hillier and more varied than most of the Netherlands. In the late 17th century, Daniel Marot was enlisted to transform the grounds into a stunning series of vistas, accented by decorative features and water follies (including the famous Bedriegertjes, or trick fountains). In the first half of the 19th century, J.D. Zocher the Younger was hired to redesign the grounds to something more picturesque. However, Marot's glorious shell grotto, painted pavilion, and fountains survive. Because of its proximity to the German border, the house and gardens sustained significant bomb damage during the Second World War. While the family tried valiantly to restore the property, it was eventually turned over to the Gelderland Landscape Trust in 1978. Since then the Trust has worked to bring the house back to its former glory, opening the house to the public in 1990. It is hard now to imagine such an idyllic setting in the midst of such violent warfare. But least we forget, the curator pointed out several books in the library, bullets still lodged in their spines.

More photographs here.

from vine to table

Well, if the hot weather is good for anything, it is tomatoes!

Hurrah! Our first summer salad of roof-top tomatoes (a medley of "Lemon Boy," "Cherokee," "Ace 55," and "Early Girl"). Served with local Virginia mozzarella, a healthy drizzle of Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. The fruits of our labor (literally). We shared them with our neighbors, along with homemade mint mojitos, cucumber salad tossed with lemon juice and dill, penne with spicy tomato sauce, and stuffing balls with corn, sage and rosemary. All the herbs came from the roof garden.

I hope you have something lovely planned for the weekend. Happy July 4th to my American friends! I'll be back next week with more from the Netherlands.

a bit more

Biljoen is exactly what, as a little girl, I imagined a fairy-tale castle should look like ~ its four perfect corner towers rising out of a picturesque moat surrounded by a lush forest. Inside the fairy princess would twirl (yes, twirl) around a ballroom, which just happens to be one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in the Netherlands.

However. . . the adult in me will tell you that Biljoen does indeed have a rather exciting history. It was built in 1530 by Duke Charles of the Gelderland on the foundations of an earlier medieval brick house. It passed through the hands of several owners in the 17th century before it was purchased in 1661 by Alexander van Spaen, who added the afore-mentioned towers, classic Dutch bell-shaped roofs, and ornamental chimneys. Shortly after, it was seized by Louis XIV and became the headquarters of the French army, suffering extensive damage at the hands of the soldiers.

A devastating fire in 1780 prompted Baron Johan Frederik Willem van Spaen to redecorate the house according to contemporary neo-classical taste. It was he who added the extraordinary stuccoed ballroom for which the house is famous ~ the now all-white walls of which would most likely have been robin's-egg blue. What a sight that would have been! Fortunately, the furniture in the room retains its original blue silk damask upholstery, albeit faded. And I would be remiss not to mention the sumptuous tapestry rooms. Over time, the rich greens of the woven forests have shifted to blue. . . indigo leaves and fanciful beasts lending the tapestries an other-worldly aura.

In the 1860s the architect E.H. Eberson was hired to renovate the house, adding the Renaissance-style decoration to the entrance and the van Spaen coat of arms above the door. Thereafter the house was purchased by the Lüps family, who lived in the house until 2009, when they sold it to the Gelderland Trust. The house is currently undergoing renovation and is not open to the public.

More photos here!

bits from biljoen

Oh. It is too hot to write. Would you mind a few photographs instead? I am dreaming of this beautiful place (I think it was my favorite). Take a peek inside over here. . . I promise more in time.

However, in spite of heat stroke, I should mention that I had the honor of attending the Attingham study program in the Netherlands with Craig Hansen of Enfilade fame. He is a true gentleman and scholar (and incidentally, brings a whole new dimension to six degrees of separation!). Today he has some interesting thoughts about the future of print magazines and blogging, and some very lovely words about me and the amazing Courtney Barnes. Thank you Craig!

Until tomorrow. Stay cool.

strawberries and cream

I had a request to follow the last house tour with another dessert, and I am more than happy to oblige. In fact, our visit to Twickel was followed by this divine dish ~ strawberry ice cream with a side of fresh strawberries and a healthy dollop of slagroom (whipped cream). Consumed al fresco in the setting June sun, I think these were the sweetest, most wonderful strawberries I have ever had. Really! Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Another confection to follow. . . of the architectural sort. In the mean time, grab yourself a big old tub of ice cream and have a yummy weekend!

Cheers!

twickel

Twickel Castle rises majestically out of the flat Dutch landscape near Delden, its grand Renaissance façade a rare architectural survivor of the 16th century. The 7,500-acre estate is remarkably complete for this day and age, with the black and white Twickel colors still proudly painted on the shutters of surrounding farm houses. The current house was completed in 1555 for Agnes van Twickelo and Gossen van Raesfelt, and expanded in the 1680s by Adriana Sophie van Raesfelt. The house remained fairly unchanged until 1847, when the north wing was added under the direction of a British architect, Robert Hesketh. It is generally not open to the public, but our group was able to study the house ~ literally from the attics to the kitchens. While I can not show you any of the interiors, I can delight you with the exteriors. . .

As with many old estates, the gardens at Twickel have evolved over the years. Daniel Marot was commissioned in 1711 to create a formal garden with a series of Baroque-style parterres, topiaries, fountains, and tree-lined allés. In the late 18th century the landscape architect Johann Georg Michael gave the gardens a more picturesque layout with meandering wooded walks, highlighted by a deer park. The 19th and 20th centuries also brought a series of garden renovations, including a new orangery (built 1847) and an English-style rose garden planted in 1907. And then there are of course the famous Twickel orange trees, many more than 300 years old (but more on that in a separate post).

Today the gardens are a happy marriage of formal and picturesque, recently restored and reinvigorated by the Dutch landscape designer Michael van Gessel to incorporate a series of landscape vistas, wildflower meadows, and water features. There is even a hermitage inspired by an early 19th-century design discovered in the archives!

More photographs here.

time out for poffertjes

Ahhh. . . that little Dutch pancake topped with a massive slab of butter and powdered sugar. Just in case you thought that while in the Netherlands all I consumed was raw herring and white asparagus, I must introduce you to the reason I may not fit into a wedding dress come October: the poffertje. I ate mine with fresh June strawberries, in the Grote Markt at Haarlem.

Another fabulous house tomorrow.

Happy tuesday!

duivenvoorde

Ahhh. . . quite possibly the moment you all have been waiting for ~ the houses! Day 3 dawned bright and sunny, and picture perfect for a visit to Duivenvoorde, home to generations of the famous van Wassenaer family. It is one of those houses I have read about and seen images of, but until I saw it in person, I had no idea how truly extraordinary it is. The estate has roots in the 13th century and has never been sold. The medieval house was extensively renovated between 1631 and 1717, taking on the shape seen today. It was largely neglected in the 18th century, and narrowly saved from demolition in the 19th. While most of the contents were sold in 1793, the house itself remains essentially unchanged. The entrance hall retains its original 17th-century painted ceiling, and between 1957 and 1963, renovations by E.H. Canneman revealed additional painted ceilings throughout the house.

Alas, no interior photographs were allowed. But there is a magnificent book (in Dutch only), which can be ordered through the website:

* Annette de Vries, Duivenvoorde: Bewoners, landgoed, kasteel, interieur en collectie (2010)

And I have more exterior photographs here.

Lots more from the Netherlands this week. Until then, enjoy this first day of summer. . .

on northern light

A few bits from inside "De Hoop" (the hope) windmill in Loenen ~ used for milling grain, not draining water. I was so entranced by the beautiful quality of light inside, creating an endless series of rustic Dutch still lifes, that I neglected to take a photograph of the mill itself. But, oh the power of wind! It is tremendous.

I was told that there were three classic Dutch experiences not to be missed ~ windmills, tulips, and raw young herring ~ all of which I enjoyed with gusto! Okay, the herring: it was a little tough to take in theory, but not nearly as unappealing in practice.

Cheers!

in Amsterdam

Day 1: the Amsterdam canal house! A fascinating study of 4 extraordinary 5-bay houses, and the evolution of the city and its architecture. The day began at the Burgemeester's House (or mayor's residence), moving on to the Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis, the Museum Willet-Holthuysen, and the Museum Van Loon (the latter retaining its original garden and coach house, albeit somewhat altered in the 18th century). The day ended with dinner and drinks in the garden of a private residence (a typical 3-bay canal house).

What became clear very quickly is that nothing in Amsterdam is static. While all of the houses we studied have occupied their plots since they were first built in the 17th century, they have evolved over time to reflect the changing tastes and lifestyles of the intervening centuries.

For some history the development of Amsterdam and its canal ring, see:

* Paul Spies, The Canals of Amsterdam (1991) ~ currently out of print, but due to be revised and reprinted in 2013

* and Amsterdam's Canal Belt: The Expansion of Amsterdam in the Golden Age, on view at the Rijksmuseum, 1 June - 6 September 2010

(above: a 17th-century leaded glass window in the collection of the Willet-Holthuysen)

P.S. I started a Netherlands set on flickr. . . ahhh, slowly, slowly.

summer idylls

Eight days in the Netherlands studying art and architecture ~ an amazing romp through 19 houses, 4 palaces, 5 museums, 1 windmill, and a beautiful collection of gardens. While we took most of it in at a full gallop, there were also some blissfully idyllic moments when we slowed down just long enough to smell the roses (or sip tea in a picture-perfect village garden).

A little light reading:

* Eric de Jong, Nature and Art: Dutch Garden and Landscape Architecture, 1650-1740 (1993)

(top: roses at Gunterstein; bottom: a garden in Loenen)

first impressions

A few bits from the Netherlands ~ day 2 in Loenen, along the River Vecht. There are over 1000 images in my camera, and even more in my head. I think I need to sleep on it all for a couple days, so words to follow next week.

In the mean time ~ have a wonderful weekend!

a summer sojourn

It is time to leave this space for a bit. Distant shores have beckoned. I will be back later this month with a few palace gardens, and a country house or two to share.

Here are some of the things on my current reading list:

* Heimerick Tromp, Private Country Houses in the Netherlands (1997)

* John Loughman and John Michael Montias, Public and Private Spaces: Works of Art in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Houses (2000)

* Mariët Westermann, Art & Home: Dutch Interiors in the Age of Rembrandt (2003)

* Simon Schama, The Embarrassment of Riches (1987)

Be well.