From a group of photographs I found last week at an antiques mall in Weimar, Texas (along with an 1830 Irish sterling silver serving spoon!). Ahhh...treasures. No inscription or date, but if a picture can be worth a thousand words, I certainly think this one is. {click to view larger}
Sitting on a lush, green bend of the bayou in Houston is an extraordinary house and collection: Bayou Bend, once home to the inestimable Ima Hogg, whose collection of American furniture and decorative arts rivaled that of the Duponts. The Spanish Colonial revival mansion, oak trees, and verdant gardens seem right at home in Texas. But step inside and one feels transported back East ~ to old Boston, Newport, New York, and Philadelphia. The house showcases some of the best American craftsmanship from the 17th through the 19th century. You may see a few of the rooms here, but for a more in-depth study, there are two wonderful publications: America's Treasures at Bayou Bend (with gorgeous color illustrations), and American Decorative Arts and Paintings in the Bayou Bend Collection (a full scholarly catalogue of the collections). 
Along the riverwalk in San Antonio. So abundantly green ~ an urban oasis. Oh, and the McNay Art Museum is beautiful (its buildings, collections and people)! 
"Goin' places that I've never been / Seein' things that I may never see again…" Down in Texas for a work trip, somewhere on the road between San Antonio and Houston with Willie Nelson running through my head.
Set on a remote tract of land along the James River in Surry County, Virginia, is an extraordinary gem of colonial architecture ~ Bacon's Castle. A rare survivor. Built in 1665 by a wealthy landowner, Arthur Allen, it is the only extant brick Jacobean house in the United States. Featuring unique brickwork, three-part chimneys, and curvilinear gables, the exterior of the original house has changed little in almost 350 years. The most notable modifications include the replacement of the leaded glass windows and the relocation of the main entrance to a 19th-century addition. The first wooden addition was built around 1815, replaced in 1854 by the current brick version.
(more photos here)
This photograph is one of several I purchased recently on eBay. Taken in the environs surrounding Bala Cynwyd and Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, the photograph came from a album once belonging to the family of the artist Grace Thorpe Gemberling Keast. Keast was born in Philadelphia in 1903, studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and exhibited in the Salons of America and Corcoran Biennials. (Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a few more from the Gemberling album!)
Last tuesday, the gentleman and I took a trip to Dumbarton Oaks ~ the wisteria was in full bloom and the scent of spring blossoms hung gently in the warm air. We sat under a canopy of crabapple trees, and watched as the evening sun began to cast long shadows. 
I loved reading all of your Williamsburg memories! Thank you for sharing them. Sorry I have been absent lately...the past week has been a whirlwind! And there so much more to share from Virginia (and beyond). In the mean time:
Red bud trees, blue skies, and soft breezes. I really think Virginia is at its best in the spring. 
A recent eBay find (from Germany!). No inscription or date. The photographer obviously had an artistic eye ~ I love the dark rich tones of the cabbages and the bright white of the bunnies. {click to view larger}
Once again, Meg at Pigtown*Design and Chris at Easy & Elegant Life are hosting April Food Day, uniting bloggers in an effort to raise money for Feeding America, an organization dedicated to feeding those Americans who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. And now, more than ever, Americans are feeling the pinch. So, if you can, please help by donating to Feeding America (here), or to your local food bank. Together we can make a difference. Or at the very least put a few meals on the table.
Please excuse me for the lack of posts. I think the cherry blossoms have gone to my head.
I promised myself last week that I would not post any more pink blossoms. But then on saturday, I was walking on Capitol Hill and spotted this weeping cherry. It was windy and the branches were swaying, tangling me in an embrace of pink petals. It was impossible to get my camera to focus, so I just started snapping photos in the hope that something would would come of it. Well, you need only indulge me a few more days. Soon the air will be filled with those little petals, settling in my hair and collecting in little piles along the sidewalk. They go as quickly and quietly as they come. 
No inscription or date. This image feels like it was taken in the early spring ~ two friends enjoying the warmth of the sun after a long winter. Too cool for white linen dresses, but just perfect for a respite "sur l'herbe."
When it comes to spring, too much is never enough. 
Soft colors ~ pink, blue, and grey (and the reason my allergies are so bad). These from a walk on sunday. It has been raining since. Dark clouds, and one violent crack of thunder. If there is one season this city does well, it is spring (those of you complaining that you haven't seen a single daffodil yet, let's discuss Washington in August). 
Spring arrived gently on Saturday, embracing the city with warm air and sweet scents.
Uninscribed, undated. Probably 1940s. Just a wonderfully happy photograph! {click to view larger}
This morning I saw daffodils. And lines of Canada geese in sky, headed north. Spring is in the air!
Witch-hazel (Hamamelis). A lone winter bloomer. Defying the rain and the cold on a grey Washington day.
Yesterday my alarm went off at some ungodly hour. It was dark and rainy, but I jumped out of bed in anticipation of an outing to Woodlawn for the annual needlework show. I am not a morning person, so that tells you something. Needlework and a historic house ~ how fabulous is that? The quality of the work was (as always) incredible and truly inspiring, but I have to admit that the highlight for me is lunch in the tea room ~ home-made quiche and lemon tarts. Holy moly those little tarts are good. (Some year I will get my hands on the recipe.)
I saw this tintype and was immediately taken by it. It is so rare to find a portrait of this period made outdoors ~ I love the field, the tree, the ghost of a house in the distance (and the slightly tinted cheeks). {click to view larger}
Several months ago the gentleman sent me a link for a wonderful blog on American Garden History. I was immediately smitten, and followed it obsessively. The only thing was that the author was anonymous, and comments were not enabled. And yet, I felt guilty being such an unabashed lurker. So, you can imagine my thrill when I received an email a couple weeks ago from its author, saying she had started a new blog focusing on her personal inspirations...and would I mind if she featured my blog (would I?!?). Well, it's about time I returned the compliment ~ please meet Barbara, whose daily musings on the stars and the moon, her sweet family, and frequent garden wanderings never fail to delight. 
It has been a long winter, and my waist line has, I am afraid . . . ((expanded)) slightly. So, Schulie Madnick's new food posts over on Department of Interior come none too soon ~ culinary inspirations from my own farmers market no less! Simple, tasty foods, using local ingredients. I also love this recipe from Jamie Oliver ~ a healthy twist on a personal favorite (fettuccine with asparagus). 
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