I just learned about Hester's bags. They are simply divine. Very European, very mod! See the link below which shows some samples. You can also find her on her website.
I can hear the theme to Austin Powers playing right now. All I need is my orange and pink color blocked mini dress and I am stylin', baby!
Gorgeous bags
And her website! Hester van Eeghen
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Let's hear it for Savannah (and Hilton Head Island)
I just stumbled across this National Geographic posting about Savannah, with a brief shout-out to Hilton Head Island. I have a second home in the Low Country (someday to be my winter home) and this article gives me some ideas for my next visit. Below is a photo I took in Savannah in November.
Things to do with kids in Savannah
Things to do with kids in Savannah
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Paris in Brown
More of the series... I had a productive weekend, I made a mock-up of the coffee table book I'd like to make from this series.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Paris a l'Orange
Good morning everyone.
I have started the slow (v. slow) process of sorting my many photos into categories which are not merely "by trip". You know how you will see books/posters of "the doors of Rome!" or "fountains of Paris"? Same general idea - I am sorting by colors.
First up is Paris, and I've sorted a few colors already. This one is called "Paris a l'Orange" and it is various photos of Paris which have a pop of orange in them.
I hope you like the series.
I have started the slow (v. slow) process of sorting my many photos into categories which are not merely "by trip". You know how you will see books/posters of "the doors of Rome!" or "fountains of Paris"? Same general idea - I am sorting by colors.
First up is Paris, and I've sorted a few colors already. This one is called "Paris a l'Orange" and it is various photos of Paris which have a pop of orange in them.
I hope you like the series.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Home from a long weekend in Madrid - more to come
Hola y buenos dias!
I had a whirlwind trip to Madrid, just three nights. Here are a few photos from the trip. Just a few.
Plaza de la Villa:
Plaza Mayor:
Looking down San Jeronimo, at the church of the same name:
Mercado San Miguel (two):
From a tapas walking tour with Andres Jarabo. The cheese is Tresviso-Bejar-Picon and the sherry is Pedro Ximenez-Bodegas Lustao.
I had a whirlwind trip to Madrid, just three nights. Here are a few photos from the trip. Just a few.
Plaza de la Villa:
Plaza Mayor:
Looking down San Jeronimo, at the church of the same name:
Mercado San Miguel (two):
From a tapas walking tour with Andres Jarabo. The cheese is Tresviso-Bejar-Picon and the sherry is Pedro Ximenez-Bodegas Lustao.
My first ever trip to Spain. Three nights in the capital - I took advantage of the long holiday weekend.
Highlights, with details to follow:
I stayed at the AC Palacio del Retiro. This is a 5 star converted palace (prior owner was the family who owned Spain's high speed rail system)) bang across the street from Parque del Buen Retiro. It well deserves its stars. It isn't huge, I'd say maybe 50, 60 rooms and a cozy reception area (contrast that with the Westin Palace for instance). High high ceilings and lots of wrought iron. The rooms are sleek, modern, and huge. The people were so nice and helpful and the food/wine was fantastic.
Prado, and especially the Hermitage at the Prado. More on this later. It was so thrilling to me to see treasures from the Hermitage because who knows when I will make it there.
Reina Sofia - Picasso's Guernica.
Thyssen Bornemisza, and, as a special treat, when I set out Saturday the concierge let me know that the Thyssen had a special exhibit at their adjunct museum (which was not far from San Gines) which was just perfect. I am a huge Canaletto fan, and this exhibit was about him and his "rivals". My thoughts are that his rivals were all worthy, but seeing his work next to theirs reminded me of the difference between a regular photograph and then one taken with a polarizer. There is extra "pop" evident in his paintings that isn't quite there in the others.
Mercado San Miguel! LOVED IT. I wandered through all of it early, but as I had just eaten a late breakfast I didn't tarry. I went back around 4 PM and it was so crowded I couldn't find a place to even prop myself up. So many people enjoying the beautiful day and having food and drinks with their friends. Just lovely. So much fun. I'd love to go back with friends. Madrid (and I bet all of Spain?) seems like their people really enjoy the social life.
San Gines chocolateria. Of course. Gotta have churros and chocolate!
Palacio Real.
The wandering. I didn't wander as much as I would have liked, even though I did a LOT of walking. Wandering is aimless, my walking had aims for the most part (though some of it didn't). The perils of going for such a short trip.
The vino!
The sherry!
The queso!
The jamon! All of it!
The tapas! I wish I were there again. Somehow seems more fun when you combine "bar hopping" with some food too. More relaxed, less of a meat market feeling.
The Westin Palace. After the Thyssen (which was after the Reina Sofia) I decided just to plop. And plop I did, under the dome. A glass of vino tinto and a small meal.
Buen Retiro Park and the feral kitties I saw playing around the massive Monument to Alfonso XII. Also the police on horseback.
I had utterly no idea that they drank vermouth on tap.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor had a lot of jewels, doo dah, doo dah
Last weekend I made a quickie trip to Manhattan to view Elizabeth Taylor's mind-boggling collection of jewels, designer clothes, and all sorts of STUFF before they went on the auction block. I think today is the last day of the exhibit, as a matter of fact.
At any rate, here is a brief writeup on the exhibit:
Originally, I was going to take my Mom with me for this exhibit. My friend Colleen was interested too and in fact I bought three tickets. My Mom didn't go, and it's a bummer because she would definitely have appreciated this. She's a decade younger than Liz Taylor and Liz was "the it girl" during my Mom's younger years. She even has a coat very similar to the one Liz wore in Butterfield 8 (and now I have it).
I had hoped to get up early enough to make it back down to City Bakery for a care package of their pretzel croissants. I was going to take a half dozen home with me. Alas, I woke up about the time I had hoped to be walking out the door. Plenty of time to make it to Christie's, but not enough to go down to 18th street and then back up to Rockefeller Center.
When we got to Christie's (across from the Rainbow Room entrance at Rockefeller Center) the line was already starting to form. We were third in line but it quickly grew behind us. One lady a few steps behind us was all dolled up like Liz Taylor in her middle years. Not the caftan years, a bit slimmer than that. Bouffant hairdo, lots of makeup, and wearing a sort of evening gown with a black "mink" coat. Visions of a Star Trek convention briefly passed before my eyes...
The exhibit starts with all of her jewelry boxes (or rather, all the ones they were auctioning, no doubt there were many more). A LOT of jewelry boxes. She was much loved by a lot of wealthy people! As we waited to go upstairs to the start of the main exhibit, there was a continuous loop playing of snippets of her movies and a few of her gowns were on display in the lobby. Keep in mind - Christie's used ALL of its display space for this exhibit. This was museum quality. Very well lit, well spaced, descriptions for everything (which of course it had to be, this is the exhibit before the actual auction).
The exhibit then started upstairs with her many different gowns and some recognizable clothes. For instance, they had the daisy applique "hot pants" ensemble she wore on the plane when visiting her first grandchild for the first time (age 39). Yes, Hot Pants Gramma. I saw the photo (online) and she even had white go-go boots for the trip. No, the go-go boots were not there.
They grouped her clothes together, for instance, one room was for the "caftan era". Yes, I know she was not in the best shape during this time, with many health issues and overweight. These caftans were just stunning, and made by a variety of designers. I'd be more than happy to wear many of them. Some of her clothes in this exhibit were in appallingly bad taste (even though very expensive and "camp"), but most of them were fabulous. One set was a layering of a dress and other items, all in different flower prints. And pleated, IIRC. Just, ugh. But that was the exception rather than the rule I'd say. Oh yeah, and the sequined jacket with her Cleopatra face in various angles all over the back of it. Not her finest hour (and I think that jacket was from a famous designer, too). They had her two wedding dresses to each marriage to Richard Burton, for instance. GOR-GEOUS. Just beautiful. I wonder, now that I think about it, if I saw anything from the Larry Fortensky years. Shudder.
There was a small room which was designed to look like a replica of her walk in closet for her handbags. SOME of her handbags, correction. Just how big was her house? or houses? Where did she put all this stuff? What if she wanted to wear a certain pair of shoes and it turned out to be at her one coastal house and she was at the house on the other coast? Awk-ward!
There was a huge pile of her Louis Vuitton luggage. Many of them had her special luggage tags: lavender, with the word MINE! on each one. Wouldn't her steamer trunk look lovely in the living room?
There was a collection of her Chanel items - handbags, belts and suits. There was the outfit she wore when she was awarded her OBE. Yes, the one she wore before the Queen. A lavender pantsuit. One room had an assembling of a handful of her director's chairs. OK, I WANT a director's chair that says Elizabeth Taylor! There was even one that said Richard Burton.
Her jewelry went on for room after room. Mostly (if not all) bespoke jewelry - don't forget that. Van Cleef and Arpels. Bvlgari. Boucheron. Cartier. This was absolutely jewels fit for royalty and it's utterly amazing that one person owned all of this. I have to ask - is there ANY celebrity today who even comes close to this? That kind of glamour has gone out of style with celebs, hasn't it? Or not? And no, I'm not referring to the Kardashians (shudder). The friend who went with me has friends who work for auction houses and they told her that these jewels would disappear into the Persian Gulf, never to be seen again. I believe it, once they get bid up, who else could afford them?
There was yet another room with her various artwork. A Van Gogh (Vue de l’Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Rémy) was my favorite. I hope it doesn't go to a private collection, never to be seen again.
And I have to point out that a portion of the proceeds is going to her charity, ETAF. This isn't all for her estate.
I am so glad I went. This was the last chance to get even a glimpse of the life of one of Hollywood's legends - and I say that even though I'm not an E! watcher or a People magazine reader (OK, OK, except when the Sexiest Man Issue comes out). She had a hand in planning for this auction, and you felt somewhat like you were at her wake - but a happy wake, not one where everyone was sad and crying. A celebration of her life. She definitely Lived Life Large.
I only wish I could take a day off and head up to watch the actual auction. Talk about people watching extraordinaire. I should have mentioned one thing I wish I did: I didn't step back from the exhibit and just watch. I was so intent on viewing everything, and reading various placards, that I didn't just stop and watch the people. Obviously I saw the people hovering near me, and heard snippets of conversations... but I should have stepped back and let the room flow around me for a while.
And there you have it!
One photo from the weekend (none were allowed in the exhibit, of course):
At any rate, here is a brief writeup on the exhibit:
Originally, I was going to take my Mom with me for this exhibit. My friend Colleen was interested too and in fact I bought three tickets. My Mom didn't go, and it's a bummer because she would definitely have appreciated this. She's a decade younger than Liz Taylor and Liz was "the it girl" during my Mom's younger years. She even has a coat very similar to the one Liz wore in Butterfield 8 (and now I have it).
I had hoped to get up early enough to make it back down to City Bakery for a care package of their pretzel croissants. I was going to take a half dozen home with me. Alas, I woke up about the time I had hoped to be walking out the door. Plenty of time to make it to Christie's, but not enough to go down to 18th street and then back up to Rockefeller Center.
When we got to Christie's (across from the Rainbow Room entrance at Rockefeller Center) the line was already starting to form. We were third in line but it quickly grew behind us. One lady a few steps behind us was all dolled up like Liz Taylor in her middle years. Not the caftan years, a bit slimmer than that. Bouffant hairdo, lots of makeup, and wearing a sort of evening gown with a black "mink" coat. Visions of a Star Trek convention briefly passed before my eyes...
The exhibit starts with all of her jewelry boxes (or rather, all the ones they were auctioning, no doubt there were many more). A LOT of jewelry boxes. She was much loved by a lot of wealthy people! As we waited to go upstairs to the start of the main exhibit, there was a continuous loop playing of snippets of her movies and a few of her gowns were on display in the lobby. Keep in mind - Christie's used ALL of its display space for this exhibit. This was museum quality. Very well lit, well spaced, descriptions for everything (which of course it had to be, this is the exhibit before the actual auction).
The exhibit then started upstairs with her many different gowns and some recognizable clothes. For instance, they had the daisy applique "hot pants" ensemble she wore on the plane when visiting her first grandchild for the first time (age 39). Yes, Hot Pants Gramma. I saw the photo (online) and she even had white go-go boots for the trip. No, the go-go boots were not there.
They grouped her clothes together, for instance, one room was for the "caftan era". Yes, I know she was not in the best shape during this time, with many health issues and overweight. These caftans were just stunning, and made by a variety of designers. I'd be more than happy to wear many of them. Some of her clothes in this exhibit were in appallingly bad taste (even though very expensive and "camp"), but most of them were fabulous. One set was a layering of a dress and other items, all in different flower prints. And pleated, IIRC. Just, ugh. But that was the exception rather than the rule I'd say. Oh yeah, and the sequined jacket with her Cleopatra face in various angles all over the back of it. Not her finest hour (and I think that jacket was from a famous designer, too). They had her two wedding dresses to each marriage to Richard Burton, for instance. GOR-GEOUS. Just beautiful. I wonder, now that I think about it, if I saw anything from the Larry Fortensky years. Shudder.
There was a small room which was designed to look like a replica of her walk in closet for her handbags. SOME of her handbags, correction. Just how big was her house? or houses? Where did she put all this stuff? What if she wanted to wear a certain pair of shoes and it turned out to be at her one coastal house and she was at the house on the other coast? Awk-ward!
There was a huge pile of her Louis Vuitton luggage. Many of them had her special luggage tags: lavender, with the word MINE! on each one. Wouldn't her steamer trunk look lovely in the living room?
There was a collection of her Chanel items - handbags, belts and suits. There was the outfit she wore when she was awarded her OBE. Yes, the one she wore before the Queen. A lavender pantsuit. One room had an assembling of a handful of her director's chairs. OK, I WANT a director's chair that says Elizabeth Taylor! There was even one that said Richard Burton.
Her jewelry went on for room after room. Mostly (if not all) bespoke jewelry - don't forget that. Van Cleef and Arpels. Bvlgari. Boucheron. Cartier. This was absolutely jewels fit for royalty and it's utterly amazing that one person owned all of this. I have to ask - is there ANY celebrity today who even comes close to this? That kind of glamour has gone out of style with celebs, hasn't it? Or not? And no, I'm not referring to the Kardashians (shudder). The friend who went with me has friends who work for auction houses and they told her that these jewels would disappear into the Persian Gulf, never to be seen again. I believe it, once they get bid up, who else could afford them?
There was yet another room with her various artwork. A Van Gogh (Vue de l’Asile et de la Chapelle de Saint-Rémy) was my favorite. I hope it doesn't go to a private collection, never to be seen again.
And I have to point out that a portion of the proceeds is going to her charity, ETAF. This isn't all for her estate.
I am so glad I went. This was the last chance to get even a glimpse of the life of one of Hollywood's legends - and I say that even though I'm not an E! watcher or a People magazine reader (OK, OK, except when the Sexiest Man Issue comes out). She had a hand in planning for this auction, and you felt somewhat like you were at her wake - but a happy wake, not one where everyone was sad and crying. A celebration of her life. She definitely Lived Life Large.
I only wish I could take a day off and head up to watch the actual auction. Talk about people watching extraordinaire. I should have mentioned one thing I wish I did: I didn't step back from the exhibit and just watch. I was so intent on viewing everything, and reading various placards, that I didn't just stop and watch the people. Obviously I saw the people hovering near me, and heard snippets of conversations... but I should have stepped back and let the room flow around me for a while.
And there you have it!
One photo from the weekend (none were allowed in the exhibit, of course):
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Charleston in B&W
I spent part of this week in the Low Country, visiting my house at the beach. It's time to "winterize" which means turning the settings from AC to heat (with a low threshold of course - 50 degrees before the heat will come on. Or would that be a high threshold?).
Incidentally, while I was in Charleston I had lunch at a very fine restaurant quite by accident. I called FIG during my commute to Charleston and they were closed for lunch but recommended Husk instead.
Husk serves Low Country cuisine and it is all locally sourced. Sean Brock, the chef, won the James Beard "Best Chef Southeast" in 2010. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful Queen Anne building which was built in the late 1800s. Below is the link about Sean, but click around and look at the photos of this pretty building, too.
http://www.huskrestaurant.com/sean-brock-2/
I found a NY Times article on Husk as well. What luck - I hadn't even heard of Husk just hours before I ate there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/dining/09notebook.html
At any rate, I spent the afternoon wandering around Charleston. I have fifteen web-worthy photos from that day, of which five I mirrored in B&W. Here they are:
And just one color one:
Incidentally, while I was in Charleston I had lunch at a very fine restaurant quite by accident. I called FIG during my commute to Charleston and they were closed for lunch but recommended Husk instead.
Husk serves Low Country cuisine and it is all locally sourced. Sean Brock, the chef, won the James Beard "Best Chef Southeast" in 2010. The restaurant is housed in a beautiful Queen Anne building which was built in the late 1800s. Below is the link about Sean, but click around and look at the photos of this pretty building, too.
http://www.huskrestaurant.com/sean-brock-2/
I found a NY Times article on Husk as well. What luck - I hadn't even heard of Husk just hours before I ate there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/dining/09notebook.html
At any rate, I spent the afternoon wandering around Charleston. I have fifteen web-worthy photos from that day, of which five I mirrored in B&W. Here they are:
And just one color one:
If you'd like to see all my photos from the week, here is the link:
Monday, October 10, 2011
15 photos
I got home from France a month ago. These are my favorite photos from the trip. There is no donkey in these photos!
Sunday, October 2, 2011
It has been too long...
Where did the summer go? Has it really been 2.5 months since my last post? Ouch. I wonder if anyone who used to follow me will notice I posted a new photo today.
It has been a busy summer! I got home from Norway in July and the summer flew until my trip to Annecy/Lyon/Paris in early September. Heck, I left a MONTH ago on that trip! How did your summer go?
I took this photo in the Opera Garnier (gift shop). Love Repetto. I hope my niece decides to dance, I will take her to Paris for her shoes. I myself bought three pairs at their store on Rue de la Paix.
It has been a busy summer! I got home from Norway in July and the summer flew until my trip to Annecy/Lyon/Paris in early September. Heck, I left a MONTH ago on that trip! How did your summer go?
I took this photo in the Opera Garnier (gift shop). Love Repetto. I hope my niece decides to dance, I will take her to Paris for her shoes. I myself bought three pairs at their store on Rue de la Paix.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Norway... or Switzerland?
I'm so glad I finally visited Norway after putting off the trip for years. Something else always came up. "Next year", I'd say. This was the year and Backroads was the host. Hat tip to Matt and Lucia our fantastic fearless leaders (which I guess made the rest of us fearless followers).
And now I know what I'll find there: towering mountains cleaved by fjords; glaciers still crashing, slow motion, into the terrain; thundering waterfalls and shoe-soaking springs; ferries which dot the fjords and which are in turn dwarfed by the mountains - and don't forget all the sheep. Puffy clouds and blue skies, except when they are thick and heavy with rain or fog. Tiny red (or yellow, or green) clapboard summer homes mirrored in the clear green fjords. Ancient stave churches that were contemporaries of pre-Norman invasion England (!!) and, more recently, Victorian homes and English churches. Words that look suspiciously close to German. Friendly people with an enviable quality of life. Summer sun that just won't quit (except when it's, um, raining, or foggy). I am curious about the opposite effect of the midnight sun - now I'm thinking about a winter trip on the Hurtigruten to see the Northern Lights. Ooh, wouldn't that be fun.
Stunningly beautiful scenery and stunningly spendy costs. 900 NOK for cab fare between Oslo's airport and my hotel - each way! That's an anecdote that is going to have legs. Norway looks like Switzerland, kind of, but it's even more expensive. No mean feat.
I think I want to work for a Norwegian oil company - I met a guy on one of the flights who said employees get something like four weeks off for every two weeks you work.
And now I know what I'll find there: towering mountains cleaved by fjords; glaciers still crashing, slow motion, into the terrain; thundering waterfalls and shoe-soaking springs; ferries which dot the fjords and which are in turn dwarfed by the mountains - and don't forget all the sheep. Puffy clouds and blue skies, except when they are thick and heavy with rain or fog. Tiny red (or yellow, or green) clapboard summer homes mirrored in the clear green fjords. Ancient stave churches that were contemporaries of pre-Norman invasion England (!!) and, more recently, Victorian homes and English churches. Words that look suspiciously close to German. Friendly people with an enviable quality of life. Summer sun that just won't quit (except when it's, um, raining, or foggy). I am curious about the opposite effect of the midnight sun - now I'm thinking about a winter trip on the Hurtigruten to see the Northern Lights. Ooh, wouldn't that be fun.
Stunningly beautiful scenery and stunningly spendy costs. 900 NOK for cab fare between Oslo's airport and my hotel - each way! That's an anecdote that is going to have legs. Norway looks like Switzerland, kind of, but it's even more expensive. No mean feat.
I think I want to work for a Norwegian oil company - I met a guy on one of the flights who said employees get something like four weeks off for every two weeks you work.
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