ART!

I love art. Maybe if I had to do it all over again, I would have been an Art History major in college. I try to be artistic. There are so many artists of this generation that are truly amazing. Undiscovered treasures (I know, cliche - but I mean it!). Here are some of my favorites:

Klari Reis (my friend!): http://www.klarireis.com/
Klari has studied in London and is well known over there. She's back in her hometown of San Francisco and will surely do just as well on this side of the pond. Her pieces reflect the joining of science and art.

Kathryn Dinlevie: http://www.kathryndunlevie.com/
Amazing photographic collages.

Damian Loeb: http://www.damianloeb.com/
"Hyper-realist paintings on urban themes"

Paradiso Perduto

There are certain things I remember of my childhood. A few of the most prominent memories are the summer days I spent with family in Quogue, NY. The main house was where I stayed when I got older. As a child I would sleep in the "Folley" at night. All of the houses there had names, some official, others not so. The Folley had a closet of antique toys and was nestled in the woods so deep in fact, if you didn't know the main house was only about 50 yards away you would think you were in the thick of the wilderness of Maine, not in the Hamptons.

The big red barn was next to the small red barn where my Uncle (actually my dad's cousin) would park his old red Ford truck. The big red barn no longer housed horses but treasures of the past. An old horse drawn carriage. Paintings that made it across the Atlantic from Paris but didn't quite make it into the main house. An old English saddle my Aunt had brought back from South Africa after living in Johannesburg for many years. I could still smell the Saddle Soap on it. I imagined riding a stately Thoroughbred across the fields of the estate in Quogue.

The backyard of the main house was where the croquet tournaments were held. "Tournaments" a term used loosely. Wickets were set up arbitrarily in the late afternoon and the game would usually start shortly after dinner. Drinks on the patio, stories of travel to far off places, political debates (sometimes heated) and my Uncle with a cigar in his mouth and a mallet in his hand making his way around the croquet course (usually referred to has a "court") that was set up. There was often a shot where you had to maneuver around a tree or a tree stump, often while being heckled form onlookers sitting on the veranda. I would imagine it was quite fun for the adults, especially after they'd had a drink or two.

The vegetable garden was set on about a half an acre and aside from the wild raspberries that grew around the parameter it was painstakingly planted every spring by the gardener who had become family. In one corner there was an old claw-foot bathtub for washing veggies.

"They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot

With a pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot"

-Joni Mitchell

One of my best friends lives in Southampton a few towns over from Quogue. Quogue has a sleepy village main street where I used to ride my bike in the summers. Quogue (knock on wood) has retained much of it's quiet charm. East Quogue is home to several beach bars etc.

"The Hamptons" always had a air of exclusivity. Even back in the 40's and 50's when our parents were young and our grandparents would summer there it had that reputation. There have been families there for generations, families who passed these homes and cottages down through the generations to keep these homes, the property in their family.

So now there are some monstrosities of architecture out there now. Castles built by new money, flashy wealth. People who would rather die then have a red Ford pick-up in their garage. There are people coming out from all over calling the Hamptons their own, if only to rent a share for the summer with 15 other people. This is a place for everybody, as long as everybody treats it with respect and doesn't "dumb it down" as it was been done so often in the past 10 years or so.

Please visit this site: http://www.savesagharbor.com/homepage.html

There is something to be said for a town that has a charming main street. For me, it makes it feel more like home - especially when you can walk into a shop and they know your name! Sag Harbor is a town where my best friend spent summers before she got married and moved to Southampton. Sag Harbor is the most charming town I have ever seen. There has been a push there to save the town from chain stores moving in, especially on their lovely main street. Many of the shops that are there now have been handed down from generations before. I can't picture a chain store in the village of Quogue (nor do I want to!). As a child I remember asking my Uncle if there was any sort of fast-food restaurant in Quogue. He would proudly respond with a resounding "NO!".

These towns and enclaves need to be looked after by those who love them. Convenience is nice but charm is nicer.

Great Expectations

I am going to write this to share random thoughts. Key word being "random". I guess that's a bit cliche as many (if not most) blogs do just that.


Let's get started being lovely. Here are some of the things that inspire me that don't include of course family, friends and heroes in life who need not do anything but be themselvs and are inspirational in so many ways.



First list of lovely things:


1. Summers in Quogue (more on this later).

2. A bunch of tea roses in an antique silver vase.

3. Anything written by Willa Cather.

4. Authentic Persian food.


5. Beautiful fabrics. Check out http://www.luludk.com/ Some of the most wonderful fabrics I've seen lately. Be sure to read about the designer, Lulu De Kwiatkowsi's inspirations. She is truly talented.

6. The book "Great Expectations" and the remake of the film made in 1998 starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. Great cinematography. Exceptional movie!