The summer movie season began officially for me last weekend when we took in The Great Gatsby at The Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. Built in 1926, just a year after Gatsby was first published, the Grand Lake boasts marvelous Art Deco interiors and some awfully sweet concessionaires. The story fell flat for me but the [...]
Today is my baby boy’s 22nd birthday. Like all three of my children, he ignored his due date and lingered with me for awhile. Though my midwife Peggy (aka the Babycatcher) knew this was a pattern with me and mine, she thought the baby was getting too big and decided she better hurry things along. “Happy [...]
Heath Ceramics has made iconic tableware and tile since 1948 and its popularity has seen a real resurgence of late. When my daughter registered for Heath tableware prior to her wedding this past December, a good friend let me know that she had also registered for Heath nearly fifty years ago when she got married. Today [...]
The night that Boston police were shooting it up with the Tsarnaev brothers, I was at our favorite restaurant Camino celebrating vegetables. Renowned cookbook author Deborah Madison was in town and Camino was hosting a dinner for Madison with a menu inspired by the recipes from her new cookbook Vegetable Literacy. I’d like to tell [...]
Look for an extensive overview of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase in the Bay Area News Group papers this Saturday, but in the meantime here’s a peak at design elements that felt fresh and noteworthy this year. Contemporary Art as Inspiration Check out the Cy Twombly inspired floors in Catherine Kwong’s living room, above. See those [...]
Like the pairing of a clever black cocktail dress with a custom strand of pearls, the 36th annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase is both sophisticated and provocative. This showcase speaks to those of us who crave less clutter and more meaningful design. After touring the disciplined and compelling rooms this morning, I’m excited to share [...]
My Boston kids are on lockdown and I’m locked on to news sites again. What a crazy, distressing week this has been. I’ve been so grateful for peaceable things this week, including several walks through Mountain View cemetery where I saw how the quality of light can change everything. Like the way this stone angel’s [...]
Picking up from last Friday’s post—a mama racoon died unexpectedly right here beneath the floorboards of our home and her cubs went missing and that’s left me unsettled all week. But there was also a happy circle-of-life surprise this week. My niece Kristen gave birth to little Lila Sharon and all of a sudden I [...]
I thought I’d be rhapsodizing about cherry blossoms this morning. Instead, I’m waiting for the Opossum Angel of Death to remove a dying critter from my crawl space. Mother Nature is full of complexities. A few nights ago as I lay reading in bed, I heard something scratching underneath our bedroom floorboards and woke my [...]
Reading about how a walk in nature can relieve brain fatigue (no kidding) makes me even more grateful to be surrounded by rejuvenating spring greens this time of year. Other things that perked me up this week: 1. These charming Coach videos of old and young fashionistas playing dress up together (via Advanced Style). 2. [...]
