enough said.
11.29.2009
11.28.2009
vacation
well, i was lucky enough to have been on vacation this thanksgiving week. it is actually the continuation of a tradition & in these uncertain economic times, i feel very lucky to have been able to continue the tradition this year.
back in the mid-80's, a friend & colleague of mine purchased a home in kitty hawk, north carolina. we used to call it nagshead- now we call it the outer banks, or OBX. the cottage was formerly owned by the camp family, who owned union camp in franklin, va. union camp was acquired by international paper in 1999 & just last week, it was announced that the plant was closing. this was the primary employer for franklin. the cottage was an old nagshead cottage, built in the 40's that jane said needed a "little laura ashley." it was oceanfront & kitty hawk has been losing dune for years. the house had already been moved once to protect it. the tradition started when we would come down to jane's the friday after thanksgiving & stay until sunday. back then, thanksgiving was an owner's weekend. we did this for 5-6 years.
then my family started renting a cottage for the week of thanksgiving. you could find some pretty nice houses for not a lot of money. my family has been coming to the outer banks since i was 9 years old. we stayed in kitty hawk. there were two groceries- wee winks & anderson's market. typically, we brought our groceries because the prices were quite high. i used to hate this vacation. i don't like going in the ocean- i can swim- i just don't like sharing my space with unseen creatures & have always been afraid of jellyfish. i always thought nagshead would be a great place to recover from a heart attack because there was nothing to do. i would just hang on the beach, sometimes sulking & pouting- mostly finding shells. we started coming for one week & then two. we stayed in those old nagshead cottages- no tv, no a/c, no dishwasher. we had to go laundromats b/c no washer/dryer. after a bit, dad started bringing a tv with him. we would play games, tommy & kathy would gang up on me (as my sister said recently, "let's face it, mimi, you weren't exactly a joiner!"). as time went on, the beach became a bit more built up, with more restaurants. i remember one year we were down for two weeks & it rained every day. finally, in desperation, we drove to elizabeth city (the closest theater) where "gone with the wind" was showing- that was the first time i'd ever experienced an intermission in a movie.
eventually, however, as we got older there were more schedules to coordinate- both mom & dad worked & we worked too. when i was about 14 years old, we stopped going to the beach for our vacation. then, in 1978 or 79, we started again. i was out of college & seeing danny, so he accompanied me to the beach. we would bring down multiple friends of ours & mom & dad always had friends. the cottage could get quite crowded. by then, there were some bars to go to & always a cold one at the cottage. i would lay in the sun like a lizard for hours with baby oil slathered all over me. i remember that i would get sun poisoning on a regular basis (throwing up in the bushes by the tanarama motel on my way back to the cottage).
mom & dad liked to find a cottage & then just keep renting it. our first cottage was a small 3 bedroom job. then we graduated to a four bedroom. one of those had vinyl furniture- we called it the plastic palace. we moved from kitty hawk to kill devil hills- that cottage was by port'o call restaurant. getting to the ocean was like crossing the sahara. kathy had caitlin & all her baby paraphanalia to carry & danny had a broken ankle one year; after his accident, bad ankles. there was the week that danny & armand went down to shucker dave's- it turned out that it was shucker dave's last week in business. shucker dave's was within walking distance from the house. the boys came home- bobbing & weaving. danny was on crutches with his broken ankle- he still doesn't know how he got down the street & up the stairs. the boys slept on lawn chairs on the deck that night.
we then graduated to a larger cottage & mom & dad went to the beach for three weeks. that was great. i worked in norfolk then & would take two weeks off & go to the office one day in the second week & do a 12-hour day. the summer before grad school, during grad school & after grad school, i went for three weeks. that was pretty heavenly. eventually, we stopped the summer vacation at the beach as a family- i'm sure it was a scheduling thing again.
then we started the thanksgiving week as a family. we did that for a number of years- tommy came out some years. it got more complicated when kathy & armand moved to illinois. so we stopped. we spent one thanksgiving at a hotel with mom & dad & a couple with them in williamsburg.
the year we got sadie, i decided i wanted to start going to the beach again & danny & i rented a house. mom & dad came down, as did some other friends. we have done the week at the outer banks since. this year, the two couples that typically come, could not. we rented a 2 bdrm, 2 bath cottage in southern shores that was just perfect & it was just the two of us with sadiedog.
everytime i cross the bridge over the sound, all those memories of so many years come flying back to me. to say the outer banks has changed is a colossal understatement. i remember when the mcdonald's arrived. there is a sense of peace & a touch of home that exists here for me.
we like our thanksgiving tradition & plan to continue it for some time. there are days we don't leave the cottage- we just pal around watching movies, reading books, messing around. of course, we take sadie for a walk- we just don't get in the car.
as much as i don't like routine in my life, i do seem to treasure rituals. & i plan to be here next year- probably with our other friends to celebrate thanksgiving & sadie's 8th birthday!
back in the mid-80's, a friend & colleague of mine purchased a home in kitty hawk, north carolina. we used to call it nagshead- now we call it the outer banks, or OBX. the cottage was formerly owned by the camp family, who owned union camp in franklin, va. union camp was acquired by international paper in 1999 & just last week, it was announced that the plant was closing. this was the primary employer for franklin. the cottage was an old nagshead cottage, built in the 40's that jane said needed a "little laura ashley." it was oceanfront & kitty hawk has been losing dune for years. the house had already been moved once to protect it. the tradition started when we would come down to jane's the friday after thanksgiving & stay until sunday. back then, thanksgiving was an owner's weekend. we did this for 5-6 years.
then my family started renting a cottage for the week of thanksgiving. you could find some pretty nice houses for not a lot of money. my family has been coming to the outer banks since i was 9 years old. we stayed in kitty hawk. there were two groceries- wee winks & anderson's market. typically, we brought our groceries because the prices were quite high. i used to hate this vacation. i don't like going in the ocean- i can swim- i just don't like sharing my space with unseen creatures & have always been afraid of jellyfish. i always thought nagshead would be a great place to recover from a heart attack because there was nothing to do. i would just hang on the beach, sometimes sulking & pouting- mostly finding shells. we started coming for one week & then two. we stayed in those old nagshead cottages- no tv, no a/c, no dishwasher. we had to go laundromats b/c no washer/dryer. after a bit, dad started bringing a tv with him. we would play games, tommy & kathy would gang up on me (as my sister said recently, "let's face it, mimi, you weren't exactly a joiner!"). as time went on, the beach became a bit more built up, with more restaurants. i remember one year we were down for two weeks & it rained every day. finally, in desperation, we drove to elizabeth city (the closest theater) where "gone with the wind" was showing- that was the first time i'd ever experienced an intermission in a movie.
eventually, however, as we got older there were more schedules to coordinate- both mom & dad worked & we worked too. when i was about 14 years old, we stopped going to the beach for our vacation. then, in 1978 or 79, we started again. i was out of college & seeing danny, so he accompanied me to the beach. we would bring down multiple friends of ours & mom & dad always had friends. the cottage could get quite crowded. by then, there were some bars to go to & always a cold one at the cottage. i would lay in the sun like a lizard for hours with baby oil slathered all over me. i remember that i would get sun poisoning on a regular basis (throwing up in the bushes by the tanarama motel on my way back to the cottage).
mom & dad liked to find a cottage & then just keep renting it. our first cottage was a small 3 bedroom job. then we graduated to a four bedroom. one of those had vinyl furniture- we called it the plastic palace. we moved from kitty hawk to kill devil hills- that cottage was by port'o call restaurant. getting to the ocean was like crossing the sahara. kathy had caitlin & all her baby paraphanalia to carry & danny had a broken ankle one year; after his accident, bad ankles. there was the week that danny & armand went down to shucker dave's- it turned out that it was shucker dave's last week in business. shucker dave's was within walking distance from the house. the boys came home- bobbing & weaving. danny was on crutches with his broken ankle- he still doesn't know how he got down the street & up the stairs. the boys slept on lawn chairs on the deck that night.
we then graduated to a larger cottage & mom & dad went to the beach for three weeks. that was great. i worked in norfolk then & would take two weeks off & go to the office one day in the second week & do a 12-hour day. the summer before grad school, during grad school & after grad school, i went for three weeks. that was pretty heavenly. eventually, we stopped the summer vacation at the beach as a family- i'm sure it was a scheduling thing again.
then we started the thanksgiving week as a family. we did that for a number of years- tommy came out some years. it got more complicated when kathy & armand moved to illinois. so we stopped. we spent one thanksgiving at a hotel with mom & dad & a couple with them in williamsburg.
the year we got sadie, i decided i wanted to start going to the beach again & danny & i rented a house. mom & dad came down, as did some other friends. we have done the week at the outer banks since. this year, the two couples that typically come, could not. we rented a 2 bdrm, 2 bath cottage in southern shores that was just perfect & it was just the two of us with sadiedog.
everytime i cross the bridge over the sound, all those memories of so many years come flying back to me. to say the outer banks has changed is a colossal understatement. i remember when the mcdonald's arrived. there is a sense of peace & a touch of home that exists here for me.
we like our thanksgiving tradition & plan to continue it for some time. there are days we don't leave the cottage- we just pal around watching movies, reading books, messing around. of course, we take sadie for a walk- we just don't get in the car.
as much as i don't like routine in my life, i do seem to treasure rituals. & i plan to be here next year- probably with our other friends to celebrate thanksgiving & sadie's 8th birthday!
11.23.2009
the perfect tool for thanksgiving
don't go the thanksgiving table without this little baby. one of our old family traditions was sending pea missiles at the thanksgiving table, usually instigated by my brother, tommy aka "perfect" as mom refers to him. needless to say, mom nor dad was particularly impressed by this tradition, especially when grandma was in attendance. there was a certain skill to getting the proper arc & the aim just right. too much of a reaction from the intended target usually resulted in a rebuke by the parental units, while the true culprit grinned shamelessly. if we had these babies at the table, no telling how far we could have gotten those peas. & a tool like this would make it possible to utilize other objects that a spoon did not handle well because they needed more torque- cranberries, a whole slice of jellied cranberry, yams, dinner rolls- oh my- the possibilities.
i would love to say that we have grown up & matured & no longer engage in such shenanigans. i would like to... but the truth is it has been a while since we've had thanksgiving dinner together as a family- all of us together. i harbor no illusions that such behavior would be extinguished. we have not adequately matured & being in the presence of one another, all three of us (tommy, kathy & i) only results in us growing down rapidly. i hope we never grow up. there isn't a day that goes by that i don't feel very lucky to have the siblings that i do & to enjoy them so much. i always have fun with my brother & sister. & we have all married well & enjoy our partners as well. it doesn't get much better than that, does it?!
when i was younger, i would sometimes envy my friends who were only children because they seemed to get more of everything. they didn't have to bother with sharing rooms, or toys, or games, or being teased by siblings, or dodging flaming arrows, or having their toothbrushes dropped in the toilet... you get the idea. now i think i am lucky that i am not an only.
this is one of my favorite quotes about brothers & sisters-
"To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers & sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds & secrets, family griefs & joys. We live outside the touch of time."
- Claire Ortega
& for me, this is true. when i'm with tommy (aka perfect) & kathy, we are outside the touch of time. & we always will be.
11.22.2009
let's dress up that bathroom
so i don't know how i came across this topic- maybe thinking of that gift for that someone who has everything. the bath is such an easy room to decorate & make a statement, given it's frequently diminutive size. for most of us, dressing up our bathrooms is not going to involve a lot furniture & complicated decorating. one way to dress to impress for our bathrooms is to use the toilet seat lid to full impact. below follow some examples to inspire.
these are from pressalit. they are not actual toilet seats - just concepts.
these are also pressalit- i love the fluffy one.
another pressalit- how is this for a concept toilet?
these are from pressalit. they are not actual toilet seats - just concepts.
these are also pressalit- i love the fluffy one.
another pressalit- how is this for a concept toilet? the above beauties are from sellers on etsy. there are some real winners there- i love the mermaid, don't you?
& the poodles? very classic.
so if you have that decorating urge & don't feel like taking on a big project, here you go. let your imagination run wild.
11.14.2009
i love small bowls
i have always enjoyed surrounding myself with beautiful, unusual, funky, fun or just too cool things. i am good at finding things that meet that criteria & enjoy it a lot. i have to watch, though, because i have a lot of stuff. the last few years, i have been trying to focus on things that are functional- lord knows i have too much stuff & if it doesn't serve a function, i don't need it. there is certainly a place for art & aesthetics- there is also a limit to such things. one of the things i have always liked are small bowls. they can be useful- for sauces, condiments, rings, keys, jewelry other than rings. & they are just so darn cute.
a little past season- but not by much.
small bowls are something that my sister & i have both enjoyed. here is a nice stack of small bowls in various colors.
so how small is small? by my standards, we're talking anywhere from 1 1/2" up to 6" across or high. there are smaller bowls that are small for serving bowls, but large for small bowls. we're not including those. i like the design on this little beauty .
these are bright & colorful with a design that pops.
i think the selection of bowl this speaks for itself. (circa ceramics- etsy)
this is kind of cool, doncha think? it's nice to do different things with shapes of bowls.
here are some bowls that introduce some color into the equation.
it's hard to read in the picture- this bowl has written on it 'thank you.' i thought this might make a nice hostess gift. you can always find a use for a small bowl.
this small bowl is created from industrial felt (feltplanet- etsy)
these two little beauties are also from etsy. i've been liking green a lot for a good number of years now & think i can no longer consider it a 'stage.'
this is a bowl i picked up at one of my favorite galleries in the outer banks- the greenleaf gallery in duck. it's been around forever & i like their stuff a lot. i'm not sure how this is done- the design is set into the bowl- i think they do it like slicing somehow-
here is another favorite of mine- the black sheep. i've always identified with the black sheep. i found this baby in australia when i was here several years ago. my friend kate & i went to the australia zoo (steve irwin's zoo in brisbane- a moment of silence for steve) & on the way back, we stopped a small town & i found this bowl. little bowls are a great item to buy when traveling - they don't take up a lot of space. i'm forever picking up little bowls for my sister in my travels.
i think this one appealed to me because i like the clean graphic design. oh yeah- & it's green....
that's all for today. what do you like to collect or treat yourself with?
11.11.2009
the ravages of time
a short post today- time is hard. i'm still amazed when i wake up every day & discover that i am over 50 years old. how did this happen! luckily, i'm immature & so i feel youthful, while fully accepting that those two qualities are far from similar. anyway, we all struggle with the march of time- some more gracefully than others. i found this on tweet- so i'm cribbing it. pictures really do say it all, eh?
even the boss has lost the good battle with time. that ass was amazing- still pretty good, but there's a difference between 41 years old & 60 years old. of course, he's still uber hot!
a brief moment to honor all the veterans who have been willing to offer the supreme sacrifice in defense of our freedom (& other things at times, but that's a different discussion) & to those who did make the supreme sacrifice. thank you.
happy wednesday to all -
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