Like a beautiful, sunny melody, I can’t get this image out of my head. It could be the South of France or the North of Italy, but in fact it is the Southern California home of Brooke and Steve Giannetti. Sumptuously featured in the current issue of Veranda, the article was written by moi. What a privilege,… Continue reading A Glorious Way to Spend the Day…an Ojai Oasis Overflowing With Great Design Ideas
The Silver Pen
The Silver Lining of Breast Cancer? One Woman’s Journey Inspires (and Informs) Us All
“Beautiful and inspiring” aren’t words you expect to connect with books about cancer, but that’s exactly what Hollye Jacobs’s The Silver Lining is, and why you want it.
Loving Lotusland, a Garden (and a Gardener) Like No Other
Anybody with the stamina to marry six times is nothing if not energetic. Ganna Walksa was certainly that–and a visionary as well. Her beauty was legend, her voice sublime, her past a touch scandalous, and her portrait a gift from the czar of Russia. But her most fabulous legacy is Lotusland. Prepare to swoon.
Signs of Spring, and Preparing…
Signs of spring and preparing for new life! Birthing babies, pruning vines, painting outside, blooming quince, and having today.
“I Just Say Thank You”
The other night I went to a reception–a salon, really–hosted by The Silver Pen‘s Hollye Jacobs for journalist Lisa Ling, who was speaking later that evening as part of the wonderful arts and lecture series at UC Santa Barbara. Hollye, who is a friend and amazing person, held an informal discussion with Lisa, and invited… Continue reading “I Just Say Thank You”
Buck House Goes Pink
A friend, reader and fellow breast cancer rodeo contestant sent me this photo and I wanted to share it with you in case you haven’t seen it, in a nod to Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’ve always heard the queen had a sense of humor. Lest there be any doubt that thing she did with… Continue reading Buck House Goes Pink
Dealing With F-Bomb Breast Cancer
First give credit to my fabulous friend Hollye Jacobs of the equally fabulous Silver Pen blog, for coining the phrase F-bomb breast cancer, which she shortens to FBC. No reason to be polite to such a rude disease. It has in the last year rudely intruded on three dear friends–under 50!–and exactly 8 years ago… Continue reading Dealing With F-Bomb Breast Cancer
Postcard From Havana-Part 3: Vicente Wolf and Hemingway’s House
One of the most memorable meals of my life was with a small group of friends years ago at the restaurant Georges, atop the Beaubourg (Centre Pompidou) in Paris. It lasted from 2 until 7 – or was it 1 until 8? – and went through I don’t know how many bottles of wine and… Continue reading Postcard From Havana-Part 3: Vicente Wolf and Hemingway’s House