Newport Society: Moments in Time
The summer “season” has started in Newport. Its progress is gracefully slow, presenting a good occasion to capture its players early, at home, at play, enjoying their leisure… Nick Mele’s… Read More
Author: Bettie Bearden Pardee
Welcome to my June Garden
Spring has been very late, cool and wet, but when it popped (on a few delicious warm and sunny days) everything burst at once, lush and green and colorful —… Read More
Jewels in the Crown: The Opalescent Windows of St. Columba’s Chapel
When I first discovered St. Columba’s Episcopal Church about twenty-five years ago, an English rector had just arrived from across the pond. He and his wonderfully talented wife (who initiated… Read More
13 Reasons to Celebrate Summer in Newport
It’s official — summer is here! And it’s a pretty good bet that sooner or later you will find yourself in our magical “City by the Sea” (or dreaming of… Read More
The Merry Month of May in England
Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday on April 21st, a prelude to what is always one of the busiest seasons in the British Royal calendar. One can assume that… Read More
The Sakonnet Garden: A Singular Sensation
Across the Sakonnet River from Newport — a ten minute boat ride but an hour drive — is Little Compton, Rhode Island, the quiet countryside contrast to the “bustling seaport”… Read More
Personal & Precious: The Art of the Thank You Note
In my most recent post we chatted about being a gracious host and a perfect house guest. A natural follow-on? Thoughts on handwritten thank you notes, both for the house… Read More
Summer House Parties: 13 Tips for the Gracious Host and Perfect House Guest
Becoming the “perfect houseguest or gracious hostess” takes years of OTJ (on-the-job-training). Seldom do I spend a weekend in someone else’s environment that I do not come away with a… Read More
A Tale of Two Orangeries
Part of the pleasure of building your own home in Newport is the ritual of naming it (very de riguer — taken so literally that one witty friend tagged their… Read More
“Rock Star” Architects in Newport: McKim, Mead & White
The architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White have been credited with defining the signature look of Gilded Age America. During the heady period of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,… Read More