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…
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…
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…
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”…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
Charlotte Moss in her comprehensive book Garden Inspirations committed ten-plus pages to the topic of flower containers. Committed is the right word; we flower lovers should all be committed to an asylum for the…
When a good friend, who has an adventure and travel streak in her, announces that she’s going to Jaipur, India for a wedding there’s only one thing to say…take pictures!…