A Gilded Age Christmas, Part 2
As I begin this post, I realize that there’s a fact about Christmas in the Gilded Age of which many are probably not aware…the Vanderbilts, and others in their “set,”… Read More
Entertaining
A Gilded Age Christmas , Part 1
It is glorious in Newport any time of the year, but especially at Christmas! And with all the attention “The Gilded Age” series has garnered I thought I’d begin my… Read More
Thanksgiving ’23
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, my heart is full…not only is my only sibling making her annual “turkey trot” to Newport, but a lifelong friend will also be… Read More
Out and About in Paris
It had been five years since I’d last been in Paris…so you can imagine my exuberant state of mind. Even despite the on and off rain, I strolled and took… Read More
Classical Shindig, New Orleans-Style
Halloween is behind us, and the long holiday season with its many occasions and opportunities for celebration, is upon us. Where better to look for new inspiration than one of… Read More
Early Fall at Parterre
Even if fall will probably be late (or very subtle) this year, there are still those signatures in the gardens that announce the season is changing. One is the pair… Read More
Romancing the Orangerie
What could be more romantic than four rare ‘Hally Jolivette’ cherry standards, swathed in tiny individual shell-pink blossoms that sway in the soft breezes of a mid-April dawn. They are… Read More
Ode to a Christmas Tree
Given the big part that serendipity played in Christmas this year, I felt compelled to create this post for the last week of December. The live tree looms large for… Read More
London in December
Fa la la la la…before Christmas has passed, I couldn’t resist one more post on the glories of London in December! All around the town, festive scenes greeted us from… Read More
A Loving Table, Creating Memorable Gatherings
It was about this time in 2020 that I began work on a chapter in my friends’ book, A Loving Table, by Kimberly Schlegel Whitman and Shelley Johnstone Paschke. Surely… Read More