Prying Eyes

I was in New York last week.  The last couple of times I’ve gone, I’ve flown up early in the morning and left late the next day.  It works out pretty well as it allows two mostly full days in the city with only one night away.  Besides the frenetic pace and the feeling that I have tricked the time space continuum, it saves me from obsessing about practice carpools and the fact that, try as he might, Mr. Blandings never gets the lunches quite right.  Not that I’m all that concerned about crusts on or off or apples sliced, but I tend to hear about it when I get back.
This trip I stayed at the Standard, a hotel for which I am not hip enough by half.  I felt quite sure that the people craning around to see who was there figured I must be Justin Bieber’s mother.  Despite my cool quotient, the staff was completely delightful.  The view, as well, was wonderful as one entire wall of my room was a window.

Perhaps you’d heard this as there have been some shenanigans with guests using those large pieces of plate glass as a TV screen in reverse, have regarded the neighbors as audience.  After all, people tend to take liberties on vacation.  In a different city you are anonymous; you could do anything there, relieved from the prying eyes of Mrs. Kravitz.  Further daring to invite the witness of strangers.  Some people tell me that when the hotel first opened, encouragement of this kind of inhibition might have been implied.  To negate this, a letter from the manager was left squarely on the table.  “As a reminder, please be aware of the transparency of our guest room windows and that the activity in your room, when the curtains are open, may be visible from the outside.”

My eyes brushed this letter three or four times during my stay.  I was amused each time to think that any human being capable of making a hotel reservation would need to be reminded that glass is clear.  That if you can see out, they can see in.  That, regardless your bravado, on-lookers might not prefer to look on.  Needless to say, that when I was uncovered my windows were covered.  The reverse was also true.

I thought I could get a couple of posts together over the weekend, but the holiday tripped me up.  Further coverage to follow.

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Gracing My Walls

After last week’s post regarding the endless inspiration that Mr. Redd provides and the impossibility of Gracie gracing my walls, I started clicking around.

At the same time that I was finding Jennifer’s post on the Peak of Chic, a few of you were commenting and emailing to say, “Do it yourself!  Stencil Library!”

And, that is exactly what I am going to do in my dining room.  There’s hardly a Gracie paper that I don’t like, but some of my favorites are those with this white silhouette.

So, yeah.  I’m going to do that.  First I just need to pick the background color, repair the funny thing on the ceiling and make sure the sconces are in the right place.  Oh, and order the stencils.  
Really, I can’t wait.
These stencils and thousands more at Stencil Library; image, top, via Little Green Notebook.
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My kid went to a science competition and all I got was this lousy floor pic.

I’d never been to the University of Missouri – Columbia so when one of my friends suggested we go support our children in a state science competition, I immediately hollered, “In!”  We did, actually, show up to cheer on our children (as much as we could cheer from our home base in the student union) but we took the slow road and saw a few things along the way.

Visually, I’m telling this story backward, but as we were headed up to find seats for the awards ceremony, I got held up and when one friend said to the other, “Where’s Patricia?” the other said, “Taking pictures of the floor.”  As they are friends, they understood and waited patiently holding the “door open” button until I arrived.  It took a lot of time to lay that floor.  Seems the least that I could do to stop and appreciate it for a moment.

That was the end of the trip.  The first part of the trip included stopping at a few of antique outposts between Kansas City and Columbia.  The day was wet and cold and breezy, though Glenn’s Cafe at the Hotel Frederick in Boonville was warm and dry and yummy – a welcome respite.

Another delightful surprise was the porcelain pottery by Yukari Kashihara.  Originally from Japan, she studied at MU and has a small shop and studio in her home in Rocheport, Missouri; her garden was an inspiration.   As we wandered out, wondering how in the world she ended up in Rocheport and hoping the world would find her, I was reminded that I seem to find equal inspiration in small spots as large.  If I look.

P.S.  The title is not entirely accurate.  I “got” a lot of laughter (and in trouble from our hotel room neighbor) and a terrific vintage pitcher in that blue-green color I can’t get over.  And the floor pic.  Which I love.

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Redd-y or Not

I need to get out and start looking at wallpaper books (the olfactory sensation being nearly as good as the visual; what is it about the smell of paint and wallpaper?)  The Blandings’s budget does not allow for Gracie or de Gournay so some other something must be found.  Mr. Redd, thank you so much; I’m quite grateful for the inspiration.

Image, Town and Country, photography by Francesco Lagnese; via Post and Grant.

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