Spring in Pennsylvania

I planted some bulbs in this huge urn last fall and assumed nothing would happen. And for a while, nothing did happen. Then one day I came home and viola! there they were. Parrot tulips and in full. Right under the mailbox so the mailman can enjoy them too.

Mongolia

All I can say is that Mongolia is an amazing place. I want to thank my friend Dean Alec Stewart for insisting I spend 7 weeks there a few years ago. It is a vast, open and wild kind of landscape. We traveled by Russian jeeps and slept in pup tents in the high Altai Mountains and on lucky nights in Mongolian gers (also known as yurts in the rest of central Asia).

Tet

Since I had the end of Chinese New Year in Beijing, I thought I would add the beginning of Tet in Vietnam. This was taken last January on one of my business trips, but again, the sea of color so impressed me. In Beijing it is all red and grey; in Vietnam gold is the color of the New Year. These lanterns were lined up on the sidewalk waiting to be hung over the streets.

Second Blog of the Day

I can see that this blogging thing could become an obsession. What I want to do is post some photos so I am figuring that out. The one from Beijing is so large but really gives that wonderful atmosphere of that city; grey, grey, grey punctuated by this incredible red everywhere. I love the grey actually and when you are there it is soothing (if one could call Beijing soothing). So, now I am posting the other extreme. My home, which is all about color and comfort. I am blessed that people give me the most amazing things. A visiting scholar recently presented me with this bird painting, an original by the scholar's friend LU Jin Yi. My friend told me that some of this artists original work hang in museums in China. It took my breath away and I immediately scurried off to Micheal's to have it framed. Here is the result. I decided to float the print in between two panes of glass so the art would float away from the wall. The other photo is looking from the kitchen through the family room and into the living room. This room has changed too (as it is a work in progress) but I needed to place that red kettle into the photo as a piece of interest. I think the red is my reminder of Beijing along with the print.

Starting a Blog

I am taking the leap today into the digital void. For years I have been fascinated by design, color, movement and the greater world. Because my job sends me to interesting places I am often influenced by what I see. I have collected textiles since I was a teenager and I am always deeply interested in fabric, weavings, cloth and the people who create with that medium. After looking through my iPhone recently I saw that I had a number of photos that would mean nothing to anyone other than those who love design and movement. So, here it is. My random thoughts held together by photos of things I see and what I eventually drag home, incorporate, give away or share with friends and family.