Friday Featured Art: Orange City Mural

On our trip out West, we drove through Orange City, Iowa.  It's a fun little Dutch town with a great Tulip Festival every spring.  We noticed this new mural - I'm not sure who the artist(s) were, but I think it's beautiful.

Thursday Tunes: Music and the Spoken Word

When we were in Utah, we got to attend a broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word.  During the summer, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performances are held in the Conference Center.  It was a neat experience.  (Don't worry - I took pictures at the end, when they said we could.)

Don't Cry, Shopgirl

To remember Nora Ephron, I think we should all watch You've Got Mail today.  So lovely.

Yellowstone

On our trip out West, we were able to visit Yellowstone for a couple of days.  It is incredible.  We agree with Ken Burns that the National Parks were an excellent idea.  The land is so beautiful - we are glad that it's been preserved for all of us.

Farr's Idaho Huckleberry Cordial

Huckleberries are all over the West, and they are delicious!  When we were passing through Idaho, we got one of these Farr's Idaho Huckleberry Cordials.  Yum!

Friday Featured Art: Beauty and Belief

While we were in Utah we visited a fabulous art exhibit.  It was at that school in Provo that I'm not allowed to name (big rivals...).  The exhibit, Beauty and Belief, included Islamic art from all over the world.  Some of the pieces were easily identifiable as Turkish.  This fragment is from Spain.  You should definitely go if you get a chance.

Thursday Tunes: Shepherd's Hey

We heard Percy Grainger's Shepherd's Hey on our local classical station the other day.  It's such a fun song!  Here's a version from the BBC Proms.

Barr-Co. Oatmeal Soap

When we were at the Missouri Botanical Garden last month, we discovered a fabulous new soap company from St. Louis.  Barr-Co. soaps smell delightful - their original scent is a kind of oatmeal.  Lovely.

The Windsor Chair Shop

Earlier in the spring, we were passing through Clarksville, Missouri, and we came across the Windsor Chair Shop.  Ralph and Caron make exquisite traditional Windsor chairs.  I'll have to save my money!

Sour Cherry Juice

We recently found a great store near us that carries Middle Eastern foods: Mediterranean Oasis.  When we went there, we bought so many things from Turkey that the owner asked if we were Turkish!  One of the things that we love is the sour cherry juice that they drink in Turkey.  Yum!

Friday Featured Art: Gabbeh Rugs

The "art" for today is something that I discovered when we stayed at the Hotel Frederick in Boonville, Missouri, last month.  There are lovely rugs all over the hotel.  I learned that they are Persian, and this type of rug is called a gabbeh carpet.  The designs are simple and quite modern looking, and the rugs are soft.

Thursday Text: The Forgotten Affairs of Youth

I just got caught up on the Isabel Dalhousie novels again.  The latest in the series by Alexander McCall Smith is The Forgotten Affairs of Youth.  I've enjoyed reading them, but I realize they're not for everyone.  You'd like them better if you were married to a philosopher and had been to Edinburgh...

Georg Jensen Tulip Necklace

I was looking up something entirely different when I stumbled across this antique necklace.  The tulip design was popular with Georg Jensen, who designed this in 1921.  I think it's stunning.

Food Should Taste Good

Have you ever tried the sweet potato chips made by Food Should Taste Good?  They're delicious.

Finished!

I finally finished the quilt that Sara started for me for Christmas!  The piecing was fun - and actually not too difficult.  Then I found some chambray to go around the edge and on the back.  I tied the middle and then machine quilted around the border and added my initials on the back.  It will be nice and warm when winter comes!

Friday Featured Art: George Washington

We made it to the Lichtenstein exhibit.  It was interesting!  We liked the comic book paintings and this one: George Washington.  There were also some incredible optical illusion pieces.  If you're in Chicago before September 3, be sure to check it out.

Thursday Text: Ben-Hur

Our book club selection this month was Ben-Hur, by Lew Wallace.  I didn't actually get around to reading it, but I did check out the movie from the library.  I really enjoyed it.  Have you seen it?

White Horse Antiques Quilts

We got to visit White Horse Antiques as we stopped through Rocheport.  They had a new selection of beautiful red, white, and blue antique quilts.  Aren't these amazing?  I love the designs.

Missouri Barbeque

When we were in Missouri a week or so ago we had lunch at one of our favorite out-of-the-way places.  Barbeque in Missouri is legendary, and we love to get ours at a little place called Lonnie Ray's.  I always get the brisket sandwich.  And now they have sweet potato fries!  Yum!

Spoonmaker's Diamond

Thinking about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee reminded me of something fabulous that we saw in Turkey.  Topkapi Palace has an incredible collection of jewels.  This 86-carat diamond is known as the Spoonmaker's Diamond.  It is stunning.

Friday Featured Art: Lantern Festival

We were in Missouri last week and were able to visit the opening weekend of the Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It was fascinating.  These gigantic dragons in front of the Climatron are made out of porcelain plates, saucers, cups, etc.  The huge lanterns and flowers were made with silk.  At night they light the art.  I bet that would be a beautiful sight!