Arrow Park, NY: View of the Grounds

Yes, this is part deux of my tour of Arrow Park.  Enjoy!

{the porch of the villa, looking up from the trail down to the lake}

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{the walk down to the lake}

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{vintage playground equipment for the kiddies}

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{the swimming area}

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{boats for rent}

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{boat keys here}

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{the swampy side of the lake}

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{picnic spot}

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{exuberant totem pole and fire pit}

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{can you see the 4 statues of great Russian writers/philosophers?}

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{here’s one up-close}

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{the Dirty Dancing-style hall}

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{the approach to the villa from the drive}

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{the portico, where you would have been greeted in your stagecoach by the villa’s staff}

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Hope you enjoyed the little tour of Arrow Park!  If you’re making a trip up to Woodbury Common to do some shopping, it’s a good, historic place to stay.  Or if you just want a break from city life, Arrow Park is perfect. But be warned: you will need to rent a car or call a taxi to get anywhere – as you will from anywhere you stay up here – you’re not in NYC anymore!  Just in case, here’s the phone number for the Harriman cab service we used:  845-783-6112.

À demain,

k.

Shot of the Day: Subway Diamonds

I’m easing into the week with a simple shot:

{Any guesses what this is?  And where it is?}

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{Answer: Union Street subway station, Brooklyn, NY}

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As a lover of Art Deco, I looked down and smiled.  And snapped a photo.  It’s such a little thing – some tiles on the floor of the subway platform, but living in the suburban Midwest, I’m starved for inspired design elements in my everyday life.  So I lap it up when I can!

À demain,

k.

High Inspiration/ Low Productivity

It’s true: I’ve been a bad blogger lately.  And not only will I tell you why, but I will show you why.  As you have seen, I have been busy running around the Twin Cities metropolitan area (and just outside of it, too) going to occasional sales.  On top of that, spring has sprung early in Minnesota, as it has in many places across the northern U.S.  That means this:

..I set up my good-weather work station..

..I lose myself staring at the rhododendrons..

..I ponder the mysteries of life from an old garden bench..

..I obsess over cool garden figures, especially "headless" ones, like this..

..I observe the delicate colors in just-planted flowers..

..I imagine creating garden art..

.. and I admire the cat garden sculpture my mom made in her metal-working class last week.

All of this inspiration fuels creativity, but doesn’t necessarily translate into blog posts….forgive me!

And Happy Spring!  Hope you’re getting out and enjoying it!

À bientôt,

k.

Happy Monday!!  For a gentle entry to the week, take a look at this door:

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A wooden door of a wooden house in a historic town in the center of France.

Now look closer:

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Yes, the lock is a heart.  So many romantic scenarios come to mind… I mean, who does that?   Someone who’s incredibly sweet and has incredible attention to detail!

Bonne semaine!

À bientôt,

k.

fountain de joie

As I was walking to my office the other day, I was stewing over difficulties of living in France that I had been having lately;  annoyances like not being able to return a product to a store, needing 5 forms of proof of identity just to buy an internet key, paying US$5+ for a glass of Coke….little stuff that adds up over time.  My bitterness was briefly squelched, however, as I passed this lovely little fountain:

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goddesses hard at work

crowning glory

'made with pride' in the Val d'Osne

Sigh.  Nowhere is perfect.

Alors, à demain,

k.

Street Art: Belgium

Mon amour et moi spent this past weekend in Belgium.  We adore Belgium.  It’s much cheaper than France, and people are much friendlier (sorry, but it’s true..).  We also appreciate the traditional Dutch architecture.  One thing I noticed, though, was how much of an outdoor art scene there was – and this is only a few of the many scenes we enjoyed!

There were a number of walls throughout the Marolles neighborhood of Brussels in this style, which resembles the famous Belgian Tintin cartoons.

I think it's the 'big cats' that I like so much in this one. And the pseudo-Chinese-propaganda posters.

Strange, but rather lovely.

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Call it 'corporate graffiti.'

An impressive showing in the historic city of Ghent.

The artwork continues through the entire tunnel. Because how many historically-preserved walls does a city really need?

I actually saw this in Paris' Saint-Germain neighborhood last week and couldn't resist including it.

À bientôt,

k.