I stand transfixed at the dominant picture windows inside the studio of the Georgia O’Keeffe Home and Studio, once the residence of one of the 20th century’s greatest American artists. The panorama from the seamlessly abutting panes of glass isRead more
Although it’s summer 2018, I’m thinking about my trip to Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, as if it’s Christmas Eve 1895. On that date, George Washington Vanderbilt welcomed family and friends for the opening of his new 175,000-square-foot country homeRead more
Suzanne Pollak is preparing a frisée salad for our lunch. She adds bacon (“You do eat pork?” she considerately asks), grinds some of her new-favorite pepper mélange, and tops the bowl with the largest, toastiest, most geometrically precise cubes of croutonsRead more
Over the steady drone of lawnmowers tending to the 14 lush acres of surrounding lawn and garden, tour guide Dennis Orwin delivers instructions on how to conduct ourselves inside the Miller House in Columbus, Ind. “Don’t sit on anything,” DennisRead more
A jagged hole marring one of the oak wall panels in the richly appointed library of Graylyn, once the second largest private home in North Carolina and now an international conference center, is all that remains of a Parisian loveRead more
Fighting a cold on a late December morning at the Roman Baths in Bath, England, I sniffle as I stand on worn stones laid in the first century A.D. when the Romans constructed this massive bathing complex. Before me isRead more
I suppose many people read a book during their formative years that struck such a profound chord it continues to resonate with them long into adulthood. For me that book was “The Diary of Anne Frank.” I read it whenRead more
Surely anytime of year is wonderful to visit the Netherlands, but when Bill and I discussed what month to travel, the deciding factor came down to flowers. We simply had to be there, in Holland specifically, in the spring whenRead more
A return to the fabled desert city of Palm Springs, CA, was on our radar after our terrific inaugural visit there last fall; we just had not anticipated that another trip would occur so soon. But fate intervened six monthsRead more
“Are you cruel enough to be a gardener?” That challenging question was imprinted on a T-shirt for sale at the Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden in Charlotte that I was touring on a sultry day with curator Andrea Sprott asRead more