Love On a Beach......Waikiki 2012

Wedding season is almost over again.  Did you go to any good weddings this month?  What are your plans for July?

I'm a Fan of Fridays. Aren't You?

Because.........

(Rob Ryan)

 It makes me Happy.  And when I'm Happy

(A restaurant in Brooklyn, NY - No website, but Yelp reviews)

it's easier to make my Hubby Happy.  (With pizza.)

(Via Bloesem)

To make my cats happy (with cozying and company).

(Via the Marion House blog - she's now an editor at Chatelaine)

Because I have more time to think about what makes Me Happy.

(Elsa Mora - I'll be telling you more about her!)

And really, just BECAUSE.  (You know how that goes.)

Something else that makes me Happy?  The Golden Gate Bridge (one month ago).

It's FRIDAY AGAIN!  Have a verry HAPPY weekend please!

Flora Grubb, SF: Not Just Another Garden Center

Make sure to check out the website:

Flora Grubb.  It is very well done.

(Fermob fabulousness!  My other Fermob post here.)

I have to say that I expected something very different.  Based on the pictures I'd already seen.

Of the round-faced real-life Flora with her soft blonde bob.  I expected a garden center

a little more rough and ready.  Earthier.  Looser shall we say.

But tho there are undeniable rustic moments here......

Shall we say the words, "curated", "tightly edited", "restrained", and

"architectural" spring to mind here.  And even, "military precision".  If you can say that about a group of what seem like milennials from far-flung places manning positions at this center of new S.F. chic, in almost-avid-anticipation of landing their big break.  In whatever alternative (to Flora Grubb, even?) sphere that might be.

Don't get me wrong.  They seem to know exactly what they are doing.

Carrying this very wide selection of Judith Jackson pots in yummy colors might be what I mean.

And these not-quite-for-baking, though tempting tins.....

Shall we say Flora Grubb (vs. Annie's Annuals here) seems to present planting as decor, planting as it pertains to our built surroundings?

Structure, texture and color groupings are very strong themes.

We're not strictly speaking about plants for plants sake here.  But we are talking about an

ENVIRONMENT.  And a very nice one too.   Whatcha think?  Could it work for you?

Happy Post-Summer Solstice Weekend Y'all!

It's true, I've been so distracted

by landscape issues at my house........(I mean the fire department was, and ready to issue a lien against it for brush-clean-up-delinquency so I had to get serious help in, for today, and for the future.)

(both pics via The Brick House blog)

that I completely forgot to do a Summer Solstice weekend post.  I always feel I inadequately observe the summer solstice.  Shouldn't I start it in a sleeping bag by some water at about 5 a.m. and finish it dancing on top of a picnic table with sparklers at about midnite?  (And yes, grilled food would probably be involved.)  That would seem so right!

But most of my summer solstices are sooooooo more sedate than that.  It comes a little early in the year, don't you think?  

Anyway, hope yours was good and that you have good dancing plans for the rest of the summer.

xoxoxo

Oh My Dog! It's Friday Already!

Did you see these in the Guardian this week?

If you didn't, you could check them out here.  (More photos.)

All photos:  Ren Netherland/Barcroft Media

Yet another testimonial to Man's endless creativity

and capacity for silliness when it comes to pets.

And the greater testament of Dog's ability to put up with all those

ridiculous things we ask them to do, in exchange for our love and companionship and SNACKS!!!!

Would you do this to your animal?  Is it awful, or hilarious?

If It's Friday, It Must Be Fish

Some beautiful pictures for the weekend.

 (via the Guardian, Photograph: Laurent Dubrule/EPA)

Harvest from horseback:  fisherman in Oostduinkerk, Belgium pulling shrimpbaskets out of the sea with a little help from some friends, it seems........

(found somewhere on tumblr this photographer deserves a credit, but I just can't find it....sorry!)

And I'm guessing that some of you out there are feeling a little bit like this these days.  At least, you are beautiful when wet like these guys!

Have a wonderful weekend.  And HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all those Dad's out there!

How can it possibly be that we are already past the half-way mark in June????????  I'll be thinking of you!

Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA

I was so pleased with myself for finding my way to Annie's Annuals in Richmond and back through into Berkeley without getting LOST!  So I thought I'd reward myself with a poke around Fourth Street.

I first visited here years ago when it was still a bit of a renegade retail destination.

(I might be in love with Nest.  Who also have a shop in San Francisco.)  You?  In love already too?

 Fourth Street was originally an industrial area full of metal sheds.

Now, well, it's verging on being a soigne mall for the equally sleek, arty and well-groomed.

You've noticed already, haven't you, that the shops are SHUT!  This happens to me alot?  You'd noticed that too?

Our Father, Who Art In Heaven........OR......My FATHER-IN-LAW who also happens to be in Heaven.....seems to like to organize things this way so that I don't spend too much of my sweet hubby's hard earned money..........(Note to self: Must sell more artwork.)

It was only about 6:00 p.m when I arrived at Fourth Street ....but in Berkeley you can't expect the "usual".....so even if the Mall shops: Anthropologie, CB2, Jigsaw (more on this below) have moved in

Fourth Street is not open till 9 p.m. on a Wed. nite as other malls might be.

But do expect: that The Gardener, (one of the original and most tone-setting shops on 4th St.) will still be there.  And that you will find wonderful things to buy at the Gardener.  Yes, sweet hubby, FERMOBS FOR YOU!  (Yeah, I've already posted about his Amour de Fermob)

OK, Jigsaw.  An English "High Street" (vs. Mall) shop, as they call it, has arrived on Fourth Street!  And I was glad to see it.  Since I haven't made it to their store in the Beverly Center here in L.A.

What can I tell you about Jigsaw?  Kate Middleton had a brief consultancy there during her tragic "Duchess-in-Waiting" period while Wills was off at Sandringham and otherwise "finding himself".  I was able to nab one of her black corduroy "gendarme" hats during a Christmas sale and I like it very much.

I have an unrequited love of Jigsaw that goes back for what seems like decades.  Gorgeous clothes, v. stylish but they don't mark down much and I can't pay full price for clothes that are cut for tall, statuesque horsewomen of the Diana-Princess-of-Wales-English-Rose physical type (which I'm not) and which would just sit in my closet.

Anyway, I was glad to see Jigsaw if nothing else, to be reminded of what I will NOT be wearing when I visit London in the rain later this summer.  LOVE that Missoni style black dress!  What a great idea, to take the color out.....one looks a little less Grand Canyon-esque accordingly - could you agree?

Looking closely at this I'm realizing, somebody called out the cops!!!!?  Cuz some dark, small-statured woman was peering a little too closely into shop windows, and lingering there perhaps a little too long? (I might be paranoid, but does it mean I'm wrong?)

Sad, but true, even on the Left Coast, in a place like Berkeley, certain people leap to the wrong kinds of conclusions about other kinds of people.  But that is another story for another time.

There is a huge toy store on Fourth Street.

A paper shop for those crafty and snail-mail essentials.

We are in Berkeley so I'm talking about plantings again.

The Anthropologie doesn't disappoint with it's arty corners of beauty.  There is good eating on Fourth Street too.  But I'm saving that for another post, and another visit!  Need to have something to go back for.  No?

Have you been to Fourth Street?  Any favorites?  What did I miss?  (Alot, I'm guessing.)

Tent-ations!

We still, in the U.S. have an extremely strong Puritan strain running through our culture.

That's why I do not expect to seet anything like this in our U.S. stores for years to come, if ever.

What do you think?  Don't you think it's silly to think that everything that is utilitarian should also be ugly?

These are made in England, and they are not cheap but you know, there is something called economies of scale......if manufacturers thought more people would buy one, the costs might go down.  

At least if you had a tent like these, you might not have such a hard time finding your campsite!  Found them at the NY Times here.

Did you have a good weekend?  Any camping plans?

Hope Your Weekend is TOPS!

and that you find yourself

some good

!!!g-r-o-o-v-e-s!!!