Category: Decorative Arts

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Memory Keeping, Museums, TRAVEL, United States

Philbrook Art Museum & Gardens

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: A SPOOKY NIGHTTIME TOUR AT THE PHILBROOK

Welcome along on our long weekend visit to Tulsa. During the early hours of Friday we visited the sights of Woodward Park and had lunch at the Wildflower Cafe. After Bill’s nap (what would a vacation be without naps) we took off for the Philbrook. It was a little rainy and dark to enjoy the gardens, but we enjoyed the time in the museum. Come along!

PHILBOO!

We did not wake up one morning and say, “Let’s go to Tulsa for Halloween!” Halloween is not a big deal at our house and that just happened to be the weekend we didn’t have other commitments. In fact, Philboo, the museum’s Halloween event, was a bit of an inconvenience, because a museum or garden filled with screeching, running kids in costumes sounds like a bit of a nightmare to us.

My plan had been to go from the Sneedon Mansion to the Philbrook, see the garden that afternoon and enjoy the museum that evening, because the museum was supposed to belong to the kids Saturday. I didn’t realize we’d spend such a significant and wonderful time at Woodward Park attractions and then have naptime, but that’s how it played out.

I have no complaints about our visit to the Museum, but the bad weather made seeing the gardens a bit of a challenge. Friday night was Philboo for adults. Lots of costumed patrons, but no screeching and running, so it was no problem. Not your normal night at the museum, but nothing disruptive. We had a leisurely time enjoying the galleries of the museum and checking out the gift store.

THE MANSION & MUSEUM

The Phillips Mansion is gorgeous – yes, Phillips like the gasoline, but not the Phillips 66 brothers. Waite was an oilman, but he went a different direction than Frank and L.E., his older brothers. Doesn’t sound to me as if there were any losers. All the brothers did well, but Waite was a quieter, more behinds the scenes entrepreneur and perhaps the more successful. Certainly the more philanthropic. He built his mansion, lived there filling it with treasures for a while and then gave it and the art to the city of Tulsa.

Though there’s lots of nice pieces in the Philbrook, for me there were no showstoppers – pieces or artists I went specifically to see, or pieces that moved me spectacularly once I was there. For me, it was the mansion itself which was the real draw. Above is a sampling of the walls’ offerings, thanks to photos made by Bill.

THE GARDENS

During our Friday night visit, it was cold, wet and dark in the gardens. You could step out on the terrace, but there was not sufficient lighting to be able to see what the gardens held. I despaired of ever getting to see them, but I didn’t know exactly what to do about it.

Saturday was given over to the Art Deco Tour of Downtown, which I’ll tell you about next week. It was also the height of Philboo, so as much as I wanted to see it, I didn’t even suggest it.

Our flight back to Dallas was not until 2 on Sunday, but that meant we needed to get to the airport by noon. Bill’s not much for getting up early on vacation without a specific reason and didn’t know whether or not he’d think the Gardens were specific enough of a reason, but he got in gear on Sunday morning and off we went.

As a patron of the Dallas Arboretum I’m used to a garden that takes hours to see. I knew the Philbrook Gardens were less extensive. I think we arrived with about 45 minutes to spare and that turned out to be more than enough, because the gardens are much more compact. Unfortunately, the price was steep, at least compared to the $5 per person admittance we’d had on Friday night. We paid twenty each for our Sunday visit, because that’s the price. There’s no, I-just-want-the-gardens price or even a senior discount.

But it was worth it. You start just outside the mansion on a balcony and stroll down immaculate terraced gardens to a fountain. After the fountain is a pond surrounded by more haphazard gardening.

Then there’s the park like setting with the folly. Very Thomas Kincaid-ish.

The terraces, the pond and the folly are the main attractions and going back up to the balcony is as delightful as walking down the terraces to the folly.

There’s a kind of side garden with a pool and bathroom facilities, where I think they have concerts and events. As you can see, the weather was not great, but at least it was not pouring rain. We saw the gardens and I was happy.

So, that covers the Philmont Art Museum and the Gardens. I was not blown away by the art, but I think you should plan on seeing this place. It’s wonderful. Come back next week and we’ll go on a great tour of Downtown architecture.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Museums, TRAVEL, United States

Tulsa’s Wonderful Woodward Park

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: SURPRISES AT SNEEDEN MANSION

Welcome to our long weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We got settled in Thursday evening after a difficult flight and lucked into all kinds of pleasantries on Friday. Come along and discover Tulsa’s Sneeden Mansion, their Garden Club Center and a great event space.

Taking Some Tulsa Time on Friday Morning

Being the early riser, I hit the very adequate gym at the Broken Arrow Towneplace Suites. No stretching chair and no rowing machine, but I made the most of the treadmill. I stopped at the free breakfast buffet to see if they realized there were gluten free people in the world and was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty decent breakfast. It wasn’t the freshly made waffles others were enjoying, but there was plenty and it was good.

Upstairs, Bill decided to make some coffee in the room, before he went down for breakfast. We’d already had maintenance up to the room for something the night before and with coffee flowing all over the counter and floor, we had to invite them in again. We saw them quite often over this weekend. They were always very nice, very quick and very accommodating, but who wants to spend their vacation with the maintenance personnel! Eventually, we got Bill some breakfast and got on the road.

Historic Mansion Turned Garden Club with a side of Rain

Going to Tulsa was not a spur of the moment kind of thing. I’d been lobbying for it for years. I heard about Philmont Art Museum & Gardens and knew immediately it would be the cornerstone for a great weekend. Then came the pandemic and other distractions. Finally, I was there.

During my research, I discovered while I could get into the Philbrook almost anytime, the access to what is now Tulsa’s Garden Center was limited. What had been the Sneeden Estate was now Woodward Park and the Sneeden Mansion was now the Garden Club inside said park. The Mansion was open to the public during certain hours each week, but they didn’t have tours and I don’t think very many people took them up on visiting, because they weren’t quite sure what to do with us.

An employee took us on a tour that was more like a sales appointment for an event, because apparently hosting catered events, like weddings and fundraisers, are the primary activity these days at the Garden Club. In fact, the Tulsa Garden Club was having a rummage sale there the very weekend we were there and members were feverishly setting up for the fundraiser.

All that aside, the mansion is a beautiful place. I’m sure the festivities hosted there are spectacular. I imagined splendid evenings with elegant ladies being swirled around the black and while tiled floor under the glorious chandeliers.

One of my favorite things was the his & hers powder rooms at either end of the elegant entry way. This reminded me of a similar arrangement in the entry way to the DeGolyer Mansion at the Dallas Arboretum. The library would have done Hogwarts proud. Downstairs there was an area custom designed for events with more testosterone.

While our designated tour guide was a little awkward at first, our fascination with the place won her over completely and we were fast friends by the time we left. She urged us to see the Conservatory just across the parking lot and warned us to be sure and see the Tulsa History Museum, which was just steps away and had been built by the Sweedens for a family member. Oh yes – and we shouldn’t miss the Teaching Barn either.

THE CONSERVATORY

There was no way we could miss the Conservatory with our new friend standing in the doorway of the mansion, to make sure we found it OK. Not that it would have been easy to miss the glass building with white frames. The central area had a pool and fountain. Various arms of the building created spokes around it. While impossible to miss, it was not particularly large in comparison to the spacious mansion it had been built to adorn.

We snapped a few pictures, while discussing whether or not to take in the History Museum. Now I’m usually all about history museums and I knew it was in Woodward Park, but nothing I’d read about it made me believe it was really worth a visit. Often history museums in smaller towns are just a place for people to drop off unwanted old stuff,

Bill said we were there, so we might as well see it. Most of the things I had on my list otherwise were gardens and this damp day was not exactly designed for garden visits. Bill was right. I had no idea what we would be missing if we’d blown it off. Come back next week and see what I meen.

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix

Jane Sadek

Making Memories: Double Your Pleasure with Wrigley’s Mansion & a Meal

A Marketing Headache

We enjoyed seeing Wrigley Mansion, but felt sorry for it. It doesn’t know what it is, so you’re not going to stumble across it without a little intention. I found it by googling “Phoenix Historic Homes,” but I’m not sure many other people do that sort of search. Then I tried to figure out if they had tours and how to get on one if they did.

That was harder, because they can’t decide if they want to be a restaurant, a wine bar, a special events venue or a museum. Things like that didn’t used to be so important. You could get away with being everything to everyone, but in this search heavy society, you better know who you’re reaching out to before you choose your url.

On this side of things, I now wish someone had told me I should go for the tour, stay for happy hour and perhaps dinner. But I didn’t know that, so I booked the tour and wondered exactly what was going to happen. Bill likes to claim that he’s fond of playing it by ear, but in truth, he wants to be fully briefed on his options and if he’s going to go to a tour that turns into happy hour and perhaps dinner, I better have my ducks in a row before I ever book that tour. With other travelers I might have had a different experience, but I didn’t. Still, I’m encouraging you to have it.

The Tour

At 3 PM the happy hour and dining patrons weren’t there yet and only a few other cars were there for the Saturday tour. We made our way up all the stairs (there are a few handicapped parking spots higher on the hill) and arrived in the food service portion of the mansion. We were invited to have a seat and offered wine, but there wouldn’t have been time to enjoy it, so we didn’t take any.

The very millennial tour guide arrived not long after and gathered up her few patrons. We were taken to a music room that continued the home’s current multi-personality issue. It contained a piano which belonged to the Wrigleys, but the delightful room with its fantastic views was also furnished as a dining room for the restaurants.

Our guide walked us to what was the original entry to the house and it was spectacular. A magnificent chandelier with an accenting ceiling fixture highlighting a circular stairway. I can imagine a lot of Phoenix brides hoping to have their bridal portraits taken there, but it also contained a cabinet to sell souvenirs and a tall desk for a receptionist. I’d been in the house for a while, but I didn’t get a sense of how the Wrigley’s lived.

We climbed the stairs and discovered bedrooms fitted out as modern dressing rooms for those brides and their grooms. We were told the names of some of the more famous people who had stayed in the rooms and of the plans they had to turn some of the rooms into short term rentals, but I wondered who would stay in this confused place. And we still didn’t know much about the Wrigley’s.

Back downstairs, the obliteration of the Wrigley’s continued as they showed us various special occasion venues you could rent, but they’d all been redecorated and filled with modern furniture. I had come to hear about chewing gum and baseball, but all I did was tour a special event venue with multiple restaurants.

Outward & Onward

The tour dumped us in the wine bar and we were invited to enjoy happy hour. Some took them up on it, but Bill and I left. I was disappointed. For $5 less per person, we could have gone back to the Musical Instrument Museum and continued to play there. I do not recommend this tour, unless you’re just bored in Phoenix and need some place to go.

We returned to the hotel for a while and later Bill was ready for some dinner, which we got at a neighborhood Middle Eastern cafe. I wasn’t hungry.

The next morning we met his family for a farewell brunch at a place which wasn’t really laid out for a family brunch. Apparently the kids liked to hang out there, but it was a two story coffee shop with tiny tables for two. The guys are great, but I wouldn’t put them in charge of planning social events. The coffee shop didn’t even have a high chair for our youngest one.

We returned to the hotel to take advantage of their water park included in the price of your stay. We grabbed innertubes and floated around the lazy river a few times. There really wasn’t much more to it and everything looked as if it were waiting for a renovation. We finished the day as lazy bums. Me playing with my FOREVER account and Bill taking a nap.

The next day was our final day in Phoenix and we were headed to the desert. Oh boy! Come back next week and join us!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Fashion, Gardens, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Sightseeing in OKC

Jane Sadek

MEMORY MAKING: FROM DEATH TO LIFE IN OKC

We’re taking a short trip to Oklahoma City. Yesterday we hit the Cowboy Museum and our primary goal today is the Edith Head Exhibit is OKCMOA, but we started the day at the OKC National Memorial. Come along!

OKC National Memorial

I don’t do it. I sat on the bus when a tour I was on went to Auschwitz. I didn’t go anywhere near the Twin Towers Memorial when I went to NYC. I try to avoid all JFK-related sites in Dallas. To me, sites like this memorialize horror and visiting them is not a tribute to the dead, but to those who caused the trauma. I realize others don’t feel that way and so they should go, but I don’t. I also know that saving these sites is a message to the future, but I’m not the future.

 I base my actions on Philippians 4:8, which admonishes us in this way, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

On this particular morning in OKC, Vicki & Deborah wanted to go to the OKC Memorial. I didn’t want to, but I also didn’t want to make a big thing of my thing, one not unique to me, but certainly not common. We walked the few blocks to the Memorial. I took a few pictures. but mostly I just waited for my friends. When they were done, they compared various sites with similar purpose, but I had nothing to contribute, because I choose not to.

Edith Head at OKC

“Whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Certainly, these words describe the work of Edith Head. She was a costume designer in the heyday of Hollywood, designing costumes for Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Bob Hope, Barbara Stanwyck and so many others who graced the silver screen.

We all know I adore clothes, shoes and accessories. I inherited the passion from my mom and my Aunt Edie. In these days when comfort trumps style for our younger generation, there’s a creeping reverse snobbery against those of us who appreciate the days when our handbags matched our shoes. That’s fine for them, but I refuse to succumb.

The Edith Head exhibit was gorgeous, nostalgic and wildly entertaining. Each carefully crafted costume had a story and told a story. I could stand at each display and see layer upon layer upon layer. First, I thought about the in-depth research Edith Head would do, so that she actually understood the clothing of the era she was trying to depict. Then she had to consider the materials available to her, what would look good made enormous for theaters around the world by a camera’s lens. Then she had to deal with the whims and demands of the stars, each one comparing the work she’d done for them and trying to decide if she was doing her best and making them look their best.

Then there was the impact her work had on people. The glamour she created, the stories she helped to tell and the stars she made shine more brightly. I was one of those people. The list of movies I watched with Edith Head costumes is long and I loved seeing outfits I’d first admired on screen, right in front of me. Then there was the workmanship. It was impeccable.

I didn’t take a picture of every dress in the exhibit, but as you can see, I took many. I think I could have stayed all day, sometimes just strolling leisurely through the exhibit to enjoy the overall impact and then next time going at a snail’s pace to read every word about every display. Then again to pick out my favorites.

I think I would love to travel on my own. My husband and my bestie think I am insane. It’s not that I don’t love them and want to be with them, it’s just that my interest in some things go beyond the rational. I would go to New York and day after day, show up at the Met to soak in the masterpieces. I would sit alone on the deck of a ship and stare into the distance. I would sit at a Parisian curbside coffeeshop all day long and watch people. But pursuing those dreams would alienate the people I love most. So, I travel with them and have a wonderful time, but sometimes, I want less of them and more of what I’m seeing. That’s how I felt that day.

Chihuly Was Calling

On this particular day, it wasn’t just the attention spans of my friends I was concerned about. Edith Head wasn’t the only artist we had come to admire. OKCMOA has some of the most amazing Chihuly pieces I’ve ever seen. I’d only recently returned from Washington State, where Chihuly is one of the main attractions, but I was eager to see more. On top of that, we needed to get back home that day and Vicki had a bit of a crisis to manage when she got there.

So, we went to the floor with Chihuly and soaked it in. What can I say about Chihuly? His work says it all. Here’s a sample:

Alive at Crystal Bridge Conservatory

I promised a day which went from death to life and Crystal Bridge Conservatory is a very alive place. My two companions thought it was too hot out in the conservatory to enjoy the plants growing there, but I needed it for a bookend to the sad beginning of my day. Vicki stepped out for a short visit, but Deb, who had seen it, opted to stay in the a/c. I soaked up what I could as quickly as I could. Enjoy these few shots.

Then it was time to head home. Traffic was not nice to us and we spent entirely too much time trying to get some gas for the ride home. Tardy, but elated with our day we went back to Rockwall & Heath.

Next week we’re headed to another of my favorite places: ARIZONA. Come back and enjoy several days in the desert!

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, International, Museums, Road Trips, TRAVEL

More Victoria Sightseeing

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING: Castles, Culture and Canadian Charm

There was still a lot of day left after we left Butchart Gardens and grabbed a late lunch. I had a long list of things I wanted to see, so we started knocking them off the list. Come along and enjoy the afternoon with us.

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria

Thursday evenings are free at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, so since it was a Thursday, this venue was high on my wish list. Only we got there before the free started, so Bill wanted to go back to the hotel for his afternoon coffee break. This was not on my list, but after his fussy morning at the garden, I thought maybe some coffee and a quick nap would help his attitude.

It did and when we went back to the Gallery, we found it quite interesting. Its galleries are a mixed bag of art for sale, permanent collection, special exhibitions and classes. The backyard is some kind of temple. It’s a really mixed bag, but who can argue with free, right?

Government House Gardens

Government House is the Official Victoria Residence of the Governor of British Columbia. You don’t actually visit the interior of the Residence without some kind of official invitation, but the Garden is open for viewing by the general public pretty much all the time.

Huge gates with the official seal were wide open for our visit. It was a lovely experience. The house itself, though stately, wasn’t my cup of tea, but the gardens around it are spectacular.

We first wandered off to the right where there was sort of a natural garden. It was certainly well tended, but instead of the trimmed boxwoods and fountains you might think of with an official residence, the gardens were more like what you might find behind a garden gate in the Cotswold.

Behind the Residence the ground fell away to a valley and great rock walled terraces filled with greenery took up the back side of the house. That’s where we ran into a really nice lady who was out walking her very large cat. In fact, it was the largest domestic cat I think we’d ever seen. It was a long haired tabby, like Bill’s Mesh Mesh had been, and when she let him hold the feline, I wondered if he was actually going to give it back to the nice lady or would cut and run. He did finally return the beloved pet, but remembers holding it as one of the highlights of the trip.

As we came around the other side of the house, we found row after row of irises. Irises are one of my favorite flowers, but no one loves irises as much as my best friend, so I had to take lots of photos for her. I texted them to her to let her know she was on my mind.

In front of the Residence was a large water feature with many unique rock formations. It’s amazing they allow the general public to just come hang out, but it was a marvelous experience.

Craigdarroch Castle

Thrilled we’d seen both the Gallery and the Residence, I was quite satisfied, but then I realized Craigdarroch Castle was nearby. It was so late we couldn’t get a tour, but we were able to wander around outside. On the front lawn folks were gathering for the performance of a Shakespeare play and we stayed for the opening speeches.

There’s a mistake on the photo book page above. We did enjoy a meal at Wind Cries Mary, but it was the next day, not this one. I worked on my photo album during an online crop and was so intent on earning badges and completing challenges that I didn’t do any fact checking. I keep a detailed journal of all my trips, but I’d taken the trip just a couple of months before and thought I remembered everything the way it happened. Obviously, I didn’t! In reality, my fast food loving husband had gone to Wendy’s for breakfast. Then we’d had a late lunch at Red Robin. After the castle he stopped back by Wendy’s for a light supper.

So, next week, we’ll be visiting the Parliament Building, going to Fisherman’s Wharf and having dinner at Wind Cries Mary. Come back and go with us.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Memory Keeping, Photography, Road Trips, Scrapbooking, TRAVEL, United States

Leaving Pismo for Santa Barbara

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: PISMO LIGHTHOUSE SUITES & CASA DE HERRERO

Pismo Lighthouse Suites

I can’t abandon Pismo without a shout out to our wonderful accommodations. After the grandeur of the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort, pretty much anything else would have to be a step down, but we didn’t have to step very far down. Pismo Lighthouse Suites proved to be an excellent choice for a stay.

Don’t expect swanky, because it’s not, but it is nice. Very roomy with a bedroom totally separate from the living area and a full kitchen. Bill didn’t think much of the décor, but I thought it was very functional and everything was clean. Who could ask for more when you’re watching your pocketbook at little?

One thing we certainly loved was the breakfast every morning, served in a community room and if you couldn’t find something you liked, then you are really too picky. I’d sure stay here again.

Casa de Herrero in Montecito

Bill usually leaves most of the vacation planning to me, but when he does make a suggestion, it’s a jewel. I didn’t find it in any of my research, but it should be on every must-see list for Santa Barbara. It’s a little pricey and hard to schedule, but it is a gem.

The home is open to the public at 10 AM and 2 PM on Wednesdays and Saturdays – PERIOD! And the tickets are $50 per person. I’ll wait for you to catch your breath. If budget is not a constraint and you can be there on their schedule, then you have to go. You will love it. Lotus Land was $60 each, but it seems to me there was a whole lot more to it. Still, I’m glad I had the opportunity to go.

We pulled into Montecito about 1:15 PM and had to kill about half and hour in a shopping center parking lot. We couldn’t just go hang out by the Casa. They keep the gate closed until a few minutes before the tour and you aren’t allow to park in the neighborhood. Parking is at a premium everywhere in Montecito and the signs at the shopping center were very threatening, so we couldn’t even lock up the car and go for a walk. We had to pretend one or the other of us was visiting one of the establishments, while the other guarded the car.

Finally, it was almost time for them to open their gate, so we made our way to the home. When the tour started, we were informed we couldn’t take photos inside, but think San Simeon’s dining room turned into a full house. Very Spanish and a little dark.

The original builder and owner of the house was George Fox Steedman from San Luis Obispo, who started out as a metalsmith and woodworker, threw in a few real estate deals and became filthy stinking rich. The house had a metalsmithing and woodworking studio where Mr. Steedman pursued his interests. The house is full of valuable antiques from the Golden Age of Spain, but they are pretty dark and depressing.

Counterpoint to the interior with it’s nod to the Inquisition, outside was delightful and you could take photos. And that’s what you’ll see on the photo book pages I’ve included below.

Accommodations, ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Memory Keeping, Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

I Love the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort

Jane Sadek

MAKING MEMORIES: MY NEW FAVORITE HOTEL

Hello Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort

I’ve stayed in some luxury hotels in some pretty fabulous places: Mena House next to the pyramids, Cairo Marriott along the Nile, Hotel Prince De Galles in Paris, The National in OKC – just to name a few. However, that’s not the norm. I’m usually looking for the bargain, so I can stay longer and eat in outrageous places. We just go crash lobbies and bars in swanky hotels, before going back to my bargain. Suits me just fine.

However, in recent years, Bill has demanded I be a little more discriminating in my bargains, because I have landed him in some dumps. Even so, luxury resorts are not our go-to choice. As I researched Huntington Beach, however, pretty much everything was expensive and the Hyatt Regency deal I found was only a small stretch. I was so glad when I sold it to Bill and made the reservation.

The Parking & Checking-In Thing

Bill may prefer I upgrade our accommodations these days, but he draws the line at exorbitant valet parking. Take our almost disaster in Detroit, for instance. As we drove around the exterior of the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach I knew we were in for another adventure in parking. I left Bill to it and went in to claim our room.

I admit I’m chatty and often find myself in a little trouble with Mr. Bill for my gift of gab, but this time my chattiness paid off in a big way. The hotel clerk was clicking away on her computer. She felt they’d booked my room a little too far from the lobby. Perhaps she thought an ancient senior citizen like me was too feeble to walk very far. I told her I was more interested in view than proximity to the lobby and about that time Bill comes in gawking around said lobby like a rube on his first visit to the big city. I said, “You’ll have to excuse him, this is a bit of a splurge for us.” She replied, “Then how about a full ocean view!”

What a Room!

Convinced I was hearty enough to make my way around the hotel grounds, this wonderful lady put us into what has to be one of the greatest hotel rooms in the world. This was the view as we opened the door to our room!

Once I got over that and looked around, I was even more astounded. This room was huge and gorgeous and well appointed. I wanted to move in forever!

There was an entry area with furnishings to accommodate all those little things you like to leave by the door. The bathroom would have pleased any ancient Roman. There was an area with a desk and bed raised on a dais like a throne room on the other side of some columns was a lovely sitting area next to the balcony.

I never wanted to leave, but we still had economy parking to deal with. It turned out to be not big deal at all. Apparently, we’re not the first people to think $65 a day is a little steep. There’s a public parking area right across the street from the hotel for like $10 a day – a far cry from $65. The hotel gives you a permit to stay there overnight. They even have a very elaborate pedestrian bridge to get you safely back to the hotel. We parked near the bridge and enjoyed the stroll back to our room, because the resort is beautiful.

For dinner, we found a place called Baja Sharkey’s at a nearby shopping center where we had margaritas and nachos. Then time for bed, because we were going on a tour the next day.

Here’s my photo book pages of the resort, made in Artisan, of course. Bill would want you to tell me that the fuzzy image on the left is the result of me trying to create a heavenly effect on the page, not his photography.

Accommodations, Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Gardens, Photography, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

Detroit’s Art Deco Treasure

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE: A STROLL IN DOWNTOWN DETROIT

The Guardian Building

We’d started our day in an empty world headquarters, had breakfast in ghost town food court and taken a ride on an abandoned monorail. We were beginning to wonder if anyone actually lived or worked in Detroit. Still, finding gems off the beaten path is one of my favorite things to do, so this hunt for The Guardian Building was just my cup of tea.

It was Travel Advisor which clued me in on the existence of a pristine Art Deco skyscraper in Downtown Detroit. Once we got off the People Mover I asked Google Maps to find The Guardian Building and as I thought, it was just around the corner from the monorail stop. Instead of trying to describe it, I’ll just share some of the photos we snapped.

Gorgeous, right? Like the Renaissance Center, there wasn’t much in the way of human occupation. There was a security guard behind a desk in the central lobby and up the stairs was a large open area. A barista lurked behind a coffee bar and there was a tour company office on the other side and that was it. Where were the rest of the inhabitants of Detroit?

Campus Martius Park

While the Riverfront and Greektown are obviously popular areas in Detroit, we’d be seeing those with the family later in the weekend, so I wanted to focus on things we wouldn’t see with them, which took us to this downtown park.

It was here we finally connected with humanity. As we strolled along a well landscaped path between the skyscrapers, we happened upon a beach bar. Yes, I said a beach bar. Sand, lounge chairs and drinks with fruit in them. Don’t believe me?

It would have suited me fine to take a load off and sample their wares, but Bill was not in lounging mode. He was doing his best to play tourist, but he was distracted. Not only were most of our credit cards compromised by hackers, but the market was open and we’d just turned over our real estate photography company to the new owner. We were supposed to be celebrating that last bit, but after nursing our enterprise to success for six years, we were having some separation anxiety. Was this guy going to be able to handle it? It’s not that we weren’t happy to see it go. We just didn’t want it back!

At the end of the park is One Campus Maritus, the Compuware headquarters, famous for this 14 story waterfall.

And that left one final stop along Woodward Avenue we wanted to visit, The Grand Circus. It’s not a circus with a tent, but a park in a circle. It was a much quieter venue than Campus Maritus with its beach bar and perhaps we would have skipped it altogether had we known, but it was right next to a People Mover station, so it turned out to be quite convenient.

On to our Next Accommodations

The People Mover took us back to Renaissance Center, where we claimed our rental car and headed to Pontiac/Auburn Hills. That was the location of the Residence Inn which would be our home away from home over the next few days. It was close to all the family events and had just what we wanted.

Certainly the Renaissance Center Marriott was more glamourous, but the Residence Inn offered a comfort the swanky hotel did not – a separate sitting room I could escape to each morning. I wake up so early out of habit, but Bill knows how to sleep late and I like to give him that luxury. On the way, we stopped at a grocery store to get some items to enjoy during our stay – wine, bottled water, fruit, protein bars etc.

I’m a pretty easy-going traveler. I don’t think I have ever rejected a room, even though there have been a few times I should have. Bill on the other hand is a little harder to please. He will go down to the desk and complain when he doesn’t like something. At the Residence Inn, he didn’t like the view. It’s a suburban Residence Inn, so I didn’t expect a view, but he did. We got a different room and don’t tell him, but I sort of liked the first one better. It seemed a little more convenient and not quite as dorm-like, but Bill did like the view better, so we stayed.

The Family Weekend

Over the next few days, we were involved with family. We had a get together at a local restaurant Friday night and the big Gender Reveal at a Country Club Saturday. Sunday we hung out at the Riverfront, had lunch in Greek town and a game of golf in the afternoon. On Monday, the main event was an absolute feast, fit for a Pharaoh with all our Egyptian favorites. While it was a lot of fun, it wouldn’t be of much interest to anyone outside the family. (It’s a boy by the way. Our Grand Nephew will arrive in October.)

After the feast, we went back towards Detroit and stayed at the Smithfield Westin. It was a nice hotel, but we were just there to sleep. In the morning I was finally getting to do something that had been on every version of my itinerary the Detroit Institute of Art. Come back next week and enjoy our visit.

Decorative Arts, DFW Metroplex, Gardens, Memory Keeping, Photo Organization, Photo Organization Coach, Photography, Scrapbooking, Shopping

Pre-Designed (But Flexible) Photo Projects

Jane Sadek

MEMORY KEEPING 101: DESIGN & PRINT PROJECTS

AutoPrint vs. Design & Print

Last month I walked you through a couple of easy, peasy AutoPrint projects step-by-step. AutoPrint is what you want to use to create very quick projects. The layouts are very simple and while you can make some edits, the primary goal is done.

Design & Print is the next level of (shall we say) fussiness. You want more in the way of decoration and more opportunities to add your own touches, but you also want the heavy of lifting of design to have been done by someone else.

Available Projects

While AutoPrint and Design & Print offer many of the same projects for you to choose from, there are some differences. I have compared the AutoPrint Offerings with the Design & Print Options.

  • Photo Books (In AutoPrint you have all these choices with each photo boo. In Design & Print, options for size, binding and style depend on design chosen, but all of these can be found in various designs.)
    • Sizes 8X8 -12X12
    • Softbound & Hardbound
    • Standard & Layflat
  • Photo Gifts (Varies)
    • Coaster Sets (Both)
    • Tabletop Panels (Both)
    • Notebooks (AP Only)
    • Magnets (Both)
    • Ornaments (D&P Only)
    • Puzzles(D&P Only)
    • Blankets (D&P Only)
  • Drinkware (Varies)
    • Water Bottles (Both)
    • Photo Mugs (Both)
    • Frosted Glasses (D&P Only)
  • Wall Decor (D&P Only)
    • Canvas Prints
    • Metal Panels
  • Cards (D&P ONly)
  • Calendars (D&P Only)
  • Photo Prints (AP Only)
    • Glossy & Lustre
    • Sizes 4X6 – 11X14

Selecting Your Photos and Your Design

When you have a project you want to do in Design & Print, I suggest you first go to your albums and set up one for the project. Then add all the photos you want to include in your project into the album. It’s also a good idea to get them into the order you want them to be in the project. This will not only get you prepared for making the project, but it could help you decide which design to use.

Then it’s time to choose the design for your project. According to your point of view, this part is either your favorite thing about the project or your biggest headache.

If you like shopping online, this part is fun. You can go in and browse around, checking available options for size, style, material and etc.. You can put together your whole project and then decide you want to change the design or the layout. You’ll love it.

I’ll admit it makes me a little crazy. In prepping for this post, I went in to find a coaster set project to walk you through and hit a brick wall. Artisan is my favorite way to design in FOREVER because I like to start with a blank page, but many people find a blank page daunting. They want a design template. FOREVER offers three design options because different people like different things.

Let’s Make a Blanket

Since I’m definitely not in the mood for coasters, let’s make a blanket. I’ll use the photos I have tagged as Floral for the images on the blanket. On FOREVER I would hover over the “Create & Print” Tab and a selection box comes up offering AutoPrint, Design & Print and Digital Scrapbooking & Deign. Under Design & Print, Photo Gifts are in the center and Blankets are at the bottom of that list. Click “Blankets.”

There are many, many design to choose from, but for this project I wanted to include as many floral photos as possible, so I used the “# Of Photos” filter to find the blanket designs which included the most images. I got two choices. (Ignore the pricing. The image I included shows the deals available on the day I wrote this post, not the day you are reading it)

When I clicked on the Photo Grid Blanket, here’s the screen I got. It advises me of all the options I have. There are two sizes, two orientations and two materials available to me and there is a big PERSONALIZE button. Let’s do that.

So, I went in and added a photo for each space and chose a Bible verse as my text. If I clicked on “Layouts,” the designer offered four options, but this was the one with the most spaces, so I chose it. I could still select my size, orientation and material. Then I could add it to my cart and order it!

I like this a lot, but honestly, I would prefer a design without text and I’d probably choose a different background color. And that’s why I love Artisan, but that lesson will be next month. Here’s the link to the project so you can take a look at it: https://www.forever.com/app/users/jane-sadek–1/containers/c7f1ebef-e74c-4069-9d00-0c75dfd7daf8/6ao6nbcgjnp7v0b3adq7j2lrt

Architecture, ART, Attractions, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, Libraries, Museums, Presidential, Road Trips, TRAVEL, United States

The William J. Clinton Presidential Library

Jane Sadek

TRAVEL THERE – ANOTHER PRIMARILY PRESIDENTIAL DESTINATION

If you follow my tags, you’ll find 19 posts about Primarily Presidential Destinations. I’ve got at least that many more on my wish list. The William J. Clinton Presidential Library was not on that list, but that’s only because I hadn’t really thought about it. I’d never been much of a fan and Little Rock was not someplace I was dying to go.

With Little Rock being about halfway between DFW and St. Louis it was a perfect stop over and I knew we’d have a few hours there on Thursday morning before we had to get on the road. I googled “Visit Little Rock” and the Library was one of the first attractions to come up. Then there was no question about it, fan or not, if it was a presidential library I was going.

Little Rock is a city under construction, but Wayz knew about it and threaded us through the detour signs. We arrived a few minutes before opening and caught up with our email and social media.

As I watched people park and head toward the building it wasn’t clear to me exactly where we were supposed to enter, because it’s one of those modern buildings where the entrance is fairly non-descript. In fact, you have to go under the building to enter it.


Women’s Voices, Women’s Votes, Women’s Rights

The ground floor is dominated by a glass-walled gift shop. You had to go through it to get to the special exhibition on the other side. The special exhibition was a series of quilts focused on women’s suffrage and and women’s rights.

The thought process of having a quilt exhibition was quite good. Quilting has always been a very female thing to do and in America women have used the quilts to document everything from family trees to stops on the Underground Railway. Quilts filled both the downstairs exhibition space and another gallery upstairs.

I found myself more interested in the modern process of quilts than I was their message. I guess I haven’t been paying enough attention at the State Fair of Texas Crafts Building. These weren’t the patchwork quilts I’ve admired during the rest of my life. Pictures were printed on the cloth and then over-sewn by machine. I’m not doubting the creativity and skill of the women who crafted these quilts, I’m just gonna be honest and say I like old-school quilts better.

Deb, the conversation starter, mentioned to someone we were headed to a women’s conference. Her new friend perked right up and wanted to know more. That was until Deb told her it was a Christian conference. Then all the perk deflated out and we were told to enjoy the exhibit. They’d obviously wished we were headed out to wear vagina caps or beat up some right to life advocates. In another gallery of the special exhibition Deb engaged the guards with a description of Allsopp & Chappele. They followed us around the gallery capturing information about the restaurant on their phones.

Touring the Permanent Exhibits

Even though I wasn’t a big fan of Bill, I was impressed by his Library. There’s all the usual obligatory Presidential Library stuff – memorabilia from his presidential campaigns, a replica of his Oval Office and an orientation theater. I was surprised to learn in the film how important his saxophone was to him and that it was almost the career path he chose. Would the world be a better place if Bill Clinton had been a professional sax player? In the film he said political activism won out over the saxophone, but I have a sneaky feeling that was due more to Hillary Rodham, who he met about that time, than it did the actual political activity.

One of my favorite parts was a timeline that dominated the second floor. It combined important achievements of his presidency with world events, so you are reminded of their historical setting. Around the timeline were alcoves focused on various themes of his presidency and letters from famous people were displayed, sometimes with Bill’s reply.

In comparison, in the George W. Bush Library, the first two galleries are given over to “No Child Left Behind” and 9-11. While Bush sees the education agenda as his crowning glory, I see it as his biggest failure. Any reminder of 9-11 is upsetting to those of us who lived through it. So by the time I get to the rest of the exhibits I’m not in the mood to celebrate his other successes. Points go to Mr. Clinton.

I will admit, Clinton accomplished many of his goals. My problem with him is that I see a direct correlation between what he “accomplished” and many of the troubles we have today. I believe his intentions were good and sincere, but like many good and sincere people, he didn’t look down the road and consider what the results of his good intentions would be.

And then there’s Monica Lewinski. I wondered if they’d even address it in the Library and I have to give them kudos for having the guts to do so. However, I found humor in the way they chose to present it. It wasn’t Bill admitting he’d sinned, it was some commentary over whether his actions were actually impeachable or not. Evasive into perpetuity. He’s not the only bad boy in the presidential line-up, but will any of us ever forget “I did not have sex with that woman,” and the blue dress. Oh, and the meditation on what the word “is” might actually mean.

The primary reason I am not a fan of Bill is that I disagreed with what he was trying to accomplish – no surprise! He’s a Democrat and I am a Republican. But the whole Sex in the Oval Office thing was an embarrassment to our nation and as always, the coverup was worse than the sin. When are our leaders going to learn to step up, confess their sins and move on. Instead we have to have months/years of investigations, which in the end just spend money we don’t have to promote the political careers of the incumbents. I am so tired of it!

The third floor was like dessert, because it contained the gifts to the Clintons from other world leaders and countries. The presidential gifts are always my very favorite thing to see. There was a table setting from one of their state dinners, something the libraries always seem to have and one of the Frist Lady’s evening gowns, another presidential library staple.

And speaking of the First Lady, I was very impressed by the low key role she played in the library. Of course she was there, including her efforts to fix health care, but her presence was not overpowering. I jokingly call Ronald Reagan’s library the Nancy Reagan Library, because I left knowing more about her than I did him. Her stamp is on every single exhibit. Not so with Hillary Rodham Clinton, who actually played a larger role in her husband’s career than Ms. Nancy did. Points go to Mrs. Clinton.

So, I enjoyed my visit to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library. I heartily recommend that you visit when you can – and of course, that you eat at Allsopp & Chapple, but don’t stay at Day’s End.

There are other activities on the campus of the Library, but we needed to get on down the road. The Love Life Conference would start that evening, so we needed to be in St. Louis in time to attend. Come back next week and we’ll be on the road again to St. Louis.