Sunday, November 18, 2012

high


While Lyons and John were 
spending the weekend
in Ellijay
with the guys in our family,


CC was excited that we
were having a 
"Girls' Weekend."

On Saturday morning,
I woke to 
hazelnut coffee,
a comfy couch,
and half of
Wolff Hall to complete,
when I decided that I was lucky 
to have these moments
when  CC
actually
wanted
to spend time with me.
I decided to
get up,
get moving,
and
get engaged!

I quickly texted a friend
and
made plans to 
visit the
High Museum 


in
Atlanta.


It was a exquisite fall day.


We enjoyed
looking at the European art
~ especially the French Impressionists.
However,
asking CC to find
Monet
was somewhat
disappointing,


considering the number of times we visited the
Metropolitan in NYC.
As in,
"Who's Monet?"

Seriously???

The girls were excited
 to discover
folk art


and modern art.




CC found a horse,


but she knew 
not to touch it!


We were 
Obsessed
with 
Howard Finster



and hope to visit his house
sometime soon
since it's
right here
in Northwest Georgia.


We had a great time,
moved by art


and so fortunate to
have it
accessible.


Hopefully,
we enhanced the girls' appreciation
for art
while spending
some fun quality time together.


If you haven't been to the
High lately,
get movin'!



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

really good stuff


On Friday,
my mom and I 
went to Atlanta.

First,
we shopped at 
Scott's Antique Market
where I found an 1895 map
of Long Island.
I've been looking for one 
that wouldn't break the bank 
for years now
and was beyond thrilled to find one.

Next,
we had lunch at JCT Kitchen
where we devoured some
parmesan truffle fries.


I thought the day couldn't get any better
when we 
saw this sign:

Only in the South...

Of course,
when you see a sign like that,
you must follow it.
So we did.

We walked across this bridge


and on the other side was...


I had heard
Calypso had opened in Atlanta
and here it was!
We had unwittingly
stumbled upon it.


We had a marvelous afternoon shopping.

I ended up with some things off the sale rack
and talked mom into some
AG Jeans that I hope she doesn't regret.

Some days,
if you are open 
to following unexpected signs,
you just might find some
"really good stuff."


Thursday, November 1, 2012

oh sandy


Years ago,
I remember watching one of those
"It Could Happen"
tv shows
about a potentially devastating hurricane
hitting Manhattan.
It was fascinating, 
but I didn't think it would
ever really happen.

Sagg Main Monday Morning

Watching it come to pass 
with Superstorm Sandy,
has been surreal.

On Monday afternoon,
(before the arrival of Sandy)
John left our house to go check on the stables.
He had traveled about a mile,
when he was forced to turn around 
due to a huge fallen tree in the road.
Upon turning around,
he discovered he had been trapped by
this tree.


At that point,
he realized
it was time to 
get home
and
"hunker down."
There was no more to be done
for the businesses.

I was glued to the news, Facebook,
and Hamptons.com
looking for pictures of Sag Harbor.

I couldn't believe Bay Street had become
the bay



 or that Long Beach,
my favorite place to walk,
was flooded.


Christie Brinkley
posted pics of Noyac,
right down the street from my house.


I lost touch with John about 3:00 p.m. on Monday.
I knew we had lost power in Sag Harbor,
but assumed we would keep in touch by cell.
Of course,
 he lost cell service next.
I spent a long night worried about his safety
and our home.

On Tuesday morning,
I finally heard from John
and he reported that it had been 
a "wicked" storm,
but (Halleliujah!) he and
our house were fine.

On his way to work,
he sent some pics 



I was crestfallen
to realize many of my friends
will be faced with 
rebuilding their homes
and businesses.

c.brinkley

The Hamptons sustained serious damage,
especially on the coast.
However, 
we escaped the utter destruction 

of whole communities
such as Breezy Point,
Fire Island,
and parts of New Jersey.

My thoughts and prayers 
are with everyone
affected by this storm.

The Morning After
c.brinkley

Praying for blue skies,
and
 brighter days ahead.



Thursday, October 25, 2012

"if heaven ain't alot like dixie..."


We had a wonderful time in Alabama.

Mornings were spent
watching the sun rise


and enjoying coffee on the dock.


Days were filled with
sun and sand,


empty beaches,


clear water,


 feathered friends,


fun,



and family.



Nights were spent
fishing down at the dock,


and reveling in quiet peace
under the stars.

The only things that could have made this break more perfect -
would've been
more time
 and one less 
   broken arm...



*quote from Hank Williams Jr.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

gulf shores


Last week,
the kids had a couple of days off 
for fall break.

We debated 
what to do 
and 
where to go.
We considered going to
"the happiest place on earth,"
but it tends to be
"the most expensive place on earth."
We looked into all the 
"last minute"
deals
on the internet,
but just couldn't find anything
that made sense
with our time constraints.

And then
I remembered...
While living in New York,
I vowed that if I was ever back in Georgia,
I would take full advantage of being so close
to the Gulf.

We loaded up and left for one of our favorite places 
in the world,
Gulf Shores, Alabama.

When we arrived late Thursday afternoon,
we found
the view from the back of Grandmother's Beach House, 
 to be just as beautiful as 
the Gulf 
across the street.


The kids scampered down to the bay
to see what they could find


and it didn't take long until the kayaks
were out.


As the sun began to set,


we got dressed and headed for dinner
at Lulu's -
an enormous local restaurant 
owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister.
The kids were thrilled to see something new -
 the "Mountain of Youth,"
a four story climbing aparatus.


After dinner,
we agreed to let Lyons and CC
attempt
the mountain.
Having no fear,
both kids quickly ascended.


At dizzying heights,
they bravely navigated
the ropes course.



I could barely watch,
but was glad they were having fun!

It was clear,
we were
exactly
where we needed to be.