The absolute highlight of my week was spotting and photographing this great blue heron on the lake behind our house Friday morning. It waded its way around most of the far side of the lake, careful to cast its shadow on land and not be so easily spotted by the water critters it hunted.
And its persistence paid off! As you can see, it snagged a small fish in its bill . I actually saw it catch and swallow several bites of breakfast, but this was the only image of that I managed to capture.
We’ve seen it fishing on our lake before, and I thought it was a young whooping crane. But this time I laid aside my camera phone for the 35mm and a zoom lens and captured it up close. No doubt about it, it’s a great blue heron–although judging from its size it’s a young one.
Here it has its wings in a flap over something. I saw one up close once before in a state park, sitting on a log in the middle of an inlet. I sat down at a lakeside picnic table to observe. At least 30 feet stretched between us, all of it water, and STILL that heron honked at me like I was trespassing and flapped a lot like this. Perhaps its nest was near. It was much larger than this one, and I knew not to cross it.
The light was just perfect Friday morning to place the birds shadow and its reflection in the right spots. I’ve always wanted to live somewhere where I would see wildlife, and I feel so blessed to be living here.
Indoors goes out
UK designer Sophie Robinson and journalist Kate Watson-Smyth tokk their “Great Indoors” podcast outdoors to interview garden designer Arit Anderson, who discusses the importance of observing the garden before taking up the trowel, a.k.a. “don’t fight the site” or a modicum of traditional pests. She also brings her background in fashion to bear on designing a garden from year-to-year with a wardrobe development analogy.
The second half of the podcast covers the latest design books out and the reemergence of a more authentic shabby chic. Listen to episode 14.5 using the embedded link below:
Then follow this link to explore more Great Indoors podcasts.
This is an outdoor vista that not only stands up to the gorgeous kitchen inside, but it also acts as the perfect backdrop for the plum-pink cabinets and spectacular marble counter and sink. Follow the link to see what a $100,000 kitchen reno really looks like, that is, if you can tear yourself away from the view outside.
The NEW maximalism: not what you think
The Decorologist offers an apologia–not to be mistaken for an apology–for maximalism. Maximalists are not hoarders or conspicuous consumers. Instead, they live “life within the walls of our homes to the fullest. It’s about embracing color and pattern and beauty from across many eras and styles.” Great photos and a great post!
What would grandma say?
Artist Zak Ove’s recent exhibition at De Buck Gallery in New York featured art inspired by his Trinidadian heritage and made from colorful crocheted doilies. The story of this art form is fascinating, and the results make me wish I’d hung onto all those doilies my grandmother made. If you were more prescient than I, take a gander and start collaging the cotton to cover a wall in your home.
What’s happening at home
Besides “Big Bird” out my back windows, life on Freeman Street moves along at an ever-rapid pace. The messy garage should be neat and tidy after this weekend (photos to come), and the patio should have the startings of some style (more photos to come).
The biggest deterrent to all the outdoor styling will be the wild wind that picks up speed as it passes over the lake unimpeded. Our grill took a fatal end-over-end tumble this winter, so we’ll need to secure the patio furniture to keep it out of the lake (and the neighbors’ yards). Wish us luck.
I continue to collect photos of chairs upholstered in more than one fabric as inspiration for the two vintage chairs I want to have recovered. Here’a bit of the inspo collected so far:
There’s also this one, which is really just one fabric. But the pattern is used in such a way that it looks like different fabrics are involved:
Of course, I want my chairs to be largely unpatterned since so much else in the room IS patterned. If there is any pattern, it should be more of a texture or a subdued geometric, or just on the sides or the piping. So I still have some searching and thinking to do. I’ll want the new sofa installed (scheduled for mid-June through August) before I make a decision on these chairs, that’s for sure.
Remember mom with my recipe journal!
That’s right, I finally released my signature recipe journal this week: My Happy Kitchen, complete with a few of my very own culinary creations, coupled with lots of room for you to add those that delight your friends and family. Read more about it HERE and ORDER HERE.
Mother’s Day is coming up soon–May 8, just four weeks away. Each journal is made to order, so don’t delay.
And that’s a wrap! Have a lovely weekend.
