Beaches

I'm off on a jet plane to somewhere cool and wet for a much needed break. I'll leave you with some of my pictures of the beaches in California I saw last month - aren't they breathtaking? The above photos are from route 1 through the Big Sur, a trip I would recommend to anyone. Remember to rent a convertible, it's worth it! Just DRIVE SLOWLY!

Above and below are Carmel Bay -with Pebble beach seen above across the water. The Pacific might be too cold to really swim, but it's certainly beautiful.

I've gone through one of the toughest months imaginable but I suppose thats all part of growing up. I'll hopefully be back in a week renewed, restored and ready to get back to blogging regularly! Have a great week!

The Spreckels mansion

What did we do before the internet? And more importantly -what did I do before blogging! I had so many emails and comments on yesterdays post and it's been quite the history lesson on the Spreckels Mansion in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. I thought I should sum it all up in a post so we're all on the same page on this beautiful mansion.

Built by Alma Spreckler (grande dame of San Francisco) and her husband Adolph Spreckels (his name comes second on purpose if you get my drift) from 1912-1913, the 55 room beaux-arts limestone mansion was designed by George Adrian Applegarth. Applegarth had graduated from the renowned Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris and after returning home to the Bay Area, he designed many of the cities most famous properties. Applegarth was, for a time, partner with another graduate of the Ecole, Kenneth MacDonald, in the firm McDonald and Applegarth. They were young architects directly after the devastating 1906 earthquake which definitely helped their careers along! The partners split in 1912 during the construction of the Spreckels Mansion. Applegarth went on to a very long and prosperous career in the Bay Area, most famously the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park for the Spreckels (which I briefly mention in an older post HERE). Alma lived in the house until her death in 1968. At one point she had the original front door, seen above, moved to the side where it currently is beneath a porte cochere. After her death, the house was divided into 4 full floor apartments until being sold by the family to Danielle Steele, who returned it to a single family residence.

The house has been somewhat controversal since the day it was built, mainly through its' association with the gregarious and eccentric Alma Spreckels. Alma allowed the house to be used as the setting of a nightclub in the 1957 Frank Sinatra movie 'Pal Joey' (my grandma's favorite movie!). She also hosted garage sales on the property to raise money for numerous charities. However, the controversies don't stop after Alma; they continue under the current owner, the author Danielle Steele. Apparently Steele is chastized for not taking better care of the exterior of the house (despite numerous remodels of the interior over the years) and shrouding the house in TALL bushes, hiding it from Lafayette Park across the street. She likes her privacy I guess! However in the days of the Spreckels, the house was painfully lacking in landscaping, allowing the public to enjoy the beautiful home. Also, despite having an indoor garage and large outdoor parking court, Steele apparently is hogging parking permits for 24 street spots in a very congested area. Tsk, tsk Danielle!

Thanks to everyone who helped fill me in on this magnificent estate. If anyone knows of any interior photos, please send them my way!

A timeworn beauty

One of the best ways to explore any city is to wander around. While in San Francisco and heading to Grant Gibson's apartment (where he was kind enough to throw me a little birthday brunch for a group of bloggy friends that you can read about over at katiedid; thanks again!!) I decided to waste a morning and walk. Along the way I came across this beautiful old house with a lovely worn patina. I love this freize along the cornice.

Not to mention an amazing view. One of THE views in a city of views; Notice Alcatraz in the background. All I could concentrate on though was this house and the similarities to the Petit Trianon.

Built of sandstone (or some other soft facing) the facade is slowly wearing away. At some point an attempt at stopping this had been made by painting the stone but even the paint is now peeling. The house might not be around for another 100 years but it will be lovely in the meantime.

The property is huge, with an enormous backyard facing the bay built over a garage with entry from the rear, seen here. A much later addition, this was faced with marble and is wearing much better.

And who lives here? Well according to my sources, none other than Danielle Steele! The house certainly is fittingly romantic.

Bonsai Bonanza

Many thanks to the Midwest Bonsai Society for choosing a photograph (with permission) from my post on the National Bonsai Museum back in April. It was so exciting for me to see this photograph in use! Who said blogging wasn't fun......
If you're in the Chicago area, stop by to see the 33rd annual exhibit at the Chicago Botanic Garden later this month, August 20-22nd.

Favorite Houses

Do you have a house, maybe from your past, that haunts your memory? For me it's this French styled mansion in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Amberson Avenue, probably from the 19-teens. While visiting this past weekend, I had to drive past to 'check up' on it.

I used to attend the church across the street and one of my favorite parts of Sundays was walking past this house. Glad to know it's still looking good!

Pictures taken with my new Droid incredible. Not 'incredible' photos but surprisingly good for a camera phone!

The Walker Residence

One of the greatest surprises during my California adventure was coming across a little known Frank Lloyd Wright house in Carmel directly across Monterey Bay from Pebble Beach.

While I agree with many other architects that Frank Lloyd Wright is overly regarded in general, one can't help but admit he was a tremdendously talented architect.The Walker Residence was designed in 1948 and completed in 1951 for Della Walker. It's a small house nestled into the beach rocks on the water side of Scenic Drive in Carmel. I loved the gates into the driveway / carport which almost feel like the backdoor as it has such a prominent face on the other side.As you can tell from these pictures, it's so perfectly sited that it blends into its surroundings. If you didn't know it was there, you might not notice it!It's small sizes gives it the nickname 'the cabin on the rocks' (Carmel is full of cottages or 'cabins') but it's definitely not small on design. Above you see a typical FLW element, the carport.Built originally for $125,000, FLW later added a master bedroom in 1956. He is known to have considered this amongst his favorite houses.

I would compare the siting of the house and its relationship to the water with Fallingwater. FLW took a beautiful piece of property and only improved it with his design.The one side of the house has stairs which go down onto a small secluded beach area, seen above.The design is based on a ship with a terrace off the liviing room becoming the prow, thrusting into Monterey Bay.

Such an elegant house and I love the stonework.The plantings on this side of the house look native to the area and really feel a part of the house itself. The house was featured in the 1959 movie "A Summer Place". Has anyone ever seen this? I'll have to add it to my netflix queue.

If you're ever in Carmel, make sure to pay special attention to the cabin on the rocks!

More treasures

While I further indulge myself in a much needed little blogger break (please excuse me!) let me share with you some more treasures from the musee des arts decoratifs at the Louvre in Paris.

I loved these items best for the contrast they provided to the stark black background. Very modern, don't you think? The sumptuous bed, the ornate clock and the beautiful painting all in a dark, dramatically lit room on the 18th century floor.

Like so many places, it's all about the lighting.

The Neptune Pool

The most well known (and beautiful) spaces at San Simeon are the pools. While the Roman Pool was abandoned by guests, the Neptune Pool , seen here, was the epicenter of the estate and continues to be used by staff!

My favorite shot of the pool - the shaded loggia which surrounds the pool with views of the ocean, the mountains and up the Big Sur. Can't you just see yourself here with a stack of magazines and cool drinks? In the background, notice the lights on concrete 'terms' which I discussed in my post on lanterns. I love those ionic columns!This pool was known as the temporary pool, built originally for the visit of Hearst's semi-estranged sons in 1924 who were living with his wife in NY and eventually rebuilt 3 times by 1936 into what we see today.The focus of the pool is the temple, pieced together from Hearst's extensive collection of Roman antiquities. The entire estate feels like one big jig-saw puzzle at times! The parts which were missing were simply recreated to finish off the building.

Above you see the pool filler, a bit fancier than yours at home? Another beautiful marble pool ladder.

The white marble glows blue, as you can see, due to the blue tilework. We need more blue pools like this today, so refreshing!

The ceilings of the loggia were also marble with a light fixture in each coffer.This grouping of statues depicting the birth of Venus in the corner against the hillside was not antique but rather carved in the 1930s by Italian artisans.As you can tell from the shot below, the estate is located 5 miles on the top of a huge hill from the base at the ocean (and route 1). The 'camp' of houses exists further up the hill from the pool.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Neptune Pool, just what we need in this record heat!

Have you Heard?

The inestimable Grant Gibson is having a sale at One King's Lane from July 24th-26th!

I think many of us know and love some items from his own apartment that will be included, such as this oval portrait.Or this gorgeous dining room chair! Also included in the sale will be 15 beautiful b&w framed photographs from his travels.

Probably the thing I'm most excited for (that you'll have to beat me to) are these sumptuous pillows! Good luck and happy shopping!