this is a page for

Category: Beauty and wonder

REMEMBRANCES OF MY LIFE AS I CELEBRATE MY 80TH BIRTHDAY. PHOTOS FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS TO THE CURRENT WONDERFUL MOMENT. PART 1

Let me be totally honest…I really can’t wrap my brain around a BIG BIRTHDAY like this! The years have sped by so quickly. As with anyone there has been the occasional zig and zags, high mountains to climb, and a few rivers to swim without drowning…

MONKEY BUSINESS IN CAMBODIA. EXCITING CAMBODIA AND ENCHANTING TEMPLES.

The next stop on our exciting Southeast Asia adventure with our grandsons was Cambodia. We flew on a prop airplane from Bangkok to Siem Reap by Bangkok Airways. Our last trip to this fascinating country was in 1997 and I must say things have definitely changed! The photo above is…

MARLA AND I TOOK A NOSTALGIC VISIT TO OUR CHIANG MAI SOURCES OF FURNITURE, ACCESSORIES, AND ANTIQUES FOR OUR COMPANY.

Have you ever felt impelled to revisit a place which was once very important in your life? While in Chiang Mai during the July trip to Southeast Asia with grandsons, we hired a driver to take us to Hang Dong and Baan Tawai Village, where we spent over 20 years…

A CLOSER LOOK…ARTIFACTS & DESIGN & DECORATIVE CURIOSITIES

Sometimes it is fun as well as interesting to look at things up close. It is easy to miss the beauty of “artifacts & design & decorative curiosities” when only looking at the large view. Let us take a closer look and see things in a new way…

A LOVE LETTER TO SAN FRANCISCO

My favorite city is hurting and could use some love and special care. Drugs and the homeless continue to be a gargantuan problem to solve. Many national retailers have departed downtown diminishing some of the vitality. Prices are atrocious for both rentals and for retail. Some of the press ( especially…

POWER OF THE PHOTOGRAPH…FAVORITES CLOSE TO HOME

This is the first in a series of photographs which hold a special and very personal meaning for me. Each has a unique story to tell and make me happy. I chose to start which photos close to home. In the future I’ll post powerful photos from some…

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE TO SHOP…THE PARIS STOREFRONT

I love to shop but I like window shopping even more! I can’t think of anyplace better for this than…Paris! The varieties of creative window displays are almost endless from the iconic and often mesmerizing Louis Vuitton to a tiny boutique on a medieval lane. Everyone…

A FABULOUS VISIT TO SHANGRI LA,…DORIS DUKE’S WONDERFUL HOME AND MUSEUM IN HONOLULU

Marla and I have wanted to visit Doris Duke’s “Shangri La” in Honolulu for years and we finally made it happen on our March trip to Hawaii. Duke’s former home is now the Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design and is part of…

AWE…STARTLING EMOTIONAL AWAKENINGS

I listened to a fascinating program on NPR featuring Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology and faculty director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. He is the author of “Awe…The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform Your Life.” The…