A LOVE OF JAPANESE ANTIQUES. HOW MY MOTHER’S CERAMIC BOWL AND A FAVORITE GARDEN WERE AN INSPIRATION.
Even as a small boy I admired this Satsuma bowl in my Mother’s china cabinet and it was an early catalyst for my interest in Japanese antiques. We often visited the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and this too propelled me on a collector’s…
Charles Dickens said it best in his “Tale of Two Cities”, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…
The year 2020 will be remembered as the worst of times for so many,…and the best of times as well. I enjoy my annual look-back by selecting a few favorite images beginning with January and moving to the present day. I really don’t need an…
My Christmas gift to you is a rare visual treat from last Monday evening. We watched a kaleidoscopic sunset evolve in color and beautifully intensify by the minute. The show lasted for 30 lovely minutes. I hope you enjoy it. May your Holiday be happy and safe…
This is a year that has tested all of us with a devastating pandemic, hyper caustic politics, and disruption on many levels. The one thing I have always counted on has been a happy season with family but this year will be very different indeed! We all will have to…
First established in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), Beijing’s old traditional courtyards and densely populated narrow winding streets known as ‘Hutongs” survived until 1949 when modernization became China’s goal. Many homes, passed from generation to generation, then disappeared, replaced by wide boulevards…
One of the benefits of this quite unusual year of lockdowns and safety has been how close Marla and I have become. We often reminisce about our life at Wesco Fabrics, talking about the great elements along with the less happy ones. When Marla and I were first engaged her…
This is our first COVID Thanksgiving Holiday with mask-wearing, socially distancing, and immediate family only. Marla and I truly miss celebrating with family, friends, and special dinners in restaurants. The times call for improvisation and a new dinner table aesthetic. For our anniversary dinner this year I came up…
With the Thanksgiving holiday next week, I wanted to look back at the year and reflect on happy and important moments to be thankful for. With most of 2020 in a COVID maelstrom, everything takes on special significance. I’ll begin On January 3rd at the Brown Palace Hotel…
I get it! You are mad as hell! Depending on your perspective you either feel President Trump’s conspiracy theories, lies, and dangerous actions are a major threat to democracy,…OR…you feel the election was rigged and people cheated for Biden. Our nation is as divided…