Missing You!

Hi all!!

After the whirlwind LA trip last week...you would think a few days at home to get life back in order would be the game plan. Not in the cards. After some very productive client meetings on Friday, it was time to repack the suitcase for a trip on Highway 5...but headed North this time.

I am in Oregon for a little R & R along the Rouge River. I have been thinking of you all and am gathering up lots of inspiration for you which I will share when I return!

Trip to LA: Arrival

The Farmer's Daughter Hotel

I have to apologize for the lack of blog posts this week! I have been away in Los Angeles for West Week at the Pacific Design Center. So much was packed into two days, and I have so much to tell you!

I drove down from Sacramento with a bit of nervous anticipation...sort of similar to how I felt when I drove down for my high school reunion only a few weeks before. After all, I would be meeting a passel of blogger friends in person for the very first time. What would they be like? Would they be just like how I imagined from their blog persona's? I had been corresponding with many of them before my trip to make plans to meet up.

Christain May of Maison 21, Megan Arquette of Beach Bungalow 8, Patricia Shackelford of Mrs. Blandings, Ronda Carmen of All the Best, Eddie and Jaithan from the Eddie Ross blog, Lisa Borgnes Giramonti from A Bloomsbury Life, Brooke from Velvet and Linen , the Style Curator and Scot from Tartanscot were all there, not to mention all of the design and media stars (Here a name, there a name....just dropping everywhere!) . I have to tell you, it felt as if we had really already met and known each other. It has seemed that way for all of the great bloggers I have met before. Chalk it up to one of the many benefits of blogging!

I have so many pictures for you. First, let's start with checking into the hotel where I stayed: The Farmer's Daughter Hotel. It is so called because it is right across the street from the old Los Angeles Farmer's Market. I remember going there as a kid and being fascinated by the taffy pulling machines. It was always such a treat. It is so different now with major shopping like venues like the Grove popping up in next door in an area that was once old bungalows.

Check-in

I had looked at hotels close to the PDC and The Farmer's Daughter seemed fun and in the right "price range" pour moi. I totally got a kick out of it! It was very "urban farm " with concrete floors and reclaimed lumber. Rustic contemporary with a splash of color.

Lobby

It has a very relaxing vibe as soon as you walk in the door. It seemed as if I had teleported to the Napa Valley wine country. It was fun and low key. Quite perfect for families.

Patio between the hotel and Tart restaurant

The Farmer's Daughter goes all out to provide a down home feel. Lemonade and BBQ potato chips are available in the Lobby anytime. There was wine and cheese service in the evening. It shares a patio with the Tart restaurant which was so cute! And generous to boot. They share their recipes online for things like Fried Green Tomatoes and Bourbon Berry Cobbler. They also have their own blog HERE.

Lemonade in the Lobby

I got to relive my childhood memories when Christian from Maison 21 and I walked over to the Farmer's Market for a glass of wine before he whisked me off to the first event of the week: the William Sonoma Home party for Margaret Russell of Elle Decor.

More on that next time!

Window to Another World

Window to China

A couple of weeks ago, you may remember I drove down to Pasadena with Mom and Daughter in tow. We had a chance to visit the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens. Time was short, but one of the things we wanted to see was the new Chinese Garden area. It is simply stunning. Absolutely transportive.

Bie You Dong Tian

The garden has been named Liu Fang Yuan, which means Garden of Flowing Fragrance, referring to the large numbers of scented flowers and trees. One enters through the Main Gate, or Bie You Dong Tian, Another World Lies Beyond.....and truly, it does.

Here are just a few of the photos I captured that day.

Jing Yun Bi, The Wall of Colorful Clouds

Tea House: Yu Ming Tang, Hall of the Jade Camellia

Plantain Court: Ba Jiao Yuan

Paving Detail in Plantain Court. So Beautiful!

Fretwork Detail at the Tea House

Bridge of Verdant Mist, Cui Xia Qiao

Paving Detail of path leading to the Bridge

Pavilion of the Three Friends (Very appropriate for the three of us!)

Detail of the ceiling in the Pavilion of Three Friends

Terrace of the Jade Mirror, Yu Jing Tai

Love for the Lotus Pavilion, Ai Lian Xie

We wished we could have spent a full day here, but the park was closing, and we had to go.

I encourage anyone planning a trip to Southern California to make a full day plan to visit the Huntington Botanical Gardens. There is so much to see, and it is truly one of the treasures in the area.

For more information about the Chinese Garden click HERE. To learn more about the next phase, click HERE.

Elle Decor Travel Issue, and Things I Have Been Up To

As usual, I will be anxiously awaiting the latest Elle Decor to drop through my mail slot this month. The April Issue is the annual travel issue, and this is what I am hearing :

The new April Issue will be on newstands March 16, and features an amazing tour of Tokyo, the stunning Fiji home of Fiji Water's David Gilmore,the Buenos Aires home of polo player Nacho Figueras, and the London home of Christine d'Ornano (of the family who founded Lancoe, Orlane, and Sisley), as well as designer Olivier Gagnere's Left Bank home, which is featured on the cover.

Something to sink my teeth into!

The Oscars are also coming up this weekend...so you might have fun clicking over HERE to see Elle Decor's online article about Oscar Worthy Rooms!

Speaking of travel....I just got back from a weekend in Pasadena where I went to my High School reunion! I took my mom and oldest daughter along (not to the reunion...my daughter would have died) and had so much fun showing my daughter all the places I remember growing up. Pasadena never disappoints. We stayed in the historical Huntington Hotel, did some antiquing, and went to the glorious Huntington Library where there is a brand new Chinese Garden. I will post all about our adventures later this week!