Closed After Dark

Last weekend I spent some time at Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.'s Bishop's Garden at the Washington National Cathedral. I did this to commemorate my passage from my move to Washington in 1983 to my return to Washington in 2012. When I lived across the street from the Cathedral 29 years ago, I used to come to the garden to meditate and occasionally sketch. Now, I am moving back to the neighborhood, just around the corner. And I know I'll be spending time there again, meditating and occasionally sketching. Many years ago, I visited the Cathedral at night with a friend. I guess we didn't see the signs, but at least we were told in a very polite way that we had to leave.

I spent some extra time in the Shadow House, trying to show how well the site uses light to emphasize its materials and shape.

Ninth Century baptismal font from the Cloisters in New York. 

A moss-covered chair in the shade. I believe this is the very chair where I used to sit (based on the amount of moss, and its location).

You can see some fencing next to the Norman Arch, which marks the entrance to the garden. This is where a large crane fell on the wall back in September. Repairs are underway. 

Photos: Alexis H. Mueller;  Additional Information:  Washington National Cathedral All Hallows Guild

The Love of Learning

A new book arrived in my mailbox this weekend. I look forward to savoring it once life settles down a bit. Hope your weekend included a bit of reading, too.

The Big Elephant is Dead

MY TRIP TO NEW YORK last weekend included a first visit to the Morgan Library and Museum. I spent several hours on Saturday afternoon slowly enjoying the whole space and the thoughtfully acquired artworks and books.

My favorite exhibit was "In the Company of Animals: Art, Literature and Music at the Morgan". From the Morgan's website: "This exhibition examines the ways in which the artists, writers, and composers represented in the Morgan's collection used animals to think and create. What does the portrayal of animals in images, words, and music reveal about companionship, meaning, and morality?"

Imagine my pleasure when I discovered a delightful letter written by Miss Potter herself to a young friend, Noel Moore. The letter, dated 6 April 1896 from 2 Bolton Gardens, London, sums up, for me, the real value of her work as an author and naturalist. As the exhibit points out, Beatrix Potter addressed death in her work in a very simple and direct manner with children. She was so much more than an author of charming picture books featuring naughty rabbits. She used the deceptively pretty animal images of quarreling geese, crafty foxes and bumbling frogs to explore many dark facets of the human experience.

Here is the text of the letter, for your enjoyment. I copied it onto the back of the museum's floor plan. I didn't have a hard surface to write on, so I had to hold the folded paper in my hand and laboriously copy it, word for word. It took 20 minutes to copy these few words. It was very difficult work, as I had to continually move the paper along my right hand while I wrote with my left. The letter is illustrated with many delicate line drawings of the scenes as described. There are pictograms of a shovel and pail inserted where indicated, below.

My Dear Noel,

Thank you for your nice letter. I should like to see you riding the big dog - here is a picture of Tom Thumb on a mouse. We are going to Savanage next Monday; I am sure you must have enjoyed Felixstow. I daresay you had a [shovel] and a [pail]. I expect to find some shells. I went to the zoo and it rained. The seals seemed to like the rain but most of the animals were in their little houses. The big elephant is dead. What a pity! They went to Mr. Rhind, a chemist, for some medicine, but it died.

It is going to be put in the museum. There is a new lion at the Zoo, which is so savage, it made a great noise. I have got some pretty hyacinths in my garden. The sparrows are naughty. They pull off the flowers. There are two nests, just under the gutter at the top of our house. We see them flying up with grass to make the nest. We do not like it because the little birds fall out onto our door-steps. I hope that you and Eric will have a very good time and with love I remain 

aff. yrs. Beatrix Potter

ONE more little item in the exhibit that caught my fancy ....

William Blake's poem, "The Tyger (From Songs of Experience)", accompanied by a watercolor portrait [artist unknown] of the fierce animal. The opening lines of this poem hold great meaning for me, as I think of a particularly special person.

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Take a look at a few more of the featured works here on the Morgan Library's site. 

Time for a Change

West Elm

This image serves as an inspiration for my next living room. It's the combination of neutral plus blue, in dark and light tones. Very relaxed. Peaceful. Just what I'm looking for.

Ex Libris

Disgusted with Life, She Retired to the Society of Books, pen and ink drawing by Rosine Emmet Sherwood (1888), housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. Doesn't that say it all?

Let's see what this lovely young lady might find in her library.

This green book cart from ArtStuff would inspire me to keep my library tidy. It's a nice change from institutional grey.

I love the colors of these steel book supports from Demco, and the Deco-style silhouette.

Kik-Step Stools from University Products

Does she need custom bookcases? Not necessarily. Perhaps the Stairway Bookcase from CB2 will do the trick. It's 8-foot tall presence attaches to the wall. Gang three or more of these together and it will look as though you have installed custom carpentry.

Here's the Stairway Bookcase installed.

Reproduction antique bookplate:  "Improve Your Hours for They Never Return"

Our young reader can curl up on the Astrid Settee from Anthropologie

Since it's still February, she'll need to wrap up in a toasty blanket, like this Macauslands in French blue.

What to read? I received a great mystery for Christmas, and I'm getting
ready to dig in. Just need to fix a pot of Earl Grey.

White Lights

Hector Table Lamp from Peter Bowles for Original BTC, from DWR

All-white lighting seems so right to me now, here in the middle of winter. My advice is to keep this simple color interesting with unique textures and polished glass and porcelain shades. My favorite for many years has been the Hector, now reissued by Peter Bowles for Original BTC. It also comes in floor and wall versions. I'm also crazy about West Elm's Contour lighting collection; each model is all of one piece in powder-coated steel. Circa's Teri lamp features a big juicy globe of alabaster, a touch of bronze and a prim little shade. The PH5 Pendant by Poul Henningseen is a mid-century classic institutional fixture that thinks it's a UFO; Vaughan's Colvara hugs the wall with a stream of bubbles flowing up and through the half shade. And any child would have sweet dreams drifting off under Ikea's cloudy Skojig ceiling light. 

Contour Semi-Flush Fixture from West Elm

Large Teri table lamp in alabaster with bronze accents from Circa Lighting

PH5 Pendant Lamp Poul Hanningseen for Louis Poulsen, from DWR

Colvara Wall Light from Vaughan

Francis flush mount from Rejuvenation

Drop 2 Pendant by Peter Bowles for Original BTC, from DWR

Elena Floor Lamp by Ballard Designs

Insulator Pendant by CB2

Loren Table Lamp from Crate and Barrel

Artecnica Grand Trianon Pendant Lamp from Velocity Art

Torna Table Lamp from Ikea

Sfera 16 from Rejuvenation

Skojig Ceiling Lamp from Ikea