Sunday I dragged Doug, my middle brother who is visiting me and looking for a house, over to my friend's Joe and Tom's house to view their stunning garden. Tom, who lives about five minutes from my house in the next neighborhood of Eastmoreland, has lived in his colonial house for the better part of forty years. Tom is a master gardener and touring his beautifully cultivated backyard is a jaw-dropping experience. Joe, his partner of the past twenty five years worked for a local nursery, so gardening is in their blood. There are so many trees, shrubs, and flowers your brain loses track. I counted at least ten different varieties of Hostas, so many different fuschias, opulent roses, hydrangeas, hibiscus, dahlias, holly, Japanese Maple, chrysanthemums, non-fruit bearing banana trees, ornamental plum, a magnolia, a camellia, and plenty of really exotic stuff I can't recall at the moment, and on and on and on. I'm sure they couldn't tell you how many growing things are living there. But it's beautiful, awe-inspiring--a gardener's paradise. Joe cut me a magnificent bouquet of their Dahlias and three long-stemmed red roses, and one unbelievable pink rose that was streaked with pale red streaks. Here's the arrangement I made when I got home.
It's been a busy week so far with potential work calls coming in. I had a meeting this morning with a potential new client here in Portland, and I'm talking to contacts back East about new projects, so I'm feeling a little more optimistic about business these days.
As many of you know, I posted a review of the new GOURMET TODAY cookbook on my new cookbook review blog the same day that Conde Nast pulled the plug and ceased publication of Gourmet magazine. At first I was part of the crowd that felt particularly stung about the loss of this iconic magazine. As the week has progressed, I'm feeling less sad about it's passing. These things hit us hard because we never thought of life without such a big "brand" as Gourmet. Life goes on.
I had two dining room chairs recovered this week and I'm thrilled with the way they turned out. So more photos.
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