Carmel Trip

Hi guys!   We went on a little trip to the east coast right after my last blog post, so I did not get to do this Carmel by the Sea post that I wanted to document on here. So here are some photos and thoughts on the trip.

I use to work in Carmel back in the late 80's when my husband was doing his graduate degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS).  Carmel was such a different place then. Filled with beautiful unique shops, including the gallery I worked in. Today it's a bit different, and I was saddened to see that the beautiful space that I worked in was now a darkly painted shoe store. The space before was the epitome of Carmel. It was filled with the cream of the crop American Handcrafts. Beautiful turned wood bowls, blown glass, gorgeous hand made furniture, pottery etc. filled the shop. We were not the only shop like this, and that is what made this storybook village so special. Granted, we didn't walk the streets of Carmel this visit, and only had dinner near my old work place, so maybe the criticism isn't fair, but from what we saw,  there wasn't anything that special. The things that still remain from the past are, good food, the cute little thatched roofed tea house called The Tuck Box, and another shop that we use to love called Carmel Bay Company. Perhaps I'm seeing the past through rose colored glasses and I need to spend more time checking out the new shops. The only constant though.........Carmel is still drop dead gorgeous!  The  homes that were there in the 80's have stood the test of time and still look just as beautiful today.  On this visit we stayed in a two bedroom cottage at Lincoln Green Inn. Click on the name and check out the site. They have four cottages that are decked out inside with all kinds of comfort. It's been a while since I stayed somewhere where the bed was equal to my own cloud bed. Four stars for this place! 

We took Ruby to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for the first time. She was very overwhelmed, and it didn't help that it was a weekend, but I think she did have fun.   One thing they have added since we were last there, was a whole area for little ones that are Ruby's age, which made it fun for her. I thought she would really love the wall of jelly fish, but there were just too many people, and it slightly scared her. I'm sure when we take her again at an older age, she will have more fun, and perhaps we can go mid week instead of the weekend, because what were we thinking?! We were members of the aquarium when we lived there and took Nicole there when she was  little. Weekdays were the prime time to go. 

We ordered take out that night,  because another restaurant outing with a toddler was just not going to cut it, and we were all so wiped out chasing Ruby through the exhibits. We had some good food from a place called Yafa. We liked it enough that we would recommend it to anyone who likes Mediterranean food. You can't really go too wrong with the food in Carmel though. 

On our last day we drove through 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach, and then found a spot to get out near Carmel to walk on the beach for a while. Again, I think it was overwhelming for Ruby, because she didn't want to walk at all in the sand and only wanted to be in her daddy's arms. Maybe next visit we won't be able to tear her away from the beach. We had lovely weather and enjoyed the short amount of time we stayed. I'm glad that the overall feel of Carmel is still there even though some of the favorite shops have moved on. We will definitely go again soon, and not wait 11 years!

I'll be doing a post on our trip to Pennsylvania and Boston, so if you would like to come take a virtual trip, check back soon.

The Home and Art of N.C Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth

In one of my art history classes I took for my degree, I fell in love with Andrew Wyeth's work. All his painting have such a beautiful haunting quality about them. I don't know if I can actually put into words just how I feel about his paintings. For some reason they really speak to me and I can stare at them forever! I hadn't realized that this national treasure was so close by to where my dad lives. When we were asked if we wanted to go here on one of our days visiting, I tried to not jump up and down like an excited kid!! Um, Yes I would like to go there!!!   The name of the museum is called Brandywine River Museum. The museum houses N.C Wyeth, Andrew's father, Andrew Wyeth, and James Wyeth's art. There  are also tours that take you to N.C Wyeth's home and studio, and also Andrew's studio. Loved the house! N.C. and his wife raised 5 children in this three bedroom home. The stories that the guide told us were wonderful and while you are standing in the home, you can envision 5 rambunctious children running around. I have always been fascinated by this family and the wealth of talent. I would have to say though that Andrew's work remains my favorite, and I would go so far as to say that he is my favorite American artist. The first paintings that are posted are N.C. Wyeth's illustrations for books like Treasure Island. There were not a lot of Andrew's that you could take photos of, especially the one that I really loved. The portrait of the older gentleman is N.C. After that painting, is a painting of Jamie Wyeth, Andrew's son that Andrew painted. I loved that one! I didn't get to snap any photos of Jamie's work, but all three generations have paintings in this museum. Next time I visit my dad, I hope I get to see Andrew's studio. We ran out of time to see both.  While wandering around the gift shop of the museum, I spotted a very large print of the painting that I loved, that was signed and dated by Andrew. Too bad it was $10,000 :( I settled for a 11x14 matted print of it though.  Next post I'll share some photos of my dad's new cool/old house.

Pennsylvania Part 2

 Get ready for an explosion of the coolest vintage kitchen wears! Eye candy times 20!

The first few pictures are of the Barnes Foundation museum. These are the four pictures that I managed to get before I got in trouble hahaha.  You can see how unusual the display is at least. The documentary that I mentioned and linked in my last post, is really worth a watch if you love art and museums. The collection was mainly Renoir, Cezanne, with an occasional Van Gough and other notable artists like El Greco. The walls had a really cool burlap wall treatment, that highlighted the metal work and made it very warm and inviting. It was like being in someones home looking at their art collection.  I could spend hours in a museum, I think that is why I'm a member to all the big ones in San Francisco, so that I can go there over and over again and visit my favorite paintings.  My dad is an artist, and we have fun going to museums when ever we are together.
The following day we hung out at my dad's house and then had lunch in a charming town near by called Lambertville. It is know for all it's antique stores, which we wandered around in. The next day we ended up in Hopewell New Jersey at the "Tomato Factory." OMG I could not get enough of this vendors collection. It was impressive, beautiful, dust free for how much was in there and just pure eye candy. The woman,who was the shop keeper, laughed when she heard me say, "I really want to be this guy's friend." She wrote his name on the back of a card (Fritz Karch), and it wasn't until I just now googled this guys name, as I type this post, that I discovered who he is!!! Check this video out! Of course I would love his collection. I can always spot quality! I'm so glad now that I bought something from his stall! Now if I want something from here, I can ask my step-mom to look for me :)
The weather was so beautiful the day we walked around my dads town, and I snapped a few photos near his home. I can't say it enough....I LOVE all the old homes on the east coast! Everything in my town is too new :(  Tomorrow I'll do my Wyeth post, so come check it out.