Love Notes

I hope you can bear with me for one last romp around my Tuscany trip.  For your infinite patience, I'm hoping you might be rewarded with a few useful travel tips, most of which have taken me a half century to discern.  READ MORE

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Hold onto you hats -  this is a fun one.  I've just returned from a glorious trip to Tuscany with these delightful ladies.   Meet my 19 new (and 1 old) dear friends.  And this is the phenomenal villa we had to ourselves for a week.   Our fearless leader, Tricia Heaton of Island Hopper Adventures, stands in the center in white, flanked to the left by her daughter Courtney (Director of Operations), while my wee head is the third to Tricia's right.   READ MORE

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My thoughts turn to all things Venetian.   I practically squealed with delight when I found this image of Peggy Guggenheim and her little furry friend setting off in her gondola.   She just had to lead things off for us today.   The glasses!  Those legs!   And that chic capelet - will one of my designer friends please include this silhouette in your next collection?   Where do you think Peggy is off to?  READ MORE

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I've learned a lot about Neoclassical vs. Classical vs. Federal vs. what-does-all-this-mean architecture thanks to our Thanksgiving holiday in Charleston (which was fantastic - you must go!)   Classical architecture is the real deal, as in a structure from Greek or Roman Empire, Neoclassical is "with elements from the school of Greek and Roman architecture" but built much later, and Federal is Neoclassical but happening in 18th and 19th century America.

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