Jumpstart the Slump

[ View large to see the layers & stitches & tiny hidden treasures ]

Distractions everywhere.

Holidays, road trips and the reality of a world of unreal realities.

It's been too long since I sat down with my little golden paints, sewing machine, some old sheet music and just played. A friend sent a note saying "I've missed you!"
I know she meant "your art."
So dear that someone noticed. I must say -- - it feels good to look down and see such a mess on my hands. Gel medium and walnut ink stains, mixed with odd specs of metallic.

Exhale .. .. .
I feel better.

It's really true: Art Saves Lives.

Custom Cowgirl Hat + Dairy Queen = Heaven

There's nothing like traveling through small town Texas to quiet any rumblings of personal pretentions. Much as I love much of what is termed the "latest and greatest" or uber chic - it's hard to top the classics which have stood the test of time. Fine dining and couture have its place, but there's nothing like comfort food and comfort clothing. They generally evolved from filling a need based on economy and use of resources at hand.

This stack of hats was photographed in Alpine, Texas at the Big Bend Saddlery. Just down the road from Marfa, they've been the local resource for all things needed by the local cowboys since 1905. Rather like a family hardware store with the emphasis on horses and cows and those who spend their lives dealing with those creatures. One of the basics is a good hat. Like a good pair of boots, they can be very fancy or just do the job, with style, for a much smaller investment. I love the fact that these hats have been the preferred choice for the basic hired hand cowboy for many a year. Woven of palm leaves - they're easily customized with the roll of the brim, the additional of a few grommets and the crease of the crown. They all start out as the same simple rounded version shown stacked at the bottom . The hats on top show some options as to the details which can be specified and ordered.

Here's the BEST part: your custom hat will be ready in about half an hour and the total cost will set you back about $30.00.

Have you fainted yet??!!!
I almost fell on the floor of the Big Ben Saddlery.
This may be Texas, but we're clearly not in Neiman Marcus.

Doesn't it just make your heart leap to know that pure fabulousness exists in this world for less than the cost of a decent (though not fabulous) lunch in most cities.


What does it take to go from the no-shape rounded version, on the floor, to the sharp natty version displayed on the wall? I hadn't a clue how this happened.... . . so, I asked to be shown the process. " Not a problem, mam" - says the excruciatingly courteous salesman and cowboy hat maker. I must say, Real Texas Cowboys are Old World Courteous.

After giving him directions as to my preferences , I followed him to the back room where he would work his magic.
The tools were quite simple:
a steamer and a galvanized garbage can filled with water.
The process was also quite simple: dunk the entire hat in the water to soften the woven palm base , then work in the crease and rolls with the steamer. Voila! Cowboy Chic.
Since the entire process would require about 30 minutes, he suggested I might like to take advantage of the fact that there was a Dairy Queen across the street .

Twist my arm.
An ice cream cone dipped in chocolate is true comfort food for this child of the South.


Returning from DQ (ice cream in hand and dripping), I was given further instructions. The hat was still damp and would require that it dry in place, on my head, in order to obtain a perfect fit.
Small problem. I'd be sitting in the car for the next 5 hours, until we reached our next stop - San Antonio. That perfectly turned 6 inch brim would mean I'd need to sit bolt upright for those 5 hours ... . .. no leaning back or resting my head.

Uncomfortable .. . . but, so worth it.

Beautiful Downtown Marfa

Erika has left for Antarctica .. . one of the few places more in the Middle of Nowhere than Marfa. She's a dear friend and the only person I know in this part of wind swept Texas. As a minimalist photographer, she's seeking a vaster sky in which to do time lapse photography of the moon and the melting icebergs. She's a fascinating woman ... . . and a perfect example of the kind of person drawn to this tiny town.

Just update the cars in the postcard above for a current view of downtown . As with so many small towns in Texas, the courthouse remains the center. The Hotel Paisano is still there and still taking guests. James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor are the best know previous guests, having stayed here while filming Giant.

The Pizza Foundation came highly recommended as a dinner destination. Housed in a former gas station at the center of town, its name is a play on the fact this just about everything in Marfa is some type of arts Foundation ( Chinati, Judd ... . ).
The actual dining room is in the old garage area, complete with original multiple layers of peeling paint. Tres West Texas Fresco. Make that ... . Minimalist West Texas Fresco.

There was nothing typical West Texas about the pizza and salad. It would have been more at home in Dallas or Los Angeles. Thin crust with a perfect blend of locally grown organic veggies and delicate prosciutto. There were also some meaty versions for the local cowboys.

I always feel the true test of any town is its' bookstore.
Marfa has an exceptional one.

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Next stop:
Alpine -- - A Custom Cowboy Hat While You Wait !

Airstream at Prada Marfa

Whomever coined the term Middle of Nowhere had probably just been to Marfa, Texas. For travelers accustomed to zipping up the east coast of the United States, one can easily rush through three states in one day. Not so with Texas. If El Paso looks like the end of Texas - just look south into that deep point near Big Bend National Park. I quickly figured that Marfa residents would have to travel at least 4 hours to get to store which sells fresh orchids. Based on the fact that I require fresh orchids in my life ... . . I will probably never be a resident of this remote and fascianting part of the planet. This tiny town (population 2,400) has a remarkably varied history.

Movies: Giant to No Country for Old Men
Art: Donald Judd to a multitude of minimalist Wannabees
Foundations: Chinati Contemporary Art to Pizza
Strange Roadside Attractions: Prada Marfa

Actually, Prada Marfa is in Valentine, Texas ... . about a mile north of Marfa. As far as I could tell, Valentine consists of a railroad crossing and this stomp-on-the-brakes surprise. That's the whole point. When you've driven for hours and seen nothing but a few random cows and a number of rusted out former gas stations, it's quite the shock. Actually, it's a tongue in cheek art installation done by two German sculptors. And , of course, it's controversial among the locals. I'd heard of it and loved the concept, so I felt it would be a perfect photo op with the little silver bullet. There are lots of pics out there, but not a single one which included my little all American travel icon. We got out our maps and determined it would take 8 hours of virtual non-stop breakneck speed to arrive before sundown. Our calculations were precise. What we hadn't counted on was a broken down van with a lone confused rastafarian parked in front.
With 7 minutes of light left, my driver (aka - Dear Sweet Husband) knew what to do. He pulled up and quickly convinced him to move on ... . . in the name of Art.

[view large to see the reflected portrait and the bullet holes in the awning]

I also suspect he may have alluded to the fact that his crazy wife might become hysterical and throw herself in the dirt by the side of the road if she missed this long anticipated photograph.
The "inventory" of this store/sculpture includes 14 shoes (right foot only) and 6 handbags , personally selected by Miucci Prada from the 2005 collection.
Several hundred yards down the road called for another stomp-on-the-breaks snapshot.
By now DSH has become accustomed to my jumping from the car and running to the middle of a desolate road to snap another fleeting moment.
Love this great old motel sign. The actual structure has long vanished . Muchas gracias to those who made the decision to leave this reminder of another time.

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Coming soon:
Beautiful downtown Marfa and the
Best Pizza You've Ever Had in a Broken Down Gas Station.

Airstream Oasis

The luxury of time and space can never be overrated. Though the space within the little silver bullet is compact, the access to a variety of different environments is endless. Just head down the road to experience another world. Instant change. Well, it may actually take a few hours or a few days ... . . but each fork in the road offers another adventure.
Pulling in to a shady grove of trees beside a river is a welcome oasis after the vast open desert. The electric scooters are the perfect means for exploring the rock walled canyon down a dusty road. Though the little black and white rug was intended for use in the "pits" at car races, it always makes me giggle to find it's at home in so many varied locales. Guess I also love it because it's a small nod to Madame Dorothy Draper.



Setting up camp includes setting out the traditional Trailer Trash pet - Pink Flamingos.
[click on the pic for a larger view of those plastic babies]
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We're still quite a ways down the road from Marfa ... .
never underestimate the size of Texas -
it just goes on . ... and on ... and on.


Photos by Judith Thibaut

Airstream Glamping :: Route 66

What could be more perfect than an All American trip to the Wild West on Route 66 - - - in a small silver Airstream  ?

It's especially fun when you're traveling in a Design Icon of the 20th Century. Yes, that's the designation given Airstreams by the Museum of Modern Art.

Even though the refrigerator is stocked with all your personal favorites ( fresh organic free range everything) and the flat screen TV / sound system are stocked with Mozart, Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers and Abba -- you'll want to make a stop at the Snow Cap Drive In, in Seligman, Arizona. It is, after all, a historical time capsule, circa 1953, and they really know how to grill a burger and fries!
Though it's still winter in most of the country, it's always warm in our destination -- the Mojave Desert. It's great being in such a vast expanse of wilderness, but you won't be suffering from a lack of small luxuries. In addition to the aforementioned music and movies, know that there are Pratesi sheets on your bed, dupioni silk pillows to cradle your head and a french press for your freshly ground coffee. Your shower is stocked with hand milled soap from Provence and there are a stack of crisp ironed linen napkins for your breakfast tray.

The term for this road trip : GLAMPING

Camping? Yes.
Roughing it? Not at all !!
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For more Airstream Glamping in the Black Pearl -
go :  Here-Oasis and Here- Marfa

All Photos by Judith Thibaut

Palm Beach :: Pre Mr. T

This elegant Grande Dame, Majorie Merriwether Post , was the real hostess for my little fantasy New Years' Eve gala from the previous series. I can assure you that she would roll over in her grave if she ever dropped in on her beloved home in it's current incarnation as Mr. Trumps' Palm Beach Palace of Noveau Rich Ostentation and Wretched Excess, aka Mar A Lago Club.

My party was a small ode to a former time, when gracious elegance ruled, in which she reigned as the Hostess with the Mostess in her homes (notably Topridge, Hillwood & Mar A Lago) as well as her yacht, Sea Cloud. She had more husbands than houses, which makes for a rather complex family tree once those branches starting branching out to mulitples of children and grandchildren. I joined one branch of that tree through a momentary ( 6 year ) marriage.
This view of the living room gives some idea of the scale of her home. The main house was around 67,000 square feet, with the total reaching 110,000 square feet once you toss in the ballroom and other adjacent buildings in the compound. (as a point of comparison - a typical Wal Mart is about 25,000 sq. ft. ) Officially,the room count is 118.

Though I never met her ( she died in 1973), I was fortunate to spend some time in this incredible house in the '80's. My favorite memories are not of the awesome size and baroque decor but rather of two small details ... .. . the silver pantry and the bathtubs. The silver pantry because it was a 10 x 20 ft. room of floor to ceiling shelves just crammed with the most glorious and dazzling sparkle I had ever seen. It was as if Tiffany, Cartier and Asprey had combined forces just off the kitchen! It should go without saying that the bathrooms ( around 35) were quite lux. "Mommy da" (as she was known to the family) specified the required marble/marble everywhere and then added the nice little touch of gold fixtures in her own suite. Considering the layers of priceless furnishings, art and imported architectural details , this wasn't a surprise. My puzzlement was why each tub had two sets of Hot/Cold fixtures ... . one above the other. I just couldn't figure it out. Finally had to ask .. .. .
"What's with the four fixtures on the tub???"
( What do you think - any guesses?)
In spite of my obvious ignorance at bath details in grand beach houses, I did manage to sit down in the living room one afternoon for a photo op. Do you think there are enough hand carved golden cupids holding up that table with the "floral" arrangement constructed of seashells?

In the meantime, my husband and his brother are outside by the divine parrot fountain ... with the question du jour being "What are we going to do with this place!??" No one in the family wants it, we've all chosen much simpler lives. We gave it to the United States government, as a winter White House, and they gave it back ( maintenance too expensive for them). We figured there really weren't that many people on the entire planet who would want to take this on ... . perhaps a Saudi sheik trying to break into Palm Beach society. Nah ... . they didn't really give a damn.

Then WHO????

Along came The Donald.

Sign of relief.
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By the way - about those bath fixtures .. .
Mommy da believed in the curative effects of bathing in salt water, so the top set is for sea water and the bottom for fresh water.

Dinner is Served

The dancing will begin after dinner ... . in the small ballroom across the garden.
I'm thrilled we could all be here together to welcome the New Year.
May 2009 be the year when all our dreams come true.

Photograph by Louise Dahl-Wolfe for Dior

Almost Forgot - Directions to the House

Most of you will probably remember how to get to the house: from downtown Palm Beach, just go all the way down South Ocean Blvd. Take the last driveway before you reach the Bath & Tennis Club and Southern Blvd. You can easily see the tower over the wall . ... . just follow the palm lined drive up to the front portico. If you're coming by helicopter, please advise your pilot to land towards the back of the lawn on the lake side.

Preparations Continue ... .

Now that the big decision on THE Dress has been made ... . . I've taken to my chaise for a little nap. That dear Throckmorton suggested he bring one of his special afternoon cocktails, to help me relax.
Such a dear.
The kitchen staff came in early to get the chefs' menu perfectly prepared for your arrival.
Just can't wait to see you all!