More America

Lexington in Kentucky is a nice old city. I am surprised there are not more tourists. I am surprised there are not more tourists in the whole country, not counting NYC. Maybe it is better like that, look at Prague, what we have left...

P.S. The last two pics: 1. a postcard of a city that I forgot which, 2. somewhere

September

Few weeks ago. I was enjoying the countryside and aesthetically winding paths while the little guy was noticing grasshoppers and beetles. I went mushroom picking, by myself for the first time, found many mushrooms but not the right ones. The forest was pretty anyway, with the non- or less edible mushrooms around. And it was so quiet that I heard a wild bird above me swinging his wings! It was like somebody was lashing a stick. Pretty cool!

...

I made the pictures blue. They are blue like my memories from the time when I used to play with this doll house. With this baby doll, too. It hold its little baby doll that I made out of paper and painted from both sides to approach the reality.
My grandma used to live in this house, the one with the hipped roof. Time stood still there, the chicks keep pecking around, rabbits cuddle with kids and my aunt still cooks on the fire wood stove.
Domík does not shut his mouth all day. I like it, and I like the most when he is finally quiet.

Contemplating

What is it, mummy?

Nothing... Just thinking.
What about?
My place in the world...
Aha. I see.

(dialog with my 4 years old)

Now on different subject. Two years ago we were in Lecce, down in Italy. I came across a picture of us that I have not seen since then. The teatrum is actually a part of the museum. Funny and old nice museum. They had photographs of better things from the ancient times that they could not have. Apart from few things, the museum was basically empty. And, despite this fact, I liked that it was a peaceful and quiet place in the middle of the old city, exactly the opposite of what the grand museums want to be today - lively, interactive, noisy, with crowds of people. They try to get rid off everything what makes them special. How come that things like time stood still and quiet strolling inside while looking at everything is not appreciated anymore? I know, the idea is to get more people inside. So they take the wrong path and turn themselves into an amusing park. Anyway, why I am complaining about museums right now, I wonder. It just came around...
The Lecce picture glows with heat.

Rose hips ideas wanted

We went for rose hips, Domik pulled out his usual stuff, where are the cars, where are the streets and I would not rather go there, meaning the wood. I liked picking rose hips although I do not really know what to do with them other than tea. Any idea? I enjoyed my half an hour country life gathering berries and imagining something nice I would make out of them while Domik started to explore the meadow behind me. He picked three flowers, one for his grandpa, one for grandma, one for me.

Lysá nad Labem

We went to see this place, it is a little town half an hour from Prague, few odd streets, old square, church with baroque sculptures looking down on you from the wall, chateau, turned into an old peoples house, romantic park and French park, view into the river Labe valley. The park was a big surprise, so nice and grand and so little known. We had to find it, it was part of the thing, a discovery. We made it up the hill, strolled in the grass in the wilder side of the park and then, finally, when I was almost to give up, I saw it, bony sculptures set among trimmed trees. 18th century.

Now, all I need to do is to look forward to the big trip. It is true that it will be spoiled by the oil spill that hangs over just where we want to go. Still, I can get enough of my summer at a swimming pool in the back of the house where we will stay. That is already a good picture of holiday for me, considering that I pass most of the time under the middle European climate which has just given us a period of long, persistent and annoying rains. Two more weeks, and we are off to our Babi Gayle.

Visiting with Pipi Long Stocking

This little girl and her siblings are lucky kids, growing in such a unique place. It is not only the charming little house, it is also the place, somewhere between the baroque chateau and a botanic garden. The area is quite hilly and at places undeveloped as a city. It has traces of the village from before and people mostly have their gardens there that they commute to from their apartments down in the city. Poetic as it can be.

Perhaps only the wild boars that have been digging in their flower beds lately would be little annoying for me.

Folder Kitchen

The Selby

Mieke Willems had a nice post recently on living places with a spirit, pictures from a folder called Huis. No stress on design but they could compete with a regular magazine on house and living, so good looking these places are.
I have a similar folder. I have been collecting kitchens since I had one done from a design studio. It wasn't bad but expensive. So here you have examples of good looking, spiritual and inexpensive kitchens. I apologize to those of you whose kitchen I use and don't give you a credit because I forgot where the picture comes from.

Jonathan Levitt

Sanctuary


Janovice nad Uhlavou

il-ne-kore


Knick Knack


Nicolette


Liivian Talossa

Fine Little Day

Jill Bent

vintage living

Kitchen in the house of my parents. My dad made the cupboards. Simple and nice. Thanks to the vaulting of the ceiling.