Opening Ceremonies for Vancouver 2010 - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Louise sent me this link to some great photos the Boston Globe has.

Opening Ceremonies for Vancouver 2010 - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Watching golf

We get a great view of golf from our front door. We see the golfers on the 16th green and then tee off on the 17th. A hummingbird entertained us as well today.





16th green.



Teeing off on the 17th.



There are so many hummingbirds in the area.

Olympics

Well, I guess I have to post something on the Olympics. We were completely uninterested and of the feeling the money could be better spent on schools, the homeless, medical care, etc. but we are even catching a bit of the Olympic spirit from a distance. I think what we're liking the most is the very positive coverage by NBC of Canada and the games. I guess you can't put a price on this amazing publicity for the city of Vancouver, the province, and the country. I am loving seeing all the wonderful footage of Vancouver and B.C.

Perhaps best appreciated from afar as I think this photo of John's on his photoblog sums it up rather well. Richard says he's lying low like most natives as Disney-like lines seem the order of the day. He did mention there is some good beer going somewhere so it can't be all bad....



February 15th, 2010 — If there is one picture that sums up the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver it’s probably this one. Thousands of people trying to get a picture of the Olympic flame but thwarted by a chain link fence. These people through their taxes may be paying for it but damned if the organizers will let them get close to it.

Don, you old romantic...

From Elaine on her Valentine's Day experience:

Don began the day giving me 2 dozen red roses! Then Don and I went to Aura at the Laurel Point Inn for an excellent Valentine’s dinner. We enjoyed a bottle of champagne with our dinner and it was a perfect choice for the various courses we had. Don chose the White Menu which consisted of: a fresh oyster with lemon caviar, puree of cauliflower and chicken liver pate soup, roasted sablefish, braised double smoked pork belly with seared Qualicum scallops, and a passion fruit slice with raspberry sorbet. I chose the Red Menu which consisted of: a foie gras torchon, puree of roasted tomato soup, pan seared Arctic char, slow roasted triple A beef loin with a small poached lobster claw, and the same dessert as Don. Quantities were small for the most part so it was a delightful dining experience.

Now, my old Mr. Romantic said he meant to buy me a rose from the Dollar Store but forgot. Then we went to Pollo Loco for chicken, refried beans, and tortillas. Actually the chicken is very good...marinated in citrus juices and flame grilled. We tried to do a romantic Valentine's dinner around here once...restaurants packed and overbooked and people sitting around with glum faces waiting to get served.







P.S. So Don emailed not to give you cheap imitations...here's the real thing!

Huxley in Palm Springs

Huxley spent a couple of months in Palm Desert in a motel around the Elephant Bar in 1949. Jim came across this letter this morning that is dated Feb. 14, 1949...sounds like the weather was quite different on that day than ours was this year!

February 14, 1949. Palm Desert, California. A typed letter signed " Aldous" to Bobby: " We keep on expecting to go to Wrightwood; but the snow keeps on falling and the wind keeps on blowing and the frost keeps on freezing and the doctor keeps on saying that the least arctic place in Southern California is this one "Äi so here we still are, and probably shall remain for quite a while to come. Meanwhile your horse is up there in the snow, and we have not had a chance of seeing him again. So I can only thank you for the memory of a beautiful creature glimpsed in your studio. I liked him then, and I know I will go on liking him when I see him again. I hope all goes well with all of you and that Sebastian continues to increase in wisdom and avoirdupois. As for us, we vegetate in this desert, enjoying the beauty of sand dunes and the first flowers, of date palms and canyons and mountains covered with snow. In the intervals I have been writing some essays and making a dramatization of Ape and Essence. Perhaps somebody some time will put it on. Who knows? Our love to you both. Please remember us to your mother and father and give Cynthia all the messages that are appropriate to the coming occasion."

Dubliner Cheese with Irish Stout

A new find at Trader Joe's today...love it!

Greek Festival

We went to the Greek Festival yesterday in Palm Desert...fabulous balmy evening. The Greek Orthodox Church puts this on as a fund raiser. Great crowds and great food. I love the church and I think the sculpted tree is possibly an olive tree due to the leaves but not sure. Certainly never seen one done like this.





















A great little dancer.

Palm Springs revitalized...

Downtown Palm Springs seemed quite revitalized this year...a few photos from yesterday.

From Modernism to the south of France...

Just gorgeous weather today. Went for our morning swim and sunbathe then to the Modernism Exhibit at the Convention Center then to downtown Palm Springs to have a late lunch at Pommes Frites...moules frites a la provencale and steak, frites, salade...all washed down with a bottle of French Rosé. Then back for another swim. We left the pool when the sun went behind the mountains and warmed up with an excellent Calvados.

P.S. to Mary...I got you a catalogue.

Some photos from the exhibit.

Modernism Cheat Sheet

Bungalow with butterfly roof.


This home on one of the tours has a hand-drawn version of Matisse's "Blue Nude II" decorating the bottom of the swimming pool. What a fabulous idea! Now, if I can just think of doing something like this minus the pool...


Modernism Week cheat sheet

Want to sound like you know what you're talking about during Modernism Week? Here's a cheat sheet:

Learn these terms

Built-ins: Furniture that is built into the home, such as cabinets or seating, to add to the clean lines of the building.

Butterfly roof: A roof line in “W” pattern that adds depth to the building's upper structure.

Bungalow: A small house or cottage usually with a small front porch popularized in Southern California.

Cantilevered: A structure that projects or hovers in space seemingly without support from beneath it.

Clerestory: Windows that are above normal ceiling height and project into roofline. They allow a more light into a room, without being exposed to direct sunlight.

Curtain wall: A wall of glass that acts as a “curtain” between the indoor and outdoor environments. Example: A curtain wall might separate the living room from the pool yard, and still allow light and an uninterrupted view of the yard.

Folded plate: A back-and-forth folding of a surface, whether roof or walls.

Googie: Coffee shop modern architectural style characterized by space-age graphics, widely angled lines, fanciful motifs; term derived from Googie's coffee shop, designed by John Lautner.

Miesian: Minimalist geometric shape, term is derived from the sparse style of architect and designer Mies Van der Rohe.

Moderne vs. Modern: Moderne refers to an Art Deco style that has a streamline look and pre-dates modern; modern refers to mid-century, post-war style.

Overhang: Used to shade a curtain wall.

Open floor plan: By using modern building materials such as I-beam construction, buildings in which rooms flow into each other.

Post-and-beam: Construction method that emphasizes vertical and horizontal elements.

Space-age: Also called jet-age, technology innovation in air travel, satellites and eventually moon travel translated into modern motif.

Know the architects

Richard Neutra: Considered one of the most influential modernist architects, he worked briefly with Frank Lloyd Wright. His buildings include the Kaufmann Desert House, the Miller house and Maslon house (built 1962, demolished 2002).

William Krisel: Krisel designed more than 30,000 units over his 50-year career. His buildings include the Ocotillo Lodge, House of Tomorrow (the Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway) and Royal Palms Estates (now called Twin Palms Estates) for Bob Alexander.

Donald Wexler: Worked for Neutra in Los Angeles and William Cody in Palm Springs before striking out on his own. His buildings include the Alexander Steel House, Spa Hotel, Palm Springs International Airport, Dinah Shore residence and Merrill Lynch Building (Palm Canyon).

E. Stewart Williams: Prolific California-based architect whose distinctive designs helped shape the valley's architectural landscape. His buildings include the Coachella Valley Savings and Loan (now Chase Bank on S. Palm Canyon Drive), the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Mountain Station and Santa Fe Federal Savings (formerly the offices of Wessman Development).

Albert Frey: Swiss-born apprentice of Le Corbusier. The destruction of Frey's Alpha Beta shopping center was the impetus for the formation of the Palm Springs Modern Commission and the adoption of the city's Historic Preservation ordinance. His buildings include the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway Gas Station (now Tourism Visitor C

A few shots taken from the car yesterday

I will never tire of this scenery.

Update on baguette...

Well, the baguette was soft and chewy...a real disappointment but the cinammon bun was great. Erna served these mini baguettes from Trader Joe's that you bake for a few minutes and I bought some of those since they were great. Haven't noticed them before. Another great find is these mango cream bars...yum.

Saw a Spanish film "Broken Embraces" today that we enjoyed and Coco Avant Chanel yesterday (at our cheap place for $1.50 each). Coolish and rainy yesterday but sunny most of today...two swims and lunch outside. Starting tomorrow more normal temps.

Poppies, bouganvilla, and mountains...

There's a very nice walking path around the complex with great displays of poppies, bouganvilla and of course we see the mountains and the golf course.

Panera Bread

Panera Bread is new this year and a great addition. The pain au chocolat was fabulous...and now for the big test...the French Baguette. Will it pass the Carqueiranne test? One can always live in hope. Details tomorrow.

They seem like a good company and do lots of charity things like donating any unsold products to homeless shelters and other organizations. So, everything is fresh that day.




Panera Bread › Home

Dinner with Tom and Claire

We had a super dinner last night with Tom and Claire at a restaurant called Omri Go Med. Jim and I started with a wonderful cioppino with clams and mussels then I had the risotto paella and Jim the cous-cous.


My paella...I loved the bowl!

Rainy day program yesterday

The desert got quite a bit of well needed rain yesterday so we took advantage of that to see "A Single Man" which was playing at the grand old Camelot movie theatre here. We were very impressed with the movie and with Colin Firth's tour de force performance.

And then we had a super evening with Erna and Marvin and their friends, Carol and Larry back at our old stomping grounds of Canyon Sands.

Having been in Don Bachardy's house on the beach in Santa Monica (Jim was photographing some photos he had of Huxley that Bernfried wanted for the Huxley conference in Pasadena)and knowing that area so well we were pleased to have seen this on the big screen because it was visually quite wonderful.

I'm glad Bachardy liked the film since some of the gay community aren't so positive apparently. His comments:

"Into this melee steps the renowned artist Don Bachardy, Isherwood’s surviving partner, who has become a vigorous defender of Ford and his film. “My advice to Tom Ford was the same advice Chris [Isherwood] gave to young screenwriters adapting books,” says Bachardy, who has a cameo in A Single Man and a credit as creative consultant.

“He always advised them to make it their own, to not try to reproduce the book in movie form. He had my backing to make it his own and that’s what he did. I’m just so glad I liked the movie. I was dreading seeing the film because I liked Tom Ford so much I knew I couldn’t lie to him. What a relief that screening was, to be able to tell him with real enthusiasm how good it is.”

Tom Ford was right about Isherwood - Times Online



This sketch by Bachardy of Huxley was chosen for the poster for the conference.

Weather

It was interesting to read today in the Desert Sun that Vancouver is trucking in snow in some desperate attempt to have enough for the Olympics, that yesterday a local pre-school here in the desert trucked in man-made snow for a special "snow day" for the kids, and of course all about the possibly worst blizzard in modern history happening back east.

Rained last night and this morning here but the sun is peaking through so there must be a rainbow somewhere...

Ah...there it is.