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Black and White Riviera Glamour (How To Feel Like a Riviera Princess)
From Kim:
Pictured here is a "still" from L'Année Dernière à Marienbad - Last Year at Marienbad. It's a classic with many fervent admirers, like myself, who are entranced by the mystifying story with exquisite staging, mood and cinematography.
The film is shot within the interiors and gardens of several chateaux around Munich and while this isn't the Riviera, (Marienbad is actually a Czech spa town) the glamour and essence of the film puts it in the same ranks. Delphine Seyrig (as "the woman") is always perfectly coiffed and stunningly dressed by Channel throughout. My favorite scene is of Delphine in her bedroom wearing a marabou edged robe sitting upon a small chair among what seems like a hundred pair of shoes. The black and white riviera glamour style of this film is fantastique!
Shades of Grey
From Kim:
How I have never made it to the headlands of More Mesa until just last weekend I don't know. Leave it to my husband from New York City to introduce me to my own backyard! It was a rare day with a tiny drizzle and then suddenly there was a clearing so we headed down the path that leads directly to a spectacular seaside trail along the very edge of the bluff which tumbles dramatically to the beach. There were many luxuriant green grasses and wild flowers, most notably a hillside of bright yellow Coast Sunflowers; Encelia californica in full bloom and glory, lighting this grey day.
Treasures of Byzantium in Montecito
From Kim:
Like a sorbet serves as a palate cleanser between courses at a long feast, a trip to the serene and exquisite Chora Church in Istanbul was just what my senses needed after the heady and mind boggling assortment and sounds of a buying trip in Istanbul. Considered one of the most beautiful examples of Byzantine architecture in the world, it's a true gem. Istanbul's phenomenal geographic position between East and West, and the myriad of influences over the centuries from different cultures and traditions, makes for a spectacular amalgamation and experience today. This Christian Church founded in the 5th century became a mosque in the 15th century. It's now being painstankingly restored to reveal the soul stirring images created in fresco and mosaic eons ago.
Santa Barbara Andalusia Style
From Kim:
Can you place this shot? I think it could be one of numerous places in the world - a resort in California, or Spain, Greece or.... Turkey! All of these destinations have in common the sea and sunshine, architecture and flora, a mood and stylistic expression that I consider classic Mediterranean Style. This hotel is located in Alacati Turkey. It's astonishing how much it felt like Santa Barbara, with its palm trees, blooming oleander and bougainvillea climbing the walls of adobe and stone buildings roofed in red tile! It's a wide wonderful world with both unique and familiar touch stones along the way.
Wrap Up Your Days and Nights
From Kim:
This is not some far off tropical paradise but rather, in our own backyard, at Summerland Beach Lookout Park. I was on my way south on 101and the sunset sky and magnificent clearing winds begged me to exit and enjoy the show from this cliff-top view. The low slung clouds sailed like giant galleons through the sky. The sea was flat and rippled all at once. The leaves, trees and bushes sashayed madly all about as the celestial colors merged from blue to lavender to pink, coral, gold and indigo. What a California winter delight.
