{YAWN}

Cottage Living Idea home...has some great "ideas"!

You can check it out here

This is not the yawn part

Great Morrocan/Spanish influence...
I was recently awarded a gold card from lovely Bridget at

My Silly Blog...Thanks girl!! I'm passing it on to the

the following wonderful peeps and places...it has some simple rules:

This is not the yawn part, either

1. You may choose five people/blogs to give the award to.

2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.

3. One has to be a new follower of your blog or live in another part of the world.

Blue Mango

Canyon Wren Cottage

Serendipity

Hooked on Houses

and for another part of the world...How about beautiful Brasil?

a beleza de todas as coisas

And the oh so lovely and visual Visual Vamp in NOLA has asked me to

list 6 quirky yet boring things about me.

{YAWN} yep...yawn part below

I like heavy cream in my coffee...(chill out...NOT every day)

I keep fresh flowers and leaves in the house(stolen from outside) eveyday

I like baths (even showers) by candlelight

The washer and dryer run daily...and still there is a big pile!

I can't kill insects...I let them out

I like salt on my watermelon

And I pass this to EVERYONE in my blog roll ------->

Go ahead, everyone...I dare ya!

Ever Taken a Look At John's Costumes

Have you ever noticed the link to John's Hollywood Costumes listed under my favorites? A friend and colleague actually collects Hollywood costumes and haute couture. His holdings are quite amazing actually - costumes worn by Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and many more. My favorite is the gown worn by Leslie Caron in An American in Paris.

I am amazed that someone personally owns these pieces of Hollywood history and I am always wishing that I could see some of his collection when they are being exhibited. John lives in NY and when he has exhibited, he is usually showing his collection in NY or NJ - not convenient to Atlanta. Every time I see an old film it reminds me of John. More than likely there is a costume from the film that he owns.

Finally!

For the past several weeks finding gas has been a challenge. Last Saturday we got up at 5:00 and my husband drove around for 30 minutes before finding a station with gas. The wait in line was about only about 15 minutes. We felt so happy to have a full tank of gas! The gas shortage has made us so careful to drive only when necessary as we try to conserve what we have. I take a ballet class on Saturday mornings and I have skipped for the past two weeks just because of the 25 minute drive to the dance studio. So naturally I don't go out on any Saturday excursions. This weekend a couple of more stations in the area have gotten gas so I am hoping things will get back to normal. Hoping to resume my Saturday morning outings next weekend.

Come have a visit to our town....

It was a grey, windy day...and I decided to take my camera, and bring you

on a bit of a tour of our little jewel of a town.

It's really a small city...but more of a town. Still has a kind of 50's vibe.

Old Florida.

We don't have any soaring high rises....we do have miles and miles

of, often uninhabited, beach.

...And some gorgeous hidden shops and restaurants

...many have been around for many, many decades. Which is a long time for Florida!

I think one of my favorite things...that I had never really seen before,

are the sandy, canopied winding streets.

The live oaks meet...and create a beautiful canopy on many of the sandy streets.

The birds shrills and music are so much more exagerated in the canopy.

The craggly, moss covered oaks have been stretching

and protecting for 100 years...

The homes are carefully built around these treasured oaks...

Both the old...and the new.

There were some amazing characters that have woven their personality

throughout this town...One of my favorites was Waldo Sexton...You can see his funky, original influence throughout the area...he was instrumental in developing our McKee Botanical Gardens....a gregarious, full of personality man of many talents...

Quirky and colorful.

There are many simple cottages, along the sandy roads...

The town also has it's share of Old mission style 1920's homes...
....and plain old Funky...with tons'o personality ...This little cottage is simply amazing inside...It has a guest house, that makes you feel you are

in the south sea islands! And it was once a simple ranch.

We have our share of newer homes, also. But many are built to share space with

those beautiful oaks...When done well, it is such a symbiotic relationship.

It has been really wonderful raising kids in such a relaxed, beautiful place.

Sandy toes...Salt air....Live oaks.

Small town values...

One day we will head to the mountains again...but today reminded me to

breathe...and enjoy the town we call home.

Thanks for coming along.

Living fairly simply inVero Beach, Florida.

I need a helping hand....

Robert Grove photography via: flickr

Oh No! I inadvertently deleted more than half of my blog roll (see list to the right---->). Yikes!

I tried to add you all back...But fear I have missed some.

Please let me know if you need to be added.

I'll do it happily...I love being updated on all of your blogs!

With many, many thanks!

Enter...Exit.

First impressions when you walk in the

front door.

Doesn't hurt to have a touch of tropical flora and fauna to welcome

so say I...

all images: Coastal Living

And the delightful Sandra from Canyon Wren Cottage has tagged me...If ya love Texas (and even if you don't...check out her blog!)

Ok...Seven weird or unknown facts about me:

1. I have synesthesia. Didn't know until I was an adult...but for me, all of the words and letters I see are in color. I thought everyone had a specific color for Wednesday or Sally. Apparently not. Anyone else???

2. I am allergic to spearmint gum. Eyes blow up, roof of mouth itches. not peppermint or wintergreen...just spearmint. And just gum.

3. Last baby was born in water (not weird to me...but many)

4. My daughter and I have the same exact three freckles on our nose.

5. We were married on Christmas eve...It was beautiful and perfect.

6. Grasping now...Tracked Dall Sheep in the Glaciers of Alaska with a Marine Biologist...the piper Cub kept trying to stall mid-air...we landed where no human ever had, I wasn't nervous at all.

7. I have a bright, hand painted turquoise indonesian kite hanging from the ceiling of my foyer...it has wings and claws. And is probably not very welcoming...and I would do better with some lovely tropical flowers. live and learn, eh?

I am going to pass this on to anybody that would like to grab it...and keep it movin'! You ALL are my faves! Really, really!!

One of My Favorites

It seems like only yesterday that I went with my older brother to see Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It's one of those movies that I own and enjoy watching over and over again but I have especially enjoyed listening to South American Getaway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyt6z9imOEk&feature=related. It is one of those songs that sounds exciting and sad at the same time. Posting this as a tribute to Paul Newman.