BACK TO THE BEACH

In the dog days of summer with the garden winding down, you’d think I’d have more time—not less—to post. But obviously, that hasn’t been the case.

What have I been up to?
Lots of writing assignments, a minor home renovation project, some time off to relax, and a day on the set of Emeril’s new Planet Green cooking show. More about that in my next post…

Some of you have asked what happened to The Mystery Project, which I was working on for the last 10 months and which I blogged about earlier this year.

Unfortunately, I was unable to reach agreement on a contract with the person who held the primary contract with the publisher (this happens occasionally in publishing) and I am no longer associated with the project.

I’d say more but the censors wouldn’t approve.

Since my last post was about China, I figure we’d take a short detour to the remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan on our way back to the beach.
My fascination with Bhutan, began may years ago. How could you not be intrigued by a land that’s home to the world’s only blue poppies and blue sheep?

Every July, Washington’s Smithsonian Institution...

hosts a weeklong festival on The Mall, the grassy park that runs from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol.

This year the forty-second annual Folklife Festival celebrated the state of Texas, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and Bhutan.

On the opening day, while touring the festival’s a traditional Bhutanese Buddhist temple with a flock of journalists, I met a strikingly handsome young man.

The friendly Bhutanese turned out to be the king! He’s a great ambassador for a country with a development program measured by the country’s Gross National Happiness.
Imagine what life would be like if all governments ensured the contentment of their people and tried to balance economic growth and modernization with quality of life and spiritual values!

Throughout the day, you could watch and participate in demonstrations of Bhutan’s 13 traditional arts.

These include bamboo basketry...

woodworking...

metalurgy...


leatherwork and embroidery.

The finest examples of Bhutanese design were amazing and had been passed from one generation to another for centuries.

Each region of Bhutan has distinctive traditional weaving and clothing styles.

Dyes are made from vegetables and minerals.

Patterns have symbolic meanings.
You could also listen to Bhutanese music played on long trumpets, oboe-like instruments, double-sided drums and conch horns…

Watching traditionally garbed Bhutanese, who had rarely left their small mountain villages, whip out cell phones to snap photos of typical Americans was entertaining, too.

What is Bhutanese food like, you ask? In brief... spicy!
Unlike other parts of the world, where chilies are used as a spice to flavor food, here chilies are served as a vegetable. Each day at the festival, the cooking demos of chili cheese curry (the national dish of Bhutan) were a crowd favorite.

Want to cook something different—and fiery—for tonight’s dinner? Here’s the recipe:

This hot pepper and cheese stew is usually made with yak cheese but I was assured feta cheese works well.

CHILI CHEESE STEW
1/2 lb hot green chilis (long serranos, shorter jalapenos or less spicy poblanos)
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 cups water
2 tsp olive or vegetable oil
2 tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 lb feta cheese
1/2 tsp. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Remove seeds from chilis and cut lengthwise into strips. In a saucepan, add chilies, onions, oil and water bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes. Add tomato and garlic and simmer for 5 more minutes. Just before serving add cheese and cilantro leaves. Heat through but do not let cheese dissolve. Serve over rice.
Now… to the beach.
Back in July, I posted about my trip to the Chesapeake Bay. I had such a great time that I decided to do it again.

So as the sun sets on summer, here’s another peek at one of my favorite places to get away from the world.

*** BLOGS DU JOUR ***Recently, Fifi Flowers asked my permission to turn one of my photographs of the Getty Villa into a painting. I was flattered and now you can see what a talented artist can do with a little inspiration.

Looking for your own inspirations? Visit Sweet Six Studio, an on-line art retreat hosted by Holly Abston, Natasha Burns, Cheryl Dack, Jennifer Hayslip, Heather Kowalski and Analise Sledd. It starts on September 2nd, so you’d better hurry!

CHINOSERIE & OLYMPIC FEVER

Synchronized diving, track, the high beam—even beach volleyball—I must admit I’m mesmerized.

(courtesy of www.showchina.org)

Usually, I can barely turn on our state-of-the-art TV, but to watch the Olympic Games and the fabulous nonstop travel tours of China, I’ve managed to master the multiple remote controls and record-for-later features.

(courtesy of www.showchina.org)

Since I’m the sort of person who easily succumbs to the power of suggestion, I’ve been serving veggie stir fry more often than usual. I’ve also been fantasizing about decorating with fans, pagodas, paper lanterns and Chinoiserie.

(photo by Dan Mayers)

The word Chinoiserie was coined in the late 17th century to describe the Western world’s fascination with the architecture, art, fashion, and interior design of the Orient.

(Bird In Fruit Tree by Seabrook)

By the 1800s, fashionable European homes and grand estates boasted a “Chinese room” decorated with Asian style furniture and artifacts with a decidedly Asian appearance.

(Fishing Village by Thibaut)

As a suitable backdrop, the room’s walls were frequently covered with floral designs painted on hand-loomed silk or hand-painted Chinese panoramas made from tiny pieces of handmade paper pasted together to form long panels.

(de Gourney L’Eden in crystal grey)

Today, the de Gournay company recreates the 18th-century method as faithfully as possible, with small pieces of paper affixed to four-by-ten-foot panels. Artists then distress the panels to replicate the look of sundried paper before painting the designs. Then, as now, these papers are cost a king’s ransom.

(de Gourney Earlham on dark blue silk)

But thanks to technological advances in rotary printing and eco-friendly inks (with the look of layered, hand-applied pigment), several American wallpaper manufacturers now offer Chinoiserie’s romantic floral and exotic fauna patterns at prices even the masses can afford.

(Asian screen mural ($69) from Brewster)

So enjoy the Olympics and dream of your own Chinese room...

(Tea House from Thibaut)

And while you're watching those fabulous views of the Great Wall, remember that although these Tibetan artists may dance, they yearn to be FREE.

(courtesy of www.showchina.org)

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***

Since meeting at the Interior Design school, Emily and Lauren have turned their similar tastes in decor and their intense passion for fabric into a sassy blog. Visit the Material Girls for an irreverent take on the world of decorating and fashion.

DAY TRIPPING

Imagine for a minute we are in the Roman country side -- instead of Malibu.

We've been invited to a villa, located on a sixty-four acre property.

We'll stroll the villa's Herb Garden, which is planted with Mediterranean species.

Most have been in cultivation since ancient times.

Since it's a hot day, let's cool off in the shady entry courtyard (called the Inner Peristyle.)
It’s surrounded by square marble basins and bronze statues of women who have come to draw water from a stream.


Ah, that was relaxing. Now, let's explore the Outer Peristyle.

Are you up to walking the length of the large reflecting pool?


The covered walkways (called peristyles by the Romans) that surround the pool stretch from the villa...

to the Aegean (okay, it’s really the Pacific Ocean, but the view is spectacular!)


Did you notice the inside of the peristyles? They are painted with faux windows, columns and 3-d architectural features that you would swear are real.

Now let's head to The East Garden.

Although the flowers are lovely and the bronze civet heads that adorn the fountain at the center of the space are pretty amazing…

the mosaic-and-shell fountain is the garden’s star attraction.

Okay, I think it's time for a cold drink and an afternoon nap.

Do you think there are any spare guest rooms at the Getty Villa?


FYI:
Designed on the plans of Julius Caesar's father-in-law's country house, the newly restored Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades is open to the public for free if you take public transportation. Arrive by car and it will cost you eight bucks. For more info go to www.getty.edu/visit/