THE HAUNTED HOUSE

Welcome to Sydney's Haunted House.

Vince will be your guide.
"Hi, I'm Vince. My friend Sydney will go to any length for Halloween. She even asks her husband Gary to "fix" the shutters every October!

Please follow me inside.

Need to sit down and rest for awhile?
As you may have noticed, I'm not a black cat, but there are plenty of those in our home!
This one spooks me and my brother Mo out every time we walk by it.

Mo, however, is planning to fight back with the help of his friend Polly.
Of course, there are lots of other frightening things around the house this time of year...
Hey, Sydney, what happened to those nice candles that are usually on the dining room table?
There's something strange to look at from the ceiling to the floor.

I'll be the first to admit that we have a real bug problem in the house.

But on the plus side, there's lots of stuff a cat can play with.
Think Sydney will notice if a few pieces are missing?
The kitchen is where Sydney really goes wild.
Shrunken houses lights up.
And when you least expect it, stuff turns, twists and makes noise.
Unfortunately, over the years, Sydney's gotten smarter. See these plates of rocks? They used to hold a buffet of Halloween cookies. Come on, can't we go back to edible treats, Sydney?
The birds aren't very tasty either.

But, sometimes, if I'm lucky, Sydney will read me a bedtime story.
No, not that ONE. I want to hear the Cat In The Hat!

Sometimes, I can swipe a bedtime treat.
But, I must admit, it's hard to sleep with all of those twinkling lights.
And, it's easy to think you're having a nightmare!

Even when you're not.

I hope you've enjoyed the tour.
Thanks for coming.
Don't forget to grab a Trick or Treat bag on your way out--if you dare."
BOO!
P.S. I'm rethinking all of my post tabs and will be coming up with a new list over the next few days. Please bear with me.

ART SMART

Sorry for the disappearing act but I was on assignment for Log Home Design magazine.
Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait until early February until I can share a link for one of the most fascinating homes I’ve written about in a long time.The lodge is built on an 84.5 acre wooded site formerly owned by a sportsman's club. The homeowners knew it was the ideal setting for a log home and for wildlife preserve the moment they set eyes on the property.

On a completely different subject, please join me in Alexandria, Virginia, again, where our day tour ends with a visit to THE ATHENAEUM, a beautiful Greek Revival building constructed in 1851.
FAST FACTS:
• The Athenaeum was constructed to be the Bank of the Old Dominion. Robert E. Lee did his banking here, as did many other prominent people 150 years ago.

• During the Civil War, the building was Commissary Headquarters for the Union Army, and housed wounded Union soldiers.

• In 1905, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Shop bought the building to use as a factory for grinding talcum powder, a popular necessity during hot Southern summers.

• Later it served as a church before becoming a cultural center and community art gallery.

The current exhibit is called TXT MSG and it features two artists' pieces--“Four Letter Words” by John James Anderson and “Song For Europe” by Mark Cameron Boyd.


As a writer, I was attracted by the fact that both use typography and words as design motifs but in radically different ways.


The Four Letter Words aren’t what you think!

One modular work is called MONEY.

Others showcase HOMOPHONES and ONOMATOPOEIA. Okay,class, does everyone remember what those words mean?

But my favorite is composed of UNCOMMON WORDS.

The docent gave me a printed glossary and told me that this piece was a big hit with Scrabble® fans.

Did you know a jehu is a bad driver? I didn’t, so I googled the word and discovered it's a slang term for a crazy cab driver. It comes from the name of a crazy chariot driver who became a king!

Now it’s your turn… what does ZEBU mean? One lucky commenter (chosen by random, of course) with the correct answer will win an uncommon but wonderful prize. I'll chose a winner on Friday October 17th!

In the adjoining gallery space, Song For Europe invites viewers to pick up a piece of chalk and contribute to the artist’s on-going dialog in Greek, Latin, French and English.

I’m off to Los Angeles at dawn and, thanks to the time difference, I will arrive in plenty of time to meet my son Fred at his office for lunch.

On Saturday I head to Gene Autrey's former ranch in Palms Springs to attend Jenna and Ira's wedding. (The ranch is now a posh hotel.)The bride, Jenna, is the sister of Abby-- whose wedding in NYC I posted about on June 24th.

Have a great Columbus day weekend! Coming up next week, a Haunted House Tour!

*** BLOG DU JOUR ***
Touring art galleries can be inspiring. For another dose of creativity visit www.color-stripes.blogspot.com.

George Washington Slept Here

I decided to follow in the footsteps of George Washington and go shopping in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
On the east coast, many historic sites make the claim that “George Washington was here,” but in Alexandria, Virginia, it’s absolutely, positively true!

Founded in the 1700s as a Colonial seaport, Alexandria was
George Washington’s stomping ground.
While living at his Mount Vernon plantation outside of town, Washington spent a good deal of time in Alexandria.

He bought his medicines at the Stabler-Leadbeater apothecary, danced with Martha at Gadsby's Tavern; worshipped at Christ Church, and plotted the American Revolution in various local homes and taverns.

No FAKE gas lights here!Recognized for its outstanding examples of early American architecture, Alexandria’s Old Town district includes more than 4,000 historic buildings that span centuries -- and styles.


Some structures were private homes...
Others were shops...
Or warehouses.


The John Douglas Brown house was built in 1775. Unlike some neighboring homes, it retains the original wide pine siding painted oxide red.


History buffs delight in the fact that later additions have not been disguised and remain visible for study. The side yard had been the subject of several archeological digs.

Hungry for history?

Gadsby's Tavern (no photo) is the only remaining colonial tavern in Alexandria but there are lots of other places to sip and sup. The Union Street Public House is an example of
architectural recycling. Originally a shipping office for a munitions company, it now bangs out tasty meals and mugs of hearty beer.
This anchor, located at water's edge at the foot of Alexandria’s main commercial thoroughfare, King Street, commemorates the founding of the Old Dominion Boat Club in 1880. The club still maintains boat slips and a Members Only restaurant.


Note the basement windows in the photo below. Many of the streets in Alexandria have been raised (as is the case here) or lowered through the centuries to try to steer storm surges from flooding area buildings.

I hope you've enjoyed touring the streets where George Washington once strolled. Our last stop is the main dock area. In addition to shops, restaurants and a food court, here is where you can catch a water taxi to DC or a sightseeing cruise.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

There are very few occasions when a quote by Winston Churchill can’t perfectly sum up the situation.

For example, Churchill once said: “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

I spoke to Christopher Robbin, the CEO of Gibbs Smith, and he said Waterside Cottages is NOT coming out this season -- despite my
“spunky blog campaign."

Churchill also said: “It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”

Mr. Robbins feels that after nearly a week of sales meetings with the major book distributors, the economic situation is even worse than he originally anticipated.

Because of this, Gibbs Smith will be postponing 90 percent of the decorating and architecture books that they were originally going to be published this season and next.

He hopes the postponed books will be published within a year.

Gibbs Smith owns the rights to Waterside Cottages for five years. If they do not publish it by 2011, the manuscript is mine again, the photo rights revert to Dan, and we are free to take the book to another publisher.

Churchill said, “We are masters of unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.”

With that in mind, I will leave much unsaid. However, Dan and I want to let everyone know how much we appreciate your support.

And finally, Churchill said: “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

So, I am not 100 percent sure what my next “big project” will be. Future posts may wander far and wide as I explore new inspirations and start new projects.

Since my heart is always happiest at the shore, you can bet there will be more Waterside Decorating ideas, too.

Thanks for supporting me, not only with my book, but by reading, and commenting on, my blog. I hope you’ll stick around.

VOTE FOR ME

Obama, Biden, McCain, Palin… no matter who you favor in the upcoming election, most of us will be voting for the candidate we feel can best turn around America’s troubled economy.

Over the past few years, I’ve felt the pinch every time I go shopping for groceries or fill my car with gas.

Last Wednesday, my publisher, Gibbs Smith, called me to say that “because of the weak economy they will be publishing fewer books than they originally anticipated this year.”

And my book, Waterside Cottages, has been put on the list of books that may be postponed for publication for a year or more!

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing I could have done differently as I’ve done everything that was requested or expected of an author.

But maybe there’s one thing I can still do…

Perhaps, if Gibbs Smith sees how much interest there is in Waterside Cottages, they might move it from the “POSTPONED TITLES” list to the “ROLL THE PRESSES” list.

Here’s where YOU come in.

Since many of you have expressed a passion for coastal style decorating and have indicated that you plan to order one or more copies of Waterside Cottages as soon as it is published, I wonder if you’d do me a favor?

Please VOTE for me by posting a comment telling Gibbs Smith you’d like to see Waterside Cottages published – now!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

I will then forward all of your comments to Mr. Christopher Robbins, the CEO of Gibbs Smith.

In the spirit of November’s election, I’d like to be the winner who never quit, rather than the quitter who never won. I truly appreciate your continued support and friendship.

*** BLOG DU JOUR***
Please stop by Today's Creative Blog and shop for one-of-a-kind handmade gifts. Proceeds of this fabulous silent auction will help a family who desperately need your help. So shop til you drop and feel good about it.