Selby Botanical Gardens

I you are visiting Sarasota, I highly recommend a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. We arrived late in the day so I did not have as much time as I would have liked to explore the seven acres of epiphytes, bromeliads and orchids. What I did see of the Texaco Oil founders 1920's estate was quite exquisite.

Myakka River

To celebrate my birthday I gave my self two special gifts; A new camera and a long weekend excursion to the golf coast. Myakka River State Park is truly enchanting.

Far from the amusement park flash and suburban sprawl typical of Florida, I felt completely free and at home in this place.

Under the hammock of live oak and cabbage palm, every branch is lushly curtained with Spanish moss. Wild tree orchids, resurrection fern and multicolored lichens catch hold of the gnarled bark and take root.

Even the heavy heat of August does not penetrate the canopy, and for once, the moist air feels in keeping with the surroundings.

Golden silk spiders weave giant orbs through the trees and I saw no less than ten alligators patrolling the waters. Their still emotionless eyes in a constant state of meditation. I felt like I had entered another world.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built a series of beautify crafted palm log cabins in the mid 1930’s. I fully intend to book one for a few days when I reach the end of my contract. I'm not sure why but small hand constructed buildings speak to me on a basic level. Simple, humble and charming.

Hamleau de la Reine

The Queen's Hamlet on the grouds of the Petit Trianon, at the palace of Versailles

It must be nice to have your own little weekend palace, on the grounds of your royal palace, and if your weekend palace starts to feel too stuffy, just build a farmhouse in an imaginary Swiss hamlet in your back yard, so you can feel like your faraway in your own magic kingdom fairytale.

I can't blame Marie Antoinette... I want to live here too.

Paris

I imagine girls in feathery hats, high collars and button up boots eating macaroons and sipping coffee in this very same shop, one hundred years ago. Everything is perfectly maintained. Parisians do not seem to suffer from the neurotic need to update and remodel that which is already beautiful.

The Old Mill

It's been two years now since my grandfather passed away. At the time, I was in the midst of a film shoot and couldn't make it back to the east cost. I will always regret that I didn't come home. But in a way, it was like an alarm calling me closer to my family.

Earlier this fall my sister Amy and I spent a weekend at his house, an old 1840's gristmill which he and my grandmother crafted into a masterpiece of a home. We relaxed, soaked in the beauty, and got to work on some serious creative fun. It's hard not to feel inspired in a place like this. Mama always says the house represents the best of both her parents... grandma's artistry, grandpa's engineering and a unique combined vision. So, I can't think of a better way to honor him than by turning our creative energies toward some family collaborations of our own.