In the Middle of Urban DC!

by Carlo Uchello, c. 2011

Dear Imaginary Friends,

When it is hot as Hades in Washington, DC, that means it is time to trek on over with my husband to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Southeast DC.

And that is exactly what we did early this morning, before our hair melted onto our scalps. Kenilworth Gardens has acres of swampy land devoted to beautiful, incredible lotuses and water lily ponds. They go on and on! Such a shame that they only bloom in the hottest time of the summer.

Photographers are everywhere you turn, with their tripods and super duper lenses. This was a great opportunity for us to try out our newest toy, an SLR Digital camera. 

Another local place that you can view lotuses in bloom now is Greenspring Gardens in Alexandria's West End. A smaller garden, but more diverse, it offers many gardens and plants, not just aquatic species.

Your Friend, the flower lover,

Patsie

Goodstone Inn

Wisteria Arbor Frames the View of the Pool

Dear Imaginary Friends,

Once again, I trekked all over the city limits, this time with my intrepid classy friends to Goodstone Inn in Middleburg for lunch. How pretty is the vista from this place's pool! The food is really good, as befits the setting. There is a chef's prix fixe lunch and also an a la carte menu.

The rooms at the Inn are so cute! Carved into space which was originally  horse stables, they are decorated with antiques, and are quite charming. OK, yes, I admit it; I looked in a window! 

The Former Stables That Now Houses Guests

There is a wine cellar downstairs beneath the restaurant which is a great place for rehearsal dinners and other special occasions.

The only problem with Goodstone is that it is located on Snake Hill Road!

The snakes were hiding from me, and I really am eternally grateful for that.

Your Imaginary Travelling Friend,

Patsie

Are You a Lotus and Waterlilly Fanatic?

Hillwood Japanese Garden

Dear Imaginary Friends,

Howdy! Nothing beats a beautiful garden except for maybe a delicious meal, or a perfect painting, or a perfect cocktail... I digress!

This month, my intrepid and classy friend and I trekked over to Hillwood Gardens to see and be seen.

This garden was one of the many highlights. A famous Japanese landscaper designed this garden down the hill from Marjorie Merriweather Post's mansion. The mansion was built from the Post cereal fortune. It is not actually composed of cereal, but it might as well be. Also a big factor in building the Post fortune was Postum Coffee, which predates my existence. 

Marjorie was wealthy beyond my wildest dreams, and collected more Russian treasures, such as icons, Faberge eggs, Imperial china, and miniatures of the Russian Empire, such as portraits of Catherine the Great. Walk up the grand marble staircase and you will see portraits of Peter the Great, Catherine 's inspiration. One of Marjorie's many husbands was the Ambassador to Russia, hence the intense interest. It was right around the time of the Communist deacessioning of church treasures and all things that spoke to the previous Empire. Marjorie would visit thrift shops, where she would find bejeweled silver chalices, priests' vestments and antique icons piled in a heap. And so the heiress scooped them up.

I digress again!

In addition to being a loveletter to America's late, great wealthy lifestyle, the Hillwood mansion is an oasis of quiet with its own Adirondack cabin and a Russian dacha. Not to mention a formal French Garden with parterres and a channel pond.

If you haven't visited Hillwood, you really should. It is at its best in spring and summer when the gardens are thriving. In July, it is all about the hydrangeas and the water lillies.

You will definitely remember Marjorie's face by the time you leave: There are about 20 commissioned portraits of her!

Your Imaginary Friend,
Patsie

Solomon's Island, Finished, I Think!

Dear Imaginary Friend,

Can you believe it, I think that I have finished my new boat painting at last. The question always lingers, with shadowy doubts: Is this painting finished or does it need more tweaking?

It is really hard to put the brushes confidently away. It's not like a bell rings, telling you that you are finished. An artist is only finished once she is believes she is. Some days it looks finished, and other days I see problems that need addressing. The worrisome part is that whenever I fix one thing, I usually mess up another, creating more work for myself.

Solomon's Island, 10 x 8", Oil, c. Patricia Uchello

If you refer back to my blog entitled "Masterpiece du Jour", you will be able to compare and contrast.

OK, this time, it is really finished. 

I think!

Your Imaginary Friend,

Patsie

Broken Ankle

Dear Imaginary Friends,

I painted this painting several years ago. My new friend told me she loved it, and to thank her for something big that she had helped me with,  I gave it to her. The shoe in the painting is actually the high heel that I wore on my wedding day, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. And, no, the dinosaurs were not wearing white four inch heels. Just us ladies.

A few months after I gave it to her, she trekked to Italy, and guess what happened? She broke her ankle! She asked me if the painting carried a curse.

Not that I know of.

Number One, I don't  throw curses or epithets, much less at my friends. Plus, even though I hail from New Orleans, where Voo Doo lurks, I am not interested in crossing to the dark side.

Voo Doo differs from Hoo Doo. Hoo Doo is the practice of sorcery wherein curses and spells are cast, whereas VooDoo is actually a religion.

But still, no thanks.

Your everyday, non-cursing imaginary friend,

Patsie

Llamas Always Smile

The Llamas are chilling at Homestead Gardens. They are exotic, adorable, furry, and funny.

Our family visited them at Homestead Gardens back in October 2010, during pumpkin season. We rode a hayride to their barn. 

Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, MD, has an excellent plant and decor selection.  You don't have to be a llama to like it there, but it helps.

Your Imaginary Friend,

Patsie

Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright

Fallingwater is a private home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, commissioned by a wealthy department store owner. I think it is FL Wright's greatest accomplishment because his design integrates into nature more than any of his other homes. The cantilevers mimic the falling of the waterfalls, cascading through and under the house.

Sadly, Wright was a heinous person who did not pay his assistants or workmen, always missed his deadlines, and was an altogether disagreeable human being.

 

This ingenious home in Pennsylvania sprang many leaks. One was made into a fountain, despite the fact that it is inside the home. The structural engineer told Wright that his design was wrong; it was not structurally supported sufficiently in the cantilevers. Wright stuck to his guns, and years later, the engineers' opinions came true and the owners had to constantly shore it up.

A work of art made by a piece of work.

Your Architecture fan,

Patsie