Country Living Fair comes to Atlanta in October

This will be the first year the CL fair will be in the Atlanta metro area, and I can't wait! I have my tickets and am hoping for nice weather!

One of our Hall G dealers at Lakewood will be setting up there.......Bev Norris of Cottage Farm Chic will among the local exhibitors.

Bev is a talented craftswoman/antiques dealer who always has the best in everything!

(She makes cool pumpkins.....I love the big one with the pocket!)

She hand-makes fabulous creations, and always has the best primitives and French antiques, as well as pretty smocks and jewelry, to name just a few.

Be sure to find her booth at the show....you won't miss it 'cuz it will probably be the best one there! Good Luck Bev!

Some vintage architecture along the way.....

While on road trips, I can't resist the urge to do some drive-by picture shooting (much to the annoyance of the drivers behind me) of cool, old architecture I see along the way. The house above was the best spooky old house--just waiting for Halloween night to put a little scare into those walking by!!


I loved being back in the land of live oak trees and spanish moss--they create a living architectural element all their own.

I can't say I saw such great houses this time, but they each have some nice architectural features that are inspiring to me somehow.....

I like the unique, but a bit overly decorative, posts on the above house...

And this one (it's a bit fuzzy from my camera shaking on the bumpy road) looks like it should be in New Orleans.


These aren't spectacular, but I prefer them to the elaborately renovated mansions! They are like little bits of history along the way, and I wish I could restore every one of them!

"Relic's" in Thomasville, GA

I discovered this very cool shop on the backroads while on my way home from FL (I can't stay on I-75 for very long!). This is the back entrance---I forgot to get a pic of the cool front of the building with all the stuff out on the sidewalk!

This is really my kind of stuff!! Melissa has all the very BEST architectural, industrial, salvage, and unique furniture and accessories--all awesomely displayed in a historic old building on the main street of Thomasville--which has LOTS of shops and restaurants, and is well worth the drive over from the interstate. (I went to FSU just down the road in Tallahassee, and used to drive up here now and then, so it was a bit nostalgic for me)

She has lots of great stuff outside.....

.....and this is the entry hall inside the back door of the shop. My camera was probably on the wrong setting, so the pics aren't so great--it all looks so much better in person!

I didn't have much room left in my SUV, so I MUST bring my truck next time for the fabulous big stuff---like those killer windows!

And the killer cupboards!

Melissa had this entire porch re-assembled inside her shop--with all the original posts and corbels and molding and all....it is just beautiful!

You really have to go around the shop many times to see it all!!

It was a nice surprise to find a shop this full of cool stuff--so many are closing, and usually you can only find it at the big shows---like the BIG one coming up shortly in TX that I probably won't make it to AGAIN---but this shop is the next best thing anyway!

You can check out the web site: www.relicsthomasville.com for details and directions.

"Posh On Palm" in Sarasota

I am SO excited that my FAVORITE Florida shop has moved to my favorite hometown!!

I absolutely LOVE that Susie and Mark have moved their shop to a wonderful space on Palm Avenue in this Mediterranean-style historic former hotel near the bayfront (I have fond childhood memories of playing here with my girlfriends--pretending we on adventures in Europe).

And what a space it is!! Look at that ceiling and those columns and capitals!! You can feel the contentment of the old girl at having Susie and Mark there appreciating and caring for all she has to offer. It is the most perfect fit I have ever seen!

And their magic is magnified everywhere! They really are the best in the biz, and just the nicest people. Susie and I started reminiscing and discovered we grew up very near each other and knew many of the same people! What a small world.

Every detail is exquisite.....

There is so much to see.....

They have the very best European furniture and accessories....

....and always the very best in architectural offerings!

I love this window........

.....and I was really digging these unusual lamp shades!

When you come to shop, there are wonderful restaurants close by, and the marina, beach, and downtown are right around the corner!

Best of Blessings to you Susie and Mark in your new digs......as always, you have made it a MUST SEE destination!!

**Posh On Palm is open Tuesday-Saturday 10-5 and is located at: 33 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, FL 34236 (941-954-7674)

Everglades City to the Florida Keys

Airboats are a common sight in South Florida--we have four wheelers in Georgia--but near the Everglades, it's impossible to get around off-road without these.
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In the Ten Thousand Islands between Marco and the Keys, this is what it looks like. It's desolation to some people, but I love the unspoiled beauty of it all, even if it is mostly mangrove islands! (I was surprised that the water was darker from the tanin of the decomposing mangrove leaves, but it was still so pretty)

I highly recommend any boat trip to this area! We saw osprey and manatees and dolphins up close in their natural habitat (no American croc or alligator sightings--but I grew up with alligators in my back yard so I've seen plenty of those) and being off-season, we were mostly alone in this beautiful place. I loved every second of it!

(The Calusa preceded the Seminoles and other tribes in this area, and their history is very interesting)

I never tire of seeing the playful dolphins romping around...they are so friendly, and came up to visit us like old friends! We got to see manatees come up out of the water near the boat...which they rarely do--they are hard to see for the most part.

I hated saying goodbye to my dolphin friends, but I know I'll be back, 'cuz I really feel at home here! This is a harsh place with the bugs and the isolation and the heat, but it reminds me of what FL was like when I moved here as a little girl.

In Everglades City you find the historic Rod & Gun Club (a landmark used in several books I had just read by Carl Hiassen and Randy Wayne White) which apparently was THE place to be (probably the ONLY place) back in the day.

They have lined the entry with every article ever written about the area, the most unusual being about the Everglades version of Bigfoot: the Skunk Ape! (hey, it gets boring around here off season)


This place really has a nostalgic and tropical lodge-y feel to it....and I loved the fabulous antique mirrors and taxidermy.


And this carved iron baptismal (I thought it was a fish tank, but the owners said they were positive it was baptismal--although I have since been informed it is definitely an aquarium??) was really cool with with the shells and sea stuff in it.

Looking out the back door to the inlet and docks, you see an occasional airboat go by, and it puts you in a wonderful laid-back mode! We ate lunch out on the patio (might as well--there is no air-conditioning here!) and had the day's fresh caught fish---I have never had pompano, but it was FABULOUS!

(this all reminded me of my sister and how she used to have a commercial boat and catch and sell her fish along the West coast, North of here-she even built her own houseboats and lived aboard--until laws were passed to make this impossible)



From here I went on alone to see the Keys. (I can't believe I have never been down here, and lived in FL 35 years!)

This part of the trip--I was to later find out (after the L-O-N-G drive down)--was pretty much hindered by the residual effects of the passing hurricane winds coming through--which created 4-7 foot seas--which prevented the boats going to the reefs--which prevented me from getting to go snorkeling--which is why I drove down there in the first place! (I did get some snorkeling in, but not on the reefs--darn it)

The above dead trees lining the road to Homestead is actually the prettier of the scenery along the East coast. I really thought it was just awful from Fort Lauderdale all the way to Islamorada, which is the only upper key I'll ever stay at next time.

I couldn't get a good picture showing how awesome the water is here, but it is extremely beautiful and crystal clear--really incredible--an aquamarine color that takes your breath away.

It certainly fueled my intent to come down here again really soon (by plane or boat please) and plan it better (you really have to plan ahead and know where to stay and eat, and allow for the weather).

When that time comes, the first thing on my to-do list is to boat out to the Dry Tortugas and explore the fort and snorkel all day! (Maybe I will have my diving certif by then)