Summertime

Actually, it's never summer in San Francisco, which is why we poor pale clammy perpetually freezing wind-chapped wave-slapped energy-sapped people here have to dart voyeristically through other people's AMAZING sweet tea sipping takin' a dipping vintage swimsuit Flikr sets, such as the one uploaded by a person I adore despite never having known about them till yesterday: Miss Millie Motts.


I really love who I am, but if I could be someone else, I would definitely want to be called Millie Motts, live in the (Deep) South and drink mint juleps on some gigantic wrap-around porch dandruffed with white wicker furniture and other southern things...like beignets and possums all the live long day whilst saying things such as "dag nab","more anxious than a cat in a room full of rockers", and "magnolia viper."


That being said, I'm sure most of these ladies were photographed up north on the fancy pants beaches but I will take Louisiana over Nantucket any day, and the only way I can eat crawfish is in etouffee. So put that in your pipe.
Millie, thank you ever so much for posting these FAB photos! And thanks to Sweet Sassafras for the hot (ooh, how I love that word) tip.






Sweet Sassafras also had amazing pictures of japanese crochet that she found in a book which I now covet. Take a look-see:



Today's post will be kinda short, but for the last thing I just wanted to share some music resources. Sometimes you find yourself in a music rut, and pandora doesn't help cause it just plays stuff you already know you like. (Yeah, yeah, major key tonality, blah, blah...I want something NEW!! FRESH!!) So here are some sites I've been perusing today:
Nylon mag's music. This is how I found out Scarlett Johansson (Yet another great southern name...) is releasing a record. Hmmm. Commentary withheld.
Refinery 29's music reviews. Already found Bonnie "Prince" Billy who Refinery 29 says, is "exploring the darker side of folk music, delving into the gothic ballads of Appalachia and the English countryside." Whatever. Sounds like country to me. I like it.
And Esopus mag, which releases a themed CD along with every issue. Listen to clips of the current CD on their website.
Then, once you've found a bevy of great new sounds, go to Imeem and create a summer playlist! That's where I got mine there on the sidebar. Yay!


Do we know the incredibly hip Italian magazine Ottagono? For 7 Euros you can flip through your very own issue of glossy, gorgeous photos. (Preview coming soon, but I need some time to scan. :) And here's what I love: it is May 30th today, and nary a mention of June anywhere! The Italians and their Italian time. Love it.
Have a good weekend, all - and to all a good night!

For my Dad!

Yes, there will be some birding blogs featured. No, it will not be just birds . So read on, ye weak and weary of heart. There are many morsels to delight.

I have to start with Polish movie posters. All you graphic and design people: if you don't know about polish movie posters, you know nothing. Is that too harsh of a statement? Judge for yourself as you read on.



Now there is something ineffable and magical that Polish people do when they obsess about something that is iconic to another culture: they take that cultural phenomenon and reinterpret it with a skill that penetrates to the sheer essence, to the Platonic ideal of whatever the phenomenon is - they perfect what is, ironically, already perfect in their eyes.

I've observed this before with Polish tango (where the melancholy, nostalgic facets of desire override the the usual topnotes in Argentinian tango: passion and romance), but lest we derail too much, let me show you what I'm talking about.

There's nothing like the polish movie poster for capturing the MOOD of the film. It captures the mood better than the film itself, people. Observe:

Out of Africa:


After Hours:


The Godfather: Part II:


Vertigo:


Mulholland Drive:


Or for capturing the ESSENCE of the film title. It's like Poland understands English better than we do. They interpret our flatland English titles with a german-like uber-understanding, where the whole is far greater than the parts.

Fatal Attraction:


Tom Thumb:


Night Games:


Permanent Vacation:


And the graphic design is preposterously good. I'm sure there was many a polish film poster that was:
a) more beautiful
b) more intellectual
c) more satisfying
than the actual film it was designed for:






Yes, that is Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace.

For more posters check out these two fantabulous sites, where I got all my images from: A Gray Space and PolishPoster.com.

Everybody likes to drink, whether they know it or not. D's friend from England came and stayed with us for a bit, and as a gift he brought:



This is an AMAZING South African liqueor made from the fermented fruit of the Amarula tree. It tastes a bit like Bailey's only fresher and more ambrosial.

Here is a recipe I got off the Amarula website for a drink called the Saharan Martini. Oooo:


SAHARAN MARTINI
Ingredients:
1 tot Amarula Cream
1 tot Frangelico Liqueur
1/2 tot Vodka
Ice cubes

Method:
Add all ingredients into cocktail shaker.
Shake and strain into a martini glass. Mniam!

Another Dwell house that caught my eye: a barn converted into another home with AWESOME beams in New York:





Charley Harper: Minimal Realist.







A (single) bird blog: The Fat Finch. Check it out. Some of the Harper images came from there.

Paula Hayes makes AMAZING terrariums, and I still love her, even though I once wrote her an email and she never replied. Better things to do, I guess. What could possibly be more fulfilling than writing to me though I can't imagine. ;)







Gorgeous bird prints by Etsy seller Fustian:





And I think I saved the most interesting for last, so read on.

Axel Erlandson (1884-1964)was an American arborsculptor who opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 featuring his unique shaped trees. The attraction was eventually named "The Tree Circus":





Arborsmith Richard Reames, whom I learned about via Dwell wrote the above text about his inspiration, Axel Erlandson. Below are some of Reames' designs:




Pretty nifty, eh? Reames envisions using arborsculpture as a means for building "living houses," not just cool sculptures. Brings a whole new meaning to the words "Tree House."

Last, but not least, I am going to post a playlist for my dad. Soon. So stay TUNED. Get it? HAHAHA!

Okay, All: Enjoy, Tata! Mwah! Mwah! Mwah! Love to the people who read this!
So long, Suckers! (o)(o)(o)