Have a Happy Weekend!

Hi, friends.  What will you be up to this weekend?  I am taking the opportunity to enjoy a little staycation, relaxing at home and maybe enjoying a dinner with friends.  Hope that you have a lovely few days ahead.  xox

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I walked by Barcelona, a new tapas restaurant on 14th Street, last weekend.  It is gorgeous.  Like, I might want to move in.  Strong Yelp reviews, too.

Alternatively, if you are in Madrid (Some of you are!), you may like to check out Marta Argüelles's exhibit at La Portegna's store in el Barrio de Salamanca next Thursday.  Find details on La Portegna's Facebook page.

Not Martha's hilariously suspenseful Kinder Egg A Day series.

Products to keep your winter boots and shoes looking new.

What to expect from Game of Thrones's fourth season.  Gulp.

I have been listening to this throwback on repeat since hearing Alison Krauss's CMAs performance the other night.

The robin's egg color of this sweater is refreshing. 

Why isn't there a filtering water pitcher (Looking at you, Brita.) as pretty as this carafe?

I'll play my Native Southerner card and say that D.C. still needs good barbecue.  Here's hoping that DCity Smokehouse delivers.

A whole lot of delicious uses for cinnamon.

(Image is Urbano 12 by Marta Argüelles.)

Life and Art: Venice

When I visited Venice a few years ago, I fell in love at first glance. The buildings seemed to float on opaque turquoise canals, and it was immediately apparent why Venice is known as La Serenissima ("the most serene"). The city was especially quiet since it was the middle of winter. Summer throngs were months away, and light snow dusted the three bridges that cross the Grand Canal.

Maurice Prendergast, Grand Canal, Venice, ca. 1898-99

A somewhat unexpected new love that I encountered in Venice, aside from the city itself, was the work of the Canadian-American painter Maurice Prendergast. The Peggy Guggeheim Collection (Ms. Guggenheim warrants her own post at a later date.) held a relatively small, but vibrant and captivating, exhibit of Prendergast's paintings of Italy. Included in these were lovely odes to La Serenissima, its canals, and its people.

Combing through my travel photos, I found themes similar to those depicted by Mr. Prendergast and his contemporaries: 

Right: Maurice Prendergast, Venetian Palaces on the Grand Canal, 1899

Right: John Singer Sargent, Palazzo Labia and San Geremia Venice, 1913

Right: Frits Thaulow, On the Grand Canal, Venice, 1885

 Have you been to Venice? Have you ever found a favorite artist or painting while on vacation?