REMEMBERING
Remembering those who fought for our freedom!
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!
***How did you spend your Memorial Day?
Monday, May 30, 2016
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Thursday, May 26, 2016
SPRING PANTS
One
of the things I love about spring and summer is that they allow me the
opportunity to wear all sorts of bright and cheery colors. While I’m always
looking to update my spring and summer wardrobe, this year my emphasis has been
on pants.
I
have been searching for a number of brightly colored chinos (I have several
particular colors in mind), but have only found a few of them so far.
It
began with my search for a specific shade of light pink chinos - I wanted them
to wear to the Cocktails at the Castle event I attended earlier this month. I
searched through all of the usual stores in my area, plus a few sites online,
but couldn’t find the shade of pink I wanted. Finally, I found them on Brooks Brothers website, however, neither their retail store nor their outlet store in my
area had these pants in stock. The retail store was, however, able to order them
in for me. They ended up being not only the perfect color, but a perfect
fit as well.
During
my search for the pink chinos, I stopped at our local Brook Brothers outlet store.
While I didn’t find the pink pants. I did fine two other pairs of pants in
wonderful shades of yellow and orange. I haven’t worn the orange ones yet, but I
have worn the yellow ones a few times already. and I can tell you without a
doubt that I absolutely love them both.
While
there are still a few colors that I’m looking for in spring pants, I have
found three of my “must have” shades at Brooks Brothers this month. I am so
pleased with the colors of these pants, as they are the exact shades I wanted, and I also really love the way they fit.
There
are still a few more colors remaining on my list, so the search for spring and summer pants
continues.
***What
are your favorite colors for spring and summer pants?
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
LIGHTS!!! CASTLE!!! FUN!!!
As you may have gathered, the American Swedish Institute is one of my favorite venues in Minneapolis. With its
beautiful French Chateauesque mansion, contemporary visitor’s center, and large
grounds, the ASI is not your typical cultural center.
The sell out crowd of 2000 arrived early.
Selma.
Like
many affluent, turn of the century folks did, newspaperman Swan Turnblad and
his wife Christina, built an impressive mansion to showcase their wealth and
success.
Bands performed on the front porch throughout the evening.
Inspired
by his many trips to Europe, in 1903 Turnblad hired architects Christopher
Boehme and Victor Cordella to design this imposing home on six lots they had
purchased on the corner of 26th and Park Avenue, in Minneapolis. It
took trained artisans, working in stone and wood, roughly five years to
complete the expansive mansion.
We were greeted by a Nordic rocking horse as we entered the mansion.
Speaking of horses, it seems I always have to take
a photo of this horse when I visit the ASI.
The
Turnblad Family only lived in the home from 1908 until 1929, at which time it
was donated to the American Institute for Swedish Art, Literature, and Science
– which would eventually become the American Swedish Institute. The ASI hosts
numerous events and exhibits throughout the year, but one of my favorites
is the bi-annual Cocktails at the Castle series, which happens twice each
summer - usually May and September, and often highlights an exhibit at the mansion,
as well as the season of the year.
Some of the watercolor artwork by Lars Lerin on display in the mansion,
We were given the opportunity to create our own watercolor masterpieces.
One of eleven import tile stoves.
Earlier
this month, friends and I attended the first Cocktails at the Castle event for
2016. This event was titled “Light Up The Night,” and celebrated the
return of the light to Minnesota. Strategically placed neon light artwork
lit up the grounds, while costumed entertainers dazzled us with digital light
hoops and whips.
Lights illuminated the mansion . . .
. . . While neon artwork was scattered throughout the grounds.
Even Selma wasn't immune to the neon lights.
There
is usually a scavenger hunt throughout the mansion, and this years participants
were awarded neon bracelets, which mirrored the neon artwork on the grounds.
Also scattered throughout the mansion, were a large number of beautiful
watercolor paintings by artist Lars Lerin, which offered a wonderful dimension
to this historic home.
The sky dome showed the lights of constellations.
The
ASI’s restaurant, FIKA, provided food and berverages for purchase, while bands
entertained us on the front porch of the mansion. There were also several other
venders onsite tempting us with their wares.
The crowd stayed . . .
. . . Long into the night.
As we often do, we ended the night with ice cream from Sebastian Joe's.
The
Cocktails at the Castle evenings at the American Swedish Institute are not to be missed, and always sell out in a very short time, as they have become some of the premier summer
events in Minneapolis. Barring any changes, the next Cocktails at the Castle
evening will be held on September 16, so be watching for more information
as the date gets closer, and be sure to get your tickets early. You won’t want
to miss it!
***What
are some of your favorite summer events?
Monday, May 23, 2016
THE FORECAST
The forecast predicted rain for today, so I made sure I took my Brooks Brothers umbrellas with me.
***How do you brighten rainy days?
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