"You can't go back...to your childhood...back to places...back home to things that once seemed everlasting..." THOMAS WOLFE
............and yet some things defy time and remain as they were in our memories
This little guy- the iconic symbol of my childhood hometown of Brussels
has been taking a leak in the Grand Place for over 400 years
MANNEKIN PIS
15th century buildings burnished in gold leaf
THE GUILD HALLS
GRAND PLACE
Behind old facades the polished wood in the
brasseries
grows more mellow with the passing of time
Tomates aux Crevettes
remains on almost every menu
pommes frites are sold in paper cones served with mayonnaise
and chocolatiers are as popular then ever
The apartment building where we lived
SOLID- MASSIVE -UNCHANGED
The granite entry surround will hopefully
be undistrubed for generations to come
The entry doors a testament
to the lasting permanence of good design
The school I attended is located in an outlying part of town
which looks very much as it did years back
which looks very much as it did years back
The old chateau still sits in a clearing in the wood
but the meadow, once sprinkled with toad stools
(YES- these are very real and very poisonous)
and roaming deer is
sadly paved over now
New classrom buildings have sprouted haphazardly of need ,
surrounding the Grande Dame
without thought for design integrity
C'est dommage!
(YES- these are very real and very poisonous)
and roaming deer is
sadly paved over now
New classrom buildings have sprouted haphazardly of need ,
surrounding the Grande Dame
without thought for design integrity
C'est dommage!
Les Grandes Escaliers
are not so grand as I remembered
and the Belgian bluestone floors in the "dungeon"
where we ate lunch are now mostly
covered in mismatched linoleum
but the trumeau fireplace with marble surround in the salon
that was my first grade classroom is still there
SO is Thomas Wolfe right ... ???
The Belgian aesthetic has become very influential in interior design
Bluestone is used both as flooring and counter material
My new Belgian friend
Greet Lefevre with Ralph
We became friends the modern way- electronically-
via the internet and our blogs
My husband Don and I recently met Greet and her husband Jan
the old fashioned way...
in person
over dinner
L'Idiot de Village
Brussels
We talked for hours like old friends
forming bonds over commonalities
...from love of our dogs, to the love of great food and wine,
to love of design
INTERIOR DESIGN-GREET LEFEVRE
Don't miss Greet's blog
BELGIAN PEARLS
Her point of view is charming and refreshing
Greet's family has owned and operated a millwork facility for over 100 years. She and Jan
have just embarked on re-doing their own salon and lining it with Lefevre custom panelling
You can
follow the process through her blog.
Greet- when we come back to Belgium we want to see the real thing please.
Belgian antiquarian and designer
Axel Vervoordt
Artist unknown
If you know the artist PLEASE let me know
I discovered this oversized oil painting recently at
JOHN DRUM ANTIQUES
The scene is as I remember it when we docked on
The Cunard's Queen Mary
On a recent trip to NYC I drove out to New Rochelle
to see my other alma maters
Theodore Roosevelt School
has been turned into apartments
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Our youngest ever president
was sworn in at the age of 42 upon the assasination of
William McKinnley
so speaking of Roosevelts...
I have now seen the new movie..
HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
interesting story but slow to be told..
I love Laura Linney
but she is way better as
First Lady Abigail Adams
then as a mousey doudy
"kissing cousin"
Bill Murray does a great job portraying FDR, the paralyzed president
(and cousin of Theodore- quite a family )
but
the script makes Roosevelt little more then a charming philanderer at a time in history when he was obviously much much more
PHOTO-THE NEW YORKER
The Presidential Yacht
POTOMAC
Only the exterior of New Rochelle High School remains-
(originally named Woodrow Wilson-poor guy had no staying power)
the beautiful original interiors were totally gutted by fire
set by a deranged student, only to be replaced with cinderblock walls
The lakes in the front have been filled in for new athletic fields.
How did we manage to survive with
athletic fields in the back-
allowing the glorious French Gothic structure
designed by Guilbert and Bettele
to proudly overlook Lake Huegenot ???
I was priviledged to go to school in beautiful buildings;
buildings that demanded respect and inspired the imagination;
buildings that spoke of longevity and substance-
buildings that called me back
Maybe they inspired me to go into design.
Sadly it's more then lack of architectural vision that now has
gripped schools across the country where the safety of
children and staff is certaily of primary important
TIME MARCHES ON
are not so grand as I remembered
where we ate lunch are now mostly
covered in mismatched linoleum
but the trumeau fireplace with marble surround in the salon
that was my first grade classroom is still there
SO is Thomas Wolfe right ... ???
The Belgian aesthetic has become very influential in interior design
... a spare blending of old and new
Bluestone is used both as flooring and counter material
INTERIOR DESIGN-RELA GLEASON
ROGER DAVIES-PHOTOGRAPHER
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
The Belgian influence is evident in my own kitchen design
My new Belgian friend
We became friends the modern way- electronically-
via the internet and our blogs
My husband Don and I recently met Greet and her husband Jan
the old fashioned way...
in person
over dinner
L'Idiot de Village
Brussels
We talked for hours like old friends
forming bonds over commonalities
...from love of our dogs, to the love of great food and wine,
to love of design
Don't miss Greet's blog
BELGIAN PEARLS
Her point of view is charming and refreshing
Greet's family has owned and operated a millwork facility for over 100 years. She and Jan
have just embarked on re-doing their own salon and lining it with Lefevre custom panelling
You can
follow the process through her blog.
Greet- when we come back to Belgium we want to see the real thing please.
Belgian antiquarian and designer
Axel Vervoordt
is a master of combining the old and the new
More on my visit with Axel and his wife May
in an upcoming journal entry
When my family came to America
another timeless icon greeted us
as we sailed into New York Harbor
SOLID-MASSIVE-UNCHANGED
The Port of New York
oil on canvasArtist unknown
If you know the artist PLEASE let me know
I discovered this oversized oil painting recently at
JOHN DRUM ANTIQUES
The scene is as I remember it when we docked on
The Cunard's Queen Mary
On a recent trip to NYC I drove out to New Rochelle
to see my other alma maters
Theodore Roosevelt School
has been turned into apartments
Our youngest ever president
was sworn in at the age of 42 upon the assasination of
William McKinnley
so speaking of Roosevelts...
I have now seen the new movie..
HYDE PARK ON HUDSON
interesting story but slow to be told..
I love Laura Linney
but she is way better as
First Lady Abigail Adams
then as a mousey doudy
"kissing cousin"
Bill Murray does a great job portraying FDR, the paralyzed president
(and cousin of Theodore- quite a family )
but
the script makes Roosevelt little more then a charming philanderer at a time in history when he was obviously much much more
Palacek Imports
President's State Chair
is a copy of the deck chairs on FDR'S
"Floating Whitehouse"
POTOMAC
(originally named Woodrow Wilson-poor guy had no staying power)
the beautiful original interiors were totally gutted by fire
set by a deranged student, only to be replaced with cinderblock walls
The lakes in the front have been filled in for new athletic fields.
How did we manage to survive with
athletic fields in the back-
allowing the glorious French Gothic structure
designed by Guilbert and Bettele
to proudly overlook Lake Huegenot ???
I was priviledged to go to school in beautiful buildings;
buildings that demanded respect and inspired the imagination;
buildings that spoke of longevity and substance-
buildings that called me back
Maybe they inspired me to go into design.
Do today's students miss out because beauty
is overlooked for function ?
I have my own theories 
PHOTOGRAPHER-UNKNOWN
HAVENS SCHOOL-PIEDMONT CALIFORNIA
There are communities that rebuild with architectural traditionSadly it's more then lack of architectural vision that now has
gripped schools across the country where the safety of
children and staff is certaily of primary important
TIME MARCHES ON
New Rochelle has preserved the
18th century home of Thomas Paine
THOMAS PAINE
author of
COMMON SENSE
the best selling pamphlet published annonymously in 1776
by the British born author advocating America separate from England
Talk about vision and progress !!!
In San Francisco, thanks in no small part to earthquake damage
of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
and the efforts of former mayor Willie Brown
the ugly overpass built in the name of progress was torn down
The beauty of the original San Francisco waterfront restored
It's difficult to believe that politicos in New Orleans were
very recently in favor of building a highway
between the Missisippi River Waterfront and Bourbon Street in the old French Quarter
Talk about "killing the goose that laid the golden egg"
Thanks to the push and vision of San Francisco activists
the blight has been averted and the Vieux Carre remains charming
Respecting the past doesn't mean abandoning the new and the modern
I M PEI'S PYRAMID AT THE LOUVRE
Maybe we can go home again...
KATE'S BOURBON & CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING
WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
...... as decadent and divine as New Orleans
6- Day old croissant torn into pieces
4 Cups heavy cream
5 Eggs
1 1/2 cups and 2 TBLS sugar
Poppy seeds
1 stick melted butter
Bourbon
Kosher salt
Vanilla
2 big handfulls of pecan pieces
Toss the stale bread pieces with the melted butter and 2 TBLS sugar
Beat eggs and remaining sugar in a large bowl until fluffy pale yellow
Add cream and 1 1/2 Tbls poppy seeds and pinch of salt - blend well
Add a decadent splash of Bourbon
Pour the egg mixture over the bread/croissant mixture-add pecans- toss to coat well
Spread into a buttered 13" long baking dish.
It will look like too much liquid but no worries- use it all !!
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Allow to come to room temperature before baking
To bake preheat oven to 325.
Bake for about 11/2 hours until brown and bubbly
Cool slightly before serving with butterscotch sauce
BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE
Can be made in advance- also great on ice cream
1 Cup light brown sugar
1 Cup light Karo syrup
3 TBLS butter
2 pinches kosher salt
Decadent splash of Bourbon
Combine brown sugar- karo syrup-butter-salt and bring to a boil
Continue cooking until syrupy about 5 minutes
Remove from heat and add bourbon and cream
Stir till smooth and allow to cool-
" Gotta take that sentimental journey home"
Rela
