Indholdsfortegnelse for July - August 2015 i Victoria

Making choices can be a most difficult thing. With summer rapidly approaching, I must choose how I will spend my vacation days. Maybe that decision will keep me close to home, sharing my holiday with my extended family, or perhaps it will take me to a destination far away. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to structure a seasonal break so that learning a new skill could be part of the experience? Check within your community for classes or seminars, or be inspired by the pages of Victoria. In this issue, accompany us to Chatauqua, New York, where an ages-old institute offers educational enrichment balanced with equal measures of self-renewal. Or journey to the rolling hills of Italy for a remarkable cooking school taught by Texas cheese maker Paula Lambert, and explore…

Several summers ago, I tookmy three youngsters apple picking. It was an unbearably hot, dusty day. After we had picked our quota, I loaded the apples and children back into the car, started back toward the highway, and then—on a whim— changed my mind. Turning off the main road, I spotted a country lane, drove down it for several minutes, and finally found what I was hoping for: a creek. The children exploded with gratitude as they leaped out of the car and took possession. The oldest immediately set a twig going down the swiftest part of the current and raced behind it, throwing stones. Themiddle child found a smooth, flat rock that hung above a quieter part of the water and lowered herself, cross-legged, onto the middle of the…

“ALTHOUGH YOUNGER WOMEN OFTEN LOOKED AT MY MOTHER AS AN EARLY FEMINIST, SHE WOULD JUST SCRATCH HER HEAD AND SAY, ‘NO, I JUST DID WHAT I SET OUT TO DO.’ ” —Nion McEvoy Nan Tucker McEvoy—former chairwoman of the board of the San Francisco Chronicle and the granddaughter of one of its cofounders—was compelled by a directors’ bylaw to step down from her post at age 72. She could have settled into retirement, but instead chose to follow an uncharted course and established an agrarian enterprise. This unexpected venture began as a search for a tranquil place in the country where her family might enjoy outdoor recreation. It blossomed into a quest for more when, in 1991, Nan discovered the Northern California oasis that would soon become McEvoy Ranch. Situated…

For needle artist Elisabetta Sforza, of San Bonifacio, Italy, childhood strolls through the ancient byways of Assisi led to creative expression. Women sat outdoors then, she recalls, embellishing linens with mythological figures rendered in powder blue or rusty brown. Captivated by this style of cross-stitch, the 7-year-old was also taken with the camaraderie among the villagers as they worked. Soon thereafter, she attended a course on handwork under the tutelage of an instructor whose joyful spirit and kindly manners became inextricably linked to the craft in the youngster’s mind. Needlework remained Elisabetta’s cherished pastime for decades but became a serious pursuit when she had children. Today, her online journal, which she writes from home, offers an opportunity to share her passion for ricami a mano (hand embroidery) with a global…

COVER Hampton Brownie Bicycle, call for pricing and availability; from Cahaba Cycles, 205-967-2003, cahabacycles.com. Nantucket Bike Basket Co. Tuckernuck Adult Classic Basket, $60; 800-337- 9280, nantucketbikebaskets.com. Wallaroo Hat Company Victoria hat in Lemon, $40; 888-925-2766, wallaroohats.com. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Page 2: To view and purchase Laura Hooper’s calligraphy, visit lhcalligraphy.com, or contact her at hello@lhcalligraphy.com. WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 13–14: For more information about author and teacher Phyllis Theroux, visit her website, nightwriters.com. SIMPLY SUMMER Page 15: HEDGEHOUSE Mini Throwbed in Cortina Coral, $200, 17"x17" Pillow in Cortina Lavender and Cortina Rosso, $75 each; 818- 285-8017, hedgehouseusa.com. Villeroy & Boch Anmut Flowers Dinner Plate, $40, Anmut Flowers Salad Plate, $30, and Anmut Flowers Rice Bowl, $40; 800-845-5376, villeroy-boch.com/shop. Sabre Moss Natura 5-piece Place Setting, $105; from The Picket Fence, 866-944-5511, thepicketfence.com. Page 16: Picnic…

Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you love. Take a closer look at some of our favorite July/August features: Setting the Stage for Enrichment at Chautauqua, New York The small-town Victorian ambience of this quaint hamlet belies its status as a world-renowned center of education and artistic expression. An Italian Banquet for the Senses Join Mozzarella Company founder Paula Lambert on her guided tour of the landmark locations and regional cuisine of Italy. McEvoy Ranch’s Bountiful Harvest An acclaimed journalist before her retirement, Nan Tucker McEvoy later launched a new career as a trailblazing entrepreneur, producing fine olive oils at her family ranch. Sharing Common Threads Italian needle artist Elisabetta Sforza, who has a large international following, showcases her passion—…

“ Summertime is always the best of what might be”. —CHARLES BOWDEN Scattered blossoms usher the beauty of the greenhouse indoors, creating gracious sanctuaries. Above: Beneath a pink-and-coral ensemble from D. Porthault—the embroidered border of a crisp Lacet pillow cover complementing a cheery Bouquet Éclaté duvet and shams—faintly shaded Vexin sheets from Anne de Solène provide a soothing retreat. “ …The earth had donned her manthe of brightest green; and shed her richest perfumes abroad.” —CHARLES DICKENS…

Margot Shaw’s aesthetic appreciation began early and runs deep. Her family lived in Switzerland when she was a child, and she has fond memories of her father taking them for jaunts through Europe in his sporty convertible— touring châteaux, cathedrals, and gardens along the way. “My father was very Hemingway-esque, very much a bon vivant,” Margot adds. “He was always saying, ‘Look at this!’ He was informing my eye, training me to appreciate beauty and good design.” As a result of these excursions, the young girl’s creative side blossomed, and her father’s enthusiasm took root in her soul. Margot’s interest in design took a different form years later, when she worked with noted Birmingham, Alabama, floral designer Sybil Sylvester. Under her masterful tutelage, Margot says she “learned to think outside…

Dallas-based textile enthusiast Suzanne Hardebeck remembers fondly the first quilt she ever received: a gift bestowed upon her at age 4 by her grandmother. To the preschooler’s delight, a litter of beribboned kittens frolicked across a field of alabaster— the simple embroidery framed by checkerboard feed-sack material that, decades later, still bears the faint lettering Purina Chow. Although modest in its construction, the childhood treasure ultimately revealed the bridges to the past this traditional craft offers. “I now regard quilts as art—all of them,” Suzanne maintains, pointing out that centuries ago, needlework served as the primary method of creative expression for most women. As she reached adulthood, acquiring coverlets blossomed into a serious pursuit. With her practiced eye, the appraiser and frequent lecturer can determine their provenance, as well as…

After watching a neighbor lovingly tend his vegetable garden season after season, I began to consider trying to grow something edible. Spurred by visions of my grandfather and his father before him—both farmers—and my sunbonneted grandmother picking her lettuce and peas, I decided to give it a try. Although only two generationsremoved from farming, I had never grown my own food. My husband, Hugo, remembering his grandfather presiding over an Italian hillside of olive and fig trees, thought he might try a tomato plant or two. How much could go wrong? The answer, of course, was almost everything! Insects and rabbits raided the lettuce, and we anxiously overwatered the tomatoes until they shriveled and died. But when the crunchy sugar snap peas appeared, we ate them straight off the vine.…

As a young girl growing up in the Cotswolds area of England in the 1960s, I and my local Brownie troop were lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a few idyllic summer days camping near the town of Eastleach, at a spot known as Macaroni Wood. We were picked up by a coach bus in our village, sleeping bags in tow, and stopped on the way at the local newsagent to pick up huge tubs of ice cream for the journey. We stayed in old Royal Air Force quarters formerly used as hospital buildings. I remember sitting around the evening campfire, being entertained by the local Girl Guides troop, who performed such amusing songs as “I Like to Eat Worms”! Our days were spent competing in Brownie revels…

Chef Nathalie Dupree has made a successful career of cooking, but at one time, that seemed an impossible dream. When she was growing up in Virginia, most women who worked outside the home were nurses, teachers, or secretaries, their culinary talents restricted to their own kitchens. But this aspiring chef had other plans that accompanied her into adulthood. While attending summer school at Harvard after her sophomore year of college, Nathalie lived at the international students’ house. When the resident cook became ill, she filled in for two weeks, realizing a lifelong love for creating cuisine. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in London, after which she owned restaurants in Majorca, Spain, and Social Circle, Georgia, and then ran a cooking school at Rich’s department store in Atlanta for ten…

Beneath the crystalline skies of Chautauqua, New York, opportunities for outdoor enjoyment unfold in a kaleidoscope of vivid images as scholars, artists, and sports enthusiasts follow their passions. Rainbow-striped sailboats glide across Chautauqua Lake during summer; families pedal bicycles down tree-lined brick pathways; golfers navigate the sloping greens of legendary courses. From cozy garden vantage points, watercolorists capture the surrounding untamed beauty on their canvases. A convivial spirit characterizes this picturesque Victorian hamlet, where neighbors eschew electronic communication in favor of face-to-face exchanges. It doesn’t take long to realize that this is no ordinary vacation destination. With offerings that encompass the arts, education, religion, and recreation, Chautauqua Institution draws scores of visitors to its remarkable grounds from late June through August. Many return year after year to enjoy the distinctive…

NATHALIE DUPREE: A RECIPE FOR EXCELLENCE Begins on page 31 Recipes courtesy Nathalie Dupree Two-Ingredient Biscuits p.32 Makes 14 to 18 (2-inch) biscuits 2¼ cups self-rising flour (preferably soft wheat), divided 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream*, divided 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2. Select the baking pan by determining if a soft or crisp exterior is desired. For a soft exterior, use an 8- or 9-inch cake pan, a pizza pan, or an ovenproof skillet where the biscuits will nestle together snugly while baking. For a crisp exterior, select a baking sheet where the biscuits can be placed wider apart, allowing air to circulate. Brush selected pan with butter or oil. 3. Fork-sift or whisk 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl, preferably wider than it is…