Indholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2018 i Victoria

“I COULD NEVER STAY LONG ENOUGH ON THE SHORE; THE TANG OF THE UNTAINTED, FRESH, AND FREE SEA AIR WAS LIKE A COOL, QUIETING THOUGHT.” —Helen Keller “THE SEA PRONOUNCES SOMETHING, OVER AND OVER, IN A HOARSE WHISPER; I CANNOT QUITE MAKE IT OUT.” —Annie Dillard…

“THE SLOW BREEZE AND THE WARM SUN WRITE OUR MEMORIES.” —Debasish Mridha…

By the late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries, English potters such as Wedgwood and Johnson Brothers had perfected their own processes for producing stoneware that mimicked costly blue-and-white Chinese porcelain but that was much more affordable. It was known as transferware due to the printing method in which tissue paper was laid atop engraved copper plates covered with a film of cobalt oxide. The paper was then applied to crockery, transferring the illustration. During production, the color sometimes ran ever so slightly, blurring the outlines and giving the design a hazy appearance. Manufacturers originally viewed these pieces as factory “seconds” and shipped them to the United States, where they sold for far less than perfect pieces. Christened flow blue, the dinnerware quickly found an audience both in America and back…

“IF IT COULD ONLY BE LIKE THIS ALWAYS—ALWAYS SUMMER, ALWAYS ALONE, THE FRUIT ALWAYS RIPE …” —Evelyn Waugh “I WISH I COULD TELL YOU ABOUT THE SOUTH PACIFIC. THE WAY IT ACTUALLY WAS. THE ENDLESS OCEAN. THE INFINITE SPECKS OF CORAL WE CALLED ISLANDS. COCONUT PALMS NODDING GRACEFULLY TOWARD THE OCEAN.” —James A. Michener…

Take a closer look at some of our favorite July/August features: La Vie Rustic In a celebration of gracious living, Georgeanne Brennan, entrepreneur and cookbook author, offers several recipes exclusively for Victoria. The Antiques Diva Navigating the treasure troves and isles of Venice, Italy, is Toma Clark Haines, who tours the wares of lauded Murano glassmakers Barovier & Toso. Summer Ever After Designer Marsha Mason, who elevated her own home from uninspired to enchanting, offers advice for cultivating warm and welcoming interiors. A Taste of the Tropics Indulge in a menu that infuses exotic beachside destinations and warm ocean breezes into every succulent bite. Our tropical fruit recipes bring the coast to you. Visit our website to read this issue’s online stories and to find more of the content you…

“I WALKED FAR DOWN THE BEACH, SOOTHED BY THE RHYTHM OF THE WAVES, THE SUN ON MY BARE BACK AND LEGS, THE WIND AND MIST FROM THE SPRAY ON MY HAIR.” —Anne Morrow Lindbergh…

Alush, 400-year-old walnut tree stands behind Georgeanne’s northern California home, its graceful branches forming a leafy awning to shelter a gathering of guests on the stone patio below. Just beyond a large table set with vintage linens, a grape arbor soaks up the noonday sun, and aromas wafting from the farmhouse kitchen have awakened even the sleepiest of appetites. This breezy scene encapsulates the relaxed French way of life that attracted this warm-hearted hostess so many years ago. “I went to school in Aix-en-Provence, and I loved the life of the markets, the intellectual feeling of European life,” says Georgeanne. “I went back in the summer of 1970 and spent a month with friends in a farmhouse in the countryside near Aix, walking in the fields, cooking from the market,…

Summertime brings its share of visitors to Rockland, Maine. At the city’s picturesque harbor, a granite breakwater stretches nearly a mile into the bay, where a historic lighthouse affords panoramic views of land and sea. As sailboats cruise deep blue waters, lobstermen dock to unload the daily catch. Area restaurants boast fresh seafood, and an array of shops and galleries brim with treasures. In a tree-lined neighborhood near downtown, the Berry Manor Inn offers respite from recreational and cultural activities. A century after the shingle-style, Victorian-era mansion was constructed for prominent local merchant Charles H. Berry, Cheryl Michaelsen and her husband, Michael LaPosta, converted the 1898 residence into a bed-and-breakfast. Richness characterizes the inn’s appearance, amenities, and ambiance. The interiors have been furnished with antique and reproduction pieces yet are…

I inherited my sweet great-aunt Clara’s cedar chest. Born in 1885, Clara was the last of the five children of Swan and Hannah, who had immigrated from Sweden and crossed their new country from the East Coast to Illinois and by covered wagon to central Nebraska. Although all her siblings married and had children, she did not. I always wondered why, because she was such a sweet, happy, and kind person. What I learned almost broke my heart. When she was a young woman and her mother had passed away, she fell for a young man in her town. But World War I came along, and he was in the military. He gave Clara a gold promise ring, which I now have, with four small rubies encircling a small pearl,…

Today, the word “banquet” conjures up images of wedding parties and conference meals. The large number of people in attendance puts an understandable strain on the kitchen and service staff; there is a reason wedding invitations request the selection of the main course ahead of time. Imagine preparing for such an event without modern ovens, when a whole array of food—perhaps forty dishes or so—would be placed on the table at the same time. During the Regency period, banquets were common. Yet, even at a dinner party for twenty people, fifteen to twenty separate foods might be presented at once. Two of the most famous banquets during the Regency were hosted by the crown prince who later became King George IV. Famous for his excesses in all areas of life,…

“THE LESSON I HAVE THOROUGHLY LEARNT, AND WISH TO PASS ON TO OTHERS, IS TO KNOW THE ENDURING HAPPINESS THAT THE LOVE OF A GARDEN GIVES.” —Gertrude Jekyll A financial adviser who retired to a second career in landscape design, June Mays recognized a worthy investment for her family in a historic Alabama home. “We had attended parties in this house,” she says, “and loved the location, its grace, its personality.” Built in the early twentieth century with brick and stucco in a half-timbered style, the two-story Tudor charmer nestles into the side of a mountain, giving the grounds a steep elevation. When the Mayses purchased the property in 1982, the backyard was waist-deep in kudzu, an invasive vine that took three years to eradicate. With the lot restored to…

Travelers to the Midwest might be surprised to see an impressive mansion with impeccably manicured grounds just off the interstate near Joplin. Though it looks every bit as grand as a Loire Valley château or the lavish cottages in Newport, Rhode Island, the structure is actually the fifty-five thousand–square-foot showroom of the renowned home and garden emporium Sandstone Gardens. While wandering amid the beautifully arranged displays that seemingly go on for miles, it’s difficult to believe this enterprise was launched in owners Vicki and Max Carr’s one-car garage. As newlyweds in 1986, the couple began making moulds and casting concrete garden accents as a side venture, selling the wares from their home and at trade shows in the Midwest. It wasn’t long before they were able to quit their day…

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 2, 7, and 97: To learn more about Valerie Greeley, visit her website, valeriegreeley.com, and her shop at etsy.com/uk/shop/acornmoon. WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 13–14: Rebecca McClanahan, a poet, essayist, and memoirist, is the author of ten books. To sample more of Rebecca’s work, visit her website, rebeccamcclanahanwriter.com. SIREN SONG OF THE SEA Page 15: Ann Mashburn: Trumpet-Sleeve Wrap Dress, $295; 855-627-4287, annmashburn.com. Van Atkins Jewelers: Diamond Bangle, $50,000, Diamond Necklace, $13,000; 866-826-2854, vanatkins.com. Ralph Lauren Home: Darian Tea Tray, $595, Darian Tea Set, $695; 888-475-7674, ralphlauren.com. Harbor Sweets: Classic Gift Assortments, $14–$85; 800-243-2115, harborsweets.com. Vista Alegre: Transatlântica Tea Cup & Saucer, $60, Transatlântica Tall Pot with Lid, $466, Transatlântica Low Pot with Lid, $495; 888-506-0526, vistaalegre.com. Wick Me Away: Beach House Candle, $24; 818-523-5342, wickmeaway.com. Page 16: Carol & Frank:…

“ Each day is unique, a fresh adventure, and I am cognizant of how we can never fully understand the way life’s random events can lead us to the place meant just for us. ” Sometimes the smallest decisions change our lives, reroute our destinies without even our own awareness—so quietly, without fanfare, like a soft breeze willing us to follow the source. That was me on the short ferry ride from Woods Hole, Massachusetts, on my first visit to the little island of Martha’s Vineyard so long ago. With my limited knowledge of the island, I was completely unprepared for my reaction as I descended to the dock in Vineyard Haven. Surprisingly, I felt resuscitated, alive, welcomed, like I was returning home to a familiar destination as I had…