Tree Houses etc...

Inspired by C. Diaz's recent posts of dream houses, I had to do a quick post about the Yellow Tree House Restaurant in New Zealand. I love images of amazing tree houses, whether cobbled together as if held by magic alone, or sleek and graphic amid towering pines, unusual tree houses keep me wanting that perfect hideaway...

Marcelo in the Real World

Okay, so I love to read. I especially love to read children's books. From picture books to young adult, anything that has magic and mystery and wonder is for me. I find kids books to feature characters who embody these themes more frequently than adult books do, so on any visit to the library I am most often in the children's section than not. True to reading habit, I just finished a YA book called Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork. My friend Sarah, who heads up the children's section at Books Inc. on 4th St. in Berkeley, recommended this to me after we chatted about the best (and worst) kids books available right now.

Sarah was spot on. This story is so thoughtfully written and beautifully crafted I enjoyed every word. The protagonist. Marcelo, is a 17 year old boy who has something akin to Asperger's Syndrome and is forced to enter "The Real World" the summer before his senior year of High School. His actions over the summer will determine whether or not he is allowed to return to the school he has attended since first grade or be enrolled in the local public school instead.

Without being overly sentimental or preachy, the author creates a look inside the mind of a boy somewhere on the outside as he navigates his way into "The Real World." Next up.. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. Happy Reading!

Filoli House

MJ and I visited the Filoli House for her birthday. I had visited the Muckross House in Killarney Ireland last year, and it was my favorite thing on the trip. The Muckross House was purchased by the owners of Filoli, the Bourn's, for their daughter as a wedding gift. The Grand Ballroom at Filoli is painted with murals of the Muckross Estate. I was curious to see the connections between the two estates, and Filoli lived up to expectation.


This tree was beautiful, massive in size with drooping branches that touched the brick walk beneath it.


There are many gardens at Filoli. This patch of lavender was among my favorite.

Not too shabby, huh?


I loved this French bicycle parked in the shaded path.

My ideal kitchen. One of two adjacent kitchens inside the Filoli House.