Virginia Trip- Alexandria and Georgetown

get there by sea -  Old Town Alexandria harbor on the Potomac River

get there by air- Reagon Airport less than 5 minutes from town

Have your bourbon on the "Rock" - a single large ice cube to keep the toddy cold allowing  miminal water  to
dilute the elixir!



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Southern Hospitality at its best - coffee in the morning  for after drinking that Virginia toddy!

dog friendly is an understatement - dog bowls of water on the side walks for thirsty pets
after they check in to the Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria

Or they can join a major dog walk with their owners, raising money for a charity.

Quaint tree lined streets with history from the 1700's- full of stores that are unique and independently owned - very few national chain retailers - loved it - an exciting change of pace for shopping opportunities

 a foodie town with unique restaurants

Right down the "rivah" from the national mall

view of the Washington Monument from Alexandria

Lincoln Memorial View from the Potomac

Watergate!

The White House

Washington Monument from the National Mall

Jefferson Memorial located on the tidal pool.



entrance to Mt. Vernon

Mount Vernon- home of George and Martha Washington

George and Martha's view from their porch of the Potomac

George loved it here - loved farming and refused his third term as President of the United States to return to Mt. Vernon and his beloved Martha and farm his estate!

Lobby of the Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria

cool reception desk

faux finished mantel in lobby

Georgetown Harbor

Georgetown shopping district - unfortunately full of  national chains who can afford the high rent - could not find a single unique retail store, although cupcake shops are hot here!

Very international flavor in Georgetown - loved this little French Salon

beautiful pastries for sale

French Baguettes filled with cheeses and charcuterie

Macarons-  the size of hamburger buns

tarts galore

Upstairs dining room of Paul

decorated with plum velvet upholstery on black French chairs- grey blue walls and rustic wide plank floors as contrast- adorable dining room!  Loved having lunch at Paul

And of course, a trip to Alexandria is only completed by spending time with our own grand-dog,  Addison!
Addy on Mr. RTH's lap while watching the ball game at Julie's apartment!! 

My daugher recently moved to Alexandria, Virginia for her career.  We couldn't be happier - it is an awesome place to live. While very congested and busy, it is young and happening place. It's full of deep rooted history, five minutes from Washington and the Georgetown scene, yet Old Town Alexandria keeps it's own personality.  Independent retailers abound here. There are lots of great home  shops, cute dress shops and lots of art galleries.  Restaurants are quaint and the food is good! We went  back to the late 1700's and visited George Washington's estate and learned so much that we never knew about the first president - (He was 6 ft. 3 inches tall and Martha was only 4"11.)   We took a stoll down the National Mall and saw the famous monuments of our country. Staying at the Hotel Monaco, in Old Town, you are in the perfect location to walk to the harbor, shops and restaurants.  For history buffs, foodies and shoppers - this is a perfect American vacation! Because of the ever changing  political landscape, the young population, the deep rooted history of America and the diversity of the area, Alexandria is a unique town.  It's great location allows you to be in the Shenendoah Valley  in an hour and a half and at the beach in under 2!  How perfect!



Trip to Virginia - A Week of Contrasts and Stunning Beauty

From this exquisite chandelier at the Greenbrier

To the sheep grazing at The Inn at Little Washington

From Old Town Alexandria where our country's history is abundant

To the monuments in Washington DC

From Mount Vernon , George Washington's home

To the beauty of the Northern Neck of Virginia (should we retire here?)

To the walled gardens at the Inn at Little Washington

Inn at Little Washington

From country decor and iconic fall displays

to pastoral rivers in Lexington, Virginia  ( should we retire here?)

To views of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains overlooking the Maury River ( should we retire here?)

To being inspired by glorious fall displays at the Inn at Little Washington

From healthy flights of freshly made juices in the morning

To not so healthy Blackberry  French Toast

From healthy lobster and grapefruit salad

to herb crusted lamb loin entree

From the majestic iconic American resort - the Greenbrier- just over the Virginia State line in White Sulphur Springs, WV

To the chicken coop at the Inn at Little Washington

From one of many lobbies at the Greenbrier

To the indoor pool at the Greenbrier



While retirement is still a few years away, we are trying to decide where we want to retire-
we think its definitely the southern part of the country.

Mr RTH and I  have just returned from a road trip to Virginia - first to visit my daughter and secondly to look for retirement possibilities.   We both grew up in Virginia, but I don't think we really appreciated all the state's deep history and  diverse beauty during those years. You can be in the mountains, and several hours later at the beach.   It's funny how one heads back to their roots when all is said and done.  This was a week of exploration for us- do we like the river and Chesapeake Bay area where we spent summers or are we mountain people - craving the fresh air and spectacular views?  Such hard decisions are not easily made. Mr. RTH's main priority is the fishing scene- fly fishing or do we get another boat for the bay?  I am not sure if I am a country girl or city girl - I love my chandeliers and shopping opportunities, but I love small town America too. So this was a week of checking out a lot of areas .We stayed in awesome hotels, saw some precious small towns, checked out the local grocery stores, and ate in local bistros.  I just have to share some of the amazing decor and food from each of them in my next several blogs.   This next part of life brings new challenges and new learning opportunities and I am excited.  We did make one decision this week- to build our retirement home .  So I spent many hours dreaming about the perfect floor plan and had time to sketch some ideas . This is going to be fun!

Time for a Break

clock made of old lamp parts and silver pieces by California artist

new  rhinestone embellished santas and tags coming for this holiday season

I just realized that our Holiday Open House is only a few weeks away - November 2nd and 3rd to be exact! I need to get my hot glue gun going and make those handcrafted  treasures that we have for sale  during the holidays. However, after Amy's wedding, I need time  to refuel my creative juices.  So I am off on a road trip to see some very inspirational places- some of America's greatest historic inns and towns.  I hope inspiration abounds - will let you know in about a week! 

Apple Cake - my momma's

Narva Lee's Apple Nut Cake

Bakes in to a crusty outside layer - almost crispy!  Dark caramelized apples peek through.

chunks of apples and nuts visible on the ends.

 

 

When fall arrived, my momma always made this simple apple cake with Granny Smith apples.  It is such a simple recipe - using ingredients that are common  in most pantries.   You can use any type of apple or nut that you prefer. I happen to love the exotic taste of black walnuts, but they are either  a "love or hate" taste for most people.   My momma always put a sugar  glaze on the cake, but this time I tried to eliminate a few calories and left it off.  My husband and I love this with our coffee in the morning, but the original recipe  was intended for dessert.  Try it and see what you think.  The recipe is in our cookbook "Romancing the Home Entertains".  It is moist and  perfect for fall days.  I was lucky enough to still have part of the cake left to photograph - Mr. RTH and my son devoured half of it once it was out of the oven!

 

 

Narva Lee's Apple Nut Cake

 

1 1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 c. sugar

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 t. vanilla extract

3 eggs

3 c. flour

3 c. Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced

1 c. walnuts, chopped

 

Pre-heat oven to 350  degrees.

Cream vegetable oil, sugar and eggs together.

Sift flour, salt and baking soda together.

Mix flour mixture with the oil and sugar mixture.

Stir in vanilla, apples and nuts and combine well.

Bake in a greased and floured bundt pan  for 1 hour 30 minutes or until a tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. ( Watch closely the last 15 minutes as ovens cook differently)

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes , then invert on cooling rack and cool completely.

 

Glaze:  optional

 

1 stick butter

1 c. dark brown sugar

1/4 c. evaporated milk

 

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, stir and bring to a boil.  Boil over medium high heat for 2 1/2 minutes.  Cool slightly and pour over the cake.

 



Vintage Lace Bed Linens

selection of old lace bedspreads from the 1930's

Love the silver metallic one on the top

intricate hand stitched linen bed coverlet

vintage pillow cases made by my husband's mother

 

 

I have been a collector of old linens for over 40 years.  In the 1980's,  I used these old linens lavishly on the beds in our home as coverlets and canopies, but by the 1990's they went out of style  and were too grandma looking.  So I put them away,  not bearing to get rid of them. Being extremely collectible and popular, I remember paying top dollar for the lace spreads in the late 80's and early 90's- up to $400 for some of them. But just a few weeks ago, I saw several mint condition lace spreads for $75.00 at a local flea market. Times do change, but    there is something about the detail in the lace and fabrics that I  still  cherish.  Periodically I get them out , launder and refold and put them back in the armoir.  I have recently found this wonderful laundry detergent and dryer sachets that make bed linens smell divine from Tyler Candle Company (www.tylercandlestore.com).  You can order it online and it's worth every cent!   My freshly laundered linens will go back in the armoir waiting for their popularity to return- I still can't bear to part with them! 

Wedding Reception at Home - Final Thoughts

flowers of dahlias and apples from my neighbors yard still looking good in the kitchen-
just add hydrogen peroxide to the water if you don't have flower food.

almost one week later and the flowers from Twigs are still  magnificent- Jeannie you are a true find!



loving this old urn once painted black, that Laurell made
 look like old aged gold patina- she's my girl and  so talented!

enjoying the flowers from Home Depot off my back service door! Never looked that good before!

Dahlias floating in hydrogen peroxide solution on my coffee table



mums still looking good!

front foyer still bright and happy!

One of the perks of having a home wedding is being able to  enjoy the leftover decor.  Today was a rainy cold day in Chicago- fall is here. and I spent the  entire day in front of a roaring  fire  going through the 2000 plus photos that we took of the wedding reception last weekend. I edited many and started Amy and John a  photo wedding book. ( Don't you just love digital???  2200 photos would have cost more than the  party food to develop 10 years ago and then only 5  percent would have been worthy of the book!)..  It did take all week to put everything back together in my home - glasses away, borrowed containers returned, etc. you know what I mean.  But I am left with the flowers from the party, many small chores complete that are only done if one is having a party!, and a lot of wonderful memories.  When I look at the details of the party and think of who contributed each one,   I feel extremely lucky to have such an incredible group of women working with me at Romancing the Home.