Road to Wonder

pin it forward – what home means to me

Very  excited to be participating in pin it forward, a delightful blog mash-up organized by the ever creative and inspiring Victoria Smith of sfgirlbybay, and made possible by the addictive new on-line pin board application pinterest. I am especially loving the theme--what home means to me. Please check out fellow pin it forward participant Quiltsabit, one of many newly discovered blogs thanks to this fun experiment. 

Here goes- what home means to me. In short, home to me is shelter from the elements while being connected to the outdoors. Whatever you want to call it, outdoor/indoor, California living. In this same spirit of being interconnected, home is about being inspired by friends and icons, and by travel. Ultimately, home is a place for happiness and renewal.
 

 

 

1. The wonderful home of far away friends, via designsponge. 2. El Cosmico Tee Pee by the brilliant Texas photog, Allison V. Smith. 3. Happy Kitchen designed by Ruthie Sommers. 4. Dream bookcases via i suwanee. 5. Verana Hotel in Yelapa, Mexico. 6. Frida Kahlo by Nickolas Muray. 7. Sunny office via a few things from my life. 8. Pretty wedding via the style-files. 9. House designed by Brett Zamore. 10. House designed by LakeFlato. 11. Vintage Fan and Bowl, via desire to inspire. 12. Texas Beach by Peter French via flickr.

Tomorrow travel across the Atlantic to see what home means to Urban Mums in London.

Our Outdoor Spaces

I can already tell many hours will be spent on our back porch, with its shaded southern exposure and lovely breezes. It's also a blank slate. We hope to make it beautiful as we settle in. It's already a relaxing retreat.

A French painter makes me dream of mexico

Odilon Redon, Anemones and Lilacs in a Blue Vase, after 1912

I love the work of French painter Odilon Redon, the strange worlds he created with paints, pastels and charcoals. Thematically, he went for everything from cyclops to bouquets of flowers. His flowers and depictions of dreams are what lure me in and transport me to time spent in Oaxaca. Funny that a painter from Bordeaux has so captured the colors of Mexico. If you are in San Antonio, the McNay Art Museum has a lovely Redon pastel. The museum's  Atlee and Robert Ayres designed building and lush grounds keep the European and Mexican romance going. Follow this outing up with a late lunch and early margarita outdoors at La Fonda on Main. This makes up for not being en route to France or Mexico every time.

 photo credit: The McNay Art Museum

Spanish Governor's Palace Field trip

 

Today I set off on an excursion downtown to take some photographs of the Spanish Governor's Palace before it closes for renovation work in early November. I am working on an animation project that relates to the early Spanish settlers of San Antonio – not quite the Simpson's, but fun nonetheless. The City of San Antonio did a good thing when it purchased this historic property in the late 1920s. The building is considered the sole remaining example of an aristocratic early Spanish house in Texas. The National Geographic Society has even called the landmark “the most beautiful building in San Antonio”. While this is a matter of personal preference, it is an idyllic place to spend an hour or two.

photo credit: Amy Estes

The Way of Lake Flato

The architecture firm Lake/Flato continues to inspire and delight me. They manage to elevate the most common materials and create spaces that are a pleasure to co-exist with. Someday we'll get lucky and be able to hire them to design a cabin or a tree house. Until then, they have numerous projects that are open to the public, like the dreamy Hotel San Jose in Austin, or the simple and lovely visitor's center that we enjoyed this past weekend at the Government Canyon Natural Area in San Antonio.

photo credit: Chris Cooper