Victoria January - February 2012

While the land is slumbering beneath a pristine blanket of sparkling snow, I cherish the early twilight and the long evenings spent with my family and friends. Home seems more precious when winter winds blow and darkness claims the outdoors. Crisp white décor is a perfect way to lift our spirits when the weather is bleak, so we have gathered an abundance of inspiring photograph-filled articles on the subject for this issue. I am especially fond of the elegant tabletop suggestions in “Palescapes,” on page 68, as well as the fabrics and wallpapers featured in “Colored by Winter's Twilight,” on page 74. What better way to pass the hours until spring arrives than by planning furnishings and entertaining with a nod to the many shades of white? As is our custom at…

My favorite comfort food is a big pot of vegetable soup, made from scratch. I love to go and pick out the best green beans, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, and onions at my local farmers’ market and then head home to start the soup. To get the best flavor from the veggies, I roast them slowly in the oven, at about 250 degrees, just until they are tender. I add them to my slow cooker, along with fresh herbs and chicken stock. Fresh plum tomatoes add zing to the mix. The last thing to go in are roasted red potatoes, and then I just turn on the cooker and let it do its work. The aroma fills the entire house, and I look forward to sitting down with a big bowl…

CLASSIC CALIFORNIA Immerse yourself in the splendor of the West Coast on a glamorous tour of San Diego and its surrounding beach communities. Experience the Victorian grandeur of the Hotel del Coronado, an iconic attraction that sparkles on Coronado Island, just across the bay. Built in 1888, this magnificent property has wooed dignitaries, Hollywood starlets, and esteemed guests for more than a century. Along this scenic excursion, we also present other upscale seaside hotels for you to explore, including the Grande Colonial Hotel La Jolla, the famed La Valencia Hotel, and The Bed & Breakfast Inn at La Jolla, right. AND DON’T MISS … MEET ME IN SAINT LOUIS Lovingly restored in 1965, the Chatillon-DeMenil mansion, located in the historical Benton Park neighborhood of Saint Louis, is a living tribute to its noble French…

Naturalist painter Maryjo Koch demonstrates her innate artistic talent and exquisite eye for detail with each enchanted watercolor illustration. Inspired by nature’s fragile and intrinsic beauty since her childhood, the California artist has spent a lifetime building a fascinating anthology that includes hundreds of paintings and colorful books. From silk-fine brushstrokes, placed side by side, a feather in realistic shadings emerges, mirroring one found beneath the flight path of a soaring bird. Maryjo’s finely executed, twig-entwined nests are beloved for their feeling of intimacy with the winged creatures, who seem to have flown away just so she could paint the delicate colors of their tiny eggs. Rendered with astounding precision in a remarkable mix of seasonal hues, each work is a glorious representation of Mother Nature’s tiny miracles. “Happiness fluers ine air…

My heart can be heard echoing throughout the caverns of the post office as I pull the envelope from my box. Yep, I think, as I give the piece of mail a few brisk jiggles to listen again for the clearly audible rattle coming from within. It is the sound of hope. It is the reverberation of promise. It is the seeds of the deep-royal-purple poppy I gushed over at a garden tour. I used to think that gardening was about digging. I figured that my role as a gardener was to fill the land with as many gorgeous living things as possible and to watch as they grew fruitful and multiplied. But no more. Lately, I’m seeing it from a slightly different angle. Of course, I still drool over any…