"Spirit Tree" Joplin's Tornado Landmark in 360° Panorama

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A year ago a deadly EF-5 tornado ripped through the city of Joplin, Missouri, killing 161 people and damaging or destroying about 7,500 homes and 500 other buildings. Despite it all, the city is well into a significant recovery mode but there is still work to be done. Along the tornado's path at the intersection of East 20th Street and the Kansas City Southern Railway tracks, where Dillon’s grocery store used to be, now stands the colorfully painted “Spirit Tree” — a new landmark for the city of Joplin. Its surroundings are still somewhat vacant but here and there is evidence of new homes being built and new hope as the survivors work hard to recover. It's worth noting that if you perform a search the tornado path on Google Maps you can see a bird's eye view of the devastation from last year. (This information is current as of May 23, 2012.)

Rose O'Neill's Bonniebrook Homestead in 360° Panorama

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Rose O'Neill and Kewpie dolls

The Ozarks were my destination while traveling along Route 66 in these past few blog posts. Specifically what I wanted to see was Bonniebrook, the home of Rose O’Neill (1874-1944) an American illustrator, author, artist, poet, sculptor, inventor, suffragette, and creator of the world famous Kewpies.

Due to some heavy road construction en route to Bonniebrook, I arrived considerably later than planned. In fact, when I got there the place was about to close in 30 minutes but Susan Scott, the President of Bonniebrook Historical Society, graciously held the facility open for me and personally gave me a guided tour of the Kewpie Museum and the art gallery.

The museum houses antique Kewpie ephemera including anything you could brand with a Kewpie from dolls to door knockers. The gallery contains nearly sixty original works of art by O'Neill that are a radical departure from the commercial success of her Kewpie line. It's fantastic! However, due to copyright restrictions no photos were allowed in this part of the facility.

O'Neill and "Embrace of the Trees"

Afterwards, Susan handed me off to Larry, the groundskeeper and tour guide for the Bonniebrook house.  Both Susan and Larry made my visit so delightful and I can't thank them enough for their hospitality!

Because of Susan and Larry's thoroughness in sharing the life and works of America's most beloved women artists my takeaway is that Rose O'Neill was not only a gifted artist, but also an archetypal "hippie chick" and a radical free thinker that was way ahead of her time.

Another thing I learned about O'Neill was that she studied sculpture under the tutelage of Auguste Rodin after  being awarded with the associate of the Société des Beaux Arts and studying art in Paris in 1906.  The above panorama features a piece is entitled "Embrace of the Trees" that is based on the myth of Apollo and Daphne. It's worth noting that this sculpture was considered vulgar and distasteful by people of her day.

More panoramas of Bonniebrook including the family cemetary where Rose O'Neill is interred can be seen by clicking through the images below. There's also a wonderful radio piece about Rose O'Neill from Ozarks Public Radio on KSMU that you can listen to here.


Bonniebrook

O'Neill Family Cemetery

Scotty's Classic Cars - Arma, Kansas

To contact us Click HERE

For 12 years Scotty's Classic Cars Museum in Arma, Kansas, educated and entertained visitors about the automobile history and its impact on society through the maintenance of exhibitions, publications, collections, records and a library.

Sadly the museum was shuttered in 2011 having sold most of the contents to the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky, Texas.

As of April 2012, eight remaining vehicles are for sale and can be glimpsed in the windows of this panorama.

I truly regret having missed an opportunity to photograph the interior when it was still open however below are some photos from tagged photos on Flickr.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower in 360° Panorama

To contact us Click HERE

Frank Lloyd Wright's signature tile

The Price Tower was originally intended to be built in Manhattan sometime in the 1920s but when the Great Depression struck, the project was shelved only to be adapted for the Oklahoma prairie in the 1950s.  It is the only extant skyscraper by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The building's nickname "the tree that escaped the crowded forest" not only refers to the notion that it was plucked from the "crowded forest" of Manhattan skyscrapers and placed to stand alone on the wide open Oklahoma prairie but also to its design: the Price Tower is supported by a central "trunk" of four elevator shafts anchored in place by a deep central foundation, much like a tree is by its taproot. Nineteen cantilevered floors fan out from this central core, like the branches of a tree. The outer walls float off from the floors and are encased in patinated copper "leaves".

Price Tower first opened in the mid-20th century as a multi-use building featuring business offices, shops, and apartments with oil tycoon Harold Price, its patron and primary tenant, keeping his corporate headquarters there. Today, the building operates as the Price Tower Arts Center, a civic art complex, focusing on art, architecture and design. Features include a museum, tours of the historic tower, a hotel and restaurant.

I arrived a half-hour before closing and would have missed an opportunity to view the interior of this building if it weren't for Taylor Rasmussen, a fellow Wright enthusiast and photographer who also happens to be an employee at Price Tower. Seeing as I had come a fair piece distance to visit, Taylor graciously gave my sister and me a private tour.

Below: While most of the interior of the building is off-limits to cameras due to copyright restrictions, below is a click-through image to an indoor panorama of the upper loft of the Copper Bar located on the 15th floor that was shot with permission. It's not my best pano as there are several stitching errors that I was unable to resolve. Normally I would just omit a pano like this from viewing except it's the only one I've got and it shows the subtle triangular detailing of the red pigmented concrete floors.



Copper Bar loft at Price Tower - 15th floor
(Click through image to view panorama)
Below: Alternate view of the Price Tower: on the left side of this panorama beyond the colorful buffalo statue is the Bartlesville Community Center.



Alternate view Price Tower from the Bartlesville Community Center
(Click through image to view panorama)

Introducing...Colin'sCloset! Bow Ties for little boys and coordinating hair bows for little girls!

To contact us Click HERE
Good morning everyone!  I am SO excited to tell you about this week's {Feature Friday}...for SOOO many reasons!I bet you might be able to guess the first reason why I'm SOOO excited about this week's {Feature}...we are introducing you to a brand new company, created by my sweet friend Andrea...Colin's Closet! Let me have Andrea "introduce" herself: Hello there!I'm Andrea. I am a mother to one handsome little boy and a wife to one handsome man. I am a native of Canada now living in the Arizona desert. I am a mother by day, bow tie sewer by night (and nap times...oh those precious nap times). I love classic movies, I enjoy a bold lipstick now and again, I am a sucker for dark chocolate and cinnamon bears, and lately polka dots. Colin's Closet was born in July of 2011. That summer my husband and I welcomed our first child, our son Colin. He inspired the reason for Colin's Closet. I began to sew for him early on and through trial and error and late night sewing sessions I developed my skills and a product that I am proud to dress my little man in, and hopefully yours too! Andrea and I have been friends for several years now.  She is gorgeous both inside and out.  Her style is impeccable!  When she told me she wanted to launch a line of bow ties for boys I couldn't wait to see them!  So...to celebrate the launch of Colin's Closet and help spread the word we are offering several of her bow ties via our website this week so you can not only save on the bow ties but also save on combined shipping...because... We have darling mini tuxedo bows and regular tuxedo bows for the girlies too!! Imagine how darling your family photos will be this year with cute fabrics tying the girls and boys outfits together! The mini tuxedo bows are perfect as clips or headbands... There are 4 fabrics to choose from for the boys... A classic blue with aqua polka dots, A trendy mustard yellow... A debonair black and white gingham... and a festive red with white polka dots...
 All of these colors are available both in the mini and regular sized hair bow versions for the girls as well! Several of our raw silk colors are also available for the girls! and a variety of other fabrics are available for you to mix and match for the girls as well... ...scroll down to the bottom for links and details... 
 This is the only week that Colin's Closet Bow Ties will be available via Banner Boutique's website. During this week not only can you order Colin's Closet Bow Ties through our website to save on shipping but you can also get $5.00 off the regular price of these TOP QUALITY handmade bow ties.  Andrea did months and months of research and truly perfected these bow ties.  The quality truly is top notch and will withstand the use and abuse of even the most tough little guy!  Also this week, save on the coordinating bows for the girls as well!  The mini bows are on sale for $4.95 (regularly $8.95) and the larger bows are on sale for $5.95 (regularly $10.95)! To see all of these item listings click HERE!

*Gorgeous photography for Colin's Closet by the talented www.JessicaDowneyPhoto.com located in Arizona!

LA Confidential: MessHall Restaurant Review

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One of the buzziest new restaurants around town lately has been MessHall, which makes its home in a historic building that once housed a restaurant owned by Cecil B. Demille, and sits in a hip, happening little corner of Los Feliz.




The whole theme is about down-home country cooking in a communal setting, and the dining experience is pretty congenial - especially after one or two of the rocket-fueled whiskey cocktails.

You can see my review from LA Confidential at this link, and check out the restaurant for yourself: http://la-confidential-magazine.com/dining/articles/messhall-los-feliz

LA Confidential Magazine: Post-Shopping Drinks

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As holiday shopping season looms, you might need a little tipple to fortify you before or after facing the hordes at shopping meccas like The Grove, the 3rd Street Promenade and the Beverly Center.

That's why I compiled this funky list of great bars where you can sneak a sip before your consumerist excursion this holiday season. Cheers to that!


Link: http://la-confidential-magazine.com/dining/articles/post-holiday-shopping-drinks

The Points Guy Destination of the Week: Seoul

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I just spent the past week in Seoul - experiencing the Korean Air A380's business class and staying in several hotels including the W Walkerhill, the Grand Hyatt and the Park Hyatt, not to mention eating more Korean bbq than I've ever had before in my life, visiting ancient imperial palaces and strolling the now-stylish streets of Gangnam.


Read about what I did, where I stayed, and all the other ways you can use miles and points to get there in this week's Destination of the Week on The Points Guy.

Link: http://thepointsguy.com/2012/11/destination-of-the-week-seoul/

JustLuxe: Beijing Excursion

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After my Shanghai article from last month on JustLuxe, I wanted to write a follow up that detailed what I did on the second half of my trip to China last summer while I was in Beijing and staying at the Kerry Hotel there.


It's all in here, from touring Tiananmen to wandering the Wall, visiting some cool shopping and arts districts and generally discovering this fascinating destination. Have a look, and get the inside scoop on the Kerry Hotel Beijing as well at the link below.

Link: http://www.justluxe.com/travel/luxury-vacations/feature-1855505.php

JustLuxe: Gourmet Thanksgiving Dinners Around LA

To contact us Click HERE

Just in time for Thanksgiving, here's another annual roundup of great restaurants offering gourmet meals - both for dining in and takeout - this turkey day.

I'll be enjoying the holiday at home with my family, but for those of you who want to shirk your cooking duties, or avoid ornery relatives descending on your home, there are some great options for what are bound to be delicious dinners around town - and who knows, maybe you'll start a new Thanksgiving tradition by going out every year.

Link: http://www.justluxe.com/travel/los-angeles-news__1854660.php

Rose O'Neill's Bonniebrook Homestead in 360° Panorama

To contact us Click HERE

Rose O'Neill and Kewpie dolls

The Ozarks were my destination while traveling along Route 66 in these past few blog posts. Specifically what I wanted to see was Bonniebrook, the home of Rose O’Neill (1874-1944) an American illustrator, author, artist, poet, sculptor, inventor, suffragette, and creator of the world famous Kewpies.

Due to some heavy road construction en route to Bonniebrook, I arrived considerably later than planned. In fact, when I got there the place was about to close in 30 minutes but Susan Scott, the President of Bonniebrook Historical Society, graciously held the facility open for me and personally gave me a guided tour of the Kewpie Museum and the art gallery.

The museum houses antique Kewpie ephemera including anything you could brand with a Kewpie from dolls to door knockers. The gallery contains nearly sixty original works of art by O'Neill that are a radical departure from the commercial success of her Kewpie line. It's fantastic! However, due to copyright restrictions no photos were allowed in this part of the facility.

O'Neill and "Embrace of the Trees"

Afterwards, Susan handed me off to Larry, the groundskeeper and tour guide for the Bonniebrook house.  Both Susan and Larry made my visit so delightful and I can't thank them enough for their hospitality!

Because of Susan and Larry's thoroughness in sharing the life and works of America's most beloved women artists my takeaway is that Rose O'Neill was not only a gifted artist, but also an archetypal "hippie chick" and a radical free thinker that was way ahead of her time.

Another thing I learned about O'Neill was that she studied sculpture under the tutelage of Auguste Rodin after  being awarded with the associate of the Société des Beaux Arts and studying art in Paris in 1906.  The above panorama features a piece is entitled "Embrace of the Trees" that is based on the myth of Apollo and Daphne. It's worth noting that this sculpture was considered vulgar and distasteful by people of her day.

More panoramas of Bonniebrook including the family cemetary where Rose O'Neill is interred can be seen by clicking through the images below. There's also a wonderful radio piece about Rose O'Neill from Ozarks Public Radio on KSMU that you can listen to here.


Bonniebrook

O'Neill Family Cemetery

Scotty's Classic Cars - Arma, Kansas

To contact us Click HERE

For 12 years Scotty's Classic Cars Museum in Arma, Kansas, educated and entertained visitors about the automobile history and its impact on society through the maintenance of exhibitions, publications, collections, records and a library.

Sadly the museum was shuttered in 2011 having sold most of the contents to the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky, Texas.

As of April 2012, eight remaining vehicles are for sale and can be glimpsed in the windows of this panorama.

I truly regret having missed an opportunity to photograph the interior when it was still open however below are some photos from tagged photos on Flickr.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower in 360° Panorama

To contact us Click HERE

Frank Lloyd Wright's signature tile

The Price Tower was originally intended to be built in Manhattan sometime in the 1920s but when the Great Depression struck, the project was shelved only to be adapted for the Oklahoma prairie in the 1950s.  It is the only extant skyscraper by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The building's nickname "the tree that escaped the crowded forest" not only refers to the notion that it was plucked from the "crowded forest" of Manhattan skyscrapers and placed to stand alone on the wide open Oklahoma prairie but also to its design: the Price Tower is supported by a central "trunk" of four elevator shafts anchored in place by a deep central foundation, much like a tree is by its taproot. Nineteen cantilevered floors fan out from this central core, like the branches of a tree. The outer walls float off from the floors and are encased in patinated copper "leaves".

Price Tower first opened in the mid-20th century as a multi-use building featuring business offices, shops, and apartments with oil tycoon Harold Price, its patron and primary tenant, keeping his corporate headquarters there. Today, the building operates as the Price Tower Arts Center, a civic art complex, focusing on art, architecture and design. Features include a museum, tours of the historic tower, a hotel and restaurant.

I arrived a half-hour before closing and would have missed an opportunity to view the interior of this building if it weren't for Taylor Rasmussen, a fellow Wright enthusiast and photographer who also happens to be an employee at Price Tower. Seeing as I had come a fair piece distance to visit, Taylor graciously gave my sister and me a private tour.

Below: While most of the interior of the building is off-limits to cameras due to copyright restrictions, below is a click-through image to an indoor panorama of the upper loft of the Copper Bar located on the 15th floor that was shot with permission. It's not my best pano as there are several stitching errors that I was unable to resolve. Normally I would just omit a pano like this from viewing except it's the only one I've got and it shows the subtle triangular detailing of the red pigmented concrete floors.



Copper Bar loft at Price Tower - 15th floor
(Click through image to view panorama)
Below: Alternate view of the Price Tower: on the left side of this panorama beyond the colorful buffalo statue is the Bartlesville Community Center.



Alternate view Price Tower from the Bartlesville Community Center
(Click through image to view panorama)

Château n'est pas américain

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Or so the French are saying. 

 The European Commission, the 27-nation European Union’s executive body in Brussels, is considering a U.S. request to drop a ban on import into Europe of American wines bearing the label “chateau” or “clos,” a similar term used mainly on wines from Burgundy in eastern France. An E.U. wine committee is tentatively scheduled to vote on the request Sept. 25, whereupon it will go to the commission for a final decision that, given the tides of globalization in Europe, could well be positive. 

“They’re trying to steal our reputation,” Haverlan said during a tour of his sun-splashed property. “The real chateaux, they’re certainly not in the United States.” - WaPo  

apparently they have not seen Williard Mitt Romney's homes.

Bill Foley's Foley Food and Wine Society

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I'm sure that Foley's Lincourt and Firestone Vineyards will be very involved in providing Santa Barbara County wine to the Society.

Fidelity National Financial Inc. Chairman Bill Foley plans to launch “The Foley Food & Wine Society” to offer members-only access to wineries, restaurants and other destinations in the U.S. and Zealand. 

...“Become a member of the Foley Food and Wine Society and receive exclusive access to our world-class collection of wineries, lodging, golf courses, restaurants and luxury lifestyle partners,” it says.
“Our team of experts will provide useful information on wine education, cooking, gardening, and farm to table cuisine, golf, ski, and fitness tips – a wealth of information exclusively for member,” it says. 
Members also will receive other offers and discounts at Foley Family and partner properties as well as access to the Foley Food and Wine Exchange, where members can shop online for wines and other items.

Members will be enrolled in the Society Points program and receive 2,500 points upon joining and 1 point for every dollar spent with the society. Points can be used for tickets to Foley Food and Wine Society events at wineries, restaurants, lodges, dinners and at partner properties around the world as well as discounts off wine and lodging, private reserve tastings, seminars and wine education, and tours, cooking and gardening events, private meals, golf, ski passes and more at society properties. - Jacksonville Daily Record and the Wall Street Journal

Rose O'Neill's Bonniebrook Homestead in 360° Panorama

To contact us Click HERE

Rose O'Neill and Kewpie dolls

The Ozarks were my destination while traveling along Route 66 in these past few blog posts. Specifically what I wanted to see was Bonniebrook, the home of Rose O’Neill (1874-1944) an American illustrator, author, artist, poet, sculptor, inventor, suffragette, and creator of the world famous Kewpies.

Due to some heavy road construction en route to Bonniebrook, I arrived considerably later than planned. In fact, when I got there the place was about to close in 30 minutes but Susan Scott, the President of Bonniebrook Historical Society, graciously held the facility open for me and personally gave me a guided tour of the Kewpie Museum and the art gallery.

The museum houses antique Kewpie ephemera including anything you could brand with a Kewpie from dolls to door knockers. The gallery contains nearly sixty original works of art by O'Neill that are a radical departure from the commercial success of her Kewpie line. It's fantastic! However, due to copyright restrictions no photos were allowed in this part of the facility.

O'Neill and "Embrace of the Trees"

Afterwards, Susan handed me off to Larry, the groundskeeper and tour guide for the Bonniebrook house.  Both Susan and Larry made my visit so delightful and I can't thank them enough for their hospitality!

Because of Susan and Larry's thoroughness in sharing the life and works of America's most beloved women artists my takeaway is that Rose O'Neill was not only a gifted artist, but also an archetypal "hippie chick" and a radical free thinker that was way ahead of her time.

Another thing I learned about O'Neill was that she studied sculpture under the tutelage of Auguste Rodin after  being awarded with the associate of the Société des Beaux Arts and studying art in Paris in 1906.  The above panorama features a piece is entitled "Embrace of the Trees" that is based on the myth of Apollo and Daphne. It's worth noting that this sculpture was considered vulgar and distasteful by people of her day.

More panoramas of Bonniebrook including the family cemetary where Rose O'Neill is interred can be seen by clicking through the images below. There's also a wonderful radio piece about Rose O'Neill from Ozarks Public Radio on KSMU that you can listen to here.


Bonniebrook

O'Neill Family Cemetery