Less but better. My home, my life. It's a work in progress. It's true that I love beauty and I collect it. But I also collect the stories. I have many pretty things in my shop, but I thought I would share with you the things that I would buy for myself.
Peacock Pavilions in Marrakesh: a tale of what you need and what you want
Sometimes you put off the things that you might need…the new car, the juicer, the life insurance, the pair of sneakers.
Yes, you postpone the useful things…the microwave oven, the briefcase, the additional hangers, the waterproof boots.
You lay those aside: the things you might need, the useful things….
And instead you get the thing that you want….
Just for the peace, just for the beauty.
Just for the few minutes when you forget all that is expected of you and all you must do.
The outdoor pond at Peacock Pavilions in Marrakech. Serving no practical purpose….no practical purpose at all……
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PS New stock of the very prettiest Moroccan wedding blankets in Red Thread Souk. Treat yourself to something you'll enjoy every single day. (The cushions are so nice, too.)
The Fez Sacred Music Festival 2013: a tale of 2 birds on a high wire
I was in that imperial Moroccan city a thousand years old. I was in Fez. I had come exactly a year before. And I had come again for the same reason: the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music.
The year before I had fallen in love with a girl. Tonight I would fall in love with another. Or maybe I would fall in love with two.
The stage was set for them.
And then they were there. American singer Rosemary Standley and Spanish cellist Dom La Nena. Together they were Birds on a Wire.
Rosemary reminded me of an old French film star. She meandered from Dylan to Fairuz and sang Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. Her accent was perfect in several languages. She was timeless.
And when she sang, I could hear her golden fingers.
And when she drummed I could feel her longing.
As for Dom la Nena, her bow across the strings made a heartbreaking and joyous sound.
Too soon, far too soon, it was over. They got up laughing to say their goodbyes.
And then they clapped for us as they left the stage.
But really, the applause should have been only for them....
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PS: New stock of the very prettiest Moroccan handira -- wedding blankets in my shop, Red Thread Souk. Take a peek right here.
Marrakesh: and a tale of appearing on the Travel Channel's Street Eats show
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a foodie. My husband is happy with a bowl of cereal (for dinner!) but that would never do for me. However, clearly, good food doesn't necessarily mean the fancy variety, and I've always been a lover of street food. So I was happy to be asked to be on the Travel Channel's Street Eats episode in Morocco.
Here's a little clip taken on the fly. {That's my daughter and former Peacock Pavilions' colleague Stephanie Alman with me.}
Would love ot hear if you think eating street food in a foreign country is a No-No! Or do you dig in with abandon?
PS New and gorgeous stock of Moroccan wedding blankets known as handiras in Red Thread Souk. Take a peek if you have a minute!