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| Isabella Stewart Gardner, 1888. John Singer Sargent |
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| The courtyard of the museum. |
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| El Jaleo, John Singer Sargent, 1882. |
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| Barry Gibb. |
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| Carpet at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. |
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| The Parker House in Boston, MA. Home of Boston Creme Pie and Parker House Rolls! |
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| Sleepy Hollow graveyard in Concord, MA. |
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| Treasures found in Concord, MA. |
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| Titian room. |
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| Europa, Titian, 1560-62. |
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| Vintage opal ring I just had to have…. |
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| Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice, Anders Zorn. 1894 |
I spent last week visiting family in Massachusetts. However, the first couple of days of the trip revolved primarily around Barry Gibb and The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. My fiancé' Jeff discovered that Barry Gibb was going to be performing at the Boston Garden the second night we'd be in town. Since the majority of the trip was going to be spent sitting around with his future in-laws it was only fair that I grant him his one wish and accompany him to the Barry Gibb concert even though in my mind it sounded like a huge pain in the you know what. I decided to make the best of it and booked us a couple nights at the historic Omni Parker House Hotel in downtown Boston. The Parker House is one of Boston's oldest hotels and home to Boston Creme Pie, Parker House Rolls and the most obnoxious carpet in the world. I loved it!
Boston is so much more wonderful than I remembered. It's so old and steeped in history. We rode the famous Swan Boats in the Public Garden. We helped my niece and nephew climb on the "Make Way For Ducklings" sculpture. We walked around Beacon Hill. We visited Starbucks…oh,wait... Best of all we visited the Gardner Museum founded by what had to be the coolest woman to have ever inhabited the earth. Isabella Stewart Gardner was a voracious traveler, art collector, fashionista and philanthropist. Her museum is a sanctuary for fine art and was just what I needed to recharge my inspiration batteries. If you ever make it to Boston I highly recommend it. It is unlike any museum I've ever been too. Unfortunately, what the museum is best known for is the notorious art heist that occurred there in 1990 when two thieves brazenly cut multiple masterpieces from their frames and haven't been seen since.
Barry Gibb was actually kind of awesome and I admit I cried multiple times during the show.The concert was a tribute to his brothers and was really quite sentimental and touching. The set ended with the song Massachusetts and I felt like a native.
We made our way to my grandmother's house in Lincoln and spent some quality time with my family. I had a wonderful time. My grandmother is an amazing 90 year old woman with a wonderful dry sense of humor. She is quiet, calm and laid back. She is a cat person and is never scene without a cat in her lap. At one time she owned 8 cats. We all call her Nanny Judy. Her house is filled to the brim with antiques and heirlooms. I tend to go a little crazy when I'm there and can't keep from rummaging through her closets and excavating treasures. And man are there treasures! My next post will undoubtably show off all the fabulous things she let me take home.
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| Nanny Judy and Boo. |
