HAT’S OFF!!!

I am sure everyone is well aware……..and I know I  have mentioned this before…….however, if anyone missed this “fact” on my blog previously…….I do feel GREENHOUSE FABRICS is one of the BEST textile suppliers out there in the market today.

In this demanding industry where perfection is expected from every design project and from each design professional, kudos are not given enough to the people that actually deliver excellent service.

We here at our little business have always appreciated and displayed proudly our “THANK YOU’S” from clients that have taken a moment to let us know we are on the right track.

So, THANK YOU, over and over, Greenhouse Fabrics, for keeping your customer’s satisfaction first on your list, for always considering the “greener” approach to business, for promoting this innovative industry and its designers, and for always being so friendly, accommodating, considerate, and HAPPY when we call you on the phone!!!

In my book, Greenhouse Fabrics continues to get the golden '”HAT’S OFF” award!!

TOULOUSE

Toulouse (pronounced [tuluz]  in standard French and [tuˈluzə]  with a Toulouse accent; Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced [tuˈluzɔ]), medieval Tholoza, is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km (366 mi) away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of 1 January 2006,^[1] the Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in France, after Paris (11.8 million), Lyon (1.8 million), Marseille (1.7 million).

Ha!  Encore une fois, je suis désolé de décevoir ! (I am sorry to disappoint) this is not about Toulouse, France.  I would dearly love to give you insight to any city in France……but, alas, I have not been fortunate enough to visit…..yet!!

My “Toulouse” is again located in my favorite little hamlet in Michigan along that superb sandy coast of Lake Michigan.  Yes, Saugatuck, Michigan  has two delightful restaurants that we love to visit!!

Of course, it is not 248 Avenue des Champs-Elysees but rather more mundanely 248 Culver Street…..but none the less delightful.

Simple elegance of rich, hardwood shutters (one of my favorite window products to use in design) adorn the interior dining room of this “old world” restaurant, softening the light into a wistful and evocative aura of romantic elegance.  Even if you didn’t know a lick of French….”C'est magnifique ” would roll off your tongue!!!

Outside, the atmosphere in the cozy courtyard is just as classic!

Nightly low lighting with an abundance of twinkle lights in bushes lining the building.

Vine covered trellis, trickling fountains…..oh…and yes, the food is great as well.   It would be wonderful if the staff could speak French or even English with a French accent to complete the picture of illusion……but one cannot have everything!!  This is still a delightful way to spend an afternoon or evening!

C'est formidable!

Eleanor’s Hydrangeas

This week my mother-in-law’s hydrangeas bloomed the loveliest I have ever seen them bloom.  They crowd around the side entrance to her home, caressing your legs as you mount the steps.  Enormously creamy white blooms you cannot help but bury your nose into!

We cut many beautiful stems to fill familiar old vases she has collected over the years.  One for the usual centerpiece on her dining room  table, one for great-grandma at the rest home, and one…… to sit beside her casket as we said our last goodbyes.  They were her favorite flower.  They were Eleanor’s hydrangeas.

We are moving forward enduring a void that can only be filled with the sweet memories we hold very, very close to our hearts. 

Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume.  ~Jean de Boufflers