Mad Woman: Vote for Porter!

AMC and Banana Republic are having an online casting call contest for a single episode walk-on role on Mad Men. How much fun is that? And Porter Hovey of Hovey Girls fame is desperate to win. Vote for her by clicking on her photo above. You can vote once per day - now, that's voting Chicago-style (you know: vote early, vote often).

You can also visit Hollister Hovey's site here to see one of her other photos. She looks like a cast member already, doesn't she?

Good luck, Porter! The new season starts August 16. Can't wait.

HOVEY UPDATE: Don't miss Porter and Hollister in today's New York Times. Click here for the article on those pith-helmet-wearing, taxidermy-lovin' sisters. Thanks to Pigtown*Design for the heads up.

The Perfect Gift.

Hail to the Chia-ief.

Looking for a gift for the liberal in your life?

This made me laugh out loud when I saw it at Kitchen & Co. last night (in my mad search for some good vanilla to ease my chocolate chip cookie craving) and then I saw that it has been pulled from Walgreen's because people think it's racist.

Sigh.

Of course I found a picture of it. The internets, they is magical.

Speaking of weird things that grow faux hair when you get them wet, did anyone else have Fuzzy Wuzzy soap when they were a kid? You know, it was shaped like a bear or something and you got it wet and it grew "fur"? And when you washed and washed, you were rewarded with a toy prize inside? God, we were easily entertained...

How to Drink Campari.

It took me years to love Campari and now I do (must be all those dead taste buds...).

You may remember my winter drink with Campari, the Negroni, from this post. But for summer it's Campari and soda on ice (equal parts for me) or fill a glass with ice, add about half Campari and fill with Pellegrino Aranciata.

Mmmmm-mmmmm. Good and good for you.

What a Difference a Door Makes.

All of these doors are in Old New Castle, Delaware, just a short drive from Wilmington. William Penn first landed in (old) New Castle in 1682 on the banks of the Delaware River. The former county seat and center of Colonial government (before Penn established Philadelphia) still has fewer than 5,000 residents.

There's a home and garden tour every May. And there's a great little pub called Jessop's if you're ever in the neighborhood.

You Know Things Are Bad...

when Boone Pickens can't get financing.

Story on the collapse of his wind farm dreams here.

Some Gorgeous Gossip (and Early Alaskan Fireworks)...

You've heard that Sarah Palin resigned. Have you heard this?

EXCLUSIVE: PALIN RESIGNATION 'DAMAGE CONTROL' FOR COMING 'ICEBERG SCANDAL' ... MORE: EMBEZZLEMENT INDICTMENTS COMING?

FURTHER UPDATE from The Brad Blog: Okay, I've now been able to get independent information from multiple sources that all of this precedes what are said to be possible federal indictments against Palin, concerning an embezzlement scandal related to the building of Palin's house and the Wasilla Sports Complex, built during her tenure as Mayor. Both structures, it is said, feature the "same windows, same wood, same products." Federal investigators have been looking into this for some time, and indictments could be imminent, according to the Alaska sources.

Palin's Wasilla Lake House

True? Or just gossip? Only time will tell...

Wood is Good, II: Dreamboats.

1957 Chris-Craft Capri

Chris-Craft 1941 Capri "Dame."

Chris-Craft 1942 Runabout

Chris-Craft Barrelback

Pretty wooden boats all in a row (not all of these are Chris-Craft).

Lacquered wood and polished nickel trays from Williams-Sonoma Home.

Can you think of a better way to spend a summer day than lazin' around on the lake in one of these vintage Chris-Craft boats? They're like the floating, speedster versions of the Woody (with price tags to almost match). And they do require some extra pampering (as most beautiful things do :-) but I'd say they're worth it.

Unfortunately, the water at the beach is either too salty or too brackish for these beauties but my husband grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and the northern waters of the Chesapeake, as I understand, might be just right.

At the very least, I can get those trays for my living room and put a sweating cocktail on them and dream of my vintage Chris-Craft.

Sunday Mellow.

Wood is Good.

Country Living magazine

1948 Chevy Woody Wagon

Plymouth Woody

via Habitually Chic

Woody limo

1948 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertible

My love for the Woody goes way back. I'm not exactly sure when it started but my guess is sometime around the time of my Beach Boys fanaticism in high school. A scene from "Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire also comes to mind. The last photo, a 1948 convertible is currently for sale at rmauctions.com with an estimated price tag of $225,000-$275,000. Zoiks.

I may not be able to afford a Woody but I still daydream about this car (remember's Joni's post on it here?), which is the next best thing:

The 1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer is available here on eBay Motors for bidding or an $11,000 BuyItNow price tag. Consider it the yin to my Prius yang.


Even Puma got in on the action with its Cali Woody (no longer available and originally available only at its Santa Monica store, natch).

Ahhh, Woody. But that's not the end of my obsession with wood (David, get your mind out of the gutter). Stay tuned for Part II.

Old School.

I just got some new old-school Ray-Ban Wayfarers and I had my prescription done in glass because the refraction is awesome and you can get the green R-B tint.

Ugh.

It's like having a 5-lb. weight on your face. I forgot how heavy glass lenses are. They give me a headache after 5 minutes.

Unfortunately, I have a second pair on the way...

My Neighbor Has This.

It is 4:45 a.m. and I have been up for over an hour listening to the carnage.

Does he really think he is killing all the harmful insects in his yard with it? What's wrong with people anyway? The University of Delaware conducted the best-known study (Frick & Tallamy 1996) showing that only 31 out of 13,789 insects trapped (0.22%) were mosquitoes or biting gnats. The majority were beneficial insects; in fact, nearly half were non-biting aquatic insects such as caddisflies and midges that feed fish, frogs, birds and bats, the study found. Another 14% were insects that actually attack pests, such as wasps, ground beetles and ladybugs.

Where's Rachel Carson when you need her?

Happy Birthday to Me.

Okay. I know I've been ultra-busy. With spring cleaning (I'm a maniac) and Spencer's graduation and her grandparents visiting (times two!) and the prep involved and the post-prep and planting and birthdays and the beach - it's been a whirlwind! So, I'm sorry I've been so MIA but expect more of that - it's summer, after all. Hopefully, you're all enjoying it as well.

I'm going to Philly today and sticking around to see Grey Gardens, the Musical tonight. Also, I'm in the middle of painting another bathroom in chalkboard paint (it looks different from the other but equally great! What can I say? I'm hooked on chalkboard paint!).

And if it's your birthday, too, yeah? Have a great one!

Impossible.

It's not possible that you are graduating from high school today. I know they say time flies but this is ridiculous.

It was only 5 minutes ago that you were walking through the house with my belts wrapped around your diaper doing your Jack Benny impression (even though you had no idea who Jack Benny was) and swinging on your tree swing in the backyard with wild, happy abandon. I could swear just the other day you "married" Eddie Garza and had your Harriet the Spy birthday party in the playhouse. It seems so recent that I can touch you dressed up as a sunflower for Halloween. Can it really be that long since we were the Gilmore Girls looking for our new adventures?

And now I am excited for your new adventures. I will miss you as a constant source of entertainment for me but it's time for you to fly. So let's kiss high school goodbye and move onto the good stuff.

Happy travels, darlin' pie. xoxo

My Own Grey Gardens.

Gibraltar is my local version of Grey Gardens (although there's no one living in it). I have taken to playing the lottery in an effort to win enough money to restore it.

Gibraltar was built by the nephew of Caesar Rodney (of the all-night run on horseback in a thunderstorm to sign the Declaration of Independence and break the deadlock of the Delaware contigent), was afterward owned by another of the Rodney progeny and a du Pont and is currently owned by Preservation Delaware. There is a group interested in purchasing it if they can get the code changed to allow it to be made into a conference center. I do not like that idea. Neither do the residents of my neighborhood. The original plan was to turn it into a bed and breakfast or an inn.

The gardens were originally created in the 1920s by prominent landscape architect Marian Cruger Coffin (she also designed the formal gardens at Winterthur). They were restored in 2001 and are cared for by volunteers. The gardens are open to the public for free and are available for weddings and gatherings for a fee.

I also found out through My Grey Gardens that Grey Gardens the Musical will be in Philadelphia May 22 through June 28. Guess who will be going?