I hope you had a lovely holiday. I wish you all a wonderful 2023. Here's a blog that was originally posted on January 08, 2021. It ends this look back at some of our favorite entries, enjoy.
A brief trip south to escape the cold winter can be so invigorating.
If you follow my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48, you may have seen photos from my recent holiday trip to Palm Beach, Florida. I was joined by my daughter Alexis, my grandchildren Jude and Truman, and our dear friend, Ari Katz. We spent most of our brief stay swimming and relaxing on the beach or by the pool, enjoying water sports, visiting a few shops around town, knitting, and watching movies - all done safely while adhering to CDC social distancing guidelines.
Here are a few photos from our trip, enjoy.
My family and I always try to do something special during the holidays – my grandchildren love the water, so we often go somewhere warm. Of course, one of the first things we did was spend some time by the pool. My daughter Alexis took this photo of Jude, Truman and our friend, Ari.
I love to knit and crochet. It is very relaxing. I find knitting a little faster for me. Here is part of my latest project. I am knitting four blue hats for two sets of twins boys.
We also spent time on the beach. It was windy, but that didn’t stop Ari, Jude, and Truman from heading toward the water.
Here is Jude trying to teach Ari how to do a front walkover flip.
Making shadows seemed a bit easier.
Jude loves to collect shells. Here are some of the shells she gathered – she picked out her favorites and then returned the rest to the beach later.
Organization is key – Jude sorted all the shells before selecting those she wanted to keep.
Jude wanted to make necklaces – here is one of her favorites.
During one outing, Alexis and Ari visited Brenda’s Birds in Delray Beach. Ari is a young and passionate avian enthusiast – he has many pet birds at home. All the birds seemed to know he was friendly.
These macaws and cockatoos wanted to perch on Ari’s shoulder.
Here’s Alexis with a Moluccan cockatoo. Also called the salmon-crested cockatoo, the Moluccan is endemic to the Seram archipelago in eastern Indonesia. It is among the largest of the white cockatoos and very smart.
We also stopped at Casa Gusto, a new company of antiques, objects, and artworks on Georgia Avenue in West Palm Beach. This is a Rococo 10-drawer cabinet, circa 1760. It stands 85-inches tall by 48-inches wide.
Some of the art work at Casa Gusto includes these papier-collage paintings by artist Catharine Warren.
Catharine is best known for her landscape-inspired abstract works and use of vibrant colors.
This is one of a pair of 1880 English George II style wingback sofas covered in Rodgers & Goffingon velvet upholstery.
I spotted another nice sofa. Here is one of a pair of 1930s northern canapés. A canapé is a piece of furniture similar to a couch, and is meant to describe an elegant sofa made out of elaborately carved wood with wooden legs, and upholstered seats, back, and armrests. Canapés emerged from France in the 18th century.
Here is the other. I admired the clean architectural lines.
Along another wall, a set of of six 18th century French dining chairs. The style is transitional – between Louis XV and XVI. Above the chairs – 18th century Granada Lebrillo Gigante bowls and plates – Spanish Lebrillo earthenware, made of hand crafted terra cotta, originating from Granada, Spain.
We ate in the French bistro, La Goulue. I chose this delicious green salad.
Among the desserts we also tried was this creme brulee – a bourbon vanilla custard with brown sugar crust, topped with mint and a strawberry.
And look at these profiteroles – vanilla puffs served with warm chocolate sauce and toasted almonds. Everything was so delicious.
My good friend, entertainment banker and entrepreneur, Lisbeth Barron, made sure we had lots to do while we were in the area. She helped arrange some outdoor sports for Alexis, Ari and the children. Coordinated through VisitPalmBeach.com, on this day the four went kayaking in the intracoastal.
The four had a lovely time – they did quite well navigating through the wind and waters. In all, it was a safe and enjoyable few days away with my family – the best Christmas gift ever. Please go to my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48 for more photos from my trip and a video of Alexis, Ari, Jude, and Truman paddling!