Part 4 ~ Santa Barbara GWA Tour ` Casa del Herrero "House of the Blacksmith" in Montecito

"Use well thy time

Fast fly my hours

Good work lives on

The night brings rest."

 ~George Fox Steedman, motto inscribed on sides of  Sundial 

No detail escaped attention. Not even the carving on the sundial pedestal. 

On Armistice Day, 1918, his fortune established, industrialist George Fox Steedman retired. He discovered Santa Barbara while he and his wife visited his brother being treated there by a foremost diabetes specialist, Dr David Sansum. 

The climate. The geography. The potential for a country estate.   An obsession was born. His dream was not to create an extravagant stage set to excess, such as the perpetually under-construction Hearst Castle up the coast, was considered by some to be.

Solandra Maxima (cup of gold vine) breaks the expanse of white stucco wall between the loggia and sleeping porch 

A Harvard- educated engineer, Steedman's vision was to shape a timeless country home. He was throughout, along with his wife, an active participant in the creation of a 7,000 square foot family home.

Steedman bought 8 acres in Montecito, adding 3 more acres later. The couple hired the architect most associated with Spanish Colonial Revival, George Washington Smith and landscape architect  Ralph Stevens, adding to his team of collaborators as what was to be a vacation home turned into a full-time residence.   

There were shopping sprees to Spain accompanied by antiquarians Arthur and Mildred Stapley Byne. Old World. New World. What all the purchases and details have in common is quality craftsmanship articulated in even the smallest details. 

Landscape. Architecture. Decorative Elements.What sets this home apart is how none is subservient to the others. 

This early history of the house are the days fictionalized in the lives of where the last season of Downton Abbey left off. An ocean and far side of the American Continent away,  if Julian Fellows wanted the old-money Crowleys to venture to our California central coast- I can envision Casa del Herrero cast as a destination.

State Street in Santa Barbara, June 29, 1925 

June 29, 1925.  Up the road in Santa Barbara, as the earth was shaking the downtown to the ground, industrialist  George Fox Steedman and his wife, Carrie, were moving into their  home.  When Santa Barbara rose again- it was reshaped with consistent architectural identity which is now iconic to the region. 

 The Spanish Colonial Revival style of Casa del Herrero- "The House of the Blacksmith " 

As God is in the details,   

Oh, to be able to send you the scent of jasmine spilling over a wall.

long view from sleeping porch.

 Or the scent of freshly mown  grass as a rare storm muscles into our drought-stricken state.

What I can show you is how decorative accents in cobalt blue lights up the landscape. 

Show you how attractive trumpet vine is as an outdoor roof-covering. Imagine your heart fluttering as hummingbirds hover in their collection of nectar.

Meet George Steedman. A man so meticulous he hired an architect to design his workshop- Floyd Brewster.

A dog friendly- workshop.

With lots of windows to let in the views of the surrounding gardens..

Not just for his endless hobbies, but with a bright space for his wife to collect floral supplies and display her ribbons.

 His tools were abundant. To keep so many and know where they are...

The space planning. The careful labeling. Good work lives on in the house that George built.  

A National Historic Landmark, a visit belongs on anyone's list who is interested in California's cultural, architectural or landscape history, Casa del Herero is a must visit. Entrance is by reservation only- which you can find out about here . 

While you are waiting , satisfy your cravings for the beauty of the place by checking out Nikkipolani's blog.  The sleeping porch... I've been figuring out how many stories I need to sell to add one here):- 

Until we meet again- Thank YOU for all YOU do to make the world more beautiful.

*State Street view post earthquake scanned from Bulletin of Seismological Society of America, v.15. December 1925

Blessings Counted, The Blessing of Organized

It took awhile, but now I am glad Mother Nature dropped in this unplanned Rose of Sharon

Whenever it rains, it doesn't matter how hard I'm working, it feels like vacation. 

With the first drops of the season giving the earth the first wet-kiss of the season, that last grasp of summer's hot breath last weekend is now a memory as distant as the moon. 

Yesterday was a blustery day to visit our accountant. A weather description that surely will bring laughter to relatives in northern latitudes. Half our circle of friends and family are already shoveling snow while I am putting finishing touches on an article about planting wildflowers. 

Thankfully,  business duties put me near Judy Duvall for a belated birthday  celebration. God graced this friend with this thousand mega watt smile and divinely husky voice. I am blessed that she is part of a group of girlfriends who put up with my journalist's quirks in attitude and behavior. I pray she has many more years filled with music, laughter and love. 

Drive-time home in the greater LA Area- one develops great sympathy for salmon swimming upstream. However, being fortunate enough to be caught in traffic when two of my favorite journalists, Jake Tapper and Hugh Hewitt  were chatting on current events- as a not fully-recovered political geek- I understand I have it better than the fish. 

Home. Every item filled with memories.  The changing of this season is swift. Time to open the fireplace flu, light a log and scented candle.  Unpack the electric blankets to warm the reclining chairs for a rare evening of just enjoying my husband's company. 

Near the fireplace is the rocking chair my wonderful sister-in-law Billie Plunk rocked her babies in. Like the Velveteen Rabbit of literature - it was loved so much that some of it plain wore out.  But the gorgeous lines of the chair- its solid construction- I was thrilled that she let me bring it home. Recover it. And dream of visits where I will read out loud to our darling granddaughter.  

Stock items are now easy to find.

Confession. The last couple years: life had gotten out of hand. This summer I hired myself to take back control. One closet. One drawer. One shelf. One shed at a time.  Physical organization= personal and professional empowerment. 

Yes- the top row of soups are alphabetized

 Just 12 " deep, the height and width of the freezer it sits next to in the garage, Gerry built this shelving unit just outside the door into the house. 

Above it are the over-flow of  kitchen gadgetry that made happy memories.  Upside- down acrylic frames serve as shallow shelves for cookie cutters, tools for frosting- things I often thought should be passed to Goodwill. But didn't. 

For that I am glad. For  I am finding in these years between beauty and the grave that memories aren't just about the past. Planning for future memories  is a great joy- if you can find what it is you need. 

Summer, The Mid-life of the Year

New flag celebrates my passions- Country and Garden

"No bought potpourri is so pleasant as that made from ones own garden, for the petals of the flowers one has gathered at home hold the sunshine and memories of summer, and of past summers only the sunny days should be remembered.

Eleanor Sinclair-

The borrowed view of neighbor's gazebo through agapanthus blossom

 Dear Eleanor was a British gardener (1881–1950) , garden historian, and horticultural writer. Her life's passion popularized herb gardening. Think of her as you "clip-about" scents to remember this season by.

Trees planted in the canyon give depth to the viewshed

93.7 ° F  is close enough to triple digits to know that summer is here to stay.

Its a dilemma of summer that we expect life to be like song lyrics.  For the "living to be easy. " Forget easy, just make it not feel so darn hot and find ways to make the most of the season which is the changing of the guard from the youthful to mid-life of the year. 

Goldfinch enjoying a sip from sprinkler valve needing repair.

The plants cannot come inside to enjoy the air conditioning. I don't want to lug bag after bag of mulch down up and across the canyon. It is much easier to "mulch in place".  That is how I justify not sweeping away clippings (anything that isn't a weed). In informal private spaces,  it is a virtue to let the sun-dry leaves and buds into compost.  Over time, the soil improves with summer-slow gardening. 

Clippings left on-site are frugal mulch and labor saving device

Inside, there are mid-year corrections to make.

 

Inside, memories unfold as quilts are folded away until chill returns. Time to peel back the extra quilts off the bed. Wash and hang for the season.  When the dry cleaners decided to fold, not hang bed l linens, it was an off-season dilemma as the collection grew. Yacht Shop sensibility to the rescue.  Pioneer Linens  sells hangers  generously sized and  über strong.

God bless the inventors of the Internet. How else would a West Coast suburban housewife ever find a Yacht shop in  West Palm,  Beach Florida?

May Your Independence Day be full of only good memories.

Perfect Christmas is Imperfect

Rarely are the best Christmas memories the most expensive. The best are the ones most personal ones. The ones with hurdles to overcome. the ones when you have to "make do" with imperfect circumstance.

It came at the end of one of the years that Trevor played Pop Warner Football. Otherwise known as the winter of infectious childhood disease.


As the "bumps" made the rounds- this mommy was pretty much locked at home for the weeks leading up to Christmas. Not being able to leave home except when my hard-working husband was home- about the only things I could do was to pick tangerines and take the list to the grocery store. That year turned into the year of the perfectly turned out meal.


The menu was posted on the refrigerator. The table was set ahead of time. Platters, bowls and serve ware were matched to the menu- each container was labeled with a little tag of what was to go in it for the big holiday meal.
A backwards countdown determined the time to start each dish. Everything for the main meal was ready to go hot and fresh to the table- at the same time.
My father-in-law was not the easiest man to please. But that year he bragged on that meal like it was served at the Four Seasons.
I have not a clue what we gave or got that year. What I remember is how adorable the boys were in homemade costumes. performing their play and the miracle of how stress-less it all was.


"Theme-ing" presents is a great way to elevate simple gifts to a memorable event. A youngster's family would remember a Mouse Christmas.
Laura Numeroff's award winning "If you give a Mouse a Cookie" is delightful reading for a young child and can usually be found at local bookstores..


The plate of Night Before Christmas Cookies was presented by Sue Maxwell- aka Oregon Sue- who who sent the recipe with a photograph from Dede Wilson's Bakers Field Guide to Cookies, with this note.

"I used to pipe on the eyes and nose, but I found miniature chocolate chips and just stick them on instead. So much easier! They keep their shape when they are cooked. Easy! Use a small chopstick or one of those long skewers to poke a hole in for the tail after they are cooked. I couldn't find the black licorice for the tails here, so I use red. It's the "lace" and you peel off the strands ... "

The book, the cookbook and the cookies are nice in their own right. But given together the pleasure multiples the memory of each.

The recipe for Night Before Christmas Mice (with more pictures!) Can be found at http://www.leftoverqueen.com/2007/12/24/christmas-cookie-series-night-before-christmas-mice/

Author Laura Numeroff's web site can be found at http://www.lauranumeroff.com/index.htm

ChistianBooks.com has the Field Guide to Cookies listed at http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=322639&kw=322639&en=froogle&p=1013824&cm_mmc=CBDfeeds-_-froogle-_-books-_-322639#curr

A chocolatey version of the cookies can be found at //http://www.recipelink.com/mf/31/2762

Pretty surprise

Okay. This is a little over-the-top as far as kithcen cabinets interiors. I think my husband was working in Egypt when I decided to wallpaper the inside of the cabinets. When it is time to change the paper- I think I will sell the house first.

The lace edging came later. The corners of the paper was wearing and I am not ready to sell the house- so the lace was found on eBay, ironed and hotglued, It is protected by the invisible corner protectors sold at any home center, cut to fit the inside of the shelf edge.

And yes- the packets of instant dressings and the like are alphabetical.