Concrete Countertops9/6/2011 Concrete countertops, the new, the trendy, the oh so yesterday. Early adopters are clearly risk takers especially when incorporating something that is handmade, has many variables, and will be used for many years.
This restaurant countertop looks as though all the different elements didn't quite come together as intended. The stone aggregate seems to have settled unevenly and there are rough spots and an area that seems to have been patched. If this were produced in a factory, it would have gone into the reject pile. For a concrete slab hidden by a finish floor, its final appearance isn't too important, but for a nice restaurant - it's important. It's an unusual idea to use concrete Counfor a countertop. It's heavy, porous, and requires a high degree of craftsmanship and experience to get the right results. In the right hands, I've seen some incredibly beautiful results. This isn't one of them.
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Katie made dinner recently devising a menu from what was available in the pantry and refrigerator.
Pictured above is a sweet bell pepper stuffed with Katie's special Mexican rice deftly inserted with a piece of cheese for richness. The baked stuffed pepper was cradled on a bed of sauteed spinach, a puddle of tomato coulis and a few stuffed mushrooms on the side. Thanks Katie - beautiful dinner. Indian Springs Mineral Baths and Spa9/2/2011 Indian Springs Baths and Spa in Calistoga sits at the northern end of the Napa Valley. Most visitors to the Napa Valley only venture as far north as St. Helena leaving Calistoga about 15 minutes north relatively un-gentrified. Calistoga still retains the feeling of a small town. Its claim to fame is not so much the world class vineyards up and down the valley, but the natural mineral hot springs that Bay Area locals have for generations gone to "take the waters."
The place looks as though it could be a set for a 1940's era movie. When updated, the designers took care to provide modern conveniences and sensibilities but yet prevented them from intruding upon this fantasy. Very carefully maintained, the spaces and grounds are spotless. My favorite is the olympic sized swimming pool with naturally heated mineral spring water. Although huge, it seems to lend itself more to lazy lounging and sipping cold lime water while cultivating one's tan. Special rates are available during the winter months, where a room tariff includes having hot mud shoveled over your naked body - an experience long remembered. Chinese Typeface9/1/2011 For two thousand years, Chinese writing has been defined by the brush with it's fluid nuances. It doesn't translate too well to typesetting. Most Chinese fonts you see need to be appreciated on its own terms.
This poster I saw rendered the Chinese character for dancing (wu) rather nicely - giving it a sensual quality that recalls a brush. The softly rounded voids formed by the intersection of the vertical and horizontal strokes -- heightened by the lime green outline -- give the "wu" character a soft focus look and a sense of movement -- appropriate for the word "dance". AuthorCatagories
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