Carole,
I wanted to grab my iPhone and run into the rose bushes to tell you please come on over. I was so sorry you couldn’t come with us. I thought, “this will be an enchanted evening”. It was.
We arrived at the lovely Glorietta Court home which resembled no other house on the block. A unique reflection of the owner.
A rose garden lined a terraced path to the house and a large dove cage housed cooing Morning Dove that great her guests. All landscaping green and lush with white and some yellow roses. Stone statuary everywhere peeking out of the landscaping. You got the feeling that there would be a surprise at every turn and there was.
Greeting us at the door was a beautiful, graceful lady in layered, floor length clothing. Contessa Elizabeth Kirkpatrick. A green velvet flowing jacket with
saucer-sized silk flowers on her lapel. Think: Turn of the Century European.
Elizabeth graciously invited us into her sanctuary of collectibles, layer upon layer of paintings, end tables weighing heavily with fabrics, tarnished silver, rhinestone jewelry, mounted antelope heads, antique frames and my favorite a Black Diamond mink coat as a chair back cover in her tiny self-constructed study of carved Chinese screens and floor to ceiling momentos. I could have lived in that self-constructed little room alone.No space unadorned. Paintings everywhere. Crystal chandeliers in every room but deliciously random. The flooring of the house was removed and replaced with herringbone brick laid by her Italian husband, Guam(?) pronounced Zham?, who did the entire transformation exquisitely. Think: Tail of the Yak as a little sister to Elizabeth’s home. The kitchen, alone, would take a week to savor. She married an Italian man, moved to Italy for three years and lived the life of Marlena de Blasi,
My favorite author. Both American women who cherish living abroad and building their nest from the fabric of their surroundings.
A tour of the gardens yielded even more surprises everywhere. Rococco guilded mirror hung on a Plane tree. Chicken coop condo with their own chandelier, a vintage sign above their nest reading BEASTIES. , little sheds of chicken wire that could be converted into cozy reading rooms as she so well described. Reaching the 2nd tier, we were served wine in a tarnished champagne bucket, a blackberry/strawberry fruit crumble and cheeses while sitting at a bistro table with rose bushes nipping at our necks. And the finale, an unusual treat of spun Iranian pink sugar called Fairy Floss. It looked like a platter of pink insulation but you pinch a hunk and put it in your mouth only to feel it disappear like cotton candy leaving a sweet residue.
Saying goodbye was like leaving a fairytale.
contessa says
Dear Followers,
This was an e-mail sent to me after hosting a couple of beautiful women to my home to see the garden and have a sip of wine.One of the friends couldnot make the gathering so this is what the lovely RAE wrote to the friend that wasnot able to attend.I thought it was worth a POSTING!Of course, it made my week!
xxx…….CONTESSA
Nancy says
Well Well, this was to greet me when I returned from my travels. I am actually teary reading RAE’s moving description of your Chateau, your life, love and joy shared with these most fortunate ladies. The photos draw me in even further and so I am blessed too! Thank you Elizabeth for living life to the fullest and thank you RAE for sharing your experience.
xox Fancy Nancy
Katharine says
OMG, someone that was able to capture ELIZABETH and her WORLD in words ! I LOVE IT !!
Linda T says
She captured you perfectly!
foodiefan says
I second Linda T’s comments , Rae’s random thoughts captured you and your enchanting home perfectly! I could just picture every room and all the different parts of the garden as she wandered though and marvelled how she had memorized every detail so exquisitely……..not an easy feat as there is so much to take in! Do love the idea of fairy floss in the garden surrounded by the Pierre de Roussard roses.
Oneyda Perez says
Divine Contessa, divine…
Sue says
Love it :)!
Dash says
Just wanted to pop over and say hello and thank you for the lovely comment you left on my joint post with Heather. Heather ordered a club sandwich and she assured me it was delicious!
I am just perusing your site, your shop Hen House looks enchanting, a veritable Aladdin’s Cave, how I would love to while away some time in there!
X
contessa says
I await your arrival with Heather!!!!!!!I think we would get along just fine!Thanks for the visit!
Gianni Thurber says
takes me back to a THOUSAND DAYS IN VENICE… a remarkable description of a venue often imagined but seldom realized…
jackie lombard says
What a description! Does my Italian connection get me a discount on the chicken coop for a week? By the way this is numero quattro solo un altro and I can graduate!
contessa says
YES!YOU HAVE GRADUATED!PLEASE read PERFECT PREDICTION however.Now, send me an e-mail with your e-mail address!And check that for the next five days!I will send photos from the SOIREE!
Piedmont Pembroke Parent says
Tis an enchanting description of la Contessa’s magical garden and unmatched hospitality!
A wonderful tribute to a most gracious hostess.
Fondly,
The baglady.