Colors of Louisville

Here's more color from my trip to visit my sister in Louisville, Kentucky. She lives in the Crescent Hill neighborhood with a delightful street lined with independent shops and restaurants within walking distance. I loved the basket room at a fair trade shop there.

This basketmaker caught snippets of fabric in the stitching, which might inspire me to do the same in my coiled fabric baskets.

The consignment shop down the street featured very colorful Derby dresses with outrageous hats in its window.

The stroll to the stores was full of spring blooms.

One day we walked around a lake in a nearby park, above. The trees were dusted with delicate new green leaves.

Another day we walked around Old Louisville, with its grand old mansions and gardens.

The "Pink Mansion" used to be a men's club built in 1891 as the Gentlemen's Club and Casino and was a bastion of male debauchery. But that ended in 1910 when the Women's Christian Temperance Union bought it and painted it pink! Now it's a private residence surrounded by pink tulips.

Its neighborhood was full of pink and purple flowers.

We went to several galleries and museums, including this one filled with contemporary art. This piece is by Jeremy Vessels and is called "O'Keeffe." It's made of recycled skateboards and maple. I forget to get the name of the one below, but it sure is energetic.

Terry and Dennis live in this beautiful old Victorian. Their backyard is full of song birds like the robin and cardinal in the trees below. I had forgotten what it was like to hear songbirds!

 

But let's not forget food! We had lunch at the Wiltshire Pantry, which has amazing artistic pastries. (This was only one of the bakery cases I ogled on the trip.)

And food leads me to the "Eclipse Cookies" offered at Terry's neighborhood bookstore:

We watched the eclipse from Terry's backyard. It didn't get totally dark but it dimmed enough that the streetlights went on and the air felt cooler. Their dog, Ella, took it all in stride.

My son and his wife drove to Indianapolis for the full experience, where they said it got pitch black. They watched from a park full of other eclipse fanatics. I approve of their colorful blanket!

Have a colorful day