Monday, February 22, 2010

Caboose

When I was writing about my sister's very stylish wool coat and hat, I wondered how I should spell "gray;" you know because it can also have an "e." I decided that I should be consistent with the way that I've spelled it on My Sky-Blue Portfolio before. So, I did a keyword search.


As it happens, "gray" is part of two other favorite blog posts having to do with trains/travel:
Bus stop

Fairy-tale

West Coast

Dear readers,


Do you think it’s fine to be completely content in your present life while at the same time wishing for faraway and unknown places and faces, to wake up to find a different agenda in the morning, and for a slower pace? What do you think of a train trip vacation?


Trains are lovely, aren’t they? For me, the mention of them sends me back to 1950s cinema-land, where the Grace Kellys of this world sit in the dining car and leisurely sip their afternoon coffees. You do know that all the while they are making eyes in their subtle and sophisticated fashion at the mysterious strangers sitting nearby? Yes, and as would be expected everyone is impeccably dressed...



I am not the only person who thinks that train travel is romantic, and others’ impressions are well-documented. First, there’s Audrey Tautou in the recent (and shall I add cinematic?) Chanel No. 5 advertisement. And just as my sister and I were finishing these “train” pictures, we found that Vogue had done something similar on the East Coast for the February 2010 issue. (I don’t think that Annie Leibovitz’s take with Sean “Diddy” Combs and Natalia Vodianova is very good, for a few reasons, but it’s still worth a look.)


My sister is a true Southern California girl, and the muted gray and brown tones that she wears match those of Los Angeles’ Union Station. (I’ve heard that the style of hat she has on is “just the thing” presently.) Our brother James joins as the leading man for this fun interlude.



To close, I'll leave you with one of the most "wish-ful" songs that I know, "West Coast” by Coconut Records. (Actor Jason Schwartzman leads this band, making it seem like everyone in this town has hidden talents.)


Until we meet again,
Ashley

Friday, February 12, 2010

Twenty-ten

Hello!



I hope that you aren’t too mad that I didn’t write for so long! I just took a short sabbatical from My Sky-Blue Portfolio—and of course I should have informed you about it first!

Happy New Year! (I once read in one of those etiquette books that someone may wish someone else a Happy New Year into February, so I’m not too late yet…) I hope that 2010 is filled with wonderful things for you!



See you very soon!

Ashley



P.S. By the way, I broke my foot. It was painful at first, but now it’s better. And, this not being able to rush around has allowed me some things, like having the time for nicely polished fingernails in red. When this is all over—and it will be in some weeks—I have a mind to get myself a pair of very shiny high heels to wear!