Summer Camp

Town & Country’s June cover story focused on summer camps and their enduring popularity. In fact, according to the article, summer sleep-away camps have seen a rise in enrollment as parents seek ways to “unplug” their kids from the world and immerse them in the great outdoors, athletics and arts and crafts, with not a TV or iPhone in sight.

I never attended sleep-away camp, only day camps. My husband did, albeit a week-long camp not far outside of Louisville. The camps featured in T&C host kids for weeks at a time, and often campers travel several hundred miles to attend these storied institutions, many based in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Maine. One anecdote even told of the very wealthy flying their children in private jets to and from camp. Well, this is Town & Country after all. The campers can’t just arrive in a minivan for God’s sake!

Many of the camps featured in the article focus on general outdoor activities, as well as the building of leadership skills and friendships. So often these days, kids go away to camps that have a very specific focus, such as tennis and lacrosse, or engineering or the arts - which is not a bad thing, especially if your child really enjoys it. But, the article focuses on the benefits of a typical summer camp where kids can be kids, and experience the rite of passage that is sleep-away camp. Of course, I should note that the "typical" summer camp that T&C discusses doesn't come with a typical price tag. Again, that wouldn't be very T&C, would it?

Did you go to summer camp? What did you like/dislike about it? Will your own kids go to summer camp?

Image from Town & Country Magazine

Not Good, GQ, Not Good

Just saw this article in an industry publication I regularly read and had to reprint it. Shame on you, GQ, specifically writer John B. Thompson, for your complete lack of sensitivity and out-right stupidity. And cheers to Dr. Brian Skotko of Boston for taking the magazine to task and responding with a touching blog post about his sister, Kristin, who has Down Syndrome.

Apparently, GQ named the 40 worst-dressed cities in the country, with Boston topping the list. According to GQ writer John B. Thompson, the city “… is like America’s Bad-Taste Storm Sewer: all the worst fashion ideas from across the country flow there, stagnate and putrefy.”

The article then went on to slam the mentally-challenged who have an extra chromosome stating, “Boston suffers from a kind of Style Down Syndrome, where a little extra ends up ruining everything.”

Really?? For lack of a better response, all I can say is, “GQ, you suck.”

Below is a blurb from Dr. Skotko’s more well thought-out and touching reply, which was posted on the Children’s Hospital of Boston’s Pediatric health blog. Such publications as The Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston’s Fox News have covered the story, allowing the doctor to speak about the issue. Click here to read the blog post in full.

Mock my pants, not my sister

Go ahead, GQ, and mock my blue whale-emblemed Nantucket-red pants. Laugh if you want at the loud argyles that I prefer to wear with my black suit. I don’t even care if you dismiss the sexy pink polka-dotted tie that I like to wear with my blue-checkered shirt in clinic. But, whatever you do, do not mess with my sister.

You’re a good man, Dr. Skotko, and you are blessed to have an angel like Kristin in your life, but I bet you already knew that. And, I, for one, like how you dress. Preppies across the nation salute you!

For the record, GQ removed the line from the article, but GQ’s editor has not responded to Dr. Skotko’s letter.

Happy, Wednesday, friends. Hope the week is treating you well.
Image from the Children’s Hospital of Boston’s Pediatric health blog

Publications and Preservation

I’m a fan of a number of online and hardcopy publications, especially those that celebrate a particular region of the country. I bet you can’t guess which area? Why, yes, the SOUTH!

My long-time blog friends are well aware of my adoration of Garden & Gun. So, I was thrilled to read a wonderful entry about G&G in the New York Social Diary. Writer Ned Brown made a visit to the hunting plantation and lodge, Rochelle, in the Lowcountry region, to do a story about G&G founding editor John Wilson. Rochelle is a feast for the eyes, to say the least.

Rochelle Hunting Lodge in South Carolina

I love the fact that Brown calls G&G “one of the finest lifestyle and best constructed magazines I know of.” So, once again, if you have yet to have a G&G experience, GO BUY THE MAGAZINE NOW. (Seriously, I should be on their payroll for all of the subscribers I’ve sent their way.)

Guests mingle around the fire pit at Rochelle Plantation during a fundrasier for the American College of the Building Arts

Wilson recently launched a new digital magazine called Charleston The Manual, which is a user’s guide for anyone planning a trip to that fair city or for residents looking for the latest happenings in that region. Wilson has a knack for the creative.

During Brown’s visit with Wilson, a party was held at Rochelle to benefit the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston. I had never heard of this school, but as I learned more about it, I found it has a fascinating curriculum and purpose. Having only achieved licensure in 2004, ACBA is a young college that works diligently to preserve the old. The school's website states:

The American College of the Building Arts educates and trains artisans in the traditional building arts to foster exceptional craftsmanship and encourage the preservation, enrichment, and understanding of the world's architectural heritage through a liberal arts education.

What a wonderful mission. I have a strong interest in architecture and the preservation of important structures, although I'm only a novice on the topic. I can tell you, though, that my hometown of Louisville, Ky. has the second-largest assembly of cast-iron buildings in the United States (New York City has the most), and I’m fortunate enough to travel by several of them on my way to work each morning. I’ve seen some of these structures fall into disrepair and in a couple of instances, literally crumble to the ground.

That’s why I think a school like ACBA is a valuable institution and its graduates will make significant contributions to architecture in this country, and perhaps around the world.

Stop by New York Social Diary to read a recap of Brown's visit and delight in photos from the gathering. And if you are a lover of architecture, take comfort in knowing that a school like ACBA exists.
Images from New York Social Diary and the American College of the Building Arts

Southern Flourish

We returned from Blowing Rock, N.C. last evening. It was great spending time with family and navigating the gorgeous grounds of the Chetola Resort. Now we have come down from the mountain and must prepare for the final packing for our big move this weekend. I think I’m in a certain level of denial about this. So, I'll continue to keep my head in the sand and focus on all things pretty and Southern. Sound good? Okay, let's go!

Props to my aunt in Charleston who recently made me aware of a fabulous new publication, Southern Flourish. Their slogan is: Simple. Chic. Modern. Southern Style. Sounds like many of the lovely ladies in Blog Land, huh?

From what I’ve seen online, it’s a fun lifestyle and shelter mag. The all-digital publication is staffed by editors and writers who live across the South, so they bring a combination of views from the many great states below the Mason-Dixon Line. And several of the contributors are some of our favorite bloggers, such as Style Court and Young House Love.

So, in a day and age where we've seen many of our favorite publications fold (RIP Southern Accents and Gourmet), it's nice to see the arrival of a fresh, new read on the periodical landscape. Best of luck to Southern Flourish - I'll check back often.
Image courtesy of Southern Flourish

G&G - Thanks for Sticking It Out

I just received an e-mail from my favorite magazine, Garden & Gun. It was a letter from the president and publisher and I thought, "Here we go again, another one of my wonderful publications has bitten the dust.

Thankfully, that's not the case. G&G is, not folding, like other favorites Gourmet and Southern Accents. Although, due to cost cutting, there will not be an October/November issue. But, look for their holiday issue in late November if you're a subscriber (newstands early December). This magazine features some of the best writing in the business, exquisite photography and captures the flavor of the new South like no one else can.

While I'll miss my fall issue, I'm so glad you guys are sticking around.

Goodbye, Cookie

The home of J. Crew's Jenna Lyons was featured in a recent issue of Cookie Magazine. Above is her child's nursery. Cookie is the latest publication in a long string of magazines to fold.

Well, you’ve likely heard by now that Gourmet magazine is folding, as is Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and one my favorites, Cookie. I’m a subscriber of Cookie and this now explains why Condé Nast was on my caller ID last week. Hmm, what’s next?

Cookie has been a great alternative to the standard parenting magazines. It featured family homes with hip décor, out-of- the-ordinary gift ideas and great travel tips. I enjoyed their features of working parents who are well-known in the world of art, fashion, design, cinema, literature and other fascinating fields. Cookie made you feel like you didn’t have to give up style once you became a parent. You could still achieve a level of cool-ness, even though you took on a new role as parent.

These are tough times we are living in, my friends. While I no longer have a magazine coming in the mail each month, the bigger picture is that a group of talented people have lost their jobs. It’s disappointing and sad. I hope we won’t lose more of our newsstand favorites. It’s just not the same without them.

The Garden & Gun Club

Attention fans of the fabulous magazine Garden & Gun: the Garden & Gun Club has arrived.

According to G&G publisher Sid Evans, “Somehow this magazine has always felt like the greatest club on earth, a place where there’s always an interesting conversation going on, the food is sublime, and you never know what great artist or writer is going to walk into the room.” To capitalize on that feeling, the club has been established and features three different membership categories from which you can choose: the Adventure Society ($35), the Sporting Society ($100) and the Secret Society ($500 and limited to 1,000 members).

So, for those of you who adore this publication as I do, you may want to consider joining the club and taking advantage of some great discounts at a variety of restaurants, hotels and merchants across the South. Plus, they’ll send you some cool swag, like a car decal, tote bag and more, depending on your membership level.

I hope everyone has a fun and relaxing holiday weekend. Take it easy and soak in the last days of summer. Enjoy!

P.S. – If you subscribe to G&G, but haven’t received your latest issue (I’m still waiting), apparently there was a snafu at the printers (this is according to a Facebook entry on G&G’s fan site). Supposedly the new issues are on their way.
Image courtesy of Garden & Gun