The past week has been chock full of inspiration and surprises. First, while clicking around to various street style sites from around the world, I found so many beautiful photo portraits of interesting people. I am struck by the confidence, artfulness and individuality of how people dress themselves. I find true street style so much more fascinating that any fashion editorial. Here are some recent finds:
Seattle (photo: 21eme Arrondissement)
London (photo: Cafe Mode)
New York (photo: Swagger New York)
New York (photo: Advanced Style)
Tel Aviv (photo: Streets Walker)
Another drop of inspiration came in my red Netflix envelope this week. Our Netflix queue is a jumble of genres, probably a lot like yours. We watch box-office biggies, documentaries, foreign films, romantic comedies, sci-fi, kids movies and dramas. A few months ago, my dad recommended a fantastic documentary called 180° South. It’s the story of Jeff Johnson, a surfer and climber, who retraces the 1968 epic journey to Patagonia of two of his longtime heros, Yvon Chouinard (founder of clothing company Patagonia) and Doug Tompkins (co-founder of The North Face). Jeff, while looking for perfect surfing conditions through South America and Easter Island, meets up with Yvon and Doug to talk about life, money and success and ends up attempting to summit Cerro Corcovado with the pair. The film has a bit of everything: humor, sport, catastrophe, reflection, wisdom and altruism.
In renting that film, another recommended film popped on my screen, Morning Light. This is the one we watched this weekend and it was fantastic. It’s the true story of a team of young, inexperienced sailors who get the opportunity to sail in the 2300 mile Transpac race from Long Beach, CA to Diamond Head, HI. A team of 15 people are given the chance to train for 6 months before heading out into the open water by themselves to compete in one of the toughest sailing races on the planet. This is a movie about young people who are competing for a chance to live a dream and what is so striking is that they treat each other with heart, respect and a sense of class that is not often shown today. The drama is in the race, the unforgiving ocean, the learning and the obstacles, not in people being mean to each other. So, so, so refreshing!
Lastly, I ended up going to see the Moore In the Gardens sculpture exhibit at the Denver Botanic Gardens this past weekend. Much to my surprise, the gardens were still lovely with so many blooms and gorgeous native grasses waving in the breeze. I kept exclaiming, “Glorious!” to which my daughter said, “Mom, I’ve never heard you say the word glorious before and now you’ve said it ten times!” I let her set the course for the winding tour and discover the many paths, archways and hidden nooks among the beautiful grounds. We both had an outstanding time. The exhibit runs through January 31, 2011.
Henry Moore sculpture at Denver Botanic Gardens
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Hope you have a glorious day! — Laura
Loved your blog! Can’t wait to check out “Morning Light” – wish I could see the Denver Botanic Gardens – have so many wonderful memories of strolling through them!
You won’t believe how many improvements they’ve done to the property. It’s gotten quite a makeover.
Glad you enjoyed the Moore exhibit and the newly improved Denver Botanic Gardens! We, too, are thrilled with how everything is looking.
-David, Denver Botanic Gardens
David — thanks for leaving a comment. I mean it when I say I was blown away by all the improvements to the experience. It’s been a few years since my last visit and I was astounded by the progress. The sculpture exhibit prompted my visit, but the gardens were indeed glorious. Kudos to you and your team! Laura