Louis Comfort Tiffany & Brown Memorial Church in Baltimore

Greetings Sweeties...

Well, here I am back from my little, short vacation to Baltimore for my brother's

graduation from his residency at the University of Maryland. He is now officially

a surgeon, back here in Cali where he belongs & doing his fellowship in

vascular surgery at USC...I could not be any PROUDER!!

A few weeks ago, I went crazy on Pinterest, as I usually do, & started

a whole new category on Louis Comfort Tiffany. Being an interior design

major, I have always loved all elements of design, but Tiffany

has always been a favorite of mine.

While 'researching' for my Pinterest collection, I found out something that was

 completely unknown to me. I've been to Baltimore 5 or 6 times since my brother

has been going to school there & I couldn't imagine me NOT knowing this fact...

The Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church of

Baltimore, Maryland, has one of the worlds largest & finest 

collections of Tiffany art still in it's original setting.

OK...they had me at HELLO!!! 

So, even though this vacation was not about me & was filled with a schedule

of events & parties & ceremonies for the graduate,

my brother said there was a short window {good choice of words!!!} of time for me to see

something I wanted to see in Baltimore, to which I excitedly answered...

"I want to go to the church with all the TIFFANY WINDOWS in it!"

We were literally there within minutes. I grabbed my camera & bolted from

the car, clicking away as I walked towards this amazing Gothic cathedral.

Walking to each one of the locked doors, we were beginning

to realize this church was open by appointment only or

on Sundays & we had neither going for us.

Can anyone say...Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

As our very last resort, my brother & I opened a rod iron fence that was most

certainly not meant to be opened by the General Public. At the very moment

that the gates parted, a passer by says, "Can I help you?"

Looking to the sidewalk, now half way inside the OFF LIMITS area,

I start rambling a list of reasons from A through Z to this seemingly random

woman, of why I must get into the church. She smiles & asks us to come into

the church office which was in the building next door...a door we never tried.

 The Good Shepard by Wilbur Burnham

She introduces us to the church secretary who has a set of keys in her hand & as

she leads us into HEAVEN, she asks if we would like the lights on or off...

we say off & she floats away like an angel leaving us alone in

this room of LIGHT.

At this point, few words are needed...

The New Creation by Tiffany Studios

Saint Gabriel by Tiffany Studios

Saint John by Tiffany Studios

The Baptism of Christ by Tiffany Studios

I Am The Way by Tiffany Studios

Annunciation to the Shepherds by Tiffany Studios

Christ in Gethsemane by Tiffany Studios

An astonishing 63 panels of glass depict the story of a host of angels heralding

the birth of Jesus to the shepherds below.

The Holy City by Tiffany Studios

The Lord is my Shepherd by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co

Lead Kingly Light by Tiffany Studios

If I Be Lifted Up by Tiffany Studios

I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes by Gorham Manufacturing Co

My Dad with The New Creation in the background

The Tiffany Windows of Brown Memorial are Sacred Glass,

& above all of those beautiful, beyond breathtaking windows...

are magnificent Gothic arches that seem to go on forever.

Can you tell that I LOVED it there?

Can you tell it was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of my trip?

Can you tell I'm going to HIGHLY recommend that you go

there if you ever go to Baltimore, Maryland?

Can you tell that I'm soooooooooooo excited that we got inside this glorious church

& that I didn't just have to enjoy these windows from the outside?

Now when you see me OCDing on Pinterest just remember...
Susie's crazy for doing so much PINNING, but she may be finding a

diamond in the rough with all her insane researching.
We may never know until she actually gets there!  ;)

XOXO

vintagesusie

Training Wheels Required

Sooooooooooooo...

Today while shopping at Target with my daughter & grandson, somehow I wandered

into the BICYCLE department & something bright & shiny caught my eye.

It was a brand new, emerald green beach cruiser, with a front basket,

tan trim & a cup holder on it. I mean it had everything but the bell

& I thought, JEEZ...I can put a BELL ON IT!

That's it above, but the color is much darker & greener...like a midnight evergreen.

I YELLED out to the kids like it was Christmas morning, "Kai, get Mommy I found

something I REALLY WANT!" Now, usually it's Kai screaming out to me about

something he's found that he absolutely HAS to HAVE, so this was out of the

ordinary & he took it quite seriously. He screamed for his Mom & came running

towards me as I stared in awe at the glorious ride before my eyes.

As we huddled around the Huffy Women's Nassau 26" Cruiser,

visions of A Christmas Story danced through my head.

I announced not only to my family, but to the entire store, that I was in love with

this bike. That it had to be mine. That I wanted it for my birthday or Christmas,

or whatever. Take note children, cuz this is the one I WANT & we all ooohed

& aaahed over it's beauty! Now I haven't gotten a new bike for over 20 years,

so in my mind I was thinkin...I DESERVE this!

Fast Forward...
After the bustle of the day my hubby & I are sitting on our porch swing, when yes...
even on Father's Day I blurt out, "I found a beautiful new bike at Target & I WANT IT!!"
My husband was taken aback by my outburst & sweetly mentions,
"But you haven't ridden a bike in years honey." to which I say, 
"I don't even know where my old beach cruiser is!"
To which he says gently, now knowing he's dealing with a crazy person...
"It's hanging in the garage with all the other bikes, let's go look at it." 
Acting slightly like a seven year old, my arms crossed over my chest I say,
"I haven't had a new bike in over 20 YEARS!!"
He gives me a funny sideways glance & heads out to the garage where I hear the
sound of clanking & air compressors & other manly things. He emerges with my old
beach cruiser, a little rusty & worn, but still looking good & says..."Let's go for a ride!"

This is the road in front of my house, a pretty little country road, but also a kinda
BIG hill. I tell hubby I really don't like riding in the mountains, that I like to ride
on flat ground, which I know sounds pretty weird since I LIVE in the mountains.
{thus why I haven't ridden in several years, duhhh}
We climb on our bikes & I do a couple tiny test rides in front of my house.
Hubby says, "Let's walk the bikes up past the top of the hill & then ride on the
straight way just past it." To which I say, "No, I'll just ride fast down the hill in
front of our house & that will give me enough momentum to get up the big hill."
Off I go, petaling as fast as I can, wind blowin in my hair, feeling free as a bird
& then I reach the crest. My legs can no longer petal, it becomes clear in my
mind that I can't make it up the hill & in a blur of confusion & pain,
I COMPLETELY WIPEOUT!!!!

Hubby comes riding up behind me worried & concerned, "Are you OK?"
 I'm still slightly in a state of shock, but the worst part is that a neighbor
happened to be walking his dog right in front of my high speed accident.
He runs over & picks my bike up as I tell them both, "It's OK, I'm fine,"
now blood is slowly trickling down my leg. We slowly walk our bikes
back to the house & I can can see the barely there smile on Robert's face. 
When we get home, I jump back on the bike & try & make a few victory
laps in front of the house, but now my leg is starting to hurt so I park the
bike on the porch & head inside for some much needed medical attention.

Once settled, I open up my laptop on a vision quest. Robert says, "What are you
looking for?" & I reply, "I want to show you a picture of the bike I want." He puts
his glasses on & we spend the rest of the night looking at different styles of COOL
beach cruisers for sale. I really like the one in the picture above too!!

Moral of this story?
I have such an AMAZING husband...
Falling down didn't make me NOT want a bike, it made me want a bike even more...
If I had a dollar for every time I've picked my self up, dusted myself off & tried again,
I'd be a millionaire.
And yes, I'm STILL getting the new bike I want, although...
Training Wheels Might Be Required.  ;)

XOXO
vintagesusie

Queen Elizabeth II & her Diamond Jubilee

Today is the last day of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's

Diamond Jubilee!!

The Diamond Jubilee is the 60 year anniversary of a monarch's reign & has only

happened once before in England's history when Queen Victoria

celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

As I sit here watching CNN in preparation for the Queen & her family to come out

onto the balcony, I think of the history that had to happened in order to get 

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary to this moment.

She was an unlikely monarch.
Her father, King George VI, was the 2nd son of King George V,

who's eldest son Edward, was groomed to become the next King of England.

After the death of his father, Edward became King Edward VIII, but his reign

was to be short lived. He ruled England from January to December of 1936,

at which time he abdicated the throne for his American,

divorcee mistress, Wallis Simpson.

And of course as you know, that's a whole other story.  ;)

So, due to an unforeseen set of circumstances,
Elizabeth's father became King George VI.

Look at all the crowns in this picture...Yummmmy!!!

So the princess who would be Queen, started her royal journey to the monarchy.

Something I've always thought must be so heartbreaking, is the fact that in order

to become a King or Queen, your parent must die. During a time of great

sorrow, you must take on the tremendous responsibility of a nation.

But Queen Elizabeth II did it magnificently!!

She was quite a beauty at the time she took the throne...

& exudes graciousness, confidence & elegance.

The Diamond Jubilee crown made for Queen Victoria...

OMG!!!!

One of her clothing ensembles designed by Angela Kelly for her Diamond Jubilee,

it took a year to design & create.

A few of the many festivities in Queen Elizabeth's honor...

a flotilla on the Thames in the Royal barge...

the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace...

{she wore earplugs, how cute...}

& a Royal Carriage Ride...all of it, fit for a Queen!

Here's the moment I was waiting for, HRH The Queen, surrounded by her royal heirs.

Having had Diana as his mother, Prince William will make a wonderful King of

the People, just as Diana was the People's Princess.

CONGRATULATIONS

Queen Elizabeth II

on your Diamond Jubilee!!!

What a magnificent achievement!

And YES...I've already ordered my Diamond Jubilee souvenirs!!!

I got the mug & the tea towel above & it was in pounds,

so God only knows how much I really spent!!! LOL

XOXO

vintagesusie