More in Baltimore

Last week Ann and I dropped in on Baltimore with a friend, Marion. I find Baltimore more user friendly than DC, more knitty gritty, funky, fun and real. Hampden is always on our list of neighborhoods to visit, with its offbeat and fashionable shops. My fave is Red Tree, an eclectic mix of homegoods, jewelry, furniture and art. The decorating-istas have similar skills as the folks over at Anthropologie.


They always have awesome window displays, this theme being gardening and potting.


A deck of cards playfully hangs from the ceiling.


double dutch is a cute boutique that features youthful clothing made by local designers, crafty and clever.

Many of the shops are vividly painted in flashy, florid colors.


You can't go wrong with a punch of lime green.


Add a bit of coral and cantelope with a hint of pink flowers and you have 'Happy'!

At Evergreen Museum we strolled through the latest sculpture works. These shopping cart gardens were funny and inventive.

A clever idea for sure as they could be wheeled around a yard, in sun or shade or even near the kitchen.

What every mansion needs, a garden cart.


The curator stated that this show is an "embedded conversation on the intertwining of moment, meanings and place." Whatever. But I think these pieces are just plain creepy!


I didn't want to look at them too long for fear that I would dream about them. Gah!

This peaceful, placid Madonna set amongst the beebalm and spruce was much more pleasant to peer upon. This was tucked away in someone's back yard, seen when we were carousing through back alleys.

Ah, another addict.

Marion suggested an awesome Indian restaurant and she did not let us down. A little bit of this and a little bit of that totaled up to way too much food but I was able to pack it all in because I didn't want to pass any of it up as it was just so delicious. And that night I hosted book club, "Three Cups of Tea," and had gone to an Afghanistan market to get food so I had two very similar meals. Love that food!

Spotted this cute balcony where it would be nice to sip iced tea and watch the sun set. Good times in Baltimore.