Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn Bliss 2020 i Victoria

Dear Friends Although many of us have been ensconced within our own environs for several months, I must admit that the arrival of fall always seems to draw me back to the hearth. As a brisk wind ushers in this treasured season, I watch in wonder as the landscape around me takes on a gilded quality. Plump gourds claim pride of place on my porch, the fragrance of fresh-picked orchard fruit fills my kitchen, and nourishing dishes lend warmth the table. Longer nights afford opportunities for settling in before a crackling fire, grateful to savor a quiet moment or to indulge in a cherished pastime. This special issue celebrates the incomparable comforts of home. In Chapter 1, become immersed in the prismatic beauty of this time of year with a…

“FALLEN LEAVES ON THE GROUND ARE THE GOLDEN SONG OF IMMORTAL CREATIVITY.”—Amit Ray…

Most of the stately manors found in Jan and Stan Cash’s historic neighborhood date to the early 1920s, when this eminent mountaintop enclave was founded. Such was the case with their previous residence, which came with the option to buy the wooded lot next door. They did just that and spent the next two decades traveling the world, gathering reams of design ideas, along with a wondrous cache of venerable relics, for the English-style cottage they built on that adjacent site fourteen years ago. “Stan says I’ve been planning this house all my life—and I really have,” says Jan, who parlayed a love of history passed down from her father, along with the attention to detail and a penchant for beauty learned at her mother’s knee, into a successful career…

As a young girl in her carefree teenage years, Natasha Lehrer Lewis was not anticipating the awakening of her entrepreneurial spirit when her family moved to the countryside from a Chicago suburb. Settling into rural life in the village of Big Rock, Illinois, she felt a deep connection to a biblical verse from the book of Esther: “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Inspired by the legacy of the agrarian lifestyle surrounding her new home on the Midwestern prairie, Natasha considered raising sheep. In the process of seeking her path, she received a spinning wheel from a kind soul, and, fatefully, the Lehrers’ new house came with a loom. An unexpected turn of events led to the purchase of…

“WE HAVE HAD OUR SUMMER EVENINGS, NOW FOR OCTOBER EVES!”—Humbert Wolfe “Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day,” penned Jane Austen in her novel Persuasion, “from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn—that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness—that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” The beloved British author understood the universal appeal of this wondrous time of year. As summer melts away and green turns to gold, nature draws cardigan-clad revelers outdoors to bask in the annual jubilee.…

New York artisan Shellie Pomeroy spent years working at a computer—first as a graphic designer and head of the art department for a book-publishing company, and then as a freelancer in identity design and marketing. But as someone who loves tactile activities, like gardening, baking, and sewing, she longed for a job that would allow her to express herself in a more tangible way. That wish was fulfilled when she founded Silk & Willow, a company known for its beautiful, handcrafted strands of lustrous ribbon infused with plant-based dyes. She creates this ethereal inventory in her Hudson Valley atelier using naturalmatter, such as flowers, foliage, nuts, berries, and roots, to tint the silk. “Nature provides an abundant array of materials that can be used to create color,” says Shellie, “and…

Apple, Pear, and Rosemary Sangría Blanco Makes 8 to 10 servings 2 Fuji apples, cored and thinly sliced2 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced2 cups apple cider1 (750-ml) bottle dry white wine3 sprigs fresh rosemary1 (750-ml) bottle dry sparkling wine, chilled½ cup cranberries In a large pitcher, combine apple and pear slices, apple cider, wine, and rosemary. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days. Stir in sparkling wine and cranberries just before serving. This sangría blanco, similar to the ruby red beverage but made with white wine instead of red, offers a refreshing taste of the orchard. The crisp and fragrant Fuji apple finds its complement in juicy Bartlett pears, while apple cider and cranberries lend tartness, and rosemary adds an intriguing herbal note.…

“THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER MAKES ME FEEL THAT LIFE IS PASSING MORE QUICKLY. IN AN EFFORT TO SLOW IT DOWN, I TRY TO FILL THE HOURS MORE MEANINGFULLY.”—Henry Rollins…

“THE DRY GOODS STORE IS A CONSTANTLY CHANGING MIX OF THE WEIRD AND WONDERFUL!”—Wendy Addison Within her studio in the tiny community of Port Costa, artist Wendy Addison has created a world of her own. Here, crepe paper, German glass glitter, yellowed sheet music, and tinsel garland become works reminiscent of Victorian-era art. Raised in St. Louis by two artists, she set her path at a young age, when her father took her on a drawing expedition. When she asked him how she, too, could become an artist, he encouraged her to “draw every day.” She took him at his word, and for the next ten years she did just that, filling sketchbook after sketchbook with illustrations. “I AM A MAGPIE OF SORTS, SPENDING MY OFFHOURS AT FLEA MARKETS AND…

CREDITS CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JANE HOPE: page 23 KATE SEARS: pages 6, 57, and 59–66 MARCY BLACK SIMPSON: pages 9, 20, 24–27, 67–74, 79, 90, and 97 CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS ANNE DUTCHER: cover and pages 31–40 YUKIE MCCLEAN: pages 9, 20, and 86 EMILY ROWLAND: pages 9, 20, and 86 KATHLEEN COOK VARNER: pages 41–46 CONTRIBUTING RECIPE DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD STYLING REBECCA TREADWELL: pages 6, 81–82, 87-88, and 91–94 LOREN WOOD: pages 79, 85–86, and 89–90 WHERE TO SHOP & BUY Below is a list of products and companies featured in this issue. Items not listed are privately owned and are not for sale. Pricing and availability may vary. Pages 6, 41–46: John Carraway of Carraway & Associates, 2409 Park Lane South, Birmingham, AL, 205-933-2114, carrawayarchitects.com. Lyn Chappelle of Lyn Chappelle &…