Hello, Darling. I’ve missed you.

I’m back from a laid-back, mini vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We met the rest of the Wise Family (my side), along with (most of) my nieces and nephews. There’s nothing like the sound of laughter from children filling the air, the feel of sand between your toes, the view of the sunrise over the ocean, and the satisfaction of feeling contented and happy.

I was inspired by the sea, the landscape, and the architecture found in the southern part of the islands, in Rodanthe and Hatteras. I came back to Fall weather in Maryland and will now be working to respond e-mails throughout the week. Thank you all for being so patient!

Be inspired this week by the beautiful fall colors, smells and memories.

“Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” –Cecil Beaton