Lazy Girl Co-Chairs a Gala

We Brought the Magic Back: How The Markel Sisters Hit the Ball Out of the Park

It was the first Saturday of August, 2024. There was nail-biting, but not too much since we'd had manicures, but would it rain? It absolutely could not, because Jeanne and I (aka The Markel Sisters) were co-chairing the 80th anniversary Oysterponds Historical Society Gala and Art Auction. An outdoor event in Poquatuck Park in Orient, NY. Yes, we had an enormous tent, with flags a flying, but rain would dampen frocks and seersucker jackets, and that would be a shame.

Our goal was magic, color, elegance and sparkle in decor, food and drink. Jeanne had attended a wedding in Mexico earlier in the summer, and returned with colors still in her head. She suggested the zinnia as our signature theme for graphics and decor. We approached Erin Stanton of Latham Farms for a donation of  zinnias. Erin said yes, and gave us 600 stems, delivered the day of the Gala. (She was planting zinnias the very day that we asked for the donation.) Jeanne and I spent 3 hours arranging 50 small bouquets in mason jars for the tables and six large bouquets for eye-catching points around the tent.

Jeanne arranging zinnias in the kitchen of Webb House.

Zinnias ready to go out to the tent.

The "Pink" bouquet at the Whispering Angel rosé bar.

 We purchased cocktail napkins in zinnia colors.

The bar with North Fork wines. Jeanne did the graphics for the signage to keep on theme.

We made two large bouquets for the entrance to the tent.

Plant your own zinnias and the Gala program.

L-R. Alison Ventura, Executive Director of OHS, Carol Markel and Jane Ash. 

Artist, Liz Weiss and me with her painting, Zinnias and Cormorant. I saw Liz's painting on Instagram and asked her if she would donate it to the art auction. I thought it was a fantastic addition. Liz is a Tyler School of Art graduate and studied with my late husband, Richard Cramer.

Jeanne with her son, Jack Wedge.

Jack takes Jeanne for a spin.

Chris Wedge and Jack.

We brought back the popular raw bar.

Passed small bites from Lombardi's Love Lane Market.

The demolished cookie table. We asked local bakers to make cookies and present them in pretty baskets and boxes. I wish I could show you a "before" picture, but the cookies went so fast I didn't get the chance for a shot.

Elizabeth Gordon's exquisitely decorated homemade cookies.

Gala guests

Supper on the Lawn

Michael and Alison Ventura.

Augusta and Michael Ventura

Arrival by bike.

Cynthia Brennan, Tara Coniaris (in zinnia purple) and Jeanne.

Emily Bellos and Angela Meredith-Jones.

Elizabeth Gordon in zinnia yellow.

Sienna Hornberger in a dress of her own design. Sienna is a high school senior and hopes to study fashion in college. She is the daughter of Andy and Julie Hornberger. Andy is a Tyler School of Art graduate and a talented painter and teacher.

There were about 375 guests.

The storm held off until the end of the Gala, when a dramatic sky opened up

 with lighting and rain.

The party is over. Walking home through magical lanterns to Village Lane.

Jeanne and I are thrilled to report that the Gala and Art Auction raised over $100,000 for the OHS which will enable it to continue its preservation of Orient history through exhibits, events and lectures.

A Bientôt!

Lazy Girl in Orient - Summer of '24

 The Joys of a Great Niece

"Come in, Aunt Carol," said Zephyr, my great niece, as she explored the Big, Fenced-In Garden at the far end of my Orient cottage yard. The Garden is enclosed in a tall, kind of chicken-wire fencing strung between wood posts to keep the deer out. Zephyr is two and has a wonder of everything. In the garden are black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne's Lace, and blue chicory. It has a kind of blousy look, like a meadow gone wild. There's a raspberry bush in there too. Bunny, who hangs out in the Big Fenced-In Garden, darted out among the black-eyed Susans, trying to escape.

I am in the Big, Fenced-In Garden where Bunny likes to hide.

Zephyr, Sarah (her momma), Jeanne-o and I explored the whole yard. We walked to the Gazebo covered in an old wisteria vine.

There's a Secret Garden on one side of the house paved in brick. We saw white flowers that had fallen to the ground. They looked, to me, like damp tutus abandoned by little ballet dancers. 

A feature of the Secret Garden is milkweed. 

Milkweed attracts monarch butterflies.

I found a tiny apple under the apple tree and told Zephyr that deer like to eat the apples. I gave the apple to Zephyr, and she put it in her pocket. "I have the deer's apple," she said. I reassured her that there were plenty more apples for the deer who did visit that evening to eat a few.

Zephyr in her crocs shows me her treasures. The tiny apple and a sprig of hydrangea.

Tea-Party Time

Zephyr and I had a tea party at Jeanne's house.

We had a cup of tea with milk and sugar.

Polly attended too.

I demonstrated to Zephyr the proper way to hold a pinkie while drinking tea.

Bye-bye for now. Here is my bike in my backyard

with my new bike vase.

Just parking.

I did not shop at the Candyman.

A Bientôt!

 

A Sister Trip to London, January 2024: Part 1

 The Markel Sisters Descend on London Town

It was my idea to fly to London to see the Chanel show at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Word got out to the other Markel sisters, Susan and Jeanne, and the three of us decided it would be a fine adventure to do a London trip together. The exhibit, "Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto" was sold out, but the V&A offers entry to members at any time so we signed up.

We stayed in the Kensington area within walking distance of the V&A and a handy underground station, Earl's Court, as a jumping off point for exploring London. We were lucky with the weather. It was cold, but sunny, and no rain at all except for a brief shower while we were enjoying silver coupes of ice cream at The Ivy.

Jeanne and I flew Virgin Atlantic. The flight attendants wear spiffy red uniforms.

We had Upper Class cabins on our flight from JFK. Susan flew from Miami on British Airways. We met her at Heathrow.

Susan and I standing in front of the grand entrance to the V&A, founded in 1899 by Queen Victoria. Its collections span over 5,000 years of human creativity in every medium.

 

Jeanne wears a version of a Chanel classic look: the Little Black Suit with a white collar.

In 1885 when Gabrielle Chanel was 12, her mother died. Her impoverished father left her and her two sisters at an orphanage run by nuns. There she stayed until she was 18. She learned to sew and absorbed the images of the severe ecclesiastical aesthetic of the nuns' habits. Here are some of my favorite garments.

A 1920s silk floral dress.

Gowns from a 1930's era collection.

An array of gowns on a mirrored staircase like the one

in her showroom at The House of Chanel, 31 rue Cambon.

An uncharacteristic multi-colored gown caught my eye.

Diva at the V&A

A bonus exhibit at the V&A was the exciting "Diva"

showcasing the power and creativity of iconic performers from

opera, stage, pop music and film.

We wore headsets and when you approached each vitrine, the 

appropriate music of the performer would play.

A costume worn by Mary Pickford.

The Red Feather costume worn by Cher and designed by Bob Mackie.

The Prince Display

Diva Jeanne at Harrods, our stop after the V&A. She did not buy the glasses, but she did buy some fake snow that the charming salesman demonstrated in the toy department.

Susan salutes the Harrods' doorman, made entirely of Legos.

Cherrio!

If I'm out to dinner, I"ll  have a Negroni. On our first night in London, we dined at The Shed, a "farm to fork" restaurant in Notting Hill. The chef brought out an amuse-bouche of Marmite and mushroom eclairs. Hmmm... were we "amused"?

More to come....

A Bientôt!