US/Canada tour write up - Part 2
- 09 Nov 2011, 4:51 PM
After an absolutely wonderful time in Toronto, I caught the plane to Dallas, Texas. Unfortunately the wonderful Steve Smith pot I’d been given by Conrad was too big for my hand luggage, so I had to sneak it on, and hold it tightly beneath my seat during the flight. Fortunately it survived this flight, the flight to Beaufort, and the journey home!
On October the 19th I was lucky enough to attend two extremely successful book signings at two great locations, Forestwood Antique Mall, and Snider Plaza Antiques Shops.
Forestwood Antiques Mall (5333 Forest Lane, TX 75244) really is a must visit destination if you’re in the Dallas area. As well as being a beautiful place, it’s stocked to the gills with wonderful antiques. As an extra special feature the floors in the aisles are covered with Oriental rugs. I stocked up on my vintage Chanel earrings again – Vintage Chanel is so difficult to find but Forestwood never disappoints. I bought a beautiful pair of Kenneth J. Lane earrings on my last visit.
Right is a picture of me with my friend Shari King who runs the centre.
Below (top to bottom): a photo of me with Shari and Brian Giglio, who is a dealer at the centre. A photo of my lovely new Chanel earrings on top of my 'Costume Jewellery' book. And me with many piles of 'Antiques Price Guides', talking to Mary Ann Holt, also a dealer in the centre.
Snider Plaza (6929 Snider Plaza, Texas 75205) is another of my favourite places to visit in Dallas, and I enjoyed the chance to see my good friends Allen and Martha Woodcock again. Last time I visited the wonderful collection of shops there was a tremendous thunderstorm – this time all the lights in the area were off! (If only I’d had my vast collection of Sherringham candlesticks with me!). But, despite the light failure, we carried on with the event anyway, and had a brilliant time.
After all that excitement I was happy to head to the home of my dear friend Diane Pease for a cocktail party. Her house, which is in Fort Worth, is truly beautiful. You can see a small part of it behind Diane and me in the photo of us with the Telegraph (featuring the free guides).
The next day Diane and I flew to Beaufort in South Carolina. I’ve been to South Carolina and Georgia, but I’ve never been to Beaufort before – I must tell you, it’s a hidden gem. You should definitely make time to see the wonderful houses in this area.
I had a lecture and book signing on the 21st, which went very well. Then, on the next day, we were lucky enough to be taken round the houses that were open to the public during the Historic Beaufort Foundation’s ‘Fall Festival’. These included the fantastic John Mark Verdier house, an imposing Federal mansion on Bay Street, and Dean Hall, which boosts a new green house built to incorporate 18th century features (you can see me and Diane standing in the doorway to the right of the text). Our guide was the executive director of the foundation, Julie Good, who I know very well from the time she held a similar post in Lexington, Kentucky.
For me a particular highlight was a visit to the tabby ruins on Spring Island. It’s an iconic Lowcountry site, with a great view of the Chechessee and Broad Rivers. Part of the event involved a performance by the B.J. Scott Choir of Huspah Baptist Church. There were only ten members of the choir, but they had the most powerful voices! The sound in that setting was incredible, and I will remember it for many years to come.
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