Brass monkey, that funky monkey...

At Ye Olde Dayjobbe I've been drawn to a lot of brass lately. It's not necessarily that bright, highly polished "fake gold" that dominated the suburban plumbing fixtures of the '90s and my teenage years, but it's a little more refined these days:

 

 

Regardless of the finish (brushed, polished, satin) it's a metal that can add color and warmth to a setting. Remember, I even made polished brass a feature in my library/dining room a few months ago.

 

I like it. Sometimes chrome, nickel or steel feel too cold. And bronze can often feel severe, like a black line. Of course it depends on the room, but brass really brightens things up. It's like a little bit of bling for your home. Check out some examples:

 

  

 

 

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot...

But in this case, the parking lot made a lot more sense.

We just got back from a 4th of July getaway in Carmel and Big Sur. It was fun to show my partner some of the places I got to see when I was shooting an independent film there a couple of years ago. We stayed at this quiet hotel called the Tradewinds and discovered they had a hotel cat who greeted guests and visitors! Once we saw Sweetie, we knew we were in the right place.

 

 

Tradewinds has a tropical theme which is kind of funny for foggy Carmel, but we actually had a couple of hot days which made it feel nice. Our first morning at breakfast, we saw these framed pieces of the hotel's history that made us love and appreciate the tropical décor even more:

 

 

 

Apparently there was a central swimming pool when the hotel first opened. Now it's one of their parking lots. Usually, you'd think it a travesty to pave over a swimming pool. But with the cooler, foggy weather of the central coast (and Carmel's expansion and development since the hotel first opened in 1959) it makes more sense to have the parking there for guests, especially since street parking seemed tight in the downtown area.

Plus, they did some amazing landscaping when they remodeled and removed the pool:

 

We were just thrilled to see Sweetie walking around each day. Carmel really is a city of animal lovers. (We were also thrilled to have a fireplace in our room on the last two chilly, foggy nights!)