Snow Day

Just some icy images from around the globe. (Click the mix above to see the details.) Clockwise from the top left: Graceland in the snow, photographer temporarily unknown; a Japanese scene from Taschen's Hiroshige: One Hundred Famous Views of Edo; an image from Selvedge, issue 31, part of a story about the history of Swarovski with blossoming branch by Tord Boontje; Photographer William Waldron's sons as seen in Elle Decor, December 2007; Pom-pom snow balls via Anthropologie; David Brenneman, Director of Collections and Exhibitions and Curator of European Art at the High, talks about Camille Pissarro's wet Snowscapes with Cows at Montfoucault painted in 1874. Click here to watch.

Barboursville photographed by Janet Blyberg.

When I asked some friends to share their favorite holiday songs, Elvis' Blue Christmas was mentioned three times. So I was looking through my blog archives, trying to identify the photographer who captured Graceland in the snow. No luck yet, but I did stumble upon a few lines about the house, and the concept of home, that writer Pamela Keogh shared with me a while back. Interesting thoughts to ponder, especially at this time of year:

"At Graceland, there is no chintz, no fringe tassels, no Staffordshire dogs or sisal rugs, no tiresome Colefax and Fowler-esque testament to good taste. No. Graceland is a midnight house. The ultimate bachelor pad. Even Bruce Springsteen once vaulted over the wall and tried to race up the driveway to introduce himself to Elvis. With over 600,000 visitors a year -- second only to the White House -- Graceland is an amazing place to visit... a 70's style phenomenon caught forever in sepia, and a testament to one man's dream.

As a poor boy born in a shotgun shack in Tupelo, MS, Graceland was Presley's dream -- the sign that he had truly 'made it.' Elvis took great pride in his home, decorated it largely on his own (because really, what other straight man would have the courage, or the vision, to conceive of the Jungle Room?), strictly forbid any wives or girlfriends (of which there were many) from touching the place, and hightailed it from the road, or L.A., or wherever he was on tour or making movies, to come back to Memphis. 'Graceland is the one place where I really feel at home,' he said."

Keogh is the author of these biographies...

as well as the bestselling, What Would Audrey Do?

Image above courtesy Keogh and Charlotte Moss.

Update: 9:26 P.M.
This post was put together before news broke about the seriousness of the snow storms currently hitting the mid-atlantic states. My thoughts are with everyone who may be stranded or without power.