I love Natchez, Mississippi, and today I made my second visit to this town - the oldest civilized settlement on the Mississippi River. It’s small, it’s humid, it’s hot, yes - but it’s a quaint town filled with antebellum plantations and old trees that were spared by Union armies during the Civil War, mainly because Natchez didn’t have a railroad or riches that the Yankees could plunder. Plus, it’s got a neat little bookstore that has a nook devoted to signed copies of regional literature, both old and new.

My daughter and I ate lunch at Pearl St. Pasta and we were pleasantly surprised by the subtle tastes in our pasta dishes. We fell in love with their house dressing - a sweet herbal vinaigrette that they sell by the bottle. As a side note - Natchez was filled with Harley cyclists today, as the HOGs had a rally in town. This rally was a total surprise for us, and it made my daughter nervous. She’s never been around so much leather before.

Our best sidetrip was through the doors of Marbeth Schon’s gallery, located on 415 Main St. My daughter and I easily spent an hour in this store talking with Marbeth, gallery owner and author of Modernist Jewelry, 1930-1960. Not only did my daughter and I get an eyeful of original photographs by Margaret Bourke-White and Man Ray, we also got to try on some incredible jewelry designed and created by some 20th-century master jewelers. If you’re into this type of jewelry-as-art mentality (as we are!), be sure to visit Marbeth’s site.

Yes, I purchased a pair of earrings created by metalsmith David Jones. They’re divine, and they’re mine, mine, mine.

Posted by Linda at 8:00 AM PDT

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Got 2 million Dollars on the side? Buy yours now..

Dimora Motorcar says the Natalia SLS 2 sport luxury sedan is the “world’s most luxurious, expensive, and technologically advanced creation.” It better be, with a pricetag of about $2 million dollars.

The car comes with 16 cyclinders that can explode to 60 MPH in less than 4 seconds. For speed demons, it does a staggering 300 MPH when you put the pedal to the metal. The horsepower in the engine is an eye popping 1200.

Lamborghini LP640 limited edition Reventon - If anything is wrong with it, its the name, they should have called it after the F16 or the F-22 fighter jets. 640bhp 6.5-litre powerplant promises 650hp, 660Nm of torque and a 0-62mph in just 3.4 seconds. This machine is extraordinary.

Posted by Russell at 8:00 AM PDT

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Few people would visit Thomas, West Virginia, unless that person was skiing and staying at the Canaan Valley Resort (pronounced “Can - ain” with an emphasis on the last syllable). Although I wasn’t skiing, I did visit the area and stay at that resort. That’s how I ended up in Thomas eating lunch at the Purple Fiddle in early August, as that restaurant was just 13 miles from the resort and conveniently located near some antique shops on the main drag between the resort and Elkins.

The Purple Fiddle was created from the old DePollo general store on Front Street. The store was basically gutted, but the original tiled ceilings remain, along with many of the wood features. And, I’m sure that the old store didn’t resemble a poet/music/coffee shop straight out of a 1970’s Height Ashbury. Now, you’ll find quilts, bottle-cap shaking sticks, photographs, and memorabilia everywhere along the walls and hanging from the ceiling, along with a shelf filled with games to help pass a lazy morning with a friend while sipping latte.

Read on, mon cher! »

Posted by Linda at 8:29 AM PDT

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The need to feel mobile is part of human character. Perhaps one reason behind this is that all our ancestors were on the move, migrating to other continents to get away from Big Brother or simply on the move to find food. No fight or flight here…just the need to feel mobile…and perhaps take the comforts of home with you or…not!

At right: Markus Voglreiter, an architect-general from Salzburg in Germany, built this 14 metre-long and 10 meter-high house with about 300 sq. meters of floor space. Yes, it’s electric. There are no emissions. Oh, gosh - is it a Tesla?

At left: The Innovan, an aerodynamic and inexpensive way to attach a house to a car. Just take out the folding chairs and have a sit, as the world is your back porch. Oh yeah - and the shower is outdoors as well.

At Right: Roger Beck’s Some Turtles Have Nice Shells: A Picture Book of Handbuilt Housetrucks and Housebuses is a guide to the global subculture of house trucking, including a brief instruction manual for building your own whimsical mobile home on top of an old truck or bus chassis. Visit Handmade Houses for more, you gypsy, you.

Posted by Russell at 8:41 AM PDT

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