I did a fairly quick stint in aspen last week – things are busy in raleigh, with the kondo and the work, but it was overwhelming lovely to get away for a few days. the leaves on the aspens trees are bright marigold, the air is crisp enough at night to wear a big sweater and there’s a spark in town as everyone transitions from the languid summer into a bustling fall season. hur, lemme show you.
![]() |
I typically take the 6am flight out of raleigh and can land in aspen by 10:15 – we head straight to basalt, for breakfast at two rivers, and we’d time this Saturday am just right so that the downtown basalt farmer’s market was in full swing. we ambled after eating down the street, checking out the vendors, the pups in their weekend hats (literally, dogs wear hats), a lady who makes fresh pastries and cookies that live in a paper bag on your counter for a week of nibbles, the little 3 piece band that sets up by a collective of permanent adirondack chairs tabbed “geezer’s corner”. I spotted Susan Carrolan‘s hats when we rounded a corner and let out an audible ohhhhh, which tad picked up every part of what I was putting down. I was so engrossed with her good-looking hats that I failed to notice how hot we came in (can we go to your studio!?!), so we slowed our roll, chatted with her a bit, learned how she was an assistant to one of the foremost theatrical milliners in the theatre world today in New York for over 10 years, and finally decided to become a Milner, and take her craft to aspen – so she could ski and live life at that covetable alpine pace so many people seem to crave. point being here: her hats are rad. i got one. I love it. I want to make hats happen in raleigh. let’s get the aspen hat lady here. |
![]() |
just another bit I think you should see – this glass topped dining table. look at that scalloped glass, resting on two marble lions. what a time. |
![]() |
I also brainstormed a little value-engineering with these vct tiles I found in the back of the thrift store. piles and piles of them, like $0 each. |
![]() |
see what I’m saying? I dunno, just ideas. they were super cheap. |
![]() |
we also found a butcher block island for the kitchen. we looked it up, and it retails for like $2000 and we got it for the price of 234 vct tiles. |
![]() |
on to Walmart where we always find the finds. |
![]() |
find found. |
![]() |
I’d also like to try and make this work for a wedding I’m going to in Orange County in November. |
![]() |
this could work really well in a multitude of ways – don’t you think? a raccoon bench. totally practical |
![]() |
but not as practical as this bear chair. for $10K it feels right, don’t you think? |
![]() |
I wanted these bear stools to be right, but no one is backing me on that either. from the thrift store. |
![]() |
and are you kidding me with this weather? fall in aspen is really something to behold. |
Leave a Reply