Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"

Quixote Winery Reprise

Wine Country is on my mind at this time of year, as beautiful October days in Northern California often coincide with the grape harvest. After touring various Sonoma County winery gardens this week, I now look toward Napa Valley.

Quixote Golden Entry Glazed Pillars Photo © Alice Joyce

This brings to mind the amazing architecture and beautiful setting of Quixote Winery in Napa’s Stags Leap district AVA, which is 5 miles north of the town of

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A Thomas Church Garden: Fay Park

Fay Park Latticework © Alice Joyce

To find Fay Park — formerly a residential garden which was designed by Thomas Church in 1957 — walk down toward North Beach, just beyond the city’s ‘crooked’ landmark street, where Lombard twists & turns to the delight of photo-snapping tourists. Fay Park is tucked away at Leavenworth and Chestnut Streets, adjacent to the spacious Edwardian home on the corner: The house and garden bequeathed by Mary Fay Berrigan to the City of San Francisco. Fay Park is the only residential garden designed by Church, a renowned American landscape architect, that is now open to the public: 10AM to 4PM Daily.

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9/11 Memorial NYC: A Photo Essay

9/11 Memorial © Alice Joyce

The 9/11 Memorial has opened in New York City … … on the site where the World Trade Center Twin Towers once rose skyward. Two vast pools now occupy the footprints of the two buildings. Architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker designed the memorial to incorporate thirty-foot waterfalls, cascading into pools that culminate in a central void. Bronze parapets outline the uppermost ledge of each pool. Here, inscriptions of the victims’ names can be seen. The reflection of One World Trade Center heightens the impact of the new Museum Pavilion’s glass facade – the museum is not yet completed. One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the United States when construction concludes.

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