The mister and I have been asked to host a very magical event THIS SATURDAY, June 6th, at Dragon Rock, the mid-century home of designer Russel Wright. It is in honor of Wright's annual laurel festival, celebrating the
beautiful mountain blooms, and will take place on the grounds of his Garrison home, situated in a secret quarry, called Manitoga (meaning; "house of the great spirit").
Join us for this magical afternoon ice cream
social and potluck lunch, set in a stunning landscape
of waterfalls, and moss gardens, under the shade of Wright's legendary
organic-modernist home. It'll be a truly unforgettable day for naturalists, designers, mods, hippies, and inspiration seekers alike.
See the invite below for more info, or go to our facebook page (and be sure to RSVP before Saturday) . . .
Here are some photos from a recent tour of magical, mystical, Manitoga . . .



By row (L to R): Dragon Rocking out, Russel's hide-a-way studio peeking out from the road, stepping stones cross the quarry, Wright's color palette, a whimsical doorknob (no two knobs are alike on the property), Russel's beloved "moss room", the living room as is stands today, city-lady Lizzie in a rare encounter with nature, Dragon Rock nestled into the mountainside.
And for those who will be attending, who have never been to Garrison, you're in for a treat! Not only is it so gorgeous that the first time I laid eyes on it, we gave notice on our apartment, but it has also served as homebase for; Peter Frampton, Patty Hearst, Dan Flavin, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates, Diane Weist, Ivan Chermayeff, fashion journalist Cathy Horyn, and filmmaker Julie Taymor (to name just a few)!
Here are a some tips for making the most of your visit to gorgeous Garrison:
~ If taking the Metro North from Manhattan, when you arrive at the Garrison station, be sure to cross the platform and walk over to Garrison Landing, an historic little village on the Hudson that wouldn't look out of place if it popped up at Disneyland overnight. The Landing was much admired by Abraham Lincoln, and has a dreamy gazebo for watching the sunset, a playhouse (where they also host special screenings of films like Gimme Shelter, followed by a Q & A with filmmaker, Albert Maysles), a fun art center, and a wonderful bookshop, where I have found rare issues of the '60s magazine Eros, as well as an out of print book on optical artist, Vassarely. The Landing was also a main location in the filming of the 1969 Barbra Streisand film, Hello Dolly!, so fans of Babs should look around to see if you can figure out where Vandergelder's was located (Walter Matthau's shop in the film).
Here are some photos of Garrison Landing as it appeared in Hello Dolly! . . .




~ If in need of a nosh, be sure to stop by the Garrison Market on Route 9D, which is a cute coffee shop/ice cream joint, housed in a vintage gas station.
~ 10 minutes up Route 9D from Garrison, is the town of Cold Spring, which is truly adorbz, and dotted in antique shops and eclectic boutiques. On Saturdays, be sure to stop by their small but wonderful farmers market, and snack on apple cider donuts, artisanal cheeses, rare mushrooms, and amazing fresh baked breads (there's also sometimes a petting zoo)!~ And if you're the hiking type, tackle the lush trails down to Constitution Marsh, where you' can do some major bird watching, whilst wading in a sparkly mountain stream. Then visit the Audubon Society's mini-museum, where they have live feeds of the marsh's baby birds in their nests. Here are some shots from a recent visit . . .

(1st row, L to R): Nic and our friend Joe found it comical that I wore a dress and knee-hi leather boots to go hiking (whatevs), psychedelic day-glo marsh moss, looking out onto Constitution Island in the middle of the Hudson River (2nd row): Items found by explorers around the marsh, a tiny chipmunk digging through leaves for a snack (I was begging him to jump inside my purse, but he was too busy), the biggest fu*k#!g spider i've ever seen, taxidermied birdies and a sweet collection of birds nests found around the trails.
~ Also, from Garrison, it's only a 15 min. drive up to Beacon, where you can visit the breathtaking Dia museum of contemporary art (which is located inside the old Nabisco cookie factory), or skip across the river to Storm King Art Center, where you can have your mind blown by gigantic environmental sculptures by Calder, Serra, Rauschenberg, and Nevelson, and Goldsworthy.
Photos: Corbis, Profiles in History, Manitoga, Lizzie Brandt