Sorry I’ve been scarce around here. I had to go “radio silent” this past week. This was mainly due to the fact that I was so busy, I just kind of forgot to get the lap top out to write.
What happened to me? Well, we road-tripped, with Fiona the RV, to Palm Springs, the land of all things fabulous, for Modernism Week. In a nutshell, Modernism Week is a celebration of mid-century cool shit, and of modern living, architecture, art, design, interior design, and lifestyle.
Modernism Week
Cool. Iconic. Modern.
We made our home base The Happy Traveler RV Park, a short walk to the heart of downtown. And for five beautiful, warm Palm Springs days, we zoomed all around on foot and bicycle, to tours, lectures, films and parties.
(above) Fiona @ The Happy Traveler Rv Park, space #127
Awesome Stuff We Did At Modernism Week!
1. Tour of William Cody’s “Glass House.” I could live there. Homeowner who did the restoration was there, and he was really happy and proud to show off his home.
2. Film premier, “Quiet Elegance – The Architecture of Hugh M. Kaptur” Dude designed lots of cool places, and he was there for Q&A following the film.
3. “A Taste of The Leisure Life,” Tour of eight mid-century modern homes. Yep, I could live in any one of these nifty little houses.
(above) On the house tour
(above) Fun interiors on house tour
4. Film premier, “The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat” Has the coolest swimming pool ever, built into a rock. Q&A afterwards with homeowner Kelly Lynch, Neutra’s two sons, and the film maker. And, the three Oyler kids who grew up in the house were there too.
5. Lecture, “Modern Artifact – the 1931 Aluminaire House” Fascinating story about a display house that’s been taken apart, moved, reassembled, taken apart, moved again, reassembled, taken apart again, and is now in storage. Now they need a new place to reassemble it.
6. Tour of “Frey House II.” This was the second home that architect Albert Frey designed for himself in Palm Springs. Iconic and fabulous, with views to die for! A definite highlight of the week!
Frey House II
7. The Christopher Kennedy Compound, Architectural Twilight Tour & Cocktail Party. A designer showcase in a mid-century modern home that’s been restored. I was standing right next to Trina Turk by the pool. I love Trina Turk! That woman’s got style!!
8. Lecture, “Thinking Outside of the Box: The Blue Sky Building System’s Approach to Prefab.” A bit technical on prefab framing system, but still, got to see pics of lots of really cool modern homes. Mark liked the technical stuff.
9. Tour of Frank Sinatra’s “Twin Palms” Estate. A party house, for sure! Completely restored and beautiful. And you can rent the estate for a private party. Nice!
It was a great, great week. Fun and inspirational. Already planning to return next year.
A word to the wise, if you plan to go next year, you need to book your event tickets early. We bought tickets at least a month ahead of time, and many of the events were already sold out. Check out http://www.modernismweek.com for lots more info and photos.
All of that design eye candy has got me all jazzed up to add some fun, colorful stuff inside the Airstream….colorful coffee mugs, bright colorful dog beds….A small shopping spree is on the agenda for today!
Airstream Moho-A-Go-Go 
Hey Nancy, I’m so glad you came back to writing I really enjoy how you write, and I look forward to your stories.
Hi Pete. Thank you so much. Really appreciate your kind words. 🙂
Sounds like you had a great week! It always amazes me how personal touches really makes a trailer feel like home!
We don’t have much space to personalize, but I’m going to at least give it a try! Thanks for stopping by the blog!
Sounds like a fun time and I’ve never heard of Modernism Week. Interesting. You should always have good stories to tell when traveling, And that you’re doing it RV style is pretty cool.
Hi totsymae! As an artist, I think you’d really dig Modernism Week. Maybe you can make a pilgrimage there next year! Or, make a pilgrimage to Palm Springs any time and look at art and design stuff and drive around and look at all the cool houses and buildings!
And yes, traveling RV style is pretty fun! One of the best things about it is that we can bring our doggies with us. And, we always have a place to stay that’s just ours!