Adoptable Adorables

These pictures broke my heart. These wee ones are looking for their fabulous forever home too! Meet Tinkerbell, General Lee and Bogart. These precious pups were rescued from high-kill shelters in California. Unfortunately I am not able to adopt one of these adorable pups. Hopefully you or someone you know will see these pictures and fall in love with one of them.

Tinkerbell

General Lee

Bogart

If you are interested in adoption, please contact Pamela at 778.297.9929 or 778.239.1428.
Or email at pamelamckenzie@shaw.ca for more information. The dogs are in Vancouver now.

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent.
To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden,
where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace."
-Milan Kundera

2011 Your Best Year Yet

For those of you wanting to make 2011 Your Best Year Yet, I highly recommend this book Write It Down, Make It Happen. I have bought my favourite, a brand new Moleskin notebook and I savoring writing in it with my yellow Lamy fountain pen all the wonderful things I want to happen in my world in 2011. Make 2011 your "Best Year Yet" by getting clear about what you want to happen – it really works! 

Moleskin is the legendary notebook used by Van Gogh, Hemingway, Matisse and Céline.
There is a whole Blog devoted to the "Moleskin. You can check it out here. 

Wishing you all the best for 2011, and may it be a year filled to over flowing with all the good you desire!!! 

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm in Vancouver who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Palm Springs Salton Sea

This year I was fortunate to be able to spend Christmas and bring in the New Year in Palm Springs with my Dad. Although the weather was not the best because of the torrential rain and flooding that hit most of Southern California, I did manage to get in some pool time, check out the Real Estate Market, see some of the sights and do some power shopping at Cabazon Outlet Mall – more on all of this in another post.

En Route to Salton Sea

One of the first things that I wanted to see this trip was the Salton Sea. The last time I was in Palm Springs I got a glimpse of the Salton Sea from a distance and it has stayed in my memory ever since. I was so transfixed by this far away glimpse that when I got back to Vancouver I tried to recreate an image of it in a piece of artwork. So on this trip an all day outing was planned. I was anxious to see if the Salton Sea was really like what I had painted it to be. The night before, in preparation for the trip, we watched an informative video of the history of the area. Early in the morning we loaded up the car with a picnic lunch of sandwiches of leftover Christmas ham, trifle for dessert and beverages and we set off on an all day adventure.  

Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Rest Area

Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Rest Area

The Salton Sea is a salt water lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault in Southern California. The lake occupies the lowest elevation in the Colorado Desert in Southern California.  It is currently 226 ft below sea level.

The creation of the Salton Sea of today started in 1905, when heavy rainfall and snowmelt caused the Colorado River to swell, overrunning a set of head gates for the Alamo Canal. The resulting flood poured down the canal and breached an Imperial Valley dike. Over a period of approximately two years this newly created river sporadically carried the entire volume of the Colorado River into the Salton Sink.

The Southern Pacific Railroad attempted to stop the flooding by dumping earth into the canal's head gates area, but the effort was not fast enough, and as the river eroded deeper and deeper into the dry desert sand of the Imperial Valley the basin filled and it resulted in the formation of the Salton Sea.

In the 1920s, the Salton Sea developed into a tourist attraction, because of its water recreation, and waterfowl attracted to the area. Celebrities used to trail their toes in the brine, but few people dare take a dip today.

The Salton Sea has had some success as a resort area in the past but today it is not exactly a thriving area as evidenced by what I saw in the town of Bombay Beach which was built on the eastern shore in the 1950s. Today the inhabitants of Bombay Beach live below the poverty level.

Bombay Beach Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is a major sanctuary for migrating and wading birds.  When Sonny Bono was alive he was a major activist in promoting the preservation of this area.  It is now feared that without intervention and support the lake will dry up.

 
Parched Earth Salton Sea 

Vegetation Salton Sea

Vegetation on the shore of the Salton Sea

My Dad taking pictures with his new camera. Around the Salton Sea geothermal plants are being built to harness the heated water below the earth’s surface to power electrical generators. The Salton Sea area is located on the San Andreas Fault.

A view of the rich farming fields around the Salton Sea which are a feeding frenzy for wintering birds.

Salvation Mountain at Slab City

Slab City is an off-the-grid community where squatters and seasonal snowbirds live in RVs and vehicles among the concrete remnants of an abandoned Navy base. Located close to the Salton Sea, east of Niland, Slab City isn't actually a city at all - it's more a loose community of squatters, snowbirds and nomads who've pitched camps across 640 acres of open desert.  Slab City and Salvation Mountain are quite a site to see, although a bit scary for my eyes.  It seems to be locked in the 1960s with the only evidence of current times being solar panels, satellite dishes, fancy RVs and off road toys.

 
Salton Sea 23" x 36" Mixed Media on Paper Patricia Gray

Painting of my vision of The Salton Sea

Photographs Patricia Gray 

Other travel posts you might like:
Cabo San Lucas 
New York
Palm Springs Post Modern Architecture
Drinks at the Viceroy Palm Springs
Sunday in Milan
VENICE - Bauer Palladio Hotel & Spa, Giudecca Island, Redentore
ROME - Hotel Mascagni, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Barberini
FLORENCE - Hotel Santa Maria Novella, Uffizi, Accademia Gallery

Patricia Gray Inc is an award winning Interior Design firm in Vancouver who blogs about Lifestyle and WHAT'S HOT in the world of Interior Design.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

Happy New Year from Palm Desert

 

Wishing you a Happy New Year and All The Best for 2011.

Image R.Nichols

Ultra Modern Architecture Office

This office interior design not only accommodate working activities, but also succeed to express product image which have environment approach & also make a bonafide company look. This office located in Rasuna Office Park, Kuningan, Jakarta, is base of Vidatech Company which have software products. A171 m2 space basic of two parts which become united & have triangle shape so the layout space more complex form usually office. Other unique part is there are low plafond & structural wall of building which across & can not be removed so make difficult to divide the rooms. As first step, designer divided office layout become two zone based on room program & use two accesses from old office. First zone consist of main access for staff & guest, main door, staff area, services area, two director room, & informal meeting room.

Second zone consist of special client access, formal meeting room, & management room. As a link of these two zones, there is lounge with café atmosphere. The floor is higher than the others. Those room order match with office needed which give attention to be representatives & marketing office, not the production.

In concept, owner & designer agree to express software product image in to interior design, & the concept get shape at capsule concept. This concept formulated as space with modular capsule shape with certain wall in round shape. Technically, all of structural wall let it flat, but other partition walls made curved with wooden skeleton & covered with panels laminated Formica Aluminum otherwise wooden profile in horizontal lines & deco finishing. This seems clear started from stairs area & main door, until formal meeting room until open ver&a which goes to lounge area.

Designer also applied rounded or curved shape at dropped down ceiling, explicated with indirect lightning lamp applied inside like seem in lounge area. Designers also cope to formed transparent, light, & sophisticated impression with applied fabrication material & up to date finishing. For example, almost of room partitioned with clear glasses from floor until plafond & frameless. Walls, plafond, floor dominated with gray & white color. As a room focus, there are digital printings with photos of sea living & attractive colors at certain walls. At staff room, filing cabinet from supercon material & acrylic finishing created, glossy with orange color to give spirit & joy of work. Lounge floor covered with 12 mm glass so indirect lightning more live.

Ultramodern office impression explicited with thematic lightning. For example, formal meeting room has blue lightning, so make dramatic impression, as if we inside sea. Last, furniture in this office is ergonomic, it means shape, measurement, & chair construction can prop up user body appropriate with user’s gesture & posture. Material & chair finishing do not use wood & usually seats, but have special material which flexible, strong, & sophiscated. These chairs have hollow shape, dynamic, sporty, light, & brief because stackable also easy to moved follow office activities (multipurpose).

Source : http://archinspire.com/

Elegant Dining Room Modern Design

We review the various proposals in search of that arrangement as the original and fashionable. However, to follow the trends should reflect your tastes and preferences. Furniture from this collection combine the simplicity of geometric forms and natural beauty of wood with a clear us.

Dynamic design is characteristic of the collection Lifeline. Interesting is a game inspired by the color contrast of black and white. let us remember that there are no rigid rules that would give a universal recipe for the perfect home decor for everyone.

Interior Dining Room Style Design Ideas

These started to grow over time, especially when it turned out that the stylish furniture can be restored interior decoration.We can restore old furniture, change its color or give it an entirely new function. harmonious whole, it is good to obey them, for example, various forms of the common colors.

Dining room interior design begins with an assessment of your space. When you understand the elements as they currently exist, you will then be in a position to master that reality or revise it to suit your needs. If on the other hand you have a larger rectangular space, an oblong or rectangular table will likely be the wiser choice. Again, choose a table that fits proportionally in your space and allows for ease of movement within the room.