Winspear Opera House Pt. 2

Yesterday on KERA 90.1, Jerome Weeks gave an update on the Winspear Opera House. In this installment he talked about the large solar canopy currently being constructed around the opera house.

Watch a video and listen to the radio spot here.

Weekend Plans

This weekend is all about Halloween!

1. Stay home, open a bottle of wine, curl up with a scary movie and hand out candy to the neighborhood kids. I suggest a bottle from here.

2. A Wickedly Wonderful Halloween at the Belmont Hotel. Prizes for best costume include a free night's stay, dinner for two at the Cliff Cafe and tickets to the Barefoot at the Belmont concert series.

3. For those of you looking for some interesting people watching, head on down to Oak Lawn for their annual Halloween parade. Info here.

A new addition

Ever since we moved into our house, we have been looking for a new dining room table. Our living/dining area is essentially one large room and could accommodate a pretty large dining table. After months of searching we finally found a table last March that we both could agree on. We decided on a custom built table from Bruce Marsh Designs in Brooklyn, NY. In August while we were in NYC for a wedding, we met with Bruce and picked out the wood, style, and dimensions of the table. The result is below.

This is the crate the table came in. The crate was so large it would not fit through our front door.






Here's the top of the table.







Wait, this is suspiciously looking like an IKEA project...







The legs are joined to the top of the table with the bolts you see above. Very simple and easy construction.






Grain detail of the table top.







The finished product! The table is 10 feet long and can sit up to 4 people per side. It is made out of solid walnut with a tung oil finish. The chairs are vintage Eames fiberglass shell chairs that I purchased on Craigslist.

Weekend Plans

I had to shell out some dough today to keep my car running so this weekend is all about cheap things to do.

1. Did you know that Raymond Nasher (i.e. Nasher Sculpture Center) also owned Northpark Mall? Take a stroll through the mall and check out the art and sculpture throughout the mall. They also have some of the best modern landscaping I've seen. The best part? Looking is free!

2. Taste of Uptown is this Friday. Try out foods from many upscale restaurants in the Uptown area. Tickets start at 10 bucks. Info here.

3. Saturday venture outside the loop and go see Celtic rockers The Killdares at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington. It's a free show!

The perfect accessory for your modern home

Seriously, how cute is this dog? Picture from LA photog Sharon Montrose of her dog Squeak. See more on her website here.

The Shade Store

The Shade Store now has Maharam, Chillewich, and Dwell Studio fabric shades.

A shade like this would look perfect in a MCM or modern home.

Find out info about The Shade Store here.

Early Voting Starts Today in Texas

Avoid the lines and hassle of election day voting by voting early! Early voting starts today in Texas and runs through October 31st.

Find an early voting location in Dallas Co. here.

Weekend Events

Need something to do this weekend? Try these events:

1. Friday is Late Night at the Dallas Museum of Art. This Friday is all about mummies, ancient rituals and Egypt as the DMA celebrates the opening of the King Tut exhibit. Read more about the scheduled events here.

2. Celebrate the Nasher Sculpture Center's 5 year anniversary with free admission this Saturday.

3. Relive the 80s and find your inner teenager when those no longer "New Kids on the Block" (NKOTB to those in the know) rock out at at the American Airlines Center this Sunday. Tickets available at Ticketmaster,

Trinity River Audubon Center

On October 18, 2008 the Trinity River Audubon Center will open to the public. The Center, which is part of the long delayed Trinity River Project, was designed by Antoine Predock. The Center will have hiking trails and will eventually be accessible by kayak via the river and by bike via the Katy Trail. This weekend the Center will have events for the whole family to celebrate the opening.

Read more about the center here and here.

Read more about the architect, Antoine Predock here.

Weekend Plans

1. Walk like an Egyptian - The King Tut Exhibit opens this weekend at the DMA. If you are not lucky enough to get to Egypt, get yourself to this show. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

2. Autumn at the Arboretuem - Check out fall events now through November. Events include concerts, food tastings, and all things pumpkin. Info here.

3. Need a new sofa? Crate & Barrel has got 25% off all custom upholstery. I suggest checking out the Petrie sofa. It would be the perfect addition to your MCM home.

4. You know you secretly love the songs "America" and "Sweet Caroline." Go see Super Diamond at House of Blues.

5. CD World may you rest in peace. Now go support your local record store so another one doesn't bite the dust. My favorite is Good Records on Lower Greenville Ave.

The Architect and I are road tripping down to Austin this weekend for the AIA Homes Tour. Full re-cap of what I liked and didn't like next week.

Have a great weekend!

Times Ten Cellars Wine Sale

I've mentioned Times Ten Cellars as a place to hit on the weekends for jazz and a glass of wine. This month they are having a huge sale on their wine. From the Times Ten newsletter:

"This month we are putting all times ten cellars wines on sale for 20% off our take home price. Our biggest "stock your cellar" sale ever, plus an additional 10% off on 6 bottles or more."

Times Ten makes all their wine at their Lakewood location. Originally they purchased grapes from California. But they now have a vineyard in Alpine, TX from which they have begun to harvest and make their wine. This is a great time to pick up a case and give out the bottles as hostess gifts for all those holiday parties you will be going to.

More info about Times Ten here.