HAUNTED BY THE PAST : one family's terrifying discovery of their ROYAL ROOTS

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i jokingly refer to my mother as a 

"character from a Pat Conroy novel"

at times,

because she has both the mad talents of a woman who constantly re-invents herself,

and, yes,

she was once a beauty queen.

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but not just ANY beauty queen.

nooooo.

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the queen of puerto rico's annual equivalent of mardi gras.

the first non-native to ever hold the crown.

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that's right.

she was once queen of an entire island nation.

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IT EXPLAINS SO MUCH.

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for instance.

the way she carries herself?

she once dragged THIS around behind her :

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there was a headdress,

and attendants,

and escorts . . .

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the woman was given her own COURT.

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before you say it,

both lauren and i were like 

"um, mom, what's with the kids dressed up as coolies?"

and she was like

"huh.  i have no idea."

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spoken like a true monarch.

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of course, there were some tender discoveries too,

like the shots of my grandparents :

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check the gown on grandma.

i obviously inherited her taste.

i would SO ROCK that dior.

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my sister, however,

inherited my mother's beauty and sense of regal poise :

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and i?

i was going to be an ASTRONAUT!

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that's right, bitches.

SPACE CAMP.

i was going to be,

according to the banner behind me,

MAN IN SPACE!

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i guess what we learned from all this

is that when you are descended from royals

you can never destroy all the photographic evidence.

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but that if you ask REALLY NICELY,

la reina will dig out the crown jewels,

and let you try them on.

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JANE SMITHERS - my mother keeps creating, and i keep learning . . .

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my mother returned from africa,

and shared these pictures with me.

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i don't know how to describe it,

but i am constantly fascinated by her.

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she paints oils with a palette knife,

and taught herself,

now showing in galleries everywhere.

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she sketches and watercolors some of the most beautiful images

in her journals

i've ever seen.

it's like glimpsing someone's inner eye,

her flash of insight into WHY this,

not THAT.

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then she shows me these:

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photography?

now she's into photography!

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seriously?

did she POSE THEM LIKE THAT?

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this woman has always been about re-invention.

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the artist's studio : jane smithers paints here

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this is the studio.

it's on the grounds of the house,

and where maman paints.

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inside,

large palette knife canvases,

vintage posters,

antique painter's smocks.

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when she travels,

she watercolors.

i'm trying to get her to start a tumblr

on her journals.

for obvious reasons :

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so much creation

under that little red roof.

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THANKSGIVING IN A SMALL TOWN : not as terror-filled as i might have thought. ;)

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high hampton.

the resort not far from my mother's house,

where my family would spend a week every summer

at a reunion/dirty dancing/event.

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she also took us around, to see the "mountain folk",

and brought in patty and ed for thanksgiving dinner . . .

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um, ok, you really have to look at this statue again,

and try to figure out 

WHAT THE HELL THE SCULPTOR WAS THINKING???

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i know, hollis.

it's freakin me out too.

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this is how patty and ed roam around the mountain.

i want one for west hollywood.

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little Jeeves was the best guest at thanksgiving!

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thanks, maman.

was kind of perfect.

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