It seems like only yesterday, but we’ve actually been married 49 years. And here we are, a pair of Dusty Old Things. Fortunately our favorite activity is traveling together and looking at dusty old things!

We’re standing in front of Rex Whistler’s fantastic mural at Plas Newydd country house in Wales. 

The mural is a fanciful and fantastically detailed landscape of places with special meaning to the artist and Lady Caroline’s family.

The artist spent 4 years painting the entire dining room, stretching out the work because he was devoted to the daughter of the family, Lady Caroline. She appears in the gondola above.

He painted her portrait many times.

He painted favorite dogs, the very favorite one lying in splendor on a cushion and wearing a string of pearls instead of a collar.

He painted a self-portrait at one edge of the mural.

Like so much of history, the story is bittersweet. Rex Whistler died in combat in 1944, aged 39. Another famous mural of his is at the Tate Gallery in London.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have married my best friend and to have had so many happy years together!