The Martha Stewart Blog

August 10, 2024

Attending the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, Part 1

It's the last weekend of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, are you watching?

For the past two weeks, we've all enjoyed seeing more than 10-thousand athletes from 206 nations compete in The Olympics. I had the honor of attending The Games this year and celebrating my birthday with Snoop Dogg watching the equestrian dressage competition. In between television appearances and interviews, I also had the opportunity to tour the hosting city of Paris. I, along with my team, visited various shops, ate at delicious French restaurants, viewed exhibits at The Louis Vuitton Foundation, and enjoyed a private early morning walk through the iconic Château de Versailles. It was a most exciting and productive trip - and one I'll remember for years to come.

Here are some photos, enjoy. And be sure to look out for my TikTok video on my trip to the Olympics!

: Here I am at the airport ready for my trip to France for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad.

: My suitcases and gear include Rimowa pieces in the colors of the American flag. Because I was scheduled to do several television shoots and appearances, I had a long list of clothes and items to bring with me.

: Driving to the hotel, we passed the famous L’Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, or the Arc de Triomphe – located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It took 30-years to build this monument.

: I stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel George V, the art deco landmark built in 1928 located near the historic Champs-Élysées.

: The lobby is decorated with dark purple and fuchsia flowers in a beautiful display by master floral designer Jeff Leatham.

: Jeffrey has been the hotel’s artistic director since 1999. Displays change monthly inside and out, making the Four Seasons Hotel George V renowned as “the flower hotel.”

: We made a quick stop at Vins Fins Desserts at 35 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre.

: It is one of oldest sweets shops in Paris. Inside – beautiful displays of fine chocolates, candies, and other desserts.

: In this section, shelves are filled with pommes candies, tartelette de pommes candies, and cerises en pâte d’amandes.

: Here I am in front of E. Dehillerin, a restaurant supply store. I remember visiting this same store during another trip to Paris many years ago.

: Can you tell what these are? Cubbies and cubbies of whisks…

: … and nearby, dozens of different rolling pins.

: I, along with my production team stopped in The Ritz Paris, also in the heart of the city.

: At the Bar Vendome, I enjoyed this cocktail called La Perisienne with cucumber juice, elderflower liqueur, vodka, and Krug Brut Rose champagne. It was so delicious.

: And then it was time to head to the Olympic Village. Paris 2024 includes 19 days of competition in 329 events covering 32 different sports and four non-traditional sports – breaking, or break dancing, climbing, skateboarding, and surfing.

: My first LIVE appearance was a CNBC Squawk Box interview with co-anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin. We talked about my participation in the Olympics and some of my other business initiatives including my new 100th book coming out in the fall.

: Afterward, I had a little time to sit and watch the GOAT – Simone Biles. Here she is doing a bars routine.

: It’s a sweet reunion with my friend, Snoop Dogg, back at the Four Seasons. We did our first segment together at Le Cinq, an exquisite dining room that boasts a three Michelin-star rating.

: Before the restaurant opened, Snoop and I posed with the Le Cinq team.

: Whenever I travel, I try my best to fit in visits to museums, gardens, and other interesting venues. On this day, our group went to the Louis Vuitton Foundation to view Ellsworth Kelly: Shapes and Colors and Matisse: The Red Studio. We also admired the amazing glass architecture of Frank Gehry.

: Henri Émile Benoît Matisse was a French visual artist, printmaker, sculptor, and painter known for his use of colors.

: Ellsworth Kelly’s exhibit includes more than 100 works, paintings, and sculptures as well as drawings, photographs, and collages.

: Ellsworth’s work focused on hard-edge painting, color field painting, and minimalism.

: Back to work… and off to the TODAY Show set where I bumped into US Gold Medal winner for the men’s four rowing event, Michael Grady. He let me hold his gold for a few photos.

: During my segment with Snoop and the TODAY Show team, we talked about our lifestyle segments for the Olympic Games and how we were spending our time in Paris. Then there was a little surprise for me…

: … A birthday cake!

: Snoop and I did another appearance with the cookie master himself, the Cookie Monster, on Access Hollywood.

: It was a very full media day with this stunning Eiffel Tower as our backdrop. This famous Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars is made of wrought-iron lattice. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889.

: The next day we went to the Palace of Versailles where the Grand Prix equestrian competition was held. Here we are riding behind Snoop and two “outriders” who made sure we did not get caught up in bad traffic.

: Snoop and I rode to the equestrian arena “in style” – on the back of a golf cart. This photo went viral on social media.

: Here I am with Steffen Peters, a German-born equestrian who competes for the United States in dressage. He is here in Paris with his horse Suppenkasper.

: Snoop arrived at the Olympics afraid of horses, but I think I may have cured him…

: We had front row seats for the dressage competition. I described to Snoop each movement the horses made while performing in the ring. Dressage involves a lot of non verbal communication between horse and rider. The goal is to maintain the horse’s calm demeanor while executing precise movements in response to subtle signals.

: It was so impressive to watch the horses. The word “dressage” is French for “training” and involves performing a series of walks, trots, canters, and other specialized maneuvers learned from muscle memory.

: For lunch we went to Girafe, a fine dining seafood establishment. Look at this display – everything was so fresh.

: Among the dishes we enjoyed – cod with cockles, lima beans, and tomatoes.

: We also had squid ink risotto… made by Chef Ignacio Mattos of Estela, who was doing a special pop-up at the restaurant.

: And spaghetti linguini with tomatoes and basil.

: That same evening, I enjoyed a birthday dinner at the restaurant Lapérouse, a landmark established in 1766 and known for its private dining lounges.

: Hors d’oeuvres included blinis with caviar – one of my favorites.

: Here I am with my birthday cake made by French pastry chef, Cedric Grolet.

: The moon as seen from Paris. There’s more to come. My next blog will feature my tour of Versailles. Stay tuned.

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Posted in: Events, Miscellaneous, Photo Gallery, Snoop Dogg, Speaking Engagements, Television, TODAY Show, Travel

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August 9, 2024

My Growing Garden Maze in August

My two-and-a-half year old garden maze is looking so lush and green this summer.

The three-acre pasture just outside my Winter House is the setting for my maze. Since work began, I've planted a variety of different hedges, espaliers, trees, and shrubs - hundreds of specimens that add texture and interest, and all according to a detailed map I created specifically for the space. A lot of care goes in to maintaining this area. Recently, my resident tree expert, Pasang Sherpa, pruned some of the largest plantings, the handsome London planetrees, Platanus acerifolia 'Bloodgood,' a relative of the mighty sycamore.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: At one end of my living maze is a selection of Platanus acerifolia ‘Bloodgood’ trees, also known as London planes. I also have London planes growing in an allée through my middle hay field.

: These large trees are sought after for the large three-lobed, toothed, dark green leaves that turn yellow, orange, and red with the fall season.

: Its bark makes it even more interesting because it sheds in a patchwork pattern with growth and age.

: I planted these trees in early November 2022. They are planted in a rectangle with two long rows and two short rows and an open space in the center.

: Here they are after they were mulched that first year. Once planted, trees usually spend that first year focusing on developing their root systems.

: Here is a view from one end. Remember the saying, “”sleep, creep, leap,” which describes the typical growth stages of trees.

: This photo shows the trees in October of 2023, one year later. In the second year, attention goes to growing – slowly and steadily. Every tree is happy here, and in part because of the nutrient-filled soil I provide all my trees and plants.

: And here they are this year – so lush and green. These trees are large shade trees with broad open crowns.

: Not long ago, Pasang gave the trees their first pruning here at the farm. Pruning helps them grow into more strong, full and healthy trees with good, uniform shapes.

: Pruning also helps improve air circulation around the tree and allows light to reach through to every branch.

: Here they are all finished. Pasang did a great job pruning them all to a desirable height, removing any dead or dying material. These London planes are now established and doing so well.

: In fact, the entire maze is thriving. The tall tree is one of several Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’ trees, American sweetgums. As these trees mature, they will maintain their erect, columnar form, growing up to 50 feet tall and only about four-feet wide.

: The footpaths are also designed appropriately, so my horses can walk through the maze as well, and get an apple along the way – on the left is an espalier of apple trees.

: The long, upright-growing branches of Hick’s yew have dense, glossy, green foliage that naturally forms a narrow habit. And right now, they are showing off lots of berries, or red drupes, which usually come out in late summer and persist through fall.

: Paul’s Gold threadleaf false cypress, Chamaecyparis pisifera, has year-round golden green foliage.

: Another espalier of apple trees – each one with a different variety. All the apple trees are doing so well here. I already have so many fruits growing on the branches.

: My overall plan is to plant as many interesting trees, hedges, espaliers, and shrubs as possible in this space and to create a fun and challenging living maze.

: The plants are spaced closely, so they become a closed hedges in time.

: I plant as many different specimens as I can, but always with the same fundamentals in mind – the plant’s mature size and its light and soil needs.

: There is still a bit more to do before this maze is complete. Please follow along and see it develop with me!

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Posted in: Gardens, Maze

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August 8, 2024

Stonework Maintenance

Are you getting all your outdoor home projects done this summer? Here at my farm, one of this year's big tasks includes maintenance work on all the stone walkways, steps, and walls that have shifted or moved over the years.

Over the last couple of weeks, the crew from Luppino Landscaping and Masonry in Mount Kisco, New York, has been evaluating all the stonework and making any necessary repairs. They have re-leveled pavers, realigned stone paths, and repointed any deteriorated masonry joints on my greenhouse, my stable, and along any building steps. Regular upkeep like this not only restores the physical integrity of the stone, but also helps to increase the longevity of the structure.

Here are some photos, enjoy.

: Bluestone pavers are a type of natural stone often used in outdoor design applications. They are made from basalt, an igneous rock, and are composed of quartz and sand.

: Some of the work being done is on the bluestone pavers in this footpath. These pavers shifted over time because of inclement weather and growing tree roots underneath.

: Oscar uses a tuck pointer, or joint filler, to scrape out old stone dust and debris from the joints. This loosens the paver, so it could be removed.

: Here is the same area after all the old material was scraped out.

: Oscar then brushes all the debris out of the way. There’s no set schedule for repointing pavers, but one should consider maintenance work if pavers are cracked, mortar or stone dust is crumbling, or if weeds begin growing between the slabs.

: Once lifted, it is easy to see what is needed to make it level again. A lot of the stone dust underneath the paver clumped on one side making it difficult for the paver to sit flat on the ground. There are also weeds growing in the joint cracks.

: The area is cleaned of debris and clumps of old stone dust.

: Stone dust is actually the finest type of crushed stone. It is crushed nearly into a powder. It forms a strong, non-porous surface, so it not only protects the areas from moisture, but it also helps to keep most weeds and grass from growing in between the stone pavers.

: Using a trowel, the area is leveled with a one-inch fresh layer of stone dust.

: The paver is repositioned, dropped carefully in place, and checked for level. If it is not perfectly level, it is removed again and stone dust is added or removed as needed. It is a trial and error process that takes lots of patience. These three-inch thick bluestone pavers can be very heavy. Large pieces could easily exceed 100-pounds each.

: Here, a crowbar is used to help lower the paver and save the stonemason’s fingers from getting pinched.

: The crew checks the level on the paver again – this time it is just right.

: Here, the same crowbar is used to make minor adjustments to ensure spacing between the pavers is even.

: Any repositioned pavers are tamped down with a mallet on a piece of scrap wood, so the stone is not damaged. This packs the stone dust down and sets the paver comfortably and securely in place.

: New stone dust is applied to the joints where it was removed.

: And any excess is swept away into another joint until all the voids are filled.

: All neighboring pavers are also checked. Here is where an adjacent paver was also removed. Alfonso adds a fresh layer of stone dust, so this slab is at the same height as the others. If pointing is done correctly, it should last about 10 years before needing major repairs.