Thank You, Isabella Stewart Gardner

portrait of Mrs. Gardner by Anders Zorn 1894, Venice

"Years ago I decided that the greatest need in our Country was Art… We were a very young country and had very few opportunities of seeing beautiful things, works of art… So, I determined to make it my life's work if I could."

- Isabella Stewart Gardner, on the creation of her museum, 1917

 For the most part, people are lovely.  For the most part, Carlin finds joy in being around all types of people; entertaining and socializing, hosting and playing.  But there are times when, like many of us, she needs to be alone.  She needs time to reflect, time to exhale and time to just be.

And sometimes when the need for solitude hits, she takes jaunts.  You know, getting on a plane and flying to a destination a couple of air hours away.  One of her favorite get-aways, a great place to spend the day alone is at the 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

Oh, the joy of being in a museum!  The history, the grandeur, the feeling of being transported somewhere else.... and trust, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum does not disappoint.

 After inheriting $1.6 million from her late father in 1891, Isabella Stewart Gardner began collecting art from around the world.  She opened the museum to the public in 1903.

Mrs. Gardner was well traveled and was, in her time, "one of the foremost female patrons of the arts. She was a patron and friend of leading artists and writers of her time, including John Singer Sargent, James McNeill Whistler, and Henry James." 

portrait of Mrs. Gardner by Sargent.  (quite scandalous for the time -- "a sensuous display of flesh.")

The courtyard at the museum

 "The local press was both fascinated and scandalized by her. Isabella Gardner did not conform to the traditional restraining code of conduct expected of Boston matrons in the Victorian era, but lived an engaging, exuberant life including much travel, entertaining, and adventure. She also had a sense of humor, however. Commenting on the numerous rumors and speculations about her escapades, many untrue, she is quoted as saying, 'Don't spoil a good story by telling the truth.' "  

I do believe Carlin and Isabella would have been good friends!!

All photos and quotes from the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum website.