Just Trying to Feel Cooler in D.C.

Last month at the Sofitel downtown we learned about Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial, a Champagne made to be served over ice. Not tropical, to be sure, but that was a great idea too. / MyLittleBird photo.

I have these paper umbrellas, and you can too. A pack of 24 Garden Fiesta Drink Umbrellas (two sizes, a dozen each) is $14 at Terrain. They give me the illusion that summer is fun.

Öræfajökull (that was fun to type!) is an ice-covered volcano in southeast Iceland, and those ice cubes in the water are baby glaciers, or at least slivers of glaciers, one of which did a somersault while I was watching. Cool and, yes, cool, even in August. / Photo © Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson– rth@arctic-images.com.

With this image Tchoupitoulas Furnishings in Alexandria, Virginia, is promoting its home staging business to real estate agents (and presumably home sellers). It’s a bit plain-vanilla, but that’s supposed to be a plus when you’re trying to sell a house. And even a bit-more-baroque me has to admit the serenity that the colors and lack of fuss convey is quite tempting.

From West Elm, the Distressed Rococo Wool Rug in Blue Lagoon. It’s made in India of hand-loomed wool that has the dye pattern hand-printed on it. In 6′ x 9′ it’s on sale for $454.

This image really does it for me. These glass seed beads, Dyna-Mites, come in a bunch of sea-glassy colors; this one is called Ceylon Pastel Seafoam and sold online by Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. Ahhh, feel the cool!

THIS STORY ISN’T ABOUT much of anything. I’m just sitting here searching for images of things that will make me feel less miserable. I’m an AC type of gal bonded with an outdoors type of dog. A shady corner of the park, sure. But all the way indoors? What’s that about? Listen, Mom, with your iPad and data plan we can sit out under the trees (swatting gnats) and you can still work! Humpph.

So I’m just hunting and pecking around the Internet channeling pale blues and greens, imagining tropical drinks with paper umbrellas. Don’t actually want to drink the drinks, just look at them, feel the cold glass in my hand. (And I bought some paper umbrellas last year in case I want to act on the impulse.)

Gotta go for a walk now, but I’ll keep looking for cool inspiration.

—Nancy McKeon