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As a child amongst my favourite books were the Prairie ones by Laura Ingalls Wilder (note: these are so much better than the TV version leads you to believe -- run away from the telly whenever Michael Landon threatens to appear). The books have a deeply absorbing way of talking about the life of everyday -- cooking, cleaning, cutting and sewing fabric, gathering wheat, tending horses, organising cupboards -- that I think accounts for the eccentric passion I have for these activities now. There's something so appealing about the solidity of middle-American life (at least in the good version) -- its tradition of thrift, proportion, self-sufficiency. The life of Grant Wood's paintings, such as 'American Gothic' (1930). So very different from parts of America now, which has foolishly gave up those skills at a very poor price.

So it was very restful to move out of the crazy world of Miami's South Beach into the elegant sophistication of the Wolfsonian Museum, which knew just how to display its modest-feeling, and moving, art-pieces and welcome pride in the technological innovation of mid-century material goods. I recommend it very highly -- plus the cafe does great food, including cheese plates (a rarity in that locality). These are some parts I managed to capture on film.