Flowers for the Dutch Sea Captain and his Wife, Flora
- Rebecca Drew
- Mar 17
- 2 min read
Spring has finally arrived in the South! So far, we have daffodils, quince blossoms, and winter honeysuckle. The bees have been competing for these long-awaited blooms, particularly the winter honeysuckle. That is why only a few flowers were chosen for a small bouquet in honor of a fictional Dutch sea captain and his wife, Flora.
The recipient of this miniature bouquet comes from my quest to find a muse while redecorating a guest bedroom. This blue and white room had become a catchall for random items, but something about those items evoked notions of a Dutch sea captain. The existing wallpaper had flowers that I thought resembled tulips, which are practically synonymous with the Netherlands. The walls displayed three paintings of ships, along with a coastal lighthouse scene painted by my mother-in-law. Luckily, she was a great painter. The dormers gave a sea cabin vibe, especially with the brass-handled built-in drawers underneath. One of the dormer walls held a framed display case of nautical knots, which were placed there while deciding where they belonged. Turns out, the sea-themed decor was rightfully placed all along!
While grappling with the idea of turning this room into a sea captain's quarters, I stumbled upon a mysterious blue container that was dropped off a few years back. It's a long story, but the container consisted of several random items, including three antique books written in Dutch. One is clearly a Bible, but I can't read the other ones. However, here's the really strange part: when I recently opened one of them, a letter fell out along with a note describing the book's owner. Can you guess her first name? Flora. Yes, like the name of this website. Now, the fictional sea captain had a new wife named Flora!
The room quickly took shape once I finally started working on it. Everything in the room has been decorated with items already in the house, so no need to run to the store, thank goodness. The final touches were my favorites, though. Before setting vases of daffodils next to the Dutch books, I remembered some mid-century 1900's maps sitting in the armoire of an outbuilding. When we unrolled them, we discovered ship surveys conducted by sea captains around Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean. After visiting us, Bermuda would be a perfect stopover for the Dutch sea captain and his lovely wife. Now, we just need a name for the sea captain's cat!