We're back!

Welcome back. It's nice to see you. If you've been here before you know this blog originally originated from our Laguna Beach boutique, Stephen Frank Garden & Home. Well now the show has gone on the road. The store closed several years ago and I recently lost my love and my partner Frank Schaffer. After sitting dormant for those years the blog is getting kicked back into gear. I'll still be writing stories featuring beautiful decor, travels (some recent and some from the past), architecture, and of course, Frank's favorite, cooking and dining.

Here's a little recap for those that wondered where we went and a bit of history for the newcomers. If you look at the last post from 2016 you'll see we were announcing the closing of the store. As we were anticipating, the store closed at the end of May that year. After the closing we immediately decamped to Palm Springs. Our plan was to move to the desert full time but we first wanted to rent our house at the coast and then rent a house in the desert for a couple of years. We had had a vacation home in Palm Springs for many years but after living on the coast for over 15 years we both wanted to make sure that year-round desert living was going to work for us. Before we knew it we were hooked and made the decision that we'd become year round desert dwellers. In Summer of 2018 we found a beautiful home and closed escrow the first of October.
2019 would bring a momentous occasion: Frank's 80th Birthday. We planned a special birthday brunch with dozens of our dearest friends, many flying in from all over the country. It was an amazing day and Frank couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately his health had already started to deteriorate and he went into the hospital just a few days later. He was in the hospital a little over a week and then in rehab for another ten days. He came home, but only for a short while. Within weeks he was back in again. This time for the last time. On April 11th Frank succumbed to a combination of heart & pulmonary diseases. It happened so quickly he never knew what happened.

A few weeks later we got together to say farewell to Frank. So many friends came to show their support and to celebrate his life at our home with music, food, and drink. It's just what he would have wanted. Not long after that I embarked on the first leg of the FRANK SCHAFFER FINAL WORLD TOUR™ spreading his "love" across several of our favorite spots throughout the country. I'll be posting some of those stories as well as further stories of the tour as they occur.

Life goes on and so must we. I hope to see you around on here. I'm keeping the "Stephen Frank" name for the blog. It has a nice ring to it and I want to continue to tell the stories that Frank used to tell, the stories of our life together, and more dialogue on the things that I think make life worth living. So once again, welcome. Stick around.