Barefoot Sri Lanka

Kate Treitman just returned from Sri Lanka with armfuls of pillow covers (for me) and sarongs (for her.)

Barefoot Sri Lanka is known for their colorful hand-dyed and hand woven fabrics. 

The proprietress Barbara Sansoni bases her designs on the vibrant landscape, colors and sea life of Sri Lanka. 

Barefoot's website is beautiful but not often updated. See here for more information: 

Hideaway Sri Lanka

Aloha Guest House, Arugam Bay

A moment of revelation occurred while snorkeling over coral full of tropical fish and a cloud suddenly passed over. The shatteringly brilliant colors turned into tones of grey and she realized that without light there is no color.   Thus, when she moved into weaving, she made it a rule that "when weft crosses warp, it must be without ever creating grey, beige, or any tone of ash from the original pure hues."

Geoffrey Bawa's "Tropical Modernism" style of architecture is well known in the area. Under the "Life" section of his website, I was reminded of  Michael Ondaatje's (also Sri Laanken born) poem (my favorite) called 7 OR 8 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER - A STOLEN BIOGRAPHY. 
My favorite line:

Listening In 
Overhear her in the bathroom, talking to a bug:  'I don't want you on me, honey.' 8 a.m.