tours of philip johnson’s famous glass house — built in connecticut in 1949 — are sold out through the end of 2007. an hour away in nyc, there’s a play in production about farnsworth — another immensely popular glass house that was built near chicago in 1951 by mies van der rohe. both houses are clearly masterpieces of modern architecture, although johnson’s has been called one of the world’s most beautiful yet least functional homes. find fabulous photos of the glass house estate at www.arcspace.com/camera/moran/glass_house. and for summer reading and inspiration, thumb through james grayson trulove’s living outside inside, dedicated to those who may wish they could bring their beds into the backyard and sleep with the breeze of a summer night. happy summer!

the 2007 world tea expo examined the trendiness of teas in everything from the simple beverage to tea-based cocktails, cooking, and bath and body products. we invite you to drop in at urbàna for a little escape and to sample some of our finds from the expo. new favorites: white honeydew, green rooibos, minty maté, pomegranate and peppermint-ginger green. all of these make excellent iced teas. hot... or cold... your choice.

our thanks to all our clients and friends for a magical first year at urbàna. we are truly grateful to have been named charlotte’s best day spa for 2007-08 on citysearch. caron warren is one of the people whose vote took us to the top, and she wins a one-hour swedish couple’s massage. for all our other favorite clients, take $10 off any massage of an hour or more in august by mentioning the vibe newsletter when booking your appointment.

the honey-sweet smoothie is a honeyed hot stone treatment for hands and feet. summer skin turns luscious when hot stone massage is combined with sugared honey body scrub and royal jelly body butter. while feet and hands become soft and smooth, you’ll be oh-so-relaxed. take your savannah bee products with you for at-home spa experiences, along with our gift to you — a moisturizing tupelo honey lip balm. and don’t forget to relax at the teabar with your favorite tea — honeyed, if you like... perhaps a calming chrysanthemum blossom silver needle.

vee tea does tours of hot spots for tea in nyc but took time out to develop a summer-simple recipe for cranberry-white tea granitas. this italian specialty typically combines juice, coffee or sangria with water and sugar and is frozen in a way that forms delicate, icy crystals that melt on the tongue. try this tea-based version that merges the mellow taste of powdered white tea (granite-ground like matcha) with tangy-sweet cranberry juice. just whisk three cups of cranberry juice with one cup water, two tsp. of urbàna’s powdered white tea, one tsp. powdered sugar, a dash of ground cloves and a dash of ground cinnamon in a shallow, freezer-safe dish. place the dish flat in the freezer. once every hour for four hours, scrape a fork through the mixture to form small ice crystals. serve when the mixture is mostly frozen, either in small bowls over fresh fruit or with a dollop of crème fraiche — or in the traditional fashion in a clear glass with fresh brioche on the side. granitas will stay fresh in the freezer for two days. thaw slightly and then scrape with a fork before serving. serves 4-8 on a hot summer day.

for all of us who don’t live in a glass house, here’s to a summer that’s filled with time for exploring... discovering the colors and textures of nature... and the joy taken from a simple summer bouquet of flowers. pick two — one for someone special and one for yourself.