She comes in colors everywhere...

Choices. Remember when a box of 64 was a fantasy come true? The choice of colors... the names... violet red, sea green, sky blue, cerulean... the infinite possibilities...

I am once again faced with choices. Infinite possibilities. And yet, once again, I stand alone.

I had a client here today. I can truly call her a dear friend. We were discussing one of her projects. We pulled out that box of crayons... it was sitting there... we talked, and we colored. She'll be 75 this year. She kicked my ass. With a huge dose of reality. I think I will frame the results.

She's like a rainbow...

Spellbound...

Seems like I've been in a bit of a daze... summer has rolled into autumn and I'm still trying to catch up with spring things. What has kept me going these last few months is the support of good friends. You know who you are! ;-)

At the age of 51, I am once again standing at the crossroads. People who I thought were true, weren't. Things I thought would work, didn't. You can take experiences like that and let them kill you, or you can glean what you can from them and use them as opportunities to learn, grow and move on.

And learn I did. To be honest, it has taken a few months to digest some of that learning and then, once appreciated, to expand upon it. Let's face it, this economy sucks, no matter where you are, no matter what you do. Any kind of learning you can undertake to better yourself these days is a plus!

This past month has seen an active revamp of the dusty, old resume, a new job proposal template, mega tutorials on anything CS4 and reconnecting with friends from the past. I think this is where I have found the most astounding revelations! I've had conversations with a few folks which have turned into deep and personal sources of inspiration; and even one-line comments have given me a great deal of insight... I thank you all.

These reconnections have not only shown me where I have been, but also, show me how far I have come and how much further I need to go. I'm turning pages, but with a new purpose and a revised, yet still undetermined plan. Life is too short to sit around and say 'maybe'. It feels good to say that... AND believe it!

We are spellbound...

Summer’s Almost Gone...

A very low key summer this year... there are so many things going on and I felt the need to get away from it all. So, I packed a bag and hopped the TGV to CH, my favorite place to unwind!

Much of the time was spent doing exactly that, unwinding... cooking and sipping wine on the patio overlooking Lake Geneva, but we also celebrated the Fête Nationale Suisse. The day started with the racing yacht Alinghi making its way from Lausanne to Geneva... we caught sight of it mid-way in Morges. Followed that up with the canton Vaud's celebration of music, food, wine, bonfire, fireworks on the lake and dancing! I haven't been dancing in years and teamed up with a nimble Brazilian man who kept me on my toes! Obrigada, Luiz! The following day was quiet, mostly because it was Sunday, and half the village had left town on vacation!

On Monday, we headed up the hill to a friend's house for lunch. She and her husband have a spectacular view of the lake and Mont Blanc. Lunch was delish, and it was nice to catch up! Merci à tous!

By Tuesday it was time for a road trip... the beauty of Switzerland is that it is small enough to get around and you feel like you are in a different country within an hour or two. We drove up to Neuchâtel, and did a cruise around the lake, always relaxing... Got back to port and decided to drive to Murten; a beautiful little town in canton Fribourg. It was getting late by the time we arrived, so we hit a few shops along the central Hauptgrasse street.

The first was a gun shop to purchase and have a Swiss Army knife engraved as a gift for a relative (he only charged 1 CHF for the engraving!). It was a very peculiar little shop; lots of dead things, and lots of mercenary type gear, not to mention antique armory (he had a WWI machine gun set up near the cash register!). The owner was somewhat gruff and kept an eye on every move we made. I didn't dare touch anything, and I didn't see the guard dog until we were leaving. He was sleeping in his hidden/camouflaged cage, but the door was wide open and I'm sure, had the word been given, we would not have been going anywhere fast!

Our next stop was much more relaxed and enjoyable. The glass dispensers filled with different colored oils were what caught my eye. The store is called Vom Fass and it has every flavor of oil and vinegar you can imagine. They also have a wide variety of whiskeys, cognacs and other spirits. The site lists their locations, if you have one near you, go for a tasting!

After the oils, we grabbed a beer at Grizzly's, a Canadian resto serving ribs and American style food... right next door was a butcher. We had already decided it was too early for dinner, yet too late to grab something on the way home as the stores would be closed. The butcher's shop smelled of marinades and spices and the rack of lamb was the choice of the day. If you happen to be in Murten, stop by and ask for Christian Pauli, Hauptgasse 22, Tel: +41 (0) 26 670 11 32.

We got back to home base and whipped up dinner... I have never had lamb that was so tender and flavorful. Turns out it was Australian lamb... I may need to make a trip down under! The lamb was accompanied by fresh green beans and a dressing of avocado oil and fig vinegar, both from Vom Fass.

Plans are underway for the Cow Parade in September... however, that all depends on several situations and how they work out. For now, it is back to reality...

When summer's gone, where will we be?

Fairy tales can come true...

Remember these ladies from last spring? They still look fab! Et moi?... I'm giving the daily walk another go, only this time I have a long-distance motivator who has promised to nag if I nag back. Nothing like a little guilt to get you going, and it felt good to get out and enjoy the weather; April in Paris this year is truly spectacular!

A lot has been going on since my last post. Life changing stuff that needs to be settled, new career of sorts, travel... I want to thank those of you who wrote to see if everything was okay. All is well, just laying low for a little bit.

Right now, it's time for some shameless plugging... here we go! Some friends (who are fans of Paris) have blogs you might enjoy. Kirsten's blog, Write On Thyme has lots of nice photos and tips on places to visit... Starman's blog, Le Rêve Français feature highlights from his visits to France. (They both have music, adjust your speaker volume!)

Des Américains à Paris is happening at the Jardin d'Acclimatation from April 11 through May 10, open every day from 10am to 7pm. There is SO much going on, I've cut to the chase and linked you directly to the event PDF...

How about a little Paris in America? My friend Lindsey will be showing her works at the 12th International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair (SOFA) in New York City from April 16-19 at the Park Avenue Armory. She did an amazing sculpture of red ballerina slippers in porcelain, covered with 7000 red Swarovski rhinestones. It's beautiful! Stop by booth #419 and say hello!

Okay, phew... feeling better now. Hope you'll find some inspiration in here somewhere...

Spring has sprung!

You say potato...

...I say Gratin Dauphinois.

After living in France for 16 years, I have finally, just about, almost, reached potato nirvana. It took a chance conversation on Facebook and an experiment with refrigerator ingredients to come to this point. Everything I thought I was doing right was wrong, wrong, wrong! Cheese? Quel horreur! Milk? Alors! Mind you, I have been corrected and I hope to mend my ways.

A little history... I married a French guy. He had a mother. She hated to cook. (I should have run away then.) I brought my love of cooking and 17 boxes of kitchen paraphernalia with me when I moved here. I had spent the prior year getting to know him... eating in restaurants, going to his friend's homes for dinners... in short, enjoying the cuisine of France. One of my most favorite dishes has always been Gratin Dauphinois. What could be easier than potatoes, milk, and cheese I thought? Pfft. I can do that!

Yeah. Right. Not til now. Now I know I don't have to simmer the spuds in milk, minding the heat so they don't get scalded... no wondering which cheese is the right cheese... there is NO cheese! This is a simple dish prepared simply and with love.

Tonight I had three little potatoes that had been leftover from last week's raclette. I had a dab of butter, a tiny box of creme léger and a clove of garlic. Salt and pepper grinders are always on hand. I was set. I sliced the taters into a large bowl, poured the creme over top, seasoned it, rubbed garlic and butter into a ramekin and poured it all in... Popped it into a low oven and let it go for about 2 hours. And THAT, my friends, is the trick. Long and slow. Who knew? How easy is that? Sheesh. All these culinary years later.....

The end result was... almost perfection. I would use a full cream and not the light version. (Screw the calories for this dish!) Other than that? Nirvana.

In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.
~Julia Child

Freeze frame...

It seems I have had a camera in my hands for a really long time. I may not be good, and I may not know exactly what I'm doing, but somehow, the moment was captured.

For the three of you who have been following this blog, you'll know that I have posted a few pix from the past. You also know that I joined Facebook back in September for a job-related reason. I was asked to learn the ins and outs of FB. So, I did. I may have mentioned this before, but through FB, I found a lot of old neighborhood friends. Recently, some folks I used to fly with have been joining. It is so nice to catch up with everyone, and yet it is funny how my life seems to be broken into segments of location.

The most important location has been that of my pre-teen years... or, as we called it, "Wilmont Turnpike". In 1969, my family, along with many others, moved to a new Levitt development on Long Island, fondly known as the "W" section. We were phase 2 of Strathmore East. We all came from different backgrounds, left our familiar schools and friends and merged in this magical moment of 1969. Together, we watched Apollo 11 land on the moon, and the phenomenon that was Woodstock play out on radio and TV news broadcasts. The Mets won the World Series, and we were turned on to Jethro Tull by Mr. T. ;-)

We erected tree forts and mud constructions, played in the foundations of the sections still being built. If our mothers only knew what we were up to... no cell phones, no SMS, no GPS... we were out there, on our own, and no one worried.

These days, it just isn't the same. As one friend said, this just doesn't happen anymore... it's Wii... PSP, iPhone, iPod.... iWhatever....

I haven't posted since President Obama's inauguration. (Yeah, I said, "President" Obama!) It's been just over a week since he has been in office, and there seems to be a trend to get back to basics. (Haven't I written about this before? [Yes.])

I just want to say, go build a tree fort with your kids. Take the time to share some music. Watch a ball game together. Plant some potatoes, carrots, root vegetables. (I wish I had a garden.) Slow down. The world is in a recession. As another friend said, "Eat pie."

This freeze-frame moment can't be wrong...