From the Bookshelf

I love this little book - don't leave for your next trip to Paris without it!

From Amazon -Travelers who follow the walking tours in The Impressionists' Paris will never see the paintings—or the city—in the same way again. From the historic Paris along the Seine, through the bustling grands boulevards, to the cafés of Pigalle and the dance halls of Montmartre, this guidebook pairs some of the world's most beloved masterpieces with the exact locations where they were painted. Readers follow in the footsteps of the artists from the pont Neuf depicted by Monet and Renoir to the intersection where Caillebotte painted his haunting street scene; from the balcony of the Louvre where Monet literally and figuratively turned his back on the establishment to the Gare St. Lazare, the train station from which he departed for his home in Giverny. Also revealed is the view out Manet's window, where he watched—and immortalized—a one-legged veteran hobbling down the flag-draped street. Period dining recommendations and the addresses of the studios where the painters worked, the buildings where they lived, and their birthplaces and gravesites complement this delightful guide.

At Last - The Handles Find a Home!

 This is the ending to a story that started 10 years ago when we bought these French door handles on our honeymoon in Paris..  I first told it on Lisa Hoffman's Gypsy Bonfire Blog back in 2008 and then on my own blog a little over a year ago.  Go to either of the links and find out the saga of the un-usable handles.

Here's what they look like as a door handle, which we couldn't do, because once we got home it was impossible to get the proper hardware to change American doors to take the handles.

Well, between us - me with the idea and my brilliant wife Margot with the technical know-how, came up with this solution.  We mounted them on a weathered piece of driftwood to make a hat rack.

My hat collection is growing by leaps and bounds now that the chemo is underway, and this is a great way to hold them and, finally, a answer to "what do we do with those un-usable handles?"

As with so many projects, even once we'd figured out what we wanted to do, there were several trips to the hardware store, a false start or two, but now here it is!

All that lovely French ceramic lusciousness on display!

I had promised to let you know when the handles finally found their place and now they have. And every time I hang a hat up there, Margot will remember forever carrying that heavy bag of tiles and handles down the Rue de Rivoli  but at least there's a happy ending now that they're finally on display and looking "Oh, so French!"

Altered Book - Barbara and Blanche Rose

This is an altered book I created based on a backstory I wrote about the two main characters.

Here are spreads from the book accompanied by the story.

Barbara Elizabeth LaVette was born in 1900 in Paris.  Her parents Edward Stephan and Elizabeth Marie were living abroad for a period of twenty years while Edward ran the Paris division of the world-wide Nagrom Bank.  Barbara’s brother Stephen, four years older, was also born in Paris. He and Barbara were very close and his death, by gas, in the trenches of Ypres in 1915 was devastating to his younger sister.  The family had returned to New York when France entered the war, but Stephen had remained to fight for the only country he had ever known.

      Barbara’s ancestors on her father’s side had left France in the 1820’s during economic unrest to try and reverse their fortunes in the bustling streets of 19^th century New York.  By the time of the Civil War the LaVettes owned a shipping line and two iron foundries.  At the end of the war their worth had trebled and Edward’s grandfather moved into banking.  Edward, born in 1870, took to the financial life like a cat to cream and by the time he was sent abroad to handle the Parisian affairs he had been in the family business for seven years already.  He took with him his youth, intelligence, zest for life, and his new bride Elizabeth Marie Beauregard of the Charleston Beauregards – a South Carolina family who traced their residency in American back to 1695.

     The LaVettes lived in the 5^th Arrondisement near the Panthenon and the Luxembourg Gardens.  Stephen attended the nearby Henri 4^th Ecole des Garcons.  Barbara went to the Covent School of the sisters of St. Agnes d’ Angneau.  It was here, in 1910, that she first met Blanche-Rose La Chapelle when Barbara was ten and Blanche-Rose eight.  Even then Blanche-Rose was painting and drawing and Barbara loved to write.  They became fast friends and it was a sad day for both when war broke out and the LaVettes made the decision to return to the safety of New York.

     Blanche-Rose LaChapelle was born in 1902 in the apartment above her parent’s café on the Blvd. St. Michel, Café ChouChou.  She was the third child, having an older sister Camille, and a brother Claude who was killed in WWI a scant few months before the November Armistice.  Though not as close as Barbara and Stephen, still Claude’s death affected Blanche-Rose deeply.  Always a shy child, she withdrew even more.  Her father Paul Henri, and her mother Hannah Louise, married in 1896.  Claude was born a year later and her sister Camille in 1899.  Their father ran the family café that was his father’s before him, Hannah at his side.  Hannah’s aunt Adrienne had made Blanche-Rose her favourite great niece.  Who knows why, who can say?  When she died in 1907 she left money for Blanche-Rose to attend the nearby convent school.

     

 It was here she met Barbara.  The girls were inseparable and spent afternoons at the café or the Luxembourg Gardens near Barbara’s home.  They played childish games. Blanche-Rose painted, Barbara wrote stories, they made plans for a future that changed abruptly in August of 1914.  The afternoon before the LaVettes left for America the two girls shared a last meal on the terrace of Café Chou-Chou.  Barbara’s sadness at leaving not only her friend, but the only home she had ever known was made even greater due to the fact that Stephen was staying behind to fight the Germans, had, in fact, already enlisted.  Blanche-Rose’s brother Claude had gone with him three days before and both would be leaving soon for training camp.

  

   The usual promises to write and keep in touch were made through shaky tears.  Barbara, with all the drama of her fourteen years, clasped Blanche-Rose’s hand and said “I vow to return to Paris and to you ma petite. When this is over, when the world is sane once more, I will come back!”  And little Blanche-Rose replied “I believe you ma amie, c’est vrais.”   The LaVettes took the train from Gare St. Lazar the next morning and the following day were on a ship out of Le Harve for New York.

   

    The war drug on for four merciless years, America finally joining the fray, long after Stephen had given his life.  Barbara and Blanche-Rose wrote, but mail was uncertain and eventually no more letters came from France.

    

 Barbara attended high school in Manhattan and then Columbia University majoring in journalism.  Her father’s contacts and her talent got her a job on the New York Daily Herald in 1920.  By 1922 she had made a name for herself and decided to take some time off to write a novel.  And where better than in Paris?

    

 Blanche-Rose spent the war helping her parents in the Café and finishing her years at school.  Great Aunt Adrienne’s money stretched to cover a painting teacher for Blanche-Rose in the years after the war.  Now in 1922 she has had a few shows in local galleries on the Left Bank and is beginning to be noticed in artistic circles. And now the stage set for Barbara and Blanche Rose to meet once again under Parisian skies.  The writer and the painter, now grown and reunited.

The Last Time I Saw Paris

The Last Time I Saw Paris  16x20"

I love doing collages on these great frames I get from Michaels. They come in a couple of sizes and have a plastic back, a glass front and are held together with thin black plastic strips that run along all four sides.

This latest creation holds a handful of French memorabilia including old tickets, vintage maps and photos and an ombre ribbon in blue, white and red - the colours of the French flag.

It was fun to do (even with the extra helping "paw" I received from my cat Mouse.)  The piece will be available at the Paso Robles Festival of the Arts on May 25.

Museum Monday - Louvre, Paris

One could literally spend a lifetime visiting the Louvre.  Its extensive collections and multitude of galleries and exhibit space are legend.  We had a Wednesday morning in early May and went with a plan of the few things we most wanted to see and where to find them once we were inside.

Margot had been before, but this was my first time.  On this midweek morning, before tourist season geared up, the museum was delightfully uncrowded.

Our first goal was La Gioconda -  Mona Lisa.  We were incredibly blessed. When we reached the gallery where she waited on the end wall, no one else was there!  We actually were able to stand right in front of the panting and gaze our fill without being surrounded by jostling, noisy crowds.  Surprised by the relative smallness of the work, and awed to be in the presence  of this iconic image, it was wonderful to have the time to really see and study her.

Then to one of Margot's favourites The Winged Victory, standing tall and proud (and oh so impressive!) at the top of her staircase. Interestingly enough, I was overwhelmed by how big this piece was -definitively awe inspiring.

Margot loves this picture she took of me looking up at the Venus de Milo -two beauties she says, but then, we were on our honeymoon!

Marie Arrives at Marseilles

Our last stop of the morning was the Rubens gallery -
Baroque overload - opulent, colourful,

 over the top and wonderful.

I would love to visit again and again, and I know we'll be back the next time we get to travel to Paris. I envy Parisians many things - their macaroons, their sidewalk cafes, their flea markets and their daily access to one of the most amazing museums in the world.

Suitcase Saturday Travel Score

Borrowed from Lisa Hoffman's Gypsy Bonfire

Green Awnings on Rue Moufftard -
 Elaine Moynihan Lisle

Paris. In the spring.  And on our honeymoon no less.  We stayed in the charming little hotel at the right side of the picture above.

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and, best of all, the shopping!   

Margot and scarf with Eifel Tower

We found a delicious little stall at the Place Monge Market with gorgeous silk and chiffon scarves for a few Euro each.  After the first purchase, Margot said to me “Let’s each buy a scarf everyday we’re here!”  

Nortre Dame

So we did; from outdoor markets in le quartier Latin, in the fabric district of Montmartre, at a chic little store under the Louvre, at the closet-sized shop of the Turkish trader on the Rue Mouffetard.  We came home with an entire wardrobe of scarves, to wear, to share, to decorate our new house by the sea in Morro Bay, California. (Note the scarves in several of the photos!)

Erin and scarf  with Eifel Tower

Ah, yes!  The upcoming decoration of our new house is what led us to our most amusing adventure in the City of Lights.  Well, I think it’s amusing.  My darling wife claims she still has sore feet from the experience. It started the day after we arrived – jet lag you say?  No, I never pay attention to jet lag.  Of course, I get it, but I just keep going.  I’m in Paris

and I’m going to waste time sleeping?

Wedding rings and Cafe au lait

 So, first we had breakfast, mmm… café au lait and warm croissants.  Then, on our way to the Metro, we passed the market and that scarf stall, for what turned out to be our first of many purchases there.  We took the Metro to the other side of the Seine way out to the 12th arrondissement  to the Transportation Headquarters.  For some unknown Parisian reason the museum passes that we had purchased on-line back home needed to be picked up there.  After a lengthy wait – also for some unknown Parisian reason- we had the passes in hand.

Margot and scarf at Montmartre carousel 

     A quick jambon et fromage crepe later we were back on the Metro and on our way to the Guimet Museum – full of glorious Asian art and wondrous Buddhas.  Then a bateau trip down the Seine to the Musee d'Orsay to drool over the Impressionists, including my favourite - Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe.

Erin and scarf at Shakespeare and Company

Well, after that Margot wanted to take a taxi to our next destination, the Bazaar Hotel de Ville (a fantastic department store that a friend had told us about, full of wonderful home decor) – but I said, “Are you kidding?  We’re in Paris, we’ll cross back over the river on the Pont de la Concorde and walk down the Rue di Rivoli, it can’t be that far.”

Margot and scarf on Japanese Bridge, Monet's Garden

 So, wanting to make me happy, tired as she was, she agreed and we started off.  We stopped at Angelina’s for their famous hot chocolate – so thick and rich it’s like drinking a melted chocolate bar. Each cup is served with a bowl full of whipped crème – to help cut the richness!  Thus revived, we began our trek.  

Erin and scarf at Monet's Garden

Wonderful shop windows to look in; jewelry stores, paper stores, bookstores, shoe stores.  As each block went by I’d say, “I’m sure it’s just ahead.”  But no.  Further we walked and no sight of the Bazaar Hotel de Ville.  And further…  finally there it was!  Voila!  All 5 glorious floors.  Margot headed to the fabric section and found some lovely burgundy embossed material to make kitchen curtains.

Erin and scarf with Venus at the Louvre

I found wonderful ceramic door handles and bought set after set in lime green, hot pink, blue and every other color to go with the Mexicolors we’d painted our new house.  We indulged in several drawer pulls and cabinet handles as well -  metal sculpted twigs and cunning mother of pearl shell shapes.  It was amazing how shopping made us forget that we were exhausted!

Tile Collection Board

On to the tile department.  I collect several tiles wherever I go (which I have since collaged onto a 2x4 foot board that graces our back deck).  Lots of lovelies here and added them to our stash.  By now, dusk was falling and we were more than ready to wend our way back to our little hotel on the Rue Mouffetard.

Rue Mouffetard leading into Place de la Contrescarpe

 The Metro was just across the street; with one transfer we could be a couple of blocks from the hotel.  Down the steps, caught the first train and sank gratefully into our seats-it doesn’t take long for ceramic door handles, drawer pulls and tile to be very heavy to carry around.  “Whew, I’m glad we’ll only have those two blocks to walk back to the hotel”, I said to Margot.  “Me too, remember? I was tired three hours ago,” she chuckled.

Parisienne Flower Market

 We pulled into the transfer station and found out it was one with a long, long walk to the other train we needed  - so long they had a moving sidewalk – that was out of order!  But that’s not the punch line.  When we got to the stair leading down to our train – it was blocked off.  That line stopped running at 9:00  and it was now 9:15!  So, we had to retrace our steps all that way back to the main part of the station and figure out a new route that eventually had us taking 2 trains and having a four block walk back to the hotel, carrying bags of heavy home decorating items!  But that’s not the punch line either.

The infamous handles - still unattached!

Back home, after four months, three locksmiths, and two handymen later, we were forced to give up on our dream of ceramic French door handles –apparently they take a completely different internal hardware system not available except in France and Sweden and couldn’t be re-tooled.  C’est la vie!

The Shoes in Paris

My daughter Jenny and I both had these shoes(mine were light brown) and they were so comfortable. We loved those shoes - so much that we took them to Paris and walked all over the City of Light. Jenny thought there should be some pictorial proof that the "shoes" had actually been there, so she laid down on the square in front of Notre Dame and snapped this. The ultimate picture of the shoes in Paris.

Six Years of Happiness

Green Awnings on Rue Moufftard - Elaine Moynihan Lisle

Six years ago today Margot and I were married (the non-legal wedding) and flew off the next day to celebrate with a honeymoon in Paris. We stayed in a tiny hotel on the corner of Rue Moufftard and Rue Pot de Fer. Imagine my delight when, perusing the web one night, I came upon this painting of the exact corner, showing the hotel entrance and upper floors above the corner cafe.
I quickly found the artist's website, unfortunately it was sold. Elaine Moynihan Lisle has painted not only in France, but Ireland, New York New England, the western US and many canvases featuring Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on her native Philadelphia.

A Life Changed Forever

photo courtesy of DK publishing

Seven years ago today I arrived in Paris for the first time. Not only Paris for the first time, but my first time ever out of the US. My younger daughter Jenny had just graduated high school, with four years of French under her belt, and this trip was her graduation present. My friend Susan came with us and for 10 days we had the time of our lives. Small cafes, museums, flea markets, food markets, shopping, sketching, journaling, cafe au lait, croissants, macaroons, pastis. From the top of the Eiffel Tower to the ruins of the Roman Baths beneath the museum at the Hotel de Cluny, from Versailles to Giverny, sunsets on the Seine and morning fog on the Rue du Bac. This trip was magical and memorable in and of itself, but it was also a gigantic turning point in my life. It opened up the world to me and I have never been the same.

Shakespeare & Company

"Time was Soft There" and pamphlet from Shakespeare & Co.

"Time was Soft There" - a memoir of Jeremy Mercer's sojourn working at Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris. A tale of the City of Lights, eccentric characters, time gone by, and books, books, and more books. This is a story of George Whitman who revived the bookshop, in 1951, 10 years after the original (founded by Sylvia Beach in 1919) was closed down by the Nazi occupation. It's the story of thousands of young men and women who have passed through the shop, staying and working for a few months, on their way to everywhere in the world. It is the story of a love of books, a love of people, and a love of Paris.

Me in front of Shakespeare & Co. - 2004