Happy Birthday Eric

Today is my son Eric's 36th birthday. Already. Another year has flown by. You may be able to tell from his smile that he loves life and brings joy to all those who know him.

He is currently following his dream and studying for a PhD in Chinese Medicine in Hong Kong. Some of his classes include medicinal plant anatomy and microscopy - taught in Chinese! But he loves it and I'm incredibly proud of him.

I'd like to take this opportunity to share a few of my favorite photos of him.

 Eric (right) reading with big brother Philippe

I feel blessed to have two wonderful sons. And I love the women they have chosen to share their lives.

WICE Member Gallery

I was pleased to have another photo selected for display in the WICE offices. Do you remember this photo from my trip to Portland in January?

We had some interesting discussions with other artists and photographers during the vernissage last night.

Sur les berges de la Seine

The weather on Sunday afternoon was gorgeous, and despite recent pollution alerts we took a bike ride along the river banks (berges) of the Seine that have been converted to pedestrian use.

 

Normandy American Cemetery

Normandy American Cemetery sits on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel. It contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations.

A dense fog rolled in from the sea shortly after we arrived, lending an even more somber tone to our visit.

 

 

Pointe du Hoc

After visiting Utah Beach, an easy victory for the Americans, we traveled east along the coast to the Point du Hoc, a 100 ft cliff overlooking the English channel. During World War II it was the highest point between Utah Beach to the west and Omaha Beach to the east. The Germans fortified the area with concrete casements and gun pits. On D-Day (June 6, 1944) the U.S. Army Rangers scaled the cliffs and seized the German artillery pieces that could have fired on the American landing troops at Omaha and Utah beaches. At a high cost of life, they successfully defended against determined German counterattacks.

The ground still carries the scars of heavy shelling

Sainte-Mère-Eglise

2014 is the 70th anniversary of the landings on the Normandy beaches during WWII. We traveled to Sainte-Mère-Eglise about 3 hours northwest of Paris to visit the area where paratroopers landed during the night of June 5th. The town has developed an innovative way to visit the area using a GPS system loaded with video clips and other information to guide the visitor during a 50 km tour of the area.

Sainte-Mère-Eglise is the town where one of the paratroopers gets trapped on the steeple of the church, an event that was immortalised in the movie "The Longest Day."

The entire area is dotted with monuments thanking the Americans for their role in liberating France.

Henri Cartier Bresson

Centre Pompidou

A brand new retrospective of the works of the photographer Henri Cartier Bresson just opened at the Centre Pompidou. It features a collection of over 500 photographs and drawings arranged chronologically to illustrate the evolution of his work.

Expos such as this remind me of why I enjoy living in Paris:  a) I love riding the escalators to the top floor of the Centre Pompidou. The skyline of central Paris slowly reveals itself through the walls of the transparent exterior tunnel as you ascend to the top floor. And b) The Cartier Bresson exhibit is like taking a complete class in photo composition.

Salerne, Italy, 1933