Happy (Belated) Birthday Sonia

I forgot my friend Sonia's birthday last week. She turned 78 on December 28th. I have known her since I was 11 years old - over 49 years! Sonia, (or Mrs. Martin as I called her for much of my life) was my semantics teacher when I was in the 7th and 8th grades at Kepner Junior High in Denver. "Semantics" was the name of the English class that prepared us for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

"Words of the Champions" was our bible as we pored over thousands of words, their derivation, etymology, pronunciation, and usage. But we didn't just study - we had fun too! One of my favorite memories is when Sonia took us to the zoo to spell the animals. Think about it - besides rhinoceros, you have oryx, kudu, meerkat, lemur, etc.

Speaking of animals, Sonia has always been more of an animal-person than a people-person. Her large property north of Denver has been home to horses, dogs, a donkey, a goat, a pig, not to mention owls, hawks, coyotes, prairie dogs (not welcome), and dozens of other species of critters that fly, run, or slither.


Here is a picture of Sonia with her purebred Arabian stallion Lindy. Lindy was quite docile, though, and Sonia taught me to ride using English saddle and bridle.


Sonia is alone now, accompanied only by her Airedale named Owen. Owen is a rascal who is tall enough to steal dinner directly from the counter whenever Sonia turns her back.

Sonia and I correspond almost daily via Skype (IM) and email. She is my one of biggest supporters, and closest friends. She is also my behind-the-scenes proofreader ;-)

Happy Birthday and Happy New Year, Sonia

With Love and Thanks from Paris,
Elaine

Amateur photographer

I went out early this morning hoping to see and photograph the eclipse of the sun visible from Paris. A serious photographer would have carefully plotted viewpoints, camera angles, and timing. I neglected to do that. I did check for cloud cover, and got an early start. However, I'm not exactly sure where to look for the rising sun (my windows face west and I know all about sunset, but not sunrise). The task is complicated by the tall buildings all around here. So I ended up wandering east, eyes on the sky, looking for breaks in the buildings and in the clouds.

I never did see the sun or the eclipse - too many clouds. But I did end up in a neighborhood I'd never visited before. I found a couple of parks full of rhododendrons, azaleas, and cherry trees, and vowed to come back when they're flowering. I also stumbled on this church. It's called Notre Dame de l'Arche d'Alliance. It was designed by the same architects that created the Institut du Monde Arabe (more on that one later).






Front doors:


Closeup of exterior walls:


P.S. Did I mention that my daughter-in-law Rachel is an architect? So I often think of her when stumbling on unique structures such as this.

Sunday evening

Dating is hard work. How can you get to know someone, being open to possibilities, without being judgmental? Which characteristics are charming, while others are showstoppers? How can you go beyond physical appearance, the sound of his voice, the touch of his hand, and still be objective? How can you involve all three elements - intellect, emotion, and physical attraction to find the right combination? What is it that you are really looking for? How do you know if or when you've found it?

Not easy.

The last few days have been tough. I haven't seen Dominique since last Thursday. We weren't together for New Year's Eve - he had another commitment. Meanwhile, a couple of things came up during our lunch on Thursday that caused me to stop and reconsider. And so I raised the issues. It's important to be honest, right? And to be able to resolve questions as they arise rather than ignoring them, right? But communication since then has been sparse. What happens next? I don't know.

In the meantime, I decided not to stay home and mope. I went out Sunday afternoon and was lucky to snag a ticket for the sold-out, final performance of My Fair Lady (performed in English!) at the Théâtre de Châtelet. The show was great, and the theatre location in the center of Paris reminded me how much I love this beautiful city. The walk back to the metro took me past the Hôtel de Ville with its temporary ice skating rink:


And nearby Notre Dame.


Paris IS beautiful, isn't it?

p.s. After writing the above, I heard from Dominique. Everything is OK, even though I won't see him for another few days - and even then, for just a couple of hours in between his other commitments. No matter. At least communication is back on track.

Happy New Year

Who is Inge? Dominique asked the question over lunch the other day. He found the mention of her name here and didn't know what it meant.

I guess I haven't really explained, have I?

Inge Jeike was my best friend in high school. After graduation, she went to the University of Colorado (CU) in Boulder and I went to Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins. It was during my freshman year at CSU that I met Charlie. We were married just 7 months after we met - on September 7th, 1968. Back in those days it was unthinkable to live together before you were married - at least as far as my father was concerned! So Charlie and I moved into a cute little house in Ft. Collins and both of us continued our studies - I was a sophomore, he was a graduate student.

However, the marriage didn't last, and we were divorced in June 1972 - shortly before my graduation from college. I moved in with Inge and she and I planned a trip to Europe to celebrate our college graduation. We found a charter flight that was offering one-way tickets from Denver to Paris for $100 ! Let's go! Furthermore, Inge's sister had been living and teaching in Germany and she left behind a Volkswagen Beetle for Inge.

September 1, 1972 - Inge and I boarded the plane to Paris and a day or two later, we took the train to Germany, picked up the VW, and took off on a tour of Europe with no plans, no reservations, no idea where we'd end up - following our "pif". Our road trip lasted more than three months and included several countries and lots of adventures. Here we are in Greece enjoying a fish dinner fresh from the sea.


But here's a surprise - Charlie bought a ticket on the same charter flight. He "followed" me to Paris. And eventually, with Inge's help, he won me back and we got back together in Paris. There is a LOT more to that story, but this is the very abbreviated version.

Back to Inge: She stayed in Paris for a while longer and then eventually moved back to the U.S. She was working as a marketing director for a ski resort in Lake Tahoe when she was killed in a small plane crash carrying her boss and a couple of co-workers. It was in August, 1977. She was 27 years old. I was here in Paris, pregnant with my son Eric, and unable to return to Colorado for the funeral.

I often think about the blessings that my life has provided me - my long term relationship with Charlie, my incredible sons, luck in my career(s). Inge missed out on the long term relationship. She never had children. And so every morning when I wake up to a new day filled with love, filled with possibilities, filled with LIFE, I make an effort to appreciate these precious days, these precious gifts, and I resolve to observe and appreciate every day that I have on this earth. And what better day to remember than the first day of a New Year.

Love and blessings and joy and appreciation to all.

Happy New Year

Happy Birthday Philippe

Today is my son Philippe's 35th birthday. I'm sorry I won't be in Colorado to celebrate with him and the rest of the family. I'll be thinking of him, though.

His first Christmas and birthday in Paris. Already interested in books.


Reading to Eric


Big brother


High school days


Graduation - Bachelor's degree


And now with his wife Rachel


Philippe and Rachel during a previous visit to Paris - before I moved here. They'll be coming again in May, 2011 !

I won't be partying today, but I will be counting my blessings which are captured in the photos above.

Love from Paris,
Elaine (Mom)

Foggy Tuesday

The Tour Eiffel has her head in the clouds today.


Now you can see why I appreciate the rare blue sky here.

Monday

I didn't have to wait until Tuesday. I saw Dominique today. Yes, that's the name of the new mystery man in my life. He lives in the suburbs west of Paris, and today I went west to meet him closer to his place. We met at the Chateau de Saint Germain en Laye.


We didn't bother to go inside, and instead took a walk in the gardens nearby.


As you can see from the photos, it's cold here, and we warmed up with a hot drink and a pain au chocolat following our walk.

I'll see him again tomorrow. And Thursday. And . . .