Bricolage

"Bricolage" refers to home projects or "do it yourself". Patrice is great at this. We've been preparing for my permanent move by rearranging closets and creating more space for my stuff. This week we built shelves downstairs in the cellar. The walls are concrete, but that doesn't faze Patrice who has a tool for every task.



He's very adept at all sorts of tasks, but I held my breath as he tapped into live wires in the switch box while standing on top of a ladder. He seemed to know what he was doing, though, and the job was finished in a flash. We have a great partnership when it comes to household tasks; we share the work, the decisions, and the cost of our joint projects


(OK, maybe I didn't drill all the holes? ;-)



Oh, by the way, did I mention that we also share the cooking??

Tour de France

I didn't see the finish of the Tour de France this year, but I couldn't resist stealing this photo of the race that appeared on French TV.

Paris Tour Guide (part 2)

Of course, no visit to Paris is complete without a visit to the Eiffel Tower. It is especially beautiful at night.

And if you happen to be nearby, you'll see that it sparkles every hour on the hour for five minutes.

Paris Tour Guide

I love showing friends around MY Paris. Marty, a good friend of Philippe and Rachel's, was in Paris this week. I was pleased to lend him my apartment and to spend a few hours walking around Paris, telling stories.

I met Marty at Au Sauvignon, my favorite wine bar near St. Germain, and from there we walked east towards St. Michel and the Latin Quarter. Then, across the Seine to Notre Dame followed by a beer on the Ile St. Louis.

We crossed the Seine again and checked out the Paris Plages (beaches). Each summer, the city of Paris closes off the street along the Seine and brings in tons of sand and creates a summer getaway for those who can't leave Paris. I wrote about this last year.

Here are a couple of photographs from this year's event . .

Amateur sand castle


Professional sand castle!


This couple didn't want their picture taken

Anniversary

July 19th was the three month anniversary of the day that Patrice and I met. Three months. Is that all? It feels like we've known each other forever. A huge surprise to us both. And probably to many of you, too.

We have been living together since the middle of May. We have decided for many reasons to live in Patrice's apartment on the east side of Paris: 1. He is the owner rather than renter, 2. There is more usable space, and 3. The monthly charges are half what I was paying before. I have given my notice to René and Sophie, and will be officially giving up my apartment at the end of September.

We observed the anniversary by going back to the scene of our first meeting and drinking another Kwak to celebrate.

Here's what Patrice had to say on the occasion of our anniversary:

"Three months! It’s at the same time a long and a short period.
Three months of happiness!
I wonder how many people haven’t known even a single day of happiness ?
And, you know, it’s only beginning. . .
I can never thank Christopher Columbus enough for having discovered the New World. It’s really a New World for me and, I hope, for Elaine too.
We are on our way for the next twenty years, at least."

14 Juillet

Thursday was France's national holiday - the equivalent of our 4th of July. The day is always marked with a military parade on the Champs Elysees. We didn't make it to the parade, but awoke to the sound of the jets streaking overhead.


Later we went to the nearby Place de la Nation to check out the tanks and other vehicles on display for the public.

You can see that kids like to climb all over over these things. .

Atlantic Coast

We didn't spend all of our time in the oyster beds of Arcachon - we also visited the coastal town of Cap Ferret. On the way, we stopped and dipped our toes in the ocean. I forgot my swimming suit that day - and besides, the water is pretty cold - about 64 degrees F.


On the way back, we stopped by a little restaurant where the special of the day was paella. Yumm.


We also climbed up a lookout point with a narrow winding staircase.


The view from above was exquisite. But maybe we weren't paying attention?


By the way, do you notice anything significant in this photo?

I've started wearing skirts . . . occasionally . . . . uh oh. What next?