Category: Uncategorized
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Ce que nous laissons derrière
We hiked in silence today. 35 degrees and gusting winds will do that to a person. Better to tuck your ruddy cheeks into your scarf, pull your hat down a bit lower on your head, and lean into the trail. Hiking in silence does more than conserve your precious heat. It also expands your senses. …
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Au-delà du brouillard
It was a true planes, trains, and automobiles moment. Back in the US and trying to fly from LA to Portland on Christmas Eve (which I don’t recommend!) we looked at the flights ahead of us. Canceled Canceled Delayed 2 hrs Great. But I was determined to get home to see my family for Christmas,…
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Guardien sur la colline
We hear him from afar.He is uncertain of us perhaps, or perhaps it is I of him. Snow lays all around – bunched around rocks and bushes;Tucked in sloppily like a duvet roused by a fitful night’s sleep. His cry a lonely echo against the boulders – where are you in this isolated space? We walk…
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Glisser en arrière
Snow is slowly adorning the foothills behind our village, delicately decorating the summits white and creating a tantalizing sight from our hilltop. Mounts that were recently verdant and colorful are now salt and pepper with wisps of soft clouds winding among the folds and valleys. Freshly baked gingerbread wreaths dusted with powder and pearled sugar. …
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Stabilité
Our immigration consultant asked me for evidence of “stabilité de votre résidence” and I had to chuckle. Obviously, proof of residential stability is a necessity for official documents, but the irony of our situation was clear. Here we are: a family that just rid itself of almost everything it owned, packed the rest in 6 bags…
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Des nuages
Joni Mitchell is other-worldly – a goddess of poetics, melody, and musical range. A few in history have shared talent like this, but the list is short and distinguished. I am clearly not alone in this opinion and her resonance with millions of people over the last 60 years bears this witness. I’ve often wondered…
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Le premier givre sur le Piste de Marbrière
Almost snow-like, but not quite. Dazzling field of jewels laid delicately on each leaf.A slight crunch with each step I take, and I am heart broken.I have interrupted the pristine work of a deity. Air cold, but the sun warms our back as we wander in silence. Snow blankets far off mountains, feign close enough…
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Changement des saisons
We are officially in fall here in Mougins. The chilled air bears headier scents, musky and dank. The colorful leaves pass underfoot with a delightful crunch – once verdant they now lay discarded in bits and pieces all around. It’s delicious. When we moved here in August, it was quite hot and humid. We fought…
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Pas de sel
Our little troop has found itself in Italy this week for the Toussaint holiday – delightful Florence and tantalizing Venice – and both are feasts for the senses. Italy is a place that hasn’t dangled in my imagination as much as other places but it’s hard to deny its romanticism. We took our honeymoon in…
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Changement de perspective
When I was a child, I used to hang my head off the couch and watch my mother talk to me upside down. I found this hysterical – the way her mouth moved in the wrong direction, her peculiar smile or frown drawn straight from Picasso. She was a fun house mirror image telling me…
40 Weeks in France 