Living abroad and learning to navigate through a new environment and to assimilate into a different culture is exciting, fun, frustrating and as time-consuming as any actual full-time job would be. For one year and seven weeks now we have been splitting our time between one Central American and one European country. Since neither of […]
While we are undertaking a bathroom remodel on the 2ème étage, which in American English means the 3rd floor, one of my chores is to score a parking spot for our contractor. Street parking in the center of town is strictly subdivided into pay parking and free parking, whereby the free parking is a minimum […]
The other day circumstances dictated the necessity of having an early lunch out, but most restaurants won’t serve lunch before noon. What comes to mind immediately? Of course! Mickey D’s. No, not the Mickey D of @The_Phatcave fame, but Vincent’s Mickey D’s of Pulp Fiction fame. Do you remember the epic hamburger conversation? Partial quote: […]
We spend this Valentine’s Day busily doing household chores and running errands. After we were finally done, a last quest took us to the chocolatier. Not just any chocolatier, but our very own neighborhood chocolate maker “La Chocolataise” on Cour National, the main road through town just two blocks from our house. True to form […]
As we remember the terror attacks in Paris last week, we must open our hearts wider, much wider to include the victims of an almost simultaneous attack by the Al-Qaida affiliated terror organization Boko Haram in Nigeria. After their latest massacre in Baga, we know the terrorists will not stop in their drive to destroy humanity […]
On the bright and sunny morning of New Year’s Eve, we walked over to the market to purchase the ingredients for a festive meal for New Year’s Day. Our butcher’s wife, Mme Besson, gave us the first hint, the first indication that New Year’s Eve in Saintes has more of a carnival atmosphere than Shrove […]
Today we celebrate our 37th anniversary, or as a very nice French person said earlier, our 37th wedding birthday. It was a sunny and crisp day, perfect for a drive through the countryside. A drive with a specific destination, however. We were aiming for the village of Breuillet. Breuillet is about 10 Km or a […]
I have loved the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe for a long time. While we lived in Chicago I was a member of the Art Institute and I dropped in several times a week to sit in front of my favorite, The Black Place. Another one of her paintings exhibited at the Art Institute was more of […]
NOT IN A STRAIGHT LINE by Photolera Claudinha 