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Loving Surrealism and Surrealist Art as I do, the shot of the stairwell window in the sunlight touched my surrealist soul. With the light and that blue sky, surrounded with darkness; it truly looked like it was hanging in mid-air. I might have worried if it started spinning. Thankfully, that didn't happen. Happy Friday!
I've learned through the years, that I have absolutely no control over what it is that stirs the memories and brings those visits from the other side. This morning my friend Bennie Windstein (or Bernard Windstein Jr.) dropped by. It was my beautiful spider plant that made the magic this morning.
Bennie regularly brought baby spider plants over to me when he came to Columbus Street for dinner with mutual friends of ours. Each plant he brought had a poem attached that would always make me smile. I know I've kept them, but they are all in France...along with other letters and poems he wrote throughout the years of our friendship. Our friendship began in the fall of '82 and lasted until the day he passed in 1998. In fact, he was standing in the exact spot where that spider plant is sitting the night I met him here. A friend was running for judge in Criminal Court and myself and some other friends had hosted a party for her here.
It was wonderful to have him in the garden with me this morning. All those baby spider plants were speakiing to us. I was already planning in my mind how many sweet little pots I could scoop up somewhere and plant the so they'd get going as sweet gifts to friends. I journaled about his visit. When I went back to reread a bit from last summer in France, there he was again-Bennie and his Bells.
All of our lives have gone on since then. I frequently chat with Bennie from my garden in Cadrieu when the bells are chiming in Saujac or Montbrun. This is his first visit to Columbus Street in a while. There's a lot happening for a lot of our old friends these days too. Some I'm still in touch with and some have moved on. I couldn't help but wonder, if this was a special visit for him to peek in on us and provide some of his sage advice to some of us who could still use it from time to time. I wondered, what might Bennie say to them? Next time, I'll be sure to ask him.
I've blogged about Bennie before and will share an old post tomorrow.
It had been more than 10 years since I'd seen my friends Ileen and Jerry. They'd moved to Denver many moons ago, but this week they were in town for a family wedding and last night was the night to get together. I'd said come over for wine and cheese. They said and go to dinner afterwards, so it was a deal.
Even though I had the wine and cheese in the house. I wanted something a little more fun and special to offer too. Whole Food fit the bill, so I was off on my bike shortly after 8am yesterday morning. Whole Food on Broad Street has done everything they can do to reach out to the community. I knew I could get a bunch of fancy cheese all for under $3. They have a very nice wine we all love called Three Wishes for $3, so it was on my list as well.
It was fun to wander through the cheeses and see what I could get. I confess, I had to sneak my favorite in and it was a bit more...but worth every penny above $3 and more. But when I went over to the wines, no Three Wishes. I asked someone for help and he said: "I know exactly which one you're talking about. It's good and reasonable so we run out of it quickly, but it's sometimes sprinkled throughout the store." We headed back to the cheeses, et voila! Both my helper and the cheese men smiled when I teased...here I am with my $3 bottle of wine, my less than $3 a piece set of very nice cheeses...and I'm all set.
It was a great evening with Jerry, Ileen and I...another three! With that pretty French Boule of bread, we could almost pretend that we were in Cadrieu. Well, almost!
...New Orleans magical moments from Esplanade and Carrollton and the Moon Walk in the French Quarter. Both shots were taken before the storm. Happy Monday!
I left you yesterday with an invitation to return, so ...
...Even though I grew up in a world of blacks and whites, I was raised to believe that fairy tales came true and someday Prince Charming would arrive and stay. On that day, everything would be perfect and it would, of course, end with happily ever after. Being that person, my path still follows one extreme to the other before I'm able to settle on balance somewhere in the middle. This journey was no different. It began in Paris in 1992, where I was alone, lost, wet, cold and spoke no French. My joy for independent travel had deserted me. I was scared. I wished each day in Paris were my last.
By the time the inspirational leg of my journey began in '98, I had stopped my life. I'd quit my job. My brother and his girlfriend had agreed to stay in my house and take care of my pets. All my bills were paid through the end of December. I was free. I was still scared. I was heading to the Lot Valley in the Midi-Pyrenees region in the south of France to spend five weeks in the vacant home of my freinds Wendy and Stephane Eloit, and then return to Paris for three weeks where I had rented an apartment off of the Avenue Opera.
I believed that this last leg was the end of my journey. I laugh as I write because I now know that living well in our world requires constant challenge, questioning, change, and an ability to savor those surprises that are more amazing than anything we could have planned. I've traded in those first once upon a times for today's happily ever after journey that now crosses two continents and two millenniums. From home in New Orleans, I found Paris in 1992. Forced to discover another Paris in 1995, I was carried to the Lot where I found my own Moon River.
And, that's not the end of the story.
The left eye of the Bengal tiger stared me down. Mouth open, teeth barred, he raised his paw in the air above my head. My eyes bulged. My hands shook. The wall of constantly rumbling family voices behind me blurred everything. I readied to pounce. But then, Grandma came up behind me to rest her hand just lightly enough on my shoulder to let me know she was there, and Mom yelled from the kitchen into the living room: "Play Moon RIver, Laury." We tamed the silk Bengal tiger that lived in the gold bamboo frame above my piano once more.
Although Henry Mancini's Moon River was our favorite, my repertoire included: "Till There Was You," "If Ever I Would Leave You," "More," and, many others that screamed a bunch of hopeless romantics lived in that very middle class, north county, St. Louis suburb. Even though I traded piano lessons for pompoms, the weekly scene continued. That hopeless romantic stuff didn't get me very far. My versions of those old standards would be: "Till There Was Me," "If Ever I Would Leave Me," and, "More," would have to be "Too Many to Count." But, Moon RIver was always Moon River.
I've often wondered if it was Grandma's soft touch or Mom's hollering in the midst of all that huckleberry friending that carried me on my journey to my own Moon River. My friends and acquaintances called me an inspiration and brave. But, I knew I had to go. Now, I wonder what happens when I put my magic to paper? Does it disappear when imprisoned by the page, or does it tickle the souls of kindred spirits, offering an invitation?
And, you are invited to return tomorrow for more.
Leaving early for a meeting in Baton Rouge this morning, I'd like to share a couple of vintage photos of my Nannie and Papa who graced yesterday's photo and intro to the upcoming story posts.
I don't know if the early 50's is quite "vintage" yet, but these photos of me with my Papa in the country are two of my favorites. It's hard to miss all that love and adoration in my eyes.
Even though Nannie and Papa were in fact our great aunt and uncle, growing up they were our grandparents in every other way. They were a stability and touchstone for us that provided unending unconditional love.
Mom and I lived with them when we came back from England, and Dad still had a little Air Force time to finish up.
Papa made my doll bed and my doll clothes wardrobe for me. Is it any wonder that when I said I wanted to take piano lessons, that they would do whatever they could to provide?
So much love...so many treasures...and, so may angels on my shoulders!
Finding this photo of Nannie and Papa sitting on my piano bench on Kappel Drive, made my heart flutter. Look at it closely. I will be back tomorrow with the beginnings of a story to accompany the photo. I began this story years ago, and would enjoy sharing it with you over time. It's called: "My Own Moon River." Until then!
Once the barn screamed: "I want to be the celebration star this summer!", I went to work with my birthday and holiday list in hand. Behind each window, door, shutter or gate; you will find a photo that speaks to our love and shared memories. It can be a challenge to find enough photos to grace each opening, and then sometimes the shapes just don't work, but the barn and I always prevailed in the end.
It can be so much fun to pull those decorative ribbons and find the surprise that lurks below. In the past, I've made these cards with magazine photos. I particularly love the shots from Arts et Decoration magazine in France, but without my magazines; I resorted to using my own photos as the card base...and it was even more fun.
I quickly discovered, that in some cases "instructions" were required. Not everyone realized that there was something special waiting for them under each ribbon.
It's quite a luxury to have the time to make these handmade cards this summer. I love being able to make them, enjoy the responses returned, AND stay out of the heat while I work. But, I must admit that the very best part for me is the chance to have my own trip down memory lane. Enjoy!
One of my first and favorite photos of our barn in Cadrieu was taken long before she became part of our "we". How could you NOT fall in love with her? She was on the road to becoming part of our "we" from our 2002 go, even if it took us until 2010 to work our magic and divine her to come to us.
With so many birthdays and special celebrations in July, there she was again...letting me know she is a huge part of my life. It makes no difference if there are 5000 miles and an ocean between us, I carry her in my heart and she speaks to me. So much so, that she became the focus of my handmade cards this go round. It began with Mother's Day and my brother-in-law's birthday and kept right on going into July.
Come back tomorrow when we'll be Raising the Barn and Opening Windows, and you can see some of my handmade cards in action.