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...bombed by beautiful bananas in the dark the other morning; I fell in love with bananas in a whole new way! I couldn't get over the texture, the flowers, the partnering of power with gentleness and huge with tiny. What a find!
It makes no difference if it's the blue skies of home in Cadrieu or the backyard black of New Orleans mornings; there's nothing like a solid background to bring out the beauty when you take time to explore and experiment!
Treasures!
I can't get a shot from almost 5000 miles away and an ocean between us, so these shots taken from the Belgian Cross on the other side of the Lot RIver in the Aveyron Department will have to do for now.
In these moments when I'm covered up with people, work and loss...feeling home carries me to that place of peace. The puzzle pieces are moving and shifting and will soon settle into place to get me home and much more settled again. I'm looking forward to those days. But for now, it is crystal clear that it continues to be important for me to be stateside.
I am so spoiled it isn't even funny. As happy as I am to have our newly named "Violette" back in our lives on Columbus Street; I seem to be missing my Monsieur Winkelmann even more. Most of it is him, but it is also the setting.
Imagine opening the front door to that view while you play. All three shuttered windows to the river are opened too.
The sunshine and river music creep in (even if you have to take the traffic too). We are a symphony. As grand as those days are; it's the rainy days when I feel like I could play forever. At the Chatette, we have our Piano Room. We are uncluttered. We move and breathe differently.
So many lessons. I've learned to live alone and love it. I've learned to live far away from loves in my life and make the most of it for what it is.
Somewhere in the distance, there's a missing magic. This morning, I'm reaching into these photos and hugging my Monsieur. I am there. I love him more. And yes...spoiled for this wonderful life.
...to tomorrow's red moon, I've found: gorgeous, colorful morning moons; stars; planets; constellations; and yes,...ANGELS.
It's been quite a week. There's no doubt that there are major energies moving around out there in the universe. All week has felt "high frequency" to me, with ranges and sways of moods and feelings.
I've tried to pay attention. You know something is going on, but you just can't put your finger on it. This week it was reflected in every morning sky. Orion is back for the fall/winter season. I love seeing him return. He always feels like an old friend to me. I noticed him in the sky for the first time this morning.
I'm not sure if it was a star or a planet, but for the first time this morning I caught this guy just a little bit from the backyard.
The moon and the clouds were spectacular this morning.
But as you can see, there was great range and movement there too.
I didn't need my garden angels to remind me of all of the angels on my shoulders this week; two more got their wings. On Wednesday, Ron Gardner passed away. I'd worked with Ron during my brief stint in Dutch Morial's administration. One of the best parts of my days was when Ron would walk down that long aisle on the second floor and stopped in to say hello. He was always smiling, always charming, and brightened my day. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. He had a way of spreading joy and love in an environment that wasn't always full of those two things.
And then there's my friend, mentor, and personal champion-Russ Carll. I've written about Russ and Angela throughout the week. Early in the week, we'd found out that Russ had been moved to hospice. Russ passed around noon on Friday. Russ and Angela have been in my life ever since Angela interviewed me for my first job in New Orleans at the Coalition for Action. It's hard to believe that we are coming up on 40 years here soon. They've shared their lives, children, and friends with me. They've been to see me in France at least 3 times. We have many memories to share and cherish.
I still smile remembering the time that Russ told me: "You're a Renaissance Woman, Laury!" I didn't feel that way at the time, but over the years I've come to feel it, believe it, and wear it well. Russ could see the brightest shining lights in all of us, that we often couldn't see for ourselves. He had a gift. I'm going to miss him very much. My shoulders are a little heavier these days. I carry my angels proudly, and wear them well.
A bientot, my friends. You are always close in my heart!
What a morning! I'm getting very simple pleasure out of the fact that my bedding and the book I'm reading at the moment match! (Hmmm...it also matches the color of the type here too!) Happy Saturday!
Most visits, friends arrive at the Gare d'Cahors from Paris around 3:30 in the afternoon. That is perfect for me since I can catch the 12:30ish bus from Cadrieu into Cahors to meet them at the station and then get us all home. I was expecting to scoop a reserved rental car, but instead we all headed home on the bus.
The Carlls are pros. They'd been to Cadrieu many times and knew that they wanted to spend their first day in Cajarc. They headed out to walk into town along the river, and made it back in time for dinner. Their second day they caught the bus into Cahors so they could scoop their rental car to go to Condom and spend the night. Angela's family is from there so any time they come, it has become a pilgrimage point. They'd be arriving back at the Chatette to spend their last night with me and then heading back to Paris in the morning.
Imagine my surprise on that last night when Russ returns in the rental car with no Angela. Russ told me that she was tired of being in the car and wanted to come home on the bus. I'd planned a nice "last supper" for us that was ready to be brought to the terrace.
Russ and I caught up. When it was time for the bus to come, Russ drove up to the bus stop to scoop Angela. I waited. I waited. The bus didn't pass in front of the house. Russ came back in the car and asked if Angela was there? When I told him no bus and no Angela he drove back to the bus stop. Eventually, the bus passed and Russ and Angela arrived. Angela had a story.
Certain days of the week, the buses also bring the children home from school. This happened to be one of those days and the children were not well behaved. Evidently, somewhere between Larnagol and Cajarc the bus driver stopped the bus for a second or third time, but this time threatened to put the trouble makers out by the side of the road. Angela was in the middle of all the screaming and crying children. Considering the drop off and very little shoulder on that part of the road, order was restored. All those discipline stops along the way made the bus very late, which is very unusual.
Even after all that excitement, Angela opted to take the bus in to Cahors to catch their train back to Paris while Russ drove in. It was a whirlwind three days, but full of fun, quality time, good food, good wine, long-time friends, and many cherished memories. Making the memories work extra special hard today to bring lots of positive energy and love to Russ and Angela and the rest of the family. Cherished moments and memories for sure! Love to all!
Sam loves wandering around on pianos. Somedays she even helps me play. As happy as we are to have my childhood piano back, it's still a bit of a struggle trying to learn new tunes. The old reliables just tumble out in to place, and it doesn't matter about that crashing plywood.
The Ponce Intermezzo #1 is coming along nicely, and now my other sheet music has arrived. The sound has improved tremendously since the tuning, but now the keys feel stiff and strange in their striking.
We will soldier on. You can bet that it makes no difference if it's our "Monsieur Winkelmann" at home in Cadrieu, or our "Violette" on Columbus Street that has been newly annointed by Kate; Piano Sam won't be very far away.
Are we really easing into fall here in
It's difficult not to remember all those
wonderful bike rides into Cajarc on
gorgeous fall days!
Enjoy!
Happy Sunday!
Why does everyone get to go out and play with the butterflies except me?
Bummer!
Sometimes those unexpected happenings that bridge the past and the present can help us move on. I shared the bridge of color earlier in the week. When I remembered the sweet upstairs, back, guest bedroom that I had before the storm, it seemed that the slate green color that I'd used there would now be perfect in the "library"! You can see how rich and welcoming it is! The artwork, tables, NO/AIDS Task Force Bears, pillows and side table are all gone. The bed is still with me and all that bedding is living in Cadrieu. That green is a gift of love and moving on. Happy Friday!