Soar-Dream-France

A Most Favorite Place in the World

 

 

If you guessed the Napoleon House in the New Orleans French Quarter, you would be right!

I'm feeling wistful and longing for some of the cornerstones of my social life these days. Friends and family are one thing, but for me as a single person, places are another.

You see, while I enjoy going to my favorite places and sharing them with others...

...I am often found in these spots on my own. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Napoleon House has been in my life since 1976 through to this very moment...45 years this year!

As you can imagine, we've lived through a lot together!

The last time I was there was with Joan.

Seems we went down twice during her Mardi Gras visit.

Wendy and I also enjoyed it when she came down that January!

 

 

 

Ever so grateful, that these two friends of enduring friendships I made in France, actually made it to New Orleans before the virus hit.

 

 

So today, I'm missing my alone time with the Napoleon House.

If I were there today and I could, I would be the first one there when they opened the doors.

I'd make a beeline for my booth.

 

 

I'd say hello to Larry in his photo above my table...

 

 

...and, I'd hope that Robert would have my table on his list.

 

 

I'd order a reuben with a sandwich side of jambalaya, a diet coke, and maybe some of their wonderful spinach artichoke dip to channel Joan, even if it were too much for me.

All of that would be more than enough for a short visit.

Feeling fine, and loving on my place... 

 

 

...I might even decide to just stay on further into the afternoon with a demi-bottle of any French red and a cheese board to keep me company while I journal!

 

 

Ah, the magic of this place I love most in the world.

 

 

I am there!

Happy Saturday!

 

 

First Steps Into Spring

 

 

If you look closely at this photo, you can see that the white blooming plum on the right is well on its way, but my pink plum is easing into wisps of pink that had me in anticipation!

I had to go down and take a closer look!

It felt good to be wandering around in the sunshine and seeing how everyone was doing down there.

The bamboo has gone mad.

 

 

 

 

The wisteria is pushing out early buds and grown further down along the top and bottom of the wall. The snowdrops are beyond flowering now, but the primroses are everywhere!

The Chatette side of our pink plum is easing out, but the point side that gets more sunshine is pushing out faster.

I'm ready!

 

 

 

With this warmer weather continuing for the next week and maybe more, I'm guessing mid week I'll have full tree pink plum blooming!

 

Happy Friday!

 

 

Feeling Flowery

 

 

Maybe I should have saved myself a lot of trouble and just said:

 

"Sunflowery!"

 

Enjoy!

 

Happy Sunflower Thursday!

 

Facebook Photo Books

 

 

One of the things I started doing a few years after I began blogging and started with Facebook, was to order the Social Book and the ReSnap Photo Books.

 

 

 

 

I dipped my toe in with the Social Book which is really more of an accounting of Facebook photos, posts, timelines, comments, etc. The ReSnap Photo books are just that, only photos that you have posted on Facebook. Last year, I did a Social Book for 2019 and a ReSnap Photo Book for the first decade of my time on Facebook. This year, I'd decided only the photo book for the year 2020.

 

 

The first two shots at the beginning of the post are the front and back covers. The shot above is the first page. What a start with so many memories and things that I wanted to remember, but might have forgotten.

 

 

It's a great way to catalogue your year, events, and have gorgeous prints of your photos that you might only have digitally. I always let them choose the photos that are included and generally get the higher quality paper and finish. You don't have to do that though...you can make your own choices!

 

 

This year, it's particularly important for me to have these photos. 2020 was quite a year for so many reasons. It's nice to have a record and be able to flip through and relive so much of the best, that was in fact, the very best of surviving the pandemic in New Orleans and Cadrieu...so many people and so much love!

 

 

The many blessings of such a wonderful life in both places.

 

 

I've shared some of the pages and people here. I will send them to those of you who are featured individually. It's nice to be able to look back and smile from ear to ear, even if we're still all living in such trying times! What a gang I gave...all over the world!

 

Happy Wednesday!

 

Croix des Belges

 

This view of the Chatette from the Belgian Cross on the other side of the Lot in the Aveyron, is one of my favorites. When friends and family come and they have cars (or friends are available to drive us), I like to take everyone to the other side of the Lot River to see "us" from another perspective.

Generally, we begin in Saujac on Monsieur Faret's land right on the bank of the Lot.

 

 

It gives us a perfect view of the Chatette and is the perfect spot for photos with the Chatette in the background.

You know you've hit the magic jackpot when you catch reflections!

Today, I discovered for the first time that the Belgian Cross had been vandalized in Spring of 2020. A July 2020 article, described it and showed a photo in the body of the post saying that it had been "decapitated!"

There is apparently a "replacment cross," installed for the moment.

 

It sounds as if this story is not over and that there is planning for next steps. I shall see what I can find out and let y'all know. 

 

 

I have so many wonderful memories of all the visits made to the cross with friends and family.

As I say often, during these pandemic times these memories are so much more profound.

As sad as I am about this is as furious as I am too.

 

 

Only horrible, evil people would do something like this.I try very hard NOT to take my friends and family for granted. I realized as I wrote, that I have taken it for granted that the Belgian Cross would always be there.

Of course, the site is still there, but I feel like a place and thing I have loved and cherished has been assaulted and debased.

 

Perhaps, there will be a new day on the horizon.

 

Chez Laury

 

Today is the day. Nineteen years ago, the Chatette and I became a WE.

I wanted to do something special for today to celebrate. In the past, I've stopped in to see friends and neighbors with a bottle of champagne, plastic glasses, and chocolates to leave behind with them. These days, I'm celebrating here. I was tempted to do a chronology of all that has happened, but how boring and probably way too long. So instead, I want to share OUR immortal magic with you today.

We are here and it is moving!

 

 

During 2007. Marina was coming down to play my Monsieur and arrange music to be used for teaching at the Boston Ballet where she was the lead pianist. What a treat! Sitting out on the stoop one day, there was a piece of music that screamed this place. I teased her that it should be our theme song.

 

Et voila! Marina gave me that piece of sheet music. I went to work learning it myself, with much less flourish and emotion than Marina's rearranged version. Marina included it on her double Classical Dance CD and La Maison de Laury was born. 

As I was learning the sheet music, I decided that I wanted to put lyrics to it as I sometimes do.

 

 

Chez Laury was born.

 

So, today on our 19th anniversary together, I am sharing the sheet music and my lyrics with you here in celebration!

 

There is so much to celebrate!

 

 

Happy Anniversary, Chatette!

Happy Tuesday!

 

La Vie en Rose

 

 

Even after all these years, I live a life in rose that doesn't even need rose colored glasses. I feel it every day in this place of my heart.

One day, I may even learn how to play the arrangement above on my baby grand piano, my Monsieur Winkelmann.

As most of you know, that doesn't mean that there aren't problems and hardships to be faced.

Even in the midst of this pandemic...

 

 

...we are living!

 

 

And, I wouldn't choose to do it any other way! 

 

 

Happy Sunday!

 

 

Watching the Clouds Roll By

 

 

Lately, with the warmer weather; I've been opening up this beautiful porte-fenetre to let the sun shine in and warm this upstairs room and the rest the Chatette. It has worked out well!

 

 

So well, that by late afternoon, I look forward to going upstairs to read. Sometimes I don't even come back downstairs until the next morning! 

 

It's amazing what you notice when you are living in other parts of the house.

Until now, with winter and wanting to be close to the fire, I was only sleeping upstairs.

These days with the windows open, Lola and I get to: watch the herons and kingfishers on the river; see other water fowl play and fly; enjoy the warmth and the sunshine without the bugs; take a few photo ops; hear the bells chime; hear the birds sing; and yes...

 

 

 

 

 

...watch the clouds roll by.

 

 

The top cloud shot was taken when I first came up. The second one on the right was taken  30-45 minutes later. I took them because it was the first time that the clouds moved from right to left. Usually, it was the other way around and I didn't expect it. I love watching cloud movement. It always makes me think of my people who have crossed over. It also reminds me that even though life may feel stagnant and unmoving...all you gave to do is look at the clouds or the river! This is a place where we are surrounded by movement, music and magic!

 

And then of course...there's Lola!

 

 

 

Happy Saturday!

 

Coming to Me-Post 3,500

 

 

I knew that my 3,500th post was coming up soon. I thought about what I should post to celebrate this milestone in blogging, but today is the day and I really hadn't given it much more thought than the mention the other day. And now, here it is!

 

 

It just came to me whether or not I was prepared, ready, or even knew what to do. This made me think about how sometimes in our lives, things and people come to us whether we're ready for them or not.

I confess, one of the hardest things for me in my life has been to learn to allow things and people to come to me.

Usually, when I allow that to happen, the surprises are better than anything I could have planned, pushed, poked at, or fought for.

Being here in the Lot is a reminder of that AND is the perfect environment to experience it and recapture it when it feels like it may have escaped for good. I do feel that way from time to time.

Yesterday, was a perfect come to me kind of day.

The longer I'm back, the better I am at placing myself in the flow and living into it! 

 

 

 

So, when a car pulled into the drive yesterday I was surprised. I wasn't expecting anyone. Imagine seeing my friend Madeleine hop out with a friend of hers. They were on their way to a meeting in Larroque Toirac and were early so they took a chance and stopped.

While they were coming up the back steps, we heard horses hooves and a horse drawn caravan passed by. It was wonderful to visit in the sunshine and catch up, even if it were at the requisite distance with no kiss kisses, no hugs, and me and the Chatette were wrecks!

 

 

Having Madeleine come to me and catching up together, reminded me of the history I share with her and Stu and other times when people came to me here.

 

 

That summer of '98 at Wendy's. I was sitting on the wall, drinking coffee, writing in my journal and Stu appeared! Yesterday evening, my bird appeared. 

I need to plant myself more!

Happy Thursday!

 

Just to be Outside

 

I'd made the decision to get outside and walk every day. My great first day of walking a while back was followed by endless rain, flooding, and very little sunshine for two weeks or more. This week has been different and I'm back outside walking and soaking up this beautiful place.

Yesterday, I sat on the wall for a while and contemplated shrubs and trees that need to be pruned and maybe severely cut back.

It was fun to see Greg coming up the road.

 

 

We got a chance to chat at a distance and revel in our luck to live in such a beautiful and "spacious" place under the current circumstances. Greg continued on.

 

 

I then began my wander along the road, taking photos as I went. The exercise is so important and just being able to get out of the house and soak up a little sunshine does wonders for the outlook.

After grabbing a few shots, I headed back home and decided that I would have my lunch on the terrace swing and gaze up at the sight I just caught on film.

It was warm enough to eat my spaghetti and meat sauce and truly enjoy being outside.

Lola was a snoozer and still under the covers on the bed upstairs.

 

 

 

 

In fact, it was so warm that I decided to open the screened porte-fenetre upstairs and warm us up a bit. I thought sure Lola would just hang out there so she could feel outside, but she surprised me and wandered back downstairs with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our evening was clear and "blue!" It was a very pretty ending to what seems to be becoming a routine day for us in Cadrieu!

 

Happy Tuesday!