A Thing for Paris . . .



Quintessential Paris = A mime who sang nonsense operatic arias beneath the Eiffel Tower.

 I seem to have a thing for Paris.  This summer I'll go again, for a week.  I'm accompanying my friend Barbara and her daughter Debby and granddaughter Ashley.  The trip is a reward to Ashley who's just finishing high school and has been accepted to a good college.  This will be interesting.  I'm virtually a stranger to two of us, and a good friend to their relative.  But the three of them have such close ties.  I may well be just a kind of tour guide/translator. 

But it's time to be spent in Paris - a place I've come to really really enjoy.  To me the city is not one of glamour but of grace.  Architecturally, with its wide boulevards and mid-size 19th-century buildings,

and its many parks, both large and handkerchief size, and trees that line so many streets, it is calming and graceful.  Despite the awful traffic. 

Nearly rush hours on the Champs Elysees (viewed from the top of the Arc de Triomphe).

And the many cafe tables and chairs lining the sidewalks make the city seem so much more friendly - - seeing folks enjoying conversation and drinks, or perusing a newspaper, or just watching the passing scene.  Taking possession of one of those tables for a long afternoon, sipping at a glass of lemonade.

La Rotonde is a famous cafe a few blocks from our favorite hotel.

One afternoon several years ago, Joe and I met his internet friend Per Thomas and Per's wife Elodie at a cafe near our hotel.  We sat outside for perhaps two hours.


Rachel and Per in conversation

 When the waiter began putting tablecloths and dinnerware out, we moved to an inside table for several hours more, dining and talking and having a wonderful evening.  No waiter hovered over us urging us to have more to drink or eat or asking if we wished to have the check.  That might be customary in the USA but we did not experience that in any of the cafes.  Of course, we don't dine in expensive places favored by gourmands - - not our style or preference.

The first time I went to Paris was sometime in the 1980s, in February - - because Air France offered a fare so cheap that one would be foolish to refuse it.  Off I went, on my own.  My seatmate was a female employee of the US federal government of business travel.  We compared ticket prices - because her visit was on business for the USA, she was obligated to fly on US flag carriers - - in her case it was Delta Airlines.  Same plane, same flight, two radically different prices.  Mine was under $300; her's was over $800.  What a strange world.  The airline I will take this summer is again Air France, but the round-trip fare is $1,702!  But the return flight is on the gigantic A380 airplane - so big that boarding is done from two gates (it's a double-decked plane).

Reflection of a massive A-380 at Charles DeGaulle Airport

I stayed in a hotel recommended by Sam, the travel agent at Universal Travel.  It was near the Arc de Triomphe in a quiet residential neighborhood.  In the breakfast room, I heard spoken English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian.  The breakfast choices were equally varied:  Croissants and pastries, yes; but also eggs soft- and hard-boiled; cold cuts and sliced cheese; coffee, tea, milk, juices; muesli and oatmeal; and no American cereals.  I recall that after eating a variety of things, I made myself a sandwich and wrapped it in my bandanna scarf for lunch.  Was there also fresh fruit?  Probably.  And probably also yogurt - it's been available in every breakfast room I've visited.

A more modest breakfast at Hotel Atelier Montparnasse.

On that first visit, I was introduced to the underground Metro and the RATP buses that criss-cross Paris.  The Metro might be quick, but the buses gave me windows for watching the passing scene.  Of course, I visited the big attractions in my brief time:  the massive and confusing Louvre (trying to find Mona Lisa and certain paintings was daunting); the astoundingly huge (to me) and impressive Notre Dame (I had researched French gothic church architecture for my high school term paper); the Musee de Cluny, which celebrated medieval art and, surprising to me, featured Roman antiquities as well.   I also learned that Parisian restaurants (not cafes) open for dinner around 7:30 pm - - I probably showed up before 7 and remember wandering around in the cold and dark February evening for a while.

Best of all, I discovered French parks, especially the large, tree-filled Luxembourg Gardens, with its many and varied parts.  There are quiet paths lined with chairs.

And conversation over something to drink or eat or both, in the cafe next to the Senate building.

comfortable chair, umbrella for shade, quiet & efficient waiter







And, who could ignore the summertime joy of a small sailboat on the pond behind the palace.

 

Rent the little boat, put it in the water, give it a push with the long stick, hope for a good wind, and run around the pond for another push, to continue the sailing fun.   As a mother, I wonder how many children fall in.


I'll end with a recent (2007) photo of my husband enjoying the sun's warmth on a June afternoon in the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens.




Pen Mar Revisited

Once in a great while I get to visit the past.  Last Tuesday's hike was on the AppalachianTrail in Maryland.  And it started at the Mason-Dixon Line (the ancient border between Maryland and Pennsylvania) at a tiny community called "Pen Mar".  Now long ago, when I was a small child, I and my two brothers (Jonnie and Charlie) would spend a week or two there.  Aunt Corona and her husband, Benny, owned a small vacation house with a great screened porch (another family connection:  my parents' wedding reception was at that little house).

Now the porch has been walled in and apparently is an integral part of the house.  The porch is on the West side of the house, and had a half-wall that was fully enclosed with screening from there to the ceiling.  It had wood-slat blinds that rolled up in the day and down at night.  We children slept out there with all the strange nighttime noises that we didn't hear in our suburban Bethesda bedrooms:  cricketsand buzzing insects, owls hooting, dogs barking.

Next to my aunt's home was the house of Benny's brother Charlie and his wife, Cecile.  This one is just as I remembered it.  Even the blue paint.  And there were also Elsa and Sam, our cousins; and their cousins, Linda, Louise and Richard - tho I'm not sure of the boy's name. 

Next door to Charlie and Cecile's house was a tennis court.  It was old and ragged even then; the net had holes in it. The grownups didn't play tennis.  But we children really liked having an enclosed place to run around in and to whack balls to each other - having absolutely no knowledge of the rules of tennis.

I have little memory of the rest of the community, except for three very different places. 

One place was the large old building across the road - the Pen Rock Hotel.  The great thing about the hotel is that it had a pool room - not a room with a pool but with a pool table.  Now, the hotel manager didn't like having children in that room.  After all, I was barely able to see over the edge of the table.  But it was deliciously daring to sneak into that room and knock the balls around.

After the 2nd or 3rd summer, the hotel was gone - I recall that it burned down; or perhaps it simply closed its doors.  Most of its visitors, I recall, drove out from Baltimore and many stayed for the summer.  But no longer - - I guess air conditioning kept them at home.

The second place was a little store where we children could spend our pennies deciding which of the great many penny candies to purchase and savor. . . something that I could hold in my mouth and enjoy for a long long time, or something that was to be chewed with a great burst of wonderful sweetness.  According to a recently posted sign, the store was called "Jim's" - selling popcorn, ice cream, sandwiches.  And not just to the local residents.  Pen Mar had been the site of a late-19th century amusement park; trolley lines brought visitors from nearby towns like Waynesboro, PA (where my mother and Aunt Corona had been born and raised).

The last thing I recall about Pen Mar was the spring on the mountainside.  Aunt Corona really liked the taste of the spring water (I didn't - it tasted too much of iron), and so we'd walk there with buckets to carry back to the house.  What I really liked was the walk:  short distance down the curving road to the railroad track, then along the track to a footpath that went down the mountain to the spring.  I was always fascinated that water came from other than a spigot - why was there water inside the mountain?  what forced it out? and how come it was so heavy in those buckets when you could see clear through it? 

I don't know whether the spring is still there.  However, in talking with Charles Trite, a long-time Pen Mar resident who stopped to chat with us, he confirmed my memory of it and other things.  The spring is called Glen Afton.  Driving to Pen Mar we passed the lake at Fort Ritchie - I've great memories of the lake and the pier but had forgotten all about the large, elegant bathhouse next to it.  We passed Camp Louise which is still in operation.  We passed signs leading to the town of Blue Ridge Summit, where we'd go to church on Sunday.  The very short visit revived good memories with people I loved so much but who are long gone. 

It was a very nice morning, and a very lovely day for a long walk in the woods.

Annual visit to the Island that has captured my heart

We returned home on Wednesday.  Before I forget them, I need to list some things that I found memorable.  First, unfortunately, the negatives.

1.  I lost my CapOne credit card at the Publix supermarket where we bought groceries for the week ahead.  I must have set it down on the counter when I signed the little credit card machine, and forgotten to pick it up.  Fortunately, the desk clerk at the hotel gave me a phone no. for CapOne; I phoned and cancelled the card.  And just used the other card for the rest of the visit.

2.  When we rented the car, it turned out to be a black one with a black interior - - a bit hard to figure out how all the dashboard implements work when one cannot see in the darkness.  And there was no owner's manual to aid me.   So Joe decided he would drive, having more confidence.  Which worked well - - he could drive and I could navigate.



Why is this car dirty?  We had a rain shower on the first morning, followed by strong winds that blew sand all over our wet car.

3.  When we returned the car, I had to make sure the rental agency knew that the credit card had been replaced.  But the original estimate was missing.  Joe thought the rental agency's driver took it; I thought it was still in the glove compartment.  No matter.  I remember what the original estimate was, and the final cost was about $4 less.

4.  No really interesting shells this year.  There were lots and lots of the large bronze bi-valve shells that are brittle and frequently covered with barnacles.  There were also more dead crabs and more coconuts, fewer of the sea urchins that covered the area last year.

But those were far outweighed by the postives.



1.  Touring the Bailey Homestead Tract.  Well, really, it was not the whole 28 acres - that is still jungle - overgrown with vines and impenetrable without a machete.  But we learned something of the problems faced by Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) who bought the property to extend wildlife habitat and remove invasive exotic plants.  And we got to tour the old homestead.  SCCF intends to use the property as both a museum and interpretive center.  And the Native Plant Nursery will be moved to this site.  I have lots of photos of the house to post.

This is the house after the first set of changes - the porch and dormer window

SCCF has rebuilt the steps, new screens on the porch, painted that nice green, based on analysis of the old paint.

2.  Wednesday's sunrise was brilliant but cold with periodic brief sprinkles.  Very very windy.  The great surprise was when we turned away from looking southeast at the sunrise back toward the land.  A great rainbow arced over the island.   I have a great  photo of Joe with the fading rainbow.



The rainbow at dawn over the island.

3.  An osprey standing right at the shoreline as waves washed over its talons.  After a moment, it took off and flew low over the waves, occasionally dipping down so its talons were in the water- - not to grasp a fish, for the talons were not extended but were drooping backwards.

4.  For lunch one day I ordered a very good panini from Jerry's.  We took the food down to the beach for a little picnic.  Big mistake.  Gulls began to gather, then to squawk and beat their wings.  I tried to keep an eye on them but neglected to look over my shoulder.  A brazen creature swooped down and grabbed part of my sandwich out of my hand!!  Unfortunately for it, most of his loot broke up and fell into the sea.  That set off a minor squabble among several of the greedy critters.   But all he got was part of the bread, so I was left with an open-face sandwich.  The question:  Is it safe to eat?   I decided that the odds were favorable, and I finished the sandwich.

5. On Thursday morning we discovered a half-dozen or more crab traps along our stretch of the beach . . . likely ripped from the sea by Wednesday's storm.  One or two of the traps had some very nice looking blue crabs - - but all were dead, or at least not moving.  So we left them alone.  Strangely, they remained there through the day we left.  I assumed that the owners of the traps would be concerned, but then realized that they had no way of knowing where the traps went.

Three crab traps were tangled together.

6.  The Sanibel Library has computers available for public use, but only for 1 hour/day.  Joe discovered that the genealogy section has two PCs with no apparent time limit.  He finds a PC much easier to use than the laptops available in the Computer Section.  I thought it was great to not have a deadline.

7.  The Sunday Farmers Market was now the City Hall parking area.  Lots of prepared food - - if we'd arrived on Saturday, this would have been the place to stock the refrigerator for the week.  Mac & cheese with lobster or shrimp.  Barbeque that smelled wonderful.   Apple or other strudel.  Quacamole made right before you, with chips.  Plus traditional vegetables and fruits (the strawberry I ate was as sweet as any I could remember).

Step up for mac & cheese with lobster, shrimp or sausage.

Honey and jam and relish

8.  I've saved the best for last:  Grouper Basket from Schnapper's Hots - - this is three filets of grouper fish, batter-dipped and fried, comes with fries and slaw, tartar sauce and lemon, and is hot and delicious. We bought this three times, with cold sweet lemonade.  Strangely, though, the place is best known for its hot dogs.  But the fish & chips is soooo good! 

But I cannot forget key lime pie, either

Halls cough drops

On my Netherlands visit I got sick.  Came home still sick.  To deter the periodic coughing spells, I bought a package of cough drops - Halls, honey menthol.  This icould also be called the "Pep Talk" brand.  My little lozenge's paper wrapper has several very positive imperatives, as follows:

"Seize the day."

"Buckle down and push forth!"

"Let's hera your battle cry."

"Be unstoppable."

Power through!"

Not all that bad especially if one is feeling listless and ill [not that I am; today is a very good day].

Sanibel again

The eve of our departure.  Sanibel Island is one of my favorite places.  Not so much because it's a warm place in a cold season.  And not so much because it is so familiar - this might be the 10th visit.  It's because the island takes account of the wildlife that live not only in the wildlife refuge (called the "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge), but in the sea, in the bay, in the streams and ponds, and in the privately owned preserves on the island. 

White pelicans on a sandbar in Tarpon Bay

Ibises roosting in the wildlife refuge

The beaches are not cleaned or groomed so all of the shells and seaweed and odd debris that washes up are left on the beaches.  Occasionally that means stinky dead fish, but not often.  There are no stoplights or street lights on the island; the glow from streetlights would confuse young hatchling sea turtles.  It seems they hatch at night and immediately head for the area that is paler than their immediate surroundings:  the sea.   And, finally, the building code seems to be limited to tree-top height, i.e., 3 or 4 stories. 

This is red macro-algae on the beach.



January 10, 2011 - Last sunrise on the beach.

 Every year I have to learn all over again the names of the large sea birds and those who patrol the shallows looking for lunch.  And learn again the names of the little sea shells that litter the high-water line.  And get out of bed before sunrise to head down to the beach and watch the orange-red orb as it breaks above the horizon line down past Naples.  Once we were lucky enough to see the moon rise over Ft. Myers; I'd love to see that again.

Shellers on the untidy beach

And then there is the food - - my favorite is a fried grouper filet basket from Schnapper's.  Actually, grouper prepared in any and all manner is good.  Steamed gulf shrimp; oysters shucked and on the half shell with mignonette sauce.  Beautifully juicy oranges - several kinds.  And any breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe.

Joe's enjoying grouper at Schnapper's outdoor patio.

We stay for only one week.  I wonder:  if we stayed for a month, would we get tired of it?  bored?  anxious to go home?  The cultural life there is not what we have here - although the Island Reporter newspaper writes reviews of plays and concerts and art exhibits.  We've never gotten involved with those because our stay is short; would we do otherwise if we stayed longer?  Remains to be seen.

US Botanic Garden Orchids

Perhaps it is for the holidays - or just to brighten up the short winter days.  Whatever the reason, the US Botanic Garden's orchid room is a treat to behold.  Here are some of the lovelies on display

Hiking with friends

I have a lot of friends in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Association, and within that association are a group who like to hike together.  There's the annual Douglas Hike in springtime, commemorating the famous 1954 hike by Supreme Ct. Justice William O. Douglas that persuaded newspaper editors to support keeping the old decrepit and abandoned C & O Canal intact rather than creating a parkway.  And an annual Heritage Hike in the autumn just to celebrate the historical heritage of the old canal.

A smaller group who are recently retired have decided to hike more often, and this year it's become almost a weekly tradition.  My email exchanges seem to show the first - or one of the first - planned hikes was to have been March 15, 2011 at Prince William Forest Park in Virginia.  For one reason or other I didn't participate in that.

I've listed hikes I participate in and those I missed.  These are not overwhelming hikes in spectacular or breathtaking places.  Mostly 4 to 7 miles, within an hour's drive of DC.

March 15 - - Prince William Forest Park - - missed it.
March 27  - - PawPaw Tunnel Hill Trail, MD - - missed this one
April 12  - - Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, MD  - - ditto
April 19  - - Ford Mine and Gold Mine trails, Great Falls, MD
April 25  - - Great Falls, VA (along the river trail)
May 2  - - Greenbelt Park, perimeter trail, MD
     May 9 to 12 - - hike the AT from Lewis Mountain to [where??], staying in an apt. at Massanutten.
May 31  - - Carderock area, C & O Canal HNP, MD
June 4  - - Greenbriar State Park, MD - - missed that one
June 16  - - Seneca Greenway, MD
July 5  - - Black Hills Park, MD
July 11 - - Lake Needwood, MD
July 19  - - Difficult Run Trail, VA
July 26  - - Cabin John Trail to C & O Canal NHP towpath, MD
Aug. 3  - - Cedarville State Forest, MD - - missed this one
Aug. 9  - - Turkey Run Trail (downstream), VA
Aug. 15  - - Fort Washington National Park, perimeter trail MD
Aug. 23  - - Turkey Run & Potomac Heritage Trails (upstream - did not notice earthquake), VA
Sept. 6 - - Scott's Run Nature Preserve, VA
       [Sept 11 to 28 - - World Canals Conference, etc. in Netherlands - very little hiking]
Oct. 4  - - Sugarloaf Mountain, MD - - missed that one (sick)
Oct. 11  - - AT, Harpers Ferry to Loudoun Heights, VA - - missed that one (still sick)
Oct. 18  - - Rosaryville Perimeter Trail, MD
Oct. 25  - - Turkey Run Trail (again!), VA
Nov. 1  - - AT, Gathland to Weverton, MD
Nov. 8  - - Rock Creek Park (central), DC
Nov. 15  - - Bull Run Mountain, VA
Nov. 22  - - Rock Creek Park (northern), DC
Nov. 29  - - Lake Needwood, MD - - missed it
Dec. 6  - - Great Falls Park, VA
Dec. 13  - - Piscataway Park, many short trails, MD

For the rest of the year the group will be dealing with family members and so we will hike again in the New Year - - maybe even on New Year's Day??