Princess Nyabongo
If you’ve read Parisian Romance you’ve already encountered at least one of these handkerchiefs. They have such an interesting provenance, however, I decided to give them their own mini-blog. Often when I present to audiences, I explain I feel as though I’m on a Search and Rescue Mission to save these small harbingers of history. Needless to say, there are thousands of us Search and Rescue folks around the world, and I recently met two more, a couple from Tennessee from whom I purchased these hankies. When I spied this bold and brilliant admonition “It’s Never Too Late” (what a great...
Read MoreParisian Art
“As an artist, a man has no home in Europe save in Paris.” Friedrich Nietzsche For many, our first taste of the City of Light begins as a flâneur, strolling the banks of the Seine, absorbing the magic that surrounds and envelopes. Inevitably we pause at the Bouquinistes (bookstalls) to peruse antiquarian books and prints, searching for an image that captures the enchantment of the city. Les Bouquinistes by Edouard Cortes Artist Francois Durieux captures the Bouquinistes in Spring, as gossamer thin leaves sprout from cool pink trees, and adolescents rendezvous on the cobblestone...
Read MoreParisian Couture
“If you want to establish an international presence you can’t do so from New York. You need the consecration of Paris.” Oscar de la Renta Indeed, the word consecration does seem fitting, since you feel the urge to almost genuflect when entering a hallowed House of Couture. Centuries of couturiers, lace makers, cobblers, milliners, skilled seamstresses, tailors, button makers, crafters of velvet flowers, and those who bead and embroider onto gossamer and silks, can all be found in the ateliers and workshops of Paris. If you viewed the video in our sewing blog you witnessed the legions of...
Read MoreParisian Cuisine
“Lunch kills half of Paris, supper the other half.” Charles de Montesquieu A three hour lunch in Paris is not out of the ordinary. Perhaps not every day, but more often than you might expect. No, people don’t eat for hours. They commiserate, laugh, discuss, pontificate, negotiate, argue, teach, reflect, flirt, cajole, tease, write and read. They refresh, restore, renew, and enjoy themselves. Not once in the time I spent in Paris did I see a single individual eating ‘on the go’ as has become the standard practice in the U.S. Even when folks grabbed a croque monsieur and Orangina from a...
Read MoreParisian Landmarks
“…the whole of Paris is a vast university of Art, Literature and Music…it is worth anyone’s while to dally here for years. Paris is a seminar, a post-graduate course in Everything.” James Thurber, humorist & editor of The New Yorker Splendid, sublime… majestic, monumental…inconceivable, irreplaceable…trying to describe Paris is akin to trying to consume an elephant in one bite. Impossible. The best I can do is provide tasty nibbles around the edges of this most sumptuous feast in all the world. Last month we donned our tourista berets and skimmed the menu. This month, we’ll try to serve...
Read MoreVive la France
“What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world.” Charles Dickens Where to start in the City of Light? You could spend a lifetime meandering this magical metropolis and never begin to discover the treasures it holds. With 20 arrondissements arranged like a spiraled nautilus, you find yourself wandering down alleyways, across avenues and along boulevards, sampling a bounty of bistros and boutiques, monuments and musées, parcs and panoramas. It’s all too sumptuous and sensational. From postered kiosks to cozy cafes, from gallant gendarmes to...
Read MoreAir Travel
“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” Leonardo da Vinci As the dreary days of winter stretch ahead, nothing could be more enticing than thoughts of escaping to a tropical paradise. Spirits take flight as brochures are gathered and websites pursued. The grind of travel seems a blip on the radar as we tell ourselves we’ll endure any drudgery to achieve our escape. Travel used to mean a delightful adventure from departure to destination. Polite porters transported your...
Read MoreCowboys & Indians
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Ralph Waldo Emerson What would childhood be without heroes? From the 1930’s-50’s our heroes were larger than life, often because they were celluloid, blazing across a giant movie screen, riding a thundering steed. Yep. The all American Cowboy. We started this journey in Saddle Up Cowboy, with the likes of Tom Mix, Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers, and Kit Carson. Even the titles of TV shows had the searing crack of a bullwhip – Rawhide, Maverick, Gunsmoke, The Wild Wild West, The Lone...
Read MoreRoad Trip
Over 100 movies have a storyline based on the theme of “Road Trip” – from Easy Rider to Cannonball Run, from Y Tu Mamà Tambien to The Muppet Movie. Whether you’re laughing through Wild Hogs or National Lampoon’s Vacation, cringing with fear through Thelma & Louise or Duel, or wistfully relating to real moments in Little Miss Sunshine or Sideways, road trips provide the widest canvas for creating images of every shade and hue. Anything can happen once you hit the road. The lure of the highway represents man’s Call to Adventure. Joseph Campbell’s Hero With A Thousand Faces delineates...
Read MoreBon Voyage
Even as the magic of spring envelops us, there are many who secretly yearn for the languorous sun-drenched days of summer lurking just around the bend. These avatars of adventure, these rajahs of wanderlust gather backpacks and binoculars, suitcases and sandals, in anticipation of treks and voyages to new sites and civilizations. “Make voyages. Attempt them. There’s nothing else.” Tennessee Williams, Camino Real Some spend evenings basking in the glow of computer screens, surfing for an alternative glow to savor – whether glimpsing a sunrise from the North Pole, trekking the great wall of...
Read MoreKirking of the Tartan
Sometimes when you see a handkerchief, a certain individual immediately pops to mind. When I saw this silk souvenir from Scotland, I immediately thought of Jim Osborn, for two reasons: one – Kirking of the Tartans, and two – well, you’d have to know Jim. Jim Osborn is one-of-a-kind. Delightful, adventurous and fun, he had an impressive career in media that spanned decades. He was VP and General Manager of KGO-TV (ABC) in San Francisco, subsequent to serving as VP and GM of WXYZ-TV (ABC) in Detroit. He oversaw all facets of operations including sales, news, programming, promotion,...
Read MoreHollywood Part II
“It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you watch them on a screen.” Anthony Burgess The masters of light and shadow, shade and nuance, are most assuredly cinematographers. When immersed in film noir, or caught up in a masterpiece by Hitchcock, you may find yourself lightheaded when you realize you’ve stopped breathing. Black and white creates a perfect backdrop for terror, as forms become indistinguishable in the shadows. With the introduction of color, flesh takes on life, romance exudes heat, and comedy shimmers like a shower of confetti....
Read MoreHooray for Hollywood
“People who LIKE movies have a favorite. People who LOVE movies couldn’t possibly choose.” Nicole Yatsonsky The Oscars are upon us once again, with all the glitz, glamour and star studded splendor that is Hollywood. Gorgeous gowns and glittering gems adorn both sophisticated stars and wistful wannabes as they saunter and sashay along the red carpet into the Dolby Theatre. No big deal, you say? Hmmmmm. Where else can you find an audience of 40 million viewers? Regardless of the good, the bad, and all that goes with “box office” and “bottom line,” it’s still the place where dreams...
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