Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Sunday afternoon in Montparnasse with an old friend
12 June 2022.
Sunday was a very low-key day for us. The weather was lovely but we stayed close to home, catching up on our blog notes.
We had originally planned to join our friend Val and her family for a celebration of their son's first communion at their home here in Paris, but we had to cancel our participation due to Covid. Fortunately, we were able to catch up with Val later today for an outside cafe visit. Although we missed seeing her two children and husband Hubert, it was good to meet up again after some four years.
(For those of you who have come to the blog late, Susie and Val met when they were both in the Basic course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 2006. Read more.)
So, Val texted Susie and we arranged to meet at the Edgar Quinet metro stop in Montparnasse. Exiting the metro we were immediately confronted by the Tour Montparnasse just a short distance away.
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Although it was Sunday afternoon we were pleasantly shocked at how many folks were out and about in this part of the Montparnasse neighborhood. There was a large artisan festival underway in the middle of the boulevard which stretched down as far as the cemetery so that certainly accounted for some of the crowds.
After saying goodbye to Val Susie and I returned to the metro and home.
Clear your head and take a deep breath
Please take just a moment to lighten your heart and feed your soul. . .
Quebec -- Le Moulin a Images
With the exception of the show "Amaluna" that we saw at Cirque du Soleil, this "event" was probably the coolest thing we saw in Canada -- in fact, this may be one of the coolest things we've ever seen. Picture (sorry) a projection screen using scores of grain silos, more than 600 meters wide, for a 45-minute, surreal look at the history of Quebec City. . .
Here's what it looks like during the day:
. . . and here's the same venue, at night with a brief (4-minute) glimpse into the show -- and turn the sound up!
Here's what it looks like during the day:
. . . and here's the same venue, at night with a brief (4-minute) glimpse into the show -- and turn the sound up!
Bernice talks about one very important thing
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the last Sunday in June in fact, three of us, Susie, her mother and I, paid a visit to Aunt Marian and Uncle John at Clear Bottom Lake, near Rockford, Michigan.
Listen in while Bernice talks about Tunis asking her to marry him and what her father says:
Listen in while Bernice talks about Tunis asking her to marry him and what her father says:
Conversations at Clear Bottom Lake
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the last Sunday in June in fact, three of us, Susie, her mother and I, paid a visit to Aunt Marian and Uncle John at Clear Bottom Lake, near Rockford, Michigan. We relaxed in the shade of trees overlooking the lake and listened to two sisters talking about growing up in Passaic, New Jersey. If you think that sounds uninteresting, you don't know these two women. Listen for yourself:
Lazy, Sunny Sunday in Michigan
The last Sunday in June in West Michigan began as an incredibly beautiful day and seemed determined to stay that way. The plan was, or so I learned on Saturday, was to meet up with Susan's Aunt Marian and Uncle John at Arnie's Restaurant in Rockford. After lunch we would then head out to their cottage on Clear Bottom Lake. (photo below: Susie and her mom.)
We left home a little after noon and after stumbling around greater downtown Rockford we found a parking place at the nearby dam along the Rogue River.
Lots of changes since either one of us had been in Rockford that's for sure. Bike paths along the river, nice gardens sculpted in here and there; a serious imagination had definitely been at work. We quickly found Arnie's -- the sign was probably visible from downtown Grand Rapids. While we waited to be seated Jennifer, Susie's cousin and Marian's oldest daughter, arrived with her little girl Clare:
The six of us soon found ourselves at a table in one of the noisiest rooms north of the Mason Dixon Line. The place was packed with people, the servers were scurrying around like so many chickens with you-know-what cut off and sadly the management proved to be even worse. The food arrived 50 minutes after we ordered (soup and sandwiches being delicate creatures requiring great attention to detail. (photo below: Susie's Aunt Marian.)
The food was dull, which was being kind. Either overly salty or over-dressed it was not terribly good but there was plenty of it. This seemed to be a recurring phenomenon on our trip back west. The same observation was noted the previous evening at 84 East in Holland. A pasta place in downtown Holland, Susie, her mom and I ate there before heading out to the lake for the after-reception reception. Huge plates of tasteless pasta being served to people way to large to begin with.
But the conversation at our table was lively and it was nice to visit with Jennifer and her mom and dad.
Jennifer and Clare soon had to leave and so did we -- we could only take so much of such good food. We walked to the car and bid a fond farewell to the fast-paced world of Greater Rockford and headed out of town, toward Lesser Rockford. We drove the two minutes to Clear Bottom Lake and John and Marian's cottage.
We all sat on the deck overlooking the lake and listened in to conversations about times long past: about the day Tunis asked Bernice to marry him and about growing up in Passaic, among other things.
You can hear some of these conversations in the next two postings, right here:
http://sienaitaly.blogspot.com/2009/06/conversations-at-clear-bottom-lake.html
http://sienaitaly.blogspot.com/2009/06/bernice-talks-very-important-thing.html
After a glorious day enjoying a grand day at the lake and an even grander time listening to wonderful stories, Susie, her mom and I headed back into the hub-bub of Grand Rapids.
About half past six our friend Stan C. came by and picked Susie and I up for dinner. The three of us -- his wife Margie was in Colorado hosting a get together of some of her family -- headed over to the Blue Water Grille for dinner. Located along the banks of an old gravel pit now filled in and turned into quite a pleasant little lake we enjoyed an evening of talking, as we usually do, about good food and wine -- and in this case not so good food. Stan's pasta was more paste and my burger was more perfunctory than exciting. The service was uninspired and the wines uninspiring.
Still it was good to see Stan and to hear the incredible tales of their recent adventure to the Dark Continent. We had seen some extraordinary photographs and now had the stories behind them.
Needless to say good friends are a rare commodity. We're just sorry to have missed Margie.
All-in-all it was a wonderful Sunday, the last Sunday in June and our last day in Michigan. On Monday we headed back to the East Coast (motto: "Not the West Coast") and to work. A short week with the Big Fourth fast approaching.
To paraphrase Stanley, we were just happy to be there.
We left home a little after noon and after stumbling around greater downtown Rockford we found a parking place at the nearby dam along the Rogue River.
Lots of changes since either one of us had been in Rockford that's for sure. Bike paths along the river, nice gardens sculpted in here and there; a serious imagination had definitely been at work. We quickly found Arnie's -- the sign was probably visible from downtown Grand Rapids. While we waited to be seated Jennifer, Susie's cousin and Marian's oldest daughter, arrived with her little girl Clare:
The six of us soon found ourselves at a table in one of the noisiest rooms north of the Mason Dixon Line. The place was packed with people, the servers were scurrying around like so many chickens with you-know-what cut off and sadly the management proved to be even worse. The food arrived 50 minutes after we ordered (soup and sandwiches being delicate creatures requiring great attention to detail. (photo below: Susie's Aunt Marian.)
The food was dull, which was being kind. Either overly salty or over-dressed it was not terribly good but there was plenty of it. This seemed to be a recurring phenomenon on our trip back west. The same observation was noted the previous evening at 84 East in Holland. A pasta place in downtown Holland, Susie, her mom and I ate there before heading out to the lake for the after-reception reception. Huge plates of tasteless pasta being served to people way to large to begin with.But the conversation at our table was lively and it was nice to visit with Jennifer and her mom and dad.
Jennifer and Clare soon had to leave and so did we -- we could only take so much of such good food. We walked to the car and bid a fond farewell to the fast-paced world of Greater Rockford and headed out of town, toward Lesser Rockford. We drove the two minutes to Clear Bottom Lake and John and Marian's cottage.
We all sat on the deck overlooking the lake and listened in to conversations about times long past: about the day Tunis asked Bernice to marry him and about growing up in Passaic, among other things.
You can hear some of these conversations in the next two postings, right here:http://sienaitaly.blogspot.com/2009/06/conversations-at-clear-bottom-lake.html
http://sienaitaly.blogspot.com/2009/06/bernice-talks-very-important-thing.html
After a glorious day enjoying a grand day at the lake and an even grander time listening to wonderful stories, Susie, her mom and I headed back into the hub-bub of Grand Rapids.
About half past six our friend Stan C. came by and picked Susie and I up for dinner. The three of us -- his wife Margie was in Colorado hosting a get together of some of her family -- headed over to the Blue Water Grille for dinner. Located along the banks of an old gravel pit now filled in and turned into quite a pleasant little lake we enjoyed an evening of talking, as we usually do, about good food and wine -- and in this case not so good food. Stan's pasta was more paste and my burger was more perfunctory than exciting. The service was uninspired and the wines uninspiring.
Still it was good to see Stan and to hear the incredible tales of their recent adventure to the Dark Continent. We had seen some extraordinary photographs and now had the stories behind them.
Needless to say good friends are a rare commodity. We're just sorry to have missed Margie.
All-in-all it was a wonderful Sunday, the last Sunday in June and our last day in Michigan. On Monday we headed back to the East Coast (motto: "Not the West Coast") and to work. A short week with the Big Fourth fast approaching.
To paraphrase Stanley, we were just happy to be there.
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