...Of Light

Paris, and the weather is lovely... We will be in this city of light until Thursday morning, and plan to use every minute to wander its narrow, charming streets - climb the numerous steps within its museums and cathedrals, dine at its hip cafes, boulangeries, and food stalls, and peruse the limitless book and print stalls along La Seine River.








Louvre







La Seine River





Musee d'Orsay






Arc de Triomphe





Notre Dame

Travelin'

Photographs from Montpellier, including the Camargue region of marshlands, and upcoming; our last week in France - we are in Paris.

Montpellier:













Camrugue:














Paris:

Thanks Harmony...

Harmony -
Hey I have heard stories about Harmony at Studio Escalier...
Thanks for the comments on the Argenton Farmer's Market blog page - I have only been gone from that wonderful town for a few days, and today I was missing that small, friendly market with the wonderful food - every Thursday!
Marty

Cafe-Time

Traveled the last few days from western France
down along the southern regions to Montpelier;
in southeast France. As we travel to larger cities
the enjoyment level increases in my favorite
French pastime: Cafe-Time.
Buy a food/drink item or two, sit facing the street
or pedestrian area, and prepare to be entertained.
Cafe-Time worked in a small town like Argenton-Chateau,
but with only one establishment with cafe tables,
and only open a few days a week,
and most of the passer-bys are people you recognize
- some of the fun goes out of the sport.




Charmed today by a small white poodle-mix
who, although well trained and obviously aware
to stay by his owners, was also free to wander
about as far as the average 5-year-old child;
(within sight - no fighting, must share toys,
playing tag is fine, do not trip the elderly,
and look both ways before you cross the street).
He rested beneath the cafe table when he needed to,
and played or explored when he felt like it.
In fact he was better behaved than most 5 year olds.

Hope to travel to a nature reserve near Montpellier;
La Camargue - known for its flocks of pink flamingoes,
black bulls, and wild white ponies -
found in marshlands near the mediterranean coast.
Have the bus timetable and grabbed a few brochures
for boat tours of the region - may give that a try tomorrow.

Area is much different than Argenton-Chateau;
11 km from the Mediterranean Sea with sandy soil,
and wide-spread vineyards.
The temperature feels much drier and warmer here,
and I look forward to a side trip to a beach soon -
I have to dip my toes into every ocean and sea I find.
M

Final Friday in Argenton

Last morning in the studio.



Last lunch at the Tabac.




Last sunset from our balcony.




In Argenton-Chateau.

...If You Knew You Would Not Fail...

What would you do with your life if you knew you would not fail?

From Charlene (USA)

What would do with my life if I knew I would not fail. I would have to do something that dealt with people. I love to talk to people, all their different situations and their happiness and their not so happy times, which everyone goes through. I would have to deal with not only the rich, but also the poor.

I have always like retail, so I would like to open the old Jewel/Osco store with a variety of clothes all different quality and prices. It is big enough you could have 3 or 4, maybe even 5 different stores in it.

But if I was 40 years young, and couldn't fail, I would love to meet a wonderful man and have 12 beautiful children that I knew couldn't fail and be the best mother I could with a very supportive father who would always be their to help. I have had enough disappointments in my life for a life time, I would just like to see how nice it would feel to relax and enjoy the good times.

*****
Thanks Charlene - (Things I never knew when I was working alongside someone for almost 10 years... Hmmmm.)

M

Studio Escalier: Mercia

What would you do with your life if you knew you would not fail?

From Mercia-

"Very good question: Be an artist, an actress, write a book,
climb Everest just for the hell of it, travel around the world
and learn all the languages.
It's quite fun to fantasize about and see
where your imagination could take you.
But in the end, taking a risk is a huge part
of the satisfaction of success.
If there is no risk of failure,
there is no real joy in success.
They say in life that we must enjoy the path,
not the destination. Life would be so dull,
if we knew exactly how the journey would go
and where we would end up.
So I'd rather enjoy the risk as well as success
along the way"

Happiness

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

— Mahatma Gandhi

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. "

— Claude Monet

Studio Escalier - Ellie

What would you do with your life if you knew you would not fail?



From Ellie:

i would win the lottery and make more money than god so then i could give it all away to people and causes i deem worthy. like starving children. or stemcell research. or art schools in france. or baking. baking is a very good cause. maybe turn that old wash room into a pizza place?




Please note: Ellie just knitted that sweater - finished it yesterday.

M

Studio Escalier Students: Robert & Betsy

Question to those affiliated with Studio Escalier:

What would you do with your life if you knew you would not fail?


I would be doing exactly what I am doing.....
I rarely think about failing....
-Robert


-From Betsy:
It is hard to answer that because I feel like everyday is new
and my answer changes daily
so I searched for a constant .....
what is and always will be with me in life.....?
so....
What would I do with my life if I knew I would not fail?

Globally, organize all the great knowledge from
yesterday with the minds of those from today and
tomorrow to form a solution for peace and harmony in
our world.

Personally, create beauty by mastering, to the best of
my ability, drawing, oil painting, photography,
sculpture.....and any other art form that finds it's
way into my life.

Spiritually, appreciate the gift of nature and love,
in all forms of life;
raise my children to be balanced, self-fulfilled
contributers to the betterment of our world; remain
open to the moment.



Thanks you two - more to quickly follow...
M

The Most

"Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you."

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

No matter what you do, even if you are unsure that what you are trying for is the proper plan, the idea of making the most of yourself is a tough thought to hold consistently. In my experience (both in France and at home in the USA), the effort is always worth it.



Quick field trip to Paris yesterday, (comparable to traveling from Quad Cities -Illinois/Iowa border - to St. Louis, Missouri - and back in one day...), and only shot one photo at Musee Jacquemart-Andre, letting my eyes do the rest of the work.




High-speed TGV train to/from, and high-speed visits to Musee Jacquemart -Andre, and the Louvre. Once again I was amused at the rules/lack thereof at the largest museum in Paris. Xrays of all bags brought into the location, but no one was stopped (hmmmm; I know our party had some of these items - which ones? Swiss army knife, paintball gun, x-acto knife, water, soda, candy, camera, permanent marker, etc...etc...), and many inside the museum were drinking water out of bottles without a peep of complaint from the employees. But bring 13 people into the museum and have two instructors try to give mini-lectures while touring and the museum gestapo swoops down and warns to cease and desist! "Permit required!"

M

Stairway to Heaven

From a trip a few days ago to Thouars - a local church offers space for modern art. This spiral staircase is a free-standing sculpture, inviting one individual at a time up approximately 40 - 50 feet in the air. After climbing the first 10 steps, the sculpture moves and sways; gently at first, then with moderate intensity once you reach the peak. The docent was kind enough to comment in English, "It is free, and you are welcome to climb - you do not have vertigo - yes?" Happy to confirm, (at the top) - no, I do not have vertigo. Artist: Vincent Lamouroux, Title of work: "La Perspective Incline'e (Helioscope)".






There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven.

There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.

There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.



And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.

Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How ev'rything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
-Led Zeppelin



Fieldtrip with John's class today to Paris, we will talk again soon. M

Winners

First, the Contest Winner: The winner of the computer monster clock contest is.....
K.K. with her winning entry of "Pink Floyd"! K may plan on perusing the complete contents of this blog from the first photo (from early May 2007), to the last day posted for France (Which will be 30th August , 2007), to decide on her three 5x7" photo prints from any posted here.
Congratulations to K and to all who entered - and in conferring with the other judges (OK, so just John...), we have agreed that all who entered this contest will be able to contact us after 1st September for their own copy of a photo of their choice. (Probably only one photo per person, but check and see; we may feel generous...)

I noted that yesterday was the three week countdown for returning to US soil, so I wanted to share some thoughts:


After next week, will be on the road in France
for the last two weeks of our 2007 Europe Tour
and I have a few things to mention before
our blog suffers from motion sickness.

Looking forward to the last three weeks of our 110 days in France.

I feel that I have accomplished much:
- Learned how to navigate through a laptop computer.
- Learned “blogging” is another term for a glorified
journal or diary - just no little lock to keep people out.
- Learned (and remembered), I love to write.
- Learned I should have switched all our bills to auto-pay
a long time ago, and do not miss writing checks.
- Learned it is possible and satisfying to complete
an online course from anywhere, including France.
- Learned all about “Internationally Published”
text books, and how much I save by purchasing.
- Learned how to co-exist with eight “strangers”
in an apartment setting for 3 months.
- Learned much of each person I met
associated with this session of Studio Escalier.
- Learned that after three months strangers
are no longer strangers; but friends.
- Learned that email and comments on my blog
are almost as good as snail mail and packages.
- Learned that three months of sharing every meal
between sunrise and sunset with the man of my dreams
for the past 20 years…Has been great.
- Learned that I am more than a name on my business cards at home.
- Learned that taking a “Personal Leave of Absence” may just
change our lives.
- Learned no job position is ever guaranteed.




Learned it is OK to:
- lay on the ground and stare at the clouds for hours.
- read fiction for fun.
- eat rich dark chocolate and feel happy about it.
- “butcher” the French language on a regular basis.
- not have to go out to eat more than once a week.
- use one dresser drawer for all clothing needed - 110 days!
- let “things” go.
- dream about the future.
- appreciate who my friends are - thanks everyone…
-M