Two-Thirds Down, One-Third to Go!

The summer is already two-thirds over and that does not make me happy. Time always passes faster as our lives spin down because time is relative. When we were 10 years old, one year was one-tenth or 10%. Now that I’m 70 years old, one year is one-70th or 1.43%. What a huge difference that makes! But, we must live in the present and appreciate what we have, rather than dwell on the past or fear the future.

Thursday afternoon was the second Après-Midi we’ve held in Nice and this one had the pleasure of welcoming New York Times bestselling author and restaurateur, Craig Carlson. We happen to be old friends and neighbors, both in Paris (just a half-block away) and in Nice, where he and his husband, Julie Chameroy, spend time with Julien’s mother, Elisabeth. He first came to France as an exchange student in 1984 and instantly fell in love with the country. (Why are we surprised?) He never could have imagined that some forty years later he’d be the founder of two American diners in Paris (Breakfast in America) and be nicknamed “Le Pancake Kid” by the French.

Craig had a wonderful presentation he made to our Nice community—who seemed to be enjoying meeting one another and spending an afternoon together. These events are a great way to meet some of our other readers and clients, as well as our own team, plus learn some interesting things along the way. As usual, we recorded the session, but discovered upon completion, that the microphones weren’t working (even though they were checked just before we started), so we can’t offer this one up to you, I am afraid. I’m hoping we will find a solution—perhaps Craig won’t mind doing a voice-over!?

Meanwhile, do read all about it and see the photos on the report…just click here.

As is my ritual, both Saturday and Sunday afternoons I hit the beach. I take my lightweight folding aluminum lounge chair, water shoes (a must to be on the Nice “galets”), a beach bag filled with goodies, and head down to the beach closest to my apartment. I like front-row center and usually can get a decent spot. The color of the water is always the first pleasure sensation to wash over me as I approach the beach from the Promenade des Anglais.

People-watching is my favorite sport as the tourists come from all over the world and come in many different shapes, sizes, colors, configurations, etc. They are fascinating to watch as they all take advantage of the Mediterranean Sea, very differently.

The large yellow Corsican ferries leave and return to the port all afternoon, indicating heavy traffic to Corsica and other destinations. In preparation for our week vacation in Algajola mid-August, I got on the phone to reserve various restaurants, beach chairs and parasols and special excursions. Some were already well booked up, even two weeks away! (Take note that there will be no Nouvellettres® during the week of August 14th.)

While lounging on the beach Saturday, I finished reading Janet Hulstrand’s newest book, a memoir, A Long Way from Iowa: From the Heartland to the Heart of France. The last couple of chapters brought me to tears…literally…as I found the story beautifully written (smooth as silk), profound, touching, honest, vulnerable and poignant.

I had to give Janet a call to tell her how deeply the book had touched me. She’d outdone herself, even if it had taken her 30 years to get the full story in print.

One of the best side effects of living in Paris is the overwhelming number of American writers that live and write in France. It’s easy to meet and get to know these intellectuals and then to benefit from their words. My Paris bookshelf is bumper-to-bumper with signed copies of my friends’ books, making the shelving sag, but filling it with wisdom.

Saturday night I couldn’t get into my building door thanks to the Brazilian Capoeira acrobatic dancers blocking it. They haven’t stopped, even though after my complaint, I received a letter from the Directeur de la Police Municipale personally wrote me: “I hereby inform you that the officers in charge of this sector have been instructed to enforce the provisions in place, by issuing fines and evacuating these people in accordance with the new municipal by-law currently in force.” (You can read my prior Nouvellettre® about this.)

I suppose it’s not only tough for the authorities to get the edict in place, but the police probably don’t want to cause any disturbance by stopping them…but what’s the point of having declared that the “Capoerists are forbidden to perform in the town, and no authorization has been issued for groups of this type” if they don’t actually enforce it? You can bet I’ll be sending him another letter!

A la prochaine…