Travel Plans

 Sometimes the best laid plans of bears and men often go awry.

Back in April when a French pet portrait client invited me to house-sit her apartment on rue St-Dominique for 2  months I hesitated but everyone said,

"GO! DO IT!"

Then in June when I mentioned I'd be arriving 2 days later than planned, my apartment lender took a walk and never again responded to emails, phone messages, or prayers.

I was left with an AirFrance ticket that needed changing

 And no roof over my head in Paris.

 Fortunately I was able to rent again my tiny studio in the 11th for a few nights.

 Frenchie by Meg Zimbeck

Fortunately a darling PB reader invited me to Frenchie the first nite I arrive. wow

 And terrific food blogger Mardi Michels of eat. live. travel. write. has invited me to to a recipe testing class at La Cuisine Paris on Monday.

 There just happens to be an Hermes scarf sale starting Thursday that would be fun to browse just for kicks. You can read about a past sale on Mary Kay's blog.

 I'll be spending my euros at the other Herme thank you very much. The current 5 jardins collection is very colorful and nicely designed.

 Another affordable luxury is following the footsteps of both Chanel and Audrey Hepburn to Angelina.

I wonder if they have iced 'hot' chocolate?

 Fortunately over the Bastille Day holiday I'll have a very nice roof over my head in the Loire Vallee indeed.

 And I'll be communing with darling chateau pet, Dimitri.

 Then I'll head to western central France to commune with gorgeous Biff

 And his mistress, author Karen Wheeler of Tout Sweet, Tout Allure and Tout Soul. She has invited me to visit and report back on her bucolic life in the French country side. I can't wait.

 The good news is the rains have stopped and the sun has come out in Paris!!

 Bear is completely packed and raring to go as always.

Me, I'm behind the 8-ball as usual.

But at least things have probably worked out for the better.

Way better!

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When Wanderers Cease to Roam

 I nabbed this cat (one of nine) because it's near 90 degrees here in New York and I'd like to be padding through the snow rather than hugging the AC..

 And I wanted to share with you her first book,

 When Wanderers Cease to Roam: A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put.

In her own words:

It took me a long time — 52 years — to finally get down to doing the work that I think I was meant to do (this illustrated autobiography thing that I do to communicate my peculiar joie de vivre) and I thank my lucky stars that I finally figured it out. Yes, I wish I’d figured it out sooner, and not wasted so much time doing work I so dearly loathed, but you know how the fate thing works: In Its Own Sweet Time.

 Swift has led an nomadic life. After living in 23 different places in 20 years, she decided to stay put in a small village on Long Island Sound. Her first book is a staying-put journal/sketchbook of ovservations in her vicinity and from memories. Wanderers is organized in a 12-month seasonal format.

 She is particular focused on weather and has attempted to paint and describe it in all it's ramifications like this snow flake 'chart'.

This is a sampler of snow.

This is what I did when I had to paint some snow pictures for my December chapter, and I had no real idea how to paint snow. I did what a good embroiderer does, when she has to learn a new stitch. I made a sampler.

 Or this March chart on dirt and mud.

 When Vivian she looked around my studio walls and suggested I paint pages of cups,

'Put a cup here and another cup there on the page!' she intoned.

You will never want for teacups in the Wanderers travel journal. March is the Tea time month by the way. Who knew?

 There are pages from many jaunts around the world - I have yet to visit Ireland I'm embarrassed to say...

 Here she explains about laying out her embroidered illustrations. An orderly person tries to influence a disorderly person...

 There are many cats (and birds) in Swift's book but no dogs to speak of...

 There are loads of travel tips both whimsical and practical in Where Wanderers Roam . I'm packing them into my head so this upcoming trip departure will be less traumatic hopefully...

A tremendously fun book even if you prefer to do your traveling in an armchair. Amazon has marked it down ridiculously in my opinion so do take a look.

Have you too been listening to the homages for darling Nora Ephron, who we lost on Tuesday way to soon. For me she epidomized everything good about New York - witty, sharp, incisive, positive, open-hearted.
I love this quote of hers:

They write books about success through failure and the power of failure. Failure, they say, is a growth experience. You learn from failure. I wish that were true. It seems to me that the main thing you learn from a failure is that it's entirely possible you will have another failure."

That's not to say one should just give up when things don't work out.

"My religion is 'Get over it,'" says Ephron. "And I was raised in that religion. That was the religion of my home — my mother saying, 'Everything is copy; everything is material; someday you will think this is funny.' My parents never said, 'Oh you poor thing.' It was work through it, get to the other side, turn it into something. And it worked with me."

We will miss you Nora.

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Le Road Trip

Isn't this the perfect artist's studio?
This is author Vivian's desk (the cat is 1 of 9). I discover new books and authors when I see what you've bought on Amazon.com. That's how I discovered..

Vivian Swift's witty book, Le Road Trip.

In her own words she says:

I'm highly qualified as a travel writer.
This is me, in my passport photo, 1975, before my first trip "abroad". I stayed on the road for 20 years. In between my many years of foreign wanderings I worked as a receptionist, gift shop sales lady, luxury hotel concierge, clothing store manager, book shop clerk, office temp, retail jeweler, horologist, auction house executive, and Faberge expert. I've also worked as an au pair, a chamber maid, a jewelry historian, and in a factory making plastic bottles for bleach.

  Obviously, with all this job experience, I am very well-qualifed to be the boss of everybody. This meshes perfectly with my ability to be very judgemental. But I digress.

She came by on Wednesday to talk about creating her book, travel, watercolor and, and, and

A gorgeous map from Le Road Trip of her honeymoon jaunt through France, plus numerous witty tips and advice on how to thrive as a traveler.

There are hundreds of watercolor illustrations.

She even created her very own hand-written type font (at Fontifier for a mere $30).

Including encyclopedic bits of useful and useless but endlessly fun information. Vivian's voice is very tongue in cheek to say the least.

Three Truths on what to wear in Paris:

One, you are not Parisian and you will never be. Don't let that bother you.
Two: Parisians don't want to know you, no matter how well you dress, so you might as well be yourself.

Three: Deep down, Parisians are crazy jealous that they can't let loose like us crazy Americans.

There are no recipes in this book but there is everything else you might want to know about galavanting through France in a devil-may-care vagabond, spontaneous manner.

Le Road Trip is a book meant to be read front to back, back to front or open anywhere and be immensely amused and delighted.

BON WEEKEND!

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Paris To-Dos

Bear is packed and ready to leave for Paris next Tuesday. I am not. It's easy to take the suitcase out of the closet. But it's SO HARD TO OPEN IT UP. Does this happen to you?
Why is that? Or do you start packing months in advance.
 The almighty making of To-Do lists when you're going away. Then moving at a snails pace when it comes to actually doing them. I did not get to the bank to buy Euros- on today's to-do list.

I did call the credit card companies to let them know what countries I'll be visiting. Usually I wait for the last day to do that.

I did get a pre-trip haircut on Friday.

Cross off another 'To-Do'

I love looking at maps before I go away. Right now I'm looking at my 2011 taxes instead. I thought I'd surprise my taxguy with early returns. Not easy when you're an expert procrastinator.

Harder than what to wear in Paris, is what books to bring? This year it's mainly the Kindle. yay.

As for clothes - I always take basic black. Then pick up the latest tendance/trendie thing at H&M once I get there. That's the funny thing about Paris. If something is trendie you can find it all price points everywhere like trenchcoats or ballerinas. The Fr are like Lemmings when it comes to trends.

I always take my lucky dice bracelet - it distracts the customs guys. Do you have a talisman you take on a trip?

They say the BEST part of travel is the anticipatory planning BEFORE you leave. Who knew? I would like to go to NEW PLACES this trip. Not the same old, same old...
I'm staying in the 11th so there will be new stuff to show.

Your suggestions are most welcome!

Another thing I'd like 'to-do' is start thinking about coming home. Re-entry is always such a shock.

Why do we rarely plan for 'The Return'?

BONJOUR PARIS TO-DOS!

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