A post with no pictures

I promise there will be pictures tomorrow... but today just wasn't the day for it, for a number of reasons... let me explain.

It's snowing in Paris tonight. That's right, I said in PARIS. We're still here and not in Venice like I thought we'd be by this time today.

We started out the morning innocently enough. A little petit dejeuner in a cafe near the hotel after a late lie in to wipe away the jet lag and then it was to the airport shuttle and off to Charles de Gaulle airport. Only... after arriving and trying to check in we realized we were supposed to be at Orly! MAJOR bummer... but, it's ok because we got there incredibly early and Orly is not all that far from CDG. So we ran outside and grabbed a taxi who rushed us over to Orly.

I don't like the Orly airport. It's disorganized and dirty and busy and confusing. We finally found the EasyJet counter in what can only be described as a basement... only to find out that our flight had been CANCELLED! Bah. The weather was too much for them apparently. And the next flight with EasyJet wasn't until Monday... So while Noah stood in line to get the information we needed for a refund, I logged onto the web to find us an alternative mode of transportation.

We settled on taking the overnight train from Bercy station, but booking tickets on-line for the train meant getting tickets Fedex'd to us! So we hopped another taxi and headed for the train station. No worries yet... the train's not leaving until 8:30 p.m. and it's just now 3. Except that when we got there, the train to Venice was completely full. (Cue major sigh here...) Apparently we weren't the only ones who had this idea.

So... we called the hotel we stayed in last night and politely asked for a room. They were more than happy to oblige. One more taxi ride and a little time at the check in counter was all it took to book us this friendly 2 twin bed room for the next couple of nights. Eh, at least it's a warm dry place to sleep.

We trotted over to the little Italian place we ate at last night and ordered the same things we ordered last night (except that I ordered what Noah ate last night and he ordered what I ate). And now we have tickets to fly to Venice on Monday... and are contemplating heading back out into the weather and past the Moulin Rouge to find coffee and crepes.

Wish us luck!

A stop-over in Paris

I'm writing this from our hotel in Paris. We're on our way to Venice tomorrow, and will come back to Paris after Christmas and fly out from here, so it made sense to fly in here, as well. Stopping over was a good idea. I already love Paris and can't wait to come back and explore it some more in a week and a half.

Our journey started yesterday afternoon. Lori (who is taking care of the animals while we are away) was so kind as to drive us to JFK in the midst of mid-week commuter traffic. She's a star in so many ways.

We had a little scuffle with TSA (who doesn't these days?) because they didn't want to accept our print at home boarding passes, even though Air France had just accepted them when we checked our bags. Frustration at the inefficiencies in the system does not even BEGIN to describe my emotion at the time. I should have expected it, though, because the attendant at the Air France ticket counter was so amazed that our print out actually worked... like it was a new thing... what is up with international travel being so behind the times???

But we made it onto the plane, and more importantly, so did our luggage! And we caught our shuttle from CDG to our hotel here near Montmartre...

A view from our window

Another view from our window! Don't mind the crane ;)

 After we checked in, I was starving (even though Air France had fed us very well, the red-eye flight took it out of me). So we ventured out in search of food...

Bees handing out fliers by the Metro

Right down the street

 Being a vegetarian in France is somewhat of a letdown...

 We settled on crepes. Did I say settled? I mean, we GORGED on crepes and cafe au lait with chocolate in it... yum! Then Noah wanted to go find the Montmartre cemetery, also near our hotel...

A cute antique shop on our path had this whimsical figurine in the window

 We wandered around the cemetery until Noah was frozen solid...

The ravens added ambiance and kept a close eye on what we were doing.

Then we came back to the hotel to sleep some. So tired, but I think we will have kicked the jet lag by the morning. After a nap, we found some delicious pasta for dinner and then took the metro to see the Eiffel Tower. I didn't want to go all the way to it... just wanted to take a quick photo or two, because they make it sparkle at night so spectacularly. It snowed on us as well, but I don't have the mad skills at taking night photos yet, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Now, Noah is watching some Schwarzenegger film dubbed into French... and we're thawing out. So far, the trip is meeting my expectations. I'm looking forward to getting to Venice tomorrow and getting settled in for a few days to really get to know the area.

New painting in progress

I took this picture...

a few weeks ago when I got my new camera... and had fun editing it to create the image you see there.

The swan has been inspiring me. She's so beautiful... graceful... bold... and so I began a painting based on the photo. It's not done yet, but I'm proud of it so far :)

A change of season

It's official. Even though the calendar doesn't make it so yet, winter is officially here in CT. The temperature is hovering around 33 degrees Fahrenheit, the wind is blowing (brrr...) dusty snow flurries, and the pond is trying to freeze over.

It's Tag's birthday today. He's 2 years old now! I can't believe how quickly the time flies. In honor of his day, he got a tasty can of wet dog food this morning and a new "Guy Fox" toy to chew and enjoy. After dropping Noah off at work we went for a hike, as well. I took my camera (of course) and captured a few images of our chilly morning constitutional. Currently, Tag is curled up on his dog bed and snoozing. What a life!

Fun running!

The good birthday dog posing for a photo. "Stay!"

"Come!"

So different without all the green leaves...

A couple of firsts

I'm so happy to be able to have new experiences all the time, two of them in the past week, actually!

First #1: Whale Sharks at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The day after Thanksgiving with my family in Chattanooga, Noah and I escaped to the Georgia Aquarium. It's been open for years now, but every time I go back to the Atlanta area I'm so bombarded with familial responsibilities that I haven't had the chance to visit. So this year, I planned to meet my awesome friend Beth, the coolest woman in the world, and go visit the fishes! The main reason I wanted to go to the aquarium was to see the Whale Shark exhibit. It did NOT disappoint. Here are some photos from that day:

First #2: My first art show!
At the encouragement of Renee (an artist here in Redding with whom I walk my dog), Noah, and Lori, I entered a couple of paintings in the Mark Twain Library Art Show. I was a little reluctant at first. I mean, I don't really think of my art as Art... I just sort of paint or draw what I see and it never turns out quite like I'd hoped... This is a juried show, and when I brought my paintings to be judged, I felt like an ant standing in the presence of giants. There are some amazing artists in this show, and some amazing art did NOT get in. Which is why I'm doubly blessed that one of my paintings did get into the show. It's encouraging... I am a little closer to being able to call myself an artist :) not just one who dabbles in paint... So we get to get dressed up on Friday and go to the gala, and I get to stand by my painting, or hide behind Noah, depending on how confident I feel... and hopefully I'll meet some more kindred spirits in the process.

I painted this after seeing Invisible Children's Night Commuter documentary. If it sells, I'll donate the money to Invisible Children to use for advocacy for the rescue of and prevention of child soldiers.