Kathleen Botsford

Paris

 

We arrived in Paris just after noon.

 We strolled down de Champs-Elysees

and found an adorable FRENCH cafe.

After a tourist lunch of escargot, french onion soup,

beef tartar and red wine

we wandered the streets in a satiated fog,

soaking up the Paris atmosphere.

I had mentioned at lunch how I hoped to "stumble" upon the historic sites

the same way I had in Greece years ago.

Steve laughed and shook his head. 

When suddenly I turned  and

Voila'!

The next day we started at the famous bookstore near Notre Dame.

Steve found a cafe and a beer

as I wandered the haunt of some of the most

famous authors of our time.

A bibliophile's heaven...

We wandered back across the Seine to the doorstep of Notre Dame Cathedral.

 

I took photos and photos and photos until we needed an espresso/Heiniken break.

We returned to find the Cathedral locked down and swat teams everywhere.

No one seemed to know what was going on except the Police

and they were not sharing.

The next morning Steve was reading the paper

and we found our answer.

Stayed tuned for part 2

Change of Plans

There has been a change of plans.

Our spring break visit to London

has been cancelled due to illness.

Victoria caught some sort of bug and has been

battleing a high fever and flu symptoms since last weekend. 

Her big sister, Alex, took a limo to South Bend very late Monday evening

and drove her little sister home. 

In a snow storm.

The good news is her professors were very understanding and have allowed her

to re-schedule her mid-terms until school resumes after break.

The bad news is.... no trip to London.

In between preparing soup and crackers and trays of

ginger-ale in sippy cups with Winnie the Pooh spoons.....

 I have been playing with my camera and lighting

trying to figure things out....

It has become obvious I need to polish my computer skills

as well as my photography skills

I guess there is no time like the present.

Especially with my un-expected as well as un-welcome

present of time....

We'll Always Have Paris

Victoria received the glad tidings on Monday evening. 

She will be one of the lucky ones going to France with an internship at the

Cannes Film Festival. 

Mom and Dad have decided to go too. 

Sort of.

While she is in the South of France we will be meandering around Paris.

When her internship is over we will meet her and spend a week celebrating her 20th birthday in France.

Or Spain.

Or Switzerland. 

Stay tuned for more developements as they develope.

Maybe or Maybe Not

My boys are in LA on business all week.

That means a week of no laundry or dinners

and no interruptions

or the phone

ringing off the hook.

(They work at home)

I promised myself I would clean and organize my

mess of an office/studio.

But every time I start...

some new little artistic tidbit

peeks its head out

wanting to be played with.

I have been making my photos from Italy

into postcards.

It is so much fun embellishing

and collaging

and writing

and sending

to family and friends.

I promise I will

MAYBE

have my office cleaned by Saturday.

If you'd like a postcard,

hand written

and decorated,

leave your address!

Venice Sunrise

I was working on a project yesterday

and happened to catch "Casanova"on the television.

It is filmed in Venice and I could watch it all day long,

project or not.  Like "The Tourist" and "Summertime",

Venice becomes a visceral element of the film.

Her mystery haunts and hypnotises,

casting enchanting spells on all who wander

into her magical embrace.

I almost captured her misty colors,

shimmering across the soft waves of sunrise

our last morning in bella Venezia. 

Almost.

Favorite Things

When the kids were small we started a tradition of hand crafting

our gifts for family and friends.

Of course that has changed over the years as the kids grew up and

started driving and shopping on their own.

One of my very favorite things has always remained

the hand making of gifts.

Even as time for art and crafting becomes ever more difficult to find,

I am always on the look-out for ways to continue our tradition.

Jewelry is my constant passion as well as turning my

collages into note cards to be tied up with antique ribbons

and unique packaging.

My newest project is sharing some of my favorite

images of our trip to Italy in the form of

embellished postcards. 

But don't tell anyone.....

it's a surprise!

La Bella Venezia

Venice was fabulous even though

She was freezing.

The cold, the snow, the humidity, the stones

and the wonderful water

all added to the

bone chilling tempertures.

But even the frigid weather could not

dampen my love of this beautiful city.

These photos were taken from our hotel

So I was quite cozy as I enjoyed the views.

At least until my husband demanded the windows to be shut.....

Roman Holiday

Rome took me by surprise in so many ways.

 

We dropped our bags at the hotel

and wandered out into the streets

to find these ancient Roman baths next door.

Michelangelo restored the ruins of one small

section of the baths into a basilica

in the 1500's.

We wandered a little more and happily, although accidentally,

found ourselves at the Spanish Steps.

A cute little cafe nearby was decorated

with huge images of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn

from her first film "Roman Holiday".

She won the Oscar that year.

I took this photo for my youngest, Tori.

We have watched that movie together more times

than I can count.

Since 1985

It hadn't snowed in Rome since 1985.

That was the year my husband and I were married.

Everytime someone mentioned this fact, 

which was quite often

since the Romans were as surprised with

the weather as we were,

I remembered our anniversary.

My we looked young!

 

 

 

Childlike Excitement

Some people like to explore their hotels on line before they arrive at their destination.  I on the other hand, love to be surprised.  There aren't that many situations that can make me feel like a child again but traveling is definitely one of them.   The customs of the culture, the melody of foreign language, the idiosyncrasies of the people, the splendor of the art, the magnificence of the cathedrals, the breathtaking landscapes.  And the centuries of history, history, history.  To experience these with the eyes of childlike wonder is a gift that seems only traveling can bestow. 

This lucscious bowl of fruit greeted us upon check-in on our last Italian holiday.  I immediately snapped a photo to include in my journal.  If you look closely you can see evidence of a younger, swifter hand as my daughter immediately pounced upon the fruit bowl upon entering.  Youthful hunger does not stop for wonder of any sort.  I can hardly wait to experience what awaits us on this trip abroad.  The excitement is brewing just like memories of childhood Christmas magic.  I can hardly wait.......