Here and There

Some photos I took around Dallas. It was actually below 80 degrees the other morning. We are turning the corner into Autumn. Someone told me that traditionally after August 15th, the temperatures start dropping.

A corner in Eataly, a place selling all sorts of Italian products. It started in Tornino, then one opened in New York City, then here in Dallas. It has four restaurants and coffee stands. I ate once at the one in NYC. Maybe one day I will eat here.
Lots of parmesan cheese for sale.

In 1984 these sculptures of mustangs were installed in Los Colonas, a suburb of Dallas.
I love how it looks like they are running through the water.

Coming up from the rear.

Paris Photos

Continuing with hot weather in Texas, Europe too, I reach back into the past.

The entrance into the Relais Christine.
La Madaleine, an active church, modeled on Roman architecture by Napoleon.
I love these metro entrances with Art Deco design.
One entrance into the Promenade Plantée, a walking path and garden where an elevated train track used to be.

Far Afield

I went down to Austin and then over to College Station where my grandson is going to start college at Texas A&M. I had visited there many years ago when I went to Baylor and wasn’t very impressed but found it much improved this time.

My grandson will have most of his classes here as his major is Material Enginering. I don’t know what that is but it’s the future apparantly.
A sculpture across the way of a sphere made out of cubes.
A stop at Torchy’s for breakfast tacos.
Two of the tacos.
We made a road stop at Bucees, a huge place perfect for tourists and hungry travelers. The were putting sugar on hot pecans and making barbeque which all smelled incredible.
Look at the size of it.
They had a beaver walking around who grabbed my grandson and wouldn’t let go. I thought it was sort of inappropriate and am still thinking of calling the manager. I am so old.

Paris to Venice

The joy of living in Paris is that it is relatively easy to get to Venice, always a pleasure.

A pretty door in Paris.
An ancient staircase with the courtyard in the background.
Not Paris, but a welcoming door in a beach town.
A gondola in Venice at sunset.
I was with a friend in Venice doing a bit of exploring and we found this hotel by chance. It was a bit shabby but full of charm. We had a drink in the upstairs area overlooking the Grand Canal.

Paris Photos

Once more, the heat is keeping me inside as I imagine it did to people in France where, amazingly, the highs were the same as in Texas. At least I have a/c here.

I love a good used bookstore. This one is the Abbey.

The walkway the borders the garden of Place des Vosges on all four sides.
A great view from the Orsay Museum.
The beautiful garden of Palais Royal.
A side entrance to the Louvre Museum.

I saw two movies this week. One was Elvis. It depressed me. He was such a gorgeous man and sang so well but got involved with a shister who basically ruined his life and stole from him. I wonder if anyone who is wildly famous can have a normal happy life? I guess he had to live like a hermit to avoid crowds of adoring people. It was interesting to watch the actor play him. It was hard to buy at first but eventually I sort of forgot he wasn’t Elvis. Years ago, when driving my kids around, I would sing along to golden oldies and my kids were amazed I knew the words and I had to explain that I was there as a teenager during those years of Elvis and Ricky Nelson and then the Beatles. It makes me feel a bit old but, still, it is something to have been there. The same with the moon landing too.

The second movie was Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris which disappointed me. It’s about an English woman who becomes obsessed with getting a dress by Christian Dior and raises money to go to Paris to get one. I mainly went to see scenes in Paris but didn’t see that many but I did recognize a few. In the end it seemed kind of silly especially when Mrs. Harris walked into Paris from the airport. Come on! It didn’t help that they depicted Paris during a garbage strike with piles of garbage on each corner.

I might go see Nope next. It’s kind of a spooky one which I am usually not into but maybe I will give it a try.

Paris Photos

More past Paris photos.

A lovely interior of a lux florist.

The Luxembourg Gardens with the Pantheon in the background.
View of Paris from the Pompidou.

The memorial column at Batille.
A typical French breakfast. This was a first restaurant meal, on a terrace, after a year of covid confinement.

My mother has always been known for her fashion sense, her clothing, her makeup and her jewelry. Before she died she gave me one of her rings. It’s really not my style, and is almost like what they used to call cocktail jewelry designed to go with flashy, sparkly dresses for parties. I wear the ring every day now in memory of her. It is a large square pink stone. Women compliment me on it all the time. On a recent trip to Mexico, I found instead of just shops full of Mexican crafts like sombreros or art, there were jewelry stores everywhere with the owners standing out front trying to tempt you inside. One of the men noticed my ring and complimented me on it. I told him that I wasn’t sure what kind of stone it was except that I knew it wasn’t a pink diamond. He took a close look at it and told me it was a pink topaz. I didn’t go into the store to look around as my mother would have done, but I was very happy to know what it was.