Another Day

After taking a jog this afternoon that took me past the Eiffel Tower, I'm enjoying a hot soak with a glass of wine and a good book while the housekeeper cleans my apartment, when it hit me (to steal a phrase from Davy Crockett): You may all go to hell, and as for me, I will go to Paris. Despite another cold, rainy day that left me soaked...another day that the Christmas gifts my sister mailed more than two weeks ago still have not arrived...it was another day that found me amazed to be living where and how I am.

By the way, for those who were wondering, the castrated cock was delicious. I still can't resist referring to the "chapon" or capon that way. He gave well and long: I made a hearty chicken soup that I finished up today. God bless Anthony Bourdain, and my neighborhood boucherie.

Bonne Annee!

Cass

A Christmas Capon

A colleague from a training seminar in British Columbia, Canada, last September is visiting friends and family in Europe for the holidays. We basked in the sparkling splendor of the Eiffel Tower before dinner on Wednesday night. Earlier in the day, Sid and I bought the main course for our first Christmas dinner in Paris. After asking some friends and colleagues here about the traditional Christmas meal, I decided to make Poulet Roti, or roast chicken, using a "chapon" or capon, and following Anthony Bourdain's recipe. We got it from our neighborhood boucherie (butcher). It was in the front window -- feet, feathers, face and all. The butcher doesn't speak any English, but he understood when I dragged a finger across my neck and asked "s'il vous plait." He chopped off the clawed feet, torched off the feathers, and hacked off the head -- the scrawny neck hanging. (And Nora Ephron feels bad about HER neck!) At least he won't be looking at us while we're eating him. Although I've certainly heard of capons, I've never known what they are. Turns out I'll be spending Christmas day cooking a castrated cock. After a few glasses, I'm sure I'll stop giggling about that.

What beautiful Christmassy weather we've been enjoying. Picturesque snow dustings almost everyday. It's made daily shopping excursions that much more festive. Not so festive for travelers, unfortunately. Europe's airports have struggled with the early snowfalls, so much so that de Gaulle airport here in Paris has canceled half its flights because they've run out of de-icing fluid. It's nice not to be visiting here on business and be desperately trying to get home in time. My only rush is to get out of the cold & wet and back to Rue Nic to settle in with a good book and full glass. We may go out and see the lights on the Champs Elysees tonight...or we may not. ;~)

Winter Wonderland In Paris

It's snowing again here this morning and although it's beautiful after living here in Paris for close to year now there are certain things about how things work or don't work here that have really manifested themselves. The foremost recently is the completely lack of any street or sidewalk maintenance during snow events. In the past 3 weeks it's snowed almost every other day with a couple of days generating what they called here the biggest snow event since 1985 which amounted to around 3 inches. The entire city shut down completely and NOTHING was done to clear the streets or most of the sidewalks. I'll never complain about the services in Lynchburg ever again. Cassie did hear from a French colleague last week who told her with a smirk that during the last major snow event the government got so many calls from angry residents of various cities that they were now deploying military troops on the highways to rescue stranded motorists and others waylaid by the storms. For the most part though, France is a lot like other states in the US where no state tax is collected such as South Dakota which just closes the interstate highways when a big storm hits and actually has barricades that come down on all entrance ramps and stiff fines for anyone that is found on the interstates after that happens.

We're in the home stretch here heading towards our very first Christmas in Paris. It's been very pleasant and far less stressful than at home as things for us are just simpler. Even the tree which is reminiscent of Charlie Brown's is actually quite lovely and plans are being made to obtain our own turkey for Christmas this year from a local boucherie. Rest assured we're thinking of all our loved ones, friends and family back in the US.

We miss all of you and wish you could be here to share this with us. We'll post some new photos on Shutterfly today and I'll repost later on with a link for you all.

Joyeux Noel!

Sid

Vernon

An old (literally) friend passed away this week. His name was Vernon and he loved to tell stories, mow the lawn, eat good food, hold his great grand babies, drink good coffee, watch the Atlanta Braves, and everything else a retired fella would love. The cabinet under his bathroom sink was his liquor stash and I never heard him say anything negative about anyone in the too short time that I knew him. He's on the cover of our first CD dressed in a grass skirt while stationed in Pearl Harbor in 1943. We told him we were gonna make him famous.

As Vernon grew older he moved in with his daughter Sharon and her husband Dana who added an addition onto the house they lived in specially for him. His beloved wife Jessie Lou passed a number of years ago and as Vernon got older and older his health issues mounted but he hung in there. A little over a year ago Vernon had to go into an assisted living facility as he'd become weak and couldn't stand without falling a lot. His eye sight and hearing were pretty much gone and his life couldn't have been very much fun but still he hung in there.

This week he ran out of time and entered hospice in a Hampton Roads hospital and peacefully passed away early the other morning. I'm going to miss sitting with him and watching baseball. I'll also miss his stories and his kindness. I learned a lot from him in the time I knew him and I won't ever forget him.

Hopefully he's with Jessie Lou and still trying to keep her away from his liquor under the bathroom sink..........and back mowing the lawn again and working in his shop. Lastly, wherever he is they're gonna be treated to some mighty fine fish fries..........*

Miss ya buddy.........* Fair winds and following seas...........*

Love always,

Sid

Fred And Claudia's New House And Party

What a whirlwind last weekend was. Laura Prisc arrived Friday evening at around 8 PM and we were off to have dinner at Cafe Muette which was lovely and then Cassie and Laura walked up to Trocadero to get pictures of Laura in front of the Tour Eiffel. Then they walked back and stayed up until around 2 AM talking. Laura had to catch an 8 am cab downstairs so I got up at 6:30 to cook her some breakfast and make coffee and Cassie got up to see her out. Then we went back to bed for about an hour or so and Cassie had to get up again to go meet Denise Woernle for lunch and shopping which was in the middle of another beautiful snow storm (see picture included) and she didn't come back until around 5 PM when we all loaded up with back packs and one of my guitars and headed out on the Metro for the suburbs in super packed trains of all kinds for the ride to Fred and Claudia's hood where there was a party planned for around 8 PM.

We were a bit tired but perked right up in the below freezing weather with snow falling as Fred picked us up at the Chatiou Croissey station and we were on the way to their new house.
WOW, what a great space and of course a huge room reminiscent of our pal John Ward's big downstairs man cave/party room with heaps of music gear and lots of space. Kian and Niall disappeared upstairs with Claudia's son David and we got comfortable with Fred and Claudia as they awaited the arrival of 30 plus guests many of who were Brazilian (Claudia is from Brazil) and the rest were old school friends of Fred's. I can't tell you how cool the whole evening was particularly to be surrounded by people speaking Portuguese which is a very very musical language. Then Fred fired up a bunch of Brazilian dance music and that tore the roof off the sucker! Everyone was dancing and drinking champagne. Let's just say that everyone was in a real good mood by then and the party got crazier when Cassie and I and Fred and his friend "Chutt" jammed for about an hour which was followed by more dancing and champagne consumption. Cassie disappeared at around midnight but I hung in until around 3 AM. I don't think we got up until around 11 AM and then helped Claudia clean the house until Fred got up later.

We headed back to the 16th on the Metro and RER and stopped at La Defense for McDonalds and did Xmas the rest of the day and fell into bed early last night and got a great nights sleep.
Today is grocery store and trying to get Xmas lights for our little tree. Pictures of that will be in here as it comes together.

Much love to all everywhere!

Sid