Recent Posts
Saying Good-Bye to Montmartre
Bonjour, Yesterday, despite a few raindrops and a monster of a bad cold for me, we said farewell to my favorite place in Paris…Montmartre. We chose to avoid the weekend because of the crowds. Nostalgic, sad, but full of memories and joy all at the same time. On the way home, we once again enjoyed […]
There’s More to Paris than You Think!
Bonjour This is our final week in Paris and I will be blogging on some different topics which I hope you will enjoy. Sometimes, the photos will be scarce but you can’t say I haven’t given you lots of eye candy since we arrived on May 23. Today, I want to talk about what lies […]
Bastille Day
Bonjour, Today is a very special day for the French, celebrating what is equivalent in some ways to America’s Fourth of July. It goes by many names, simply Quatorze (14) or La Fete Nationale or Bastille Day. Our usual process of celebration begins with a trip to Pont d’Ecole by l’Hotel de Ville because it’s […]
Another Quiet Lunch on a Gorgeous Day
Bonjour, One of our favorite museums that you’ve probably never heard of is Jacque-Mart André on Boulevard Haussmann in the 8th. Inside the museum is a gorgeous tearoom famous for its pastry display. We dedicate this post to our dear friends from London, Malcolm and Antonia, whom we didn’t get to connect with this trip. […]
Books
Her first book entitled Leading Ladies published in 2003 offers practical leadership tips for women, encouraging them to embrace their femininity as a leadership asset.
In Catch Your Breath, Linda has written a raw, honest series of meditations for caregivers based on her experiences in caring for her own mother. These will evoke both laughter and tears as they offer insight and courage to those caught in the caregiving web.
In Bernie ‘s Paris…Travel Stories with Love, Linda describes with tender and often humorous clarity her eleven years visiting Paris with her best friend and lover, Bernard Verdier, a native Frenchman. From Southern belle to world traveler, she will delight you with her Parisian escapades, her love affair with “Bernie” and hopefully inspire you to fall in love with Paris as she has. Bernie’s photographs will ignite the urge to plan a Paris fling. The book is now available.
Now Available: Bernie’s Paris…Travel Stories with Love
This memoir captures an improbable journey between a love-starved, Southern belle and an over-eager, homesick Parisian. If you’ve ever been to Paris or have always dreamed of going, this is a must-read full of savvy tips, funny mistakes, compelling drama—all entangled in the tender love story of two people who had mostly given up on a late-in-life relationship. You will chuckle; you will sigh; you will remember; and maybe, you will call your travel agent!
Now Available from Balboa Press
Whether you have chosen to be a caregiver or were hijacked by circumstances, Catch Your Breath, a series of touching meditations by Linda Spalla, will become a wisp of sanity and a day-to-day stabilizer. Spalla retraces an eight month care-giving journey with her mother, captured in raw, candid images, truly becoming a walk in her shoes. What started as a thirty-days-to-live commitment of care in her home turned into an unexpected eight months of never-ending responsibility. You will feel a kinship with the roller coaster of emotions; from anger, confusion, surprise, resentment, guilt and ambivalence, to finally relief, recovery and celebration. You will learn through the various vignettes some refreshingly practical information on such topics as finding sitters, managing medicine, dealing with sibling rivalry, contracting with Hospice, moving to assisted living, doing will preparation and other legalities as well as funeral planning. You will laugh; you will sob; your heart will soar; your heart will break. You will find solace, encouragement and inspiration for one of life’s most daunting challenges. But especially, you will discover your best self, emerging stalwart, strong and forged by the fire of your caregiving experience. Give yourself a gift of renewal and Catch Your Breath.