Bonjour, Our day has been very much like what we experience at home: doing laundry, going to the post office, grocery shopping, getting some things printed at the internet cafe, a bite of lunch in the apartment, and then a quick trip out to find one of my “new” spots for this year. I actually […]
Bonjour mes amis, We returned via train to Paris from our visit with Bernie’s cousins last evening about 8:30. Our top speed on the TGV was 313 kilometers which is almost 200 mph! The weather is much cooler in Paris and all was well in our apartment. This morning demanded a trip to the grocery […]
Bonjour, It’s a gorgeous day in Alsace enhanced by delicious food and a visit from more cousins, Marie-Josee and Jean-Paul who live in another small town near Alsace called Beaume-les-Dames. These two are in their mid 80’s, still going strong and still driving. We had a wonderful visit over exquisite cuisine prepared by Laurie and […]
Bonsoir from Alsace, It’s Thursday evening and we arrived yesterday for a few days with Bernie’s cousins, Pierre and Laurie Verdier. Their home and hospitality are always so warm and enjoyable. We took the TGV from Paris, toting our ham sandwiches for lunch. It was an interesting ride over. We had a chat (cat) next […]
Bonjour, Yesterday (Monday) was very hot again in Paris. It was an out-of-sorts day with a beautiful ending. Here’s the story. I have a horrible blister on my left heel from so much walking in a pair of shoes I thought would be perfect. Au contraire! So yesterday, I had to wear an open-backed shoe […]
Bonsoir, We’ve had a much cooler Sunday with even a little bit of rain. The city came alive this afternoon and evening as everyone was out and about enjoying the cool breeze. It has been so dry for so long that the trees are beginning to lose their leaves, and it looks like autumn in […]
Bonsoir mes amis, It’s Le Weekend in Paris and still unseasonably warm. However, at 3pm today (Saturday) it was only 91 compared to 97 yesterday. The skies are overcast which makes a huge positive difference in our apartment since we get the scorching, direct, Western sun. One of our friends down the street answered Bernie’s […]
Bonjour, Our time outside today in Paris was limited to just a couple of hours as the temperature is soaring to 97 degrees. The frustrating part is that for us there’s no place to hide… sweltering both inside and out with very high humidity. We strongly considered going to the meat/seafood market at the Monoprix […]
Dear Friends, It’s 3pm in Paris and 87 degrees! That’s 15 degrees cooler than yesterday. It’s a bit cloudy off and on with a nice breeze. What a difference 24 hours can make! Hopefully, today’s blog will make up for the sparseness of yesterday’s. I must start, however, with some photos which I took last […]
Bonjour from a very hot Paris! It is an act of courage just to walk around today in Paris so I’m afraid that today’s blog will not be one of our most interesting. We feel for those who work outside: the contruction workers right down the street who are taking down scaffolding; the taxi drivers […]
Dear Friends, Weather is always a huge consideration in Paris but never as much as when the temps soar like they have this week. The two jackets I brought, all the scarves and my two new pairs of jean capris will not get much wear right now. The predicted high for today was 100 but […]
Bonjour mes amis, Today has been a very productive day which started with a trip to the internet cafe. I received an email response from an agent yesterday who wants to see the BERNIE AND ME manuscript! We brought the entire manuscript with and without pictures on a USB stick, just in case this might […]
Bonsoir, It’s Sunday in Paris and hot as can be under brilliant blue skies. The weather forecast for next week is trecherous with a prediction of 100 degrees on Tuesday. Yikes! We are shocked at this in June, usually an August problem. Our new apartment has plenty of windows but no set of fans to […]
Dear Friends, Nous arrivons…we have arrived on a picture perfect day in Paris. The local temp is in the low 80’s with that sharp, sunny blue sky that cuts across the landscape with a fierce crispness. It creates the penetrating light that Paris is so known for. There’s a parade blaring around La Place de […]
3-2-1…Blast off! Here we go on our eleventh adventure. And what a start. At this point we have no idea if we will be able to get a taxi from Charles de Gaulle airport or not, given the recent controversy with Uber in France. Some have asked if we can take the metro and the […]
Eleven years is a LONG time to reap the joys of Paris. Three days and a wake-up are all that stand between Bernie and me and our eleventh trip. It seems like a fairy tale sometimes but oh so real. How blessed we are! Now comes the challenge of packing for Paris for almost seven […]
It’s glorious summertime and that means travel for many of us. Traveling to Europe with a major time zone difference can be more than a little challenging. It can even give rise to an unenjoyable experience if your visit is a week or less. Here are Linda and Bernie’s tips for how to beat the […]
For the past eight days, we have enjoyed a visit from Bernie’s French cousins. To have them here in America has been fantastic. Most of our time together has been in France, in and around Alsace where they live near the German border. Or in Paris. If you are a regular reader of my blogs […]
“It’s almost ready!” “What’s almost ready?” “Why, the book, of course!” “What book?” “Bernie and Me-A Paris Love Story!” After ten years of traveling to Paris and one LONG year of writing, editing, fretting, struggling in a steel brace for ten weeks with a broken patella, and getting my life back, our book is almost […]
Dear Friends, It’s time for an update and some useful information. The update is that I am moving right along, doing great, working hard in rehab and now able to flex my knee 90 degrees! I have a significant portion of my life back but alas still cannot drive or make my 2 -mile daily […]
Dear Friends, At least three-quarters of this country can relate to the title of this essay, “The Weight of Winter.” It has been brutal: heavy, aggravating, dangerous and unpredictable. It has trampled us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Even in Alabama where the Sunny South is our nickname, the month of February has been a […]
In this guest blog for digiwriting.com, I have answered five interesting questions about writing. Hope you enjoy! http://digiwriting.com/writing-tips/i-am-a-writer-series-writing-tips-from-author-linda-spalla/
Let’s define the small stuff. It’s not the flippant, unnecessary trivia of life. It’s the multitude of actions and effort driven by thoughtfulness, caring and sharing.Too often life zooms past us so quickly that we miss the small stuff, or we are so preoccupied that we don’t notice the small stuff. And the small stuff […]
Dear Friends, Here I am at Day 9 of this journey in a steel rod brace. I broke my patella in a fall and had a patellectomy. I am amazed at how much we take for granted and hope these brief comments will give you pause to be extremely grateful as you go through your […]
Dear Friends, A book on caregiving about which I was so excited has been juxtaposed against the plight of being a restrained, dependent caregivEE! How’s that for irony! Here’s what I’m learning about my life as I remain immobile for the next 6 weeks in a steel rod brace and a broken knee cap. Can […]
Dear Friends, I believe there’s a tickle inside every person’s throat that yearns to cough out a book. We all would like to share our inner creativity and develop a beautiful story, a humorous play, a thrilling crime novel, a meaningful book of poetry, or a children’s book that will be adored. Many people want […]
Dear Friends, January is almost half over already, and I must admit that I’ve never been busier in my life! I slipped in conversation the other day and made reference to being “retired.” I and the friend I was with both burst out laughing as we simultaneously saw the ludicrousness of that statement. Marketing a […]
Dear Friends, Bernie and I were shocked to hear the news from Paris yesterday morning. The city we both love so much was violated in the worst kind of way, an attack on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. If there are any rights so vehemently defended by the French, it is those […]
If you’re in your twenties and reading this, have a good laugh and expect to wonder what the heck I’m talking about. Perhpas it might also explain some issues with your parents or grandparents. If you’re in your sixties and reading this, pour yourself a stiff drink (of your choice), take a seat, find your […]
A word is dead When it is said, Some say. I say it just begins to live that day. – Emily Dickinson Dear friends, On this chilly-for-Alabama, first day of 2015, I have been reading about E.B. White, famed journalist, writer, essayist of the mid-twentieth century. If you know Charlotte’s Web or Stuart Little, […]
Christmas came storming in much too soon with a plethora of images and a menagerie of colors, fabrics, flavors and aromas: twinkling white lights; gaudy, wide-ribbon swirls all over the tree;, lime greens; peppermint bows and sticky candy canes; fresh pine needles; snuggly socks; movie marathons; Christmas tree trails and drive-through light extravaganzas. Whew! Houses […]
A cliche is a well-worn phrase that’s all too familiar and generally avoided when writing, but cliches are much like old, comfortable, slightly smelly shoes. Occasionally, it just feels good to take them out and wear them again. So, I’ve convinced myself that beginning with a cliche is okay. Timing is everything: that’s my cliche. […]
Christmas is repetition, tradition, excitement, decorating, wrapping, shopping, stressing, memories, celebration, a religious landmark, and an accentuation of everything we’ve ever cared about. Because it’s almost here and because it is such a part of our American way of life, I want to share some intimate thoughts on what Christmas is in my heart. Christmas […]
Dear Readers, Many of you know my dear friends, Chris and Amy Cameron. They lived in Huntsville for many years but now reside in Scottsboro, AL. Amy has Multiple Sclerosis and Chris is her willing caregiver. In this touching blog post, he shares his story, guaranteed to make your holiday warmer and your heart […]
Dear friends who are parents, If you stop to think for a moment, I’m sure you would agree that the all-too-frequent unclaimed layer of caregiving is being a parent. This role lasts a lifetime, is intense, expensive, passionate and all heart. It’s also confusing, ambivalent, exhausting, infuriatiang, heart-breaking and one unending surprise after another. Are […]
It’s Thanksgiving morning and I’m sitting here in blissful silence (alone but not lonely) doing the first bundle of Christmas cards. Extended family commitments have my kids occupied this Thanksgiving, and I made a vow years ago that I would never make them feel guilty when they could not get home for the holidays. So, […]
Oh, you thought the Season was instrinsically related to the holidays which are upon us: both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Au contraire, the Season I reference is the journey of life: the Season of aging, the Season of gaining some surprising maturity, the Season of no longer having to prove anything to yourself, your family, or […]
Dear Friends, Imagine a life-long caregiving situation with a child who has CP. Imagine first of all hearing the news at birth, managing all through the elementary and teen years to find schooling, then figuring out how to get this child through college, then how to find accommodating employment and finally independent housing. Imagine being […]
Dear Friends and followers, Leaving Paris and reentering our normal lives is a bit like a flu shot. It is necessary but not fun. We had a totally stress-free travel day home, in fact arrived early at every juncture of the journey. To say that we are tired is an understatement, but it is an […]
Bonsoir mes amis, And now we are two. All of our company has departed, and it’s time to say farewell from Paris for 2014. This is our tenth year which is hard to believe. It has been a fast, furious stay filled with birthday memories, visits from family and friends, a river cruise, a cooking […]
Bonjour, We have so much to share with you today and the pictures tell the story. We had a lovely time with all the cousins yesterday as we visited the Jacquemart-Andre museum for a Perugin exhibit and lunch at the elegant tearoom, It was a first for the cousins who said, “You guys know Paris […]
Bonjour, It’s an early morning again for me as I find the best time to construct my blog post is while all of you and my guests are still asleep. It’s a rainy, cold day in Paris but lots of warm hearts around here to keep us enjoying ourselves. We greeted Pierre and Laurie Verdier […]
Bonjour, It is very early here in Paris and I’m trying to make sure I get in my blog post for yesterday. It was a marathon day and one to be cherished especially for Bernie. Remember that now we are 6, soon to be 8! Diane, Curt (Macon cousins), James, Stephen (Bernie’s son and partner) […]
Bonsoir mes amis, And now we are six… with the arrival yesterday of Bernie’s American cousins, Curt and Diane Brewer who live in Macon, GA. Their plane was early and they were at their lovely hotel, La Pavillon de la Reine, by 6am in the Place des Vosges. It was so early in the morning that […]
Bonjour, We are just steps away from the bustling Sunday market at the Bastille in the Marais. This morning, we thought it would make for great free entertainment for James and Stephen. They showed up at our door around 10am and we spent almost two hours meandering through the stalls of the various goods for […]
Bonjour mes amis, Well, it is summertime in Paris yesterday, today and tomorrow. Absolutely gorgeous, in the 70’s with blue skies, sunshine and masses of people out and about. What a treat given that it is November 1. For an autumn in Paris, this is not what we were expecting but certainly no complaints! Yesterday […]
Bonjour, Since we began our Paris trips ten years ago, we’ve always enjoyed having company. This year will be our marathon year for hosting both friends and family! Yesterday, Bernie was sure that our friends Jan Smith and Tony Porter would arrive around 3:30. They had been on the cruise with us but stayed over […]
Bonsoir, Today was the price we pay for having so much fun. We have changed beds, done four loads of laundry, scrubbed bathrooms, vacuumed, dusted, and packed! We are exhausted as we were preparing our rue St. Paul apartment for company arriving later this week. Actually, Bernie’s son is coming for the big birthday, and […]
Bonsoir, The final stop on our Rhine River cruise was Amsterdam. As we glided down the canal off the Rhine on Sunday morning, we loved the manicured banks, peaceful green fields, flocks of sheep and multiple ponds where they have built the natural dykes associated with the entire area. The darn weather was overcast and […]
Bonjour, This morning I am awake early writing about our day yesterday in Cologne, Germany. We experienced the time change “fall back” last night so an extra hour of sleep for those who can adjust in one night. That’s never the case with me. The weather is still quite cool but we have managed to […]
