IntrepidWoman's Journey

Posts Tagged ‘Doors’

Meeting of the Minds . . .

Posted by: on: August 14, 2010

When I put my door photos up on FB, I called the album “Doors – Without Jim Morrison.” Well, today I met an artist who went to Paris and took photos in cemeteries, including where Jim Morrison is buried. So, what I am saying, is that the “Doors” met “Jim Morrison” today!  The conversation began about France and progressed to the cemeteries and doors and ended with a promise to meet again, same time, same place in year 2012! Ha! Ha!

He is an interesting photographer who hopefully will have an exhibition of his work at our gallery in the fall of 2012. He uses ‘real’ as opposed to digital cameras and develops his own B/W photos. We will do some related programming during his exhibition for the die-hard photographers out there!

Personally, I will never leave digital cameras. I took over 2200 photos in France with my wondrous little Sony digital that was tucked in my purse and taken everywhere, everyday. I remember taking photos years ago and being so disappointed when the photos were developed after having to wait for the drug store to do the deed, and to find that not many turned out well. The cost, the time, the disappointment – nah, I am a digital diva now! I love being able to download them to my Mac and crop, enhance, etc. so that they end up being good pictures. Nice.

Oprah is interviewing Julia Roberts on the telly as I pound the keys. “Eat, Pray, Love”. I want to see the movie and read the book. I think it will be easy to identify with it.

Isn’t life wonderful? To me, it is like a bicycle ride. Over time, we travel through valleys, up and down hills, and all the way to mountain tops. The ride is not easy, but all the hard work and all the dark valleys make the mountain tops so incredible.

Hmm. That reminds me. I need an oil change.    :>)

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Time marches on . . .

Posted by: on: August 10, 2010

Time marches on, with or without my approval. Ten days have gone by since my return from Agde and it seems more like a month. The good news, to me, is that I am a different person since returning and that has not gone away. The travel experience did change me and in my humble opinion, for the better.

Strangely, I feel less materialistic now. “Things” do not seem so important. I want to simplify even more than I did when I moved here last year. I feel surrounded by clutter and it uses up oxygen. I need a simpler, brighter space that includes an area to create.

It is hard to give notice to my landlords though. It will be difficult for them to find a new renter with the place currently for sale. They are a nice young couple and it is quiet out here on the ranch, but being in a basement without a lot of direct light is not working for me anymore. I liked it originally when I wanted/needed a safe haven to come home to, but now I want sunshine and large windows and fresh air.

My main dilemma is that nothing is happening with my church in the Pass. Real estate has come to a standstill there. I am looking at another winter of owning the building there and renting here.  I guess I will have to make it my winter project to paint some rooms there and work on the basement to improve the building.  It would be more preferable to get it sold and find a light, bright place to live in here, but I have no control over the when of this.

Ah, but there is a reason for everything and there is right timing for all things. One of my best lessons in life has been one of patience because it is all in the timing. The right people will come along to buy my building when my next place becomes available, and moving will be another tiring but exciting adventure. In the meantime, I will enjoy my trips to the Pass, my little getaway where I can soak up the sun, summer and winter, play my music at rock concert level and enjoy the always fresh mountain air. My art supplies are organized in a large tackle box to go back and forth when I have my days off to go there to play.

I received a ‘proof’ of the Okotoks fall community guide today and found several classes to sign up for, including learning French!

I also have an idea for a book using my door photos and I want to start creating some Christmas gifts. Life is good and my creative side is ready to play on a regular basis. I did not check work emails after hours even once during the last ten days and that felt so good! I work hard when at work, but work on not thinking about my job once I am on “Jan time” after 5. Each day it gets easier to do this.

In a few hours it will be my birthday, again.  They seem to be getting closer together! This year I am marking the day with an appointment at the Foothills Hospital in the morning to deal with the lumpies in my thyroid. I have requested hotdogs on the grill for supper at Carmen and Jim’s, and Michael is picking out a cake for me. Last year it was cupcakes shaped like a very green dinosaur and it was delightful. He was so excited to show it to me, so I cannot wait to share his and Laura’s enthusiasm when I arrive tomorrow evening.

I need to think of something to do in the afternoon – maybe the zoo or Heritage Park or . . .

I will give it some thought tomorrow when I get up. I had better get to bed now as I am going to be a whole year older in 15 minutes, which means I definitely need my beauty sleep tonight. In my dreams . . .

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Last Monday in Agde. . .

Posted by: on: July 26, 2010

I know the instant I am back home that this will all seem a dream, as if it never happened. That is always the result of being in another world and then returning to your real one. Ah, but we are all makers of our fate and I hope once home I do not lose the urge to stir mine up a little.

I took my “Doors” album down as I have an art idea for my photos and do not want anyone to borrow my photos on FB. On line it is open to all to help themselves, but I want to keep these.  I can’t wait to work with my photos when I get back home!

I have a friend who has travelled a lot over the last 20 plus years and her family feels she has not secured her future in her senior years. I believe she has. The memories will accompany her wherever she settles at this point in her life and the flavor of her past will remain vibrant. She has achieved the best education there is.

Personally, my four years at university do not compare at all to my 3 weeks in France, 2 weeks in China and 1 week a few years ago in Hong Kong. These trips have been my real education. They have helped me learn about myself and see that the world is not the Crowsnest Pass or Okotoks in Alberta. I feel very blessed to have been given these opportunities and it is because of my 3 sons that I have had this education. Funny, I raised them and stressed the importance of their education in their formative years and they have shown me the value of travel as my education near my senior years. Merci beaucoup Jim, David and Dean.

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The Doors, Without Jim Morrison

Posted by: on: July 25, 2010

Sunday, July 25th.
We are into the last time for everything. Today is the last Sunday open market for us. The time has gone by so swiftly. In the beginning, three weeks seemed like forever but now we only have 4 more days left here! It makes me a bit sad; this is a perfect place to spend the entire summer.
The young teacher from Thunder Bay who lives around the corner has bought her place and does just that! What a glorious lifestyle, teach and come here for holidays. She figured it out while she was young, bravo!
Yesterday in Montpellier, I watched a woman sitting next to a bank machine begging. We have seen several woman in Paris and now Montpellier, who sit with heads bowed and a cup beside them. This woman looked tired and would speak to each person as they walked up to the machine. Most would pretend not to see or hear her. One actually replied, “No’.  A man ignored her and as he walked past her upon leaving the machine, another man walked past, said something rude to him and dropped a coin in the woman’s cup.
I had just decided to go buy her a cold drink when a young girl around 7 ran over to her and was complaining about something. She was dressed well in a pink outfit with Crocs on her feet and was angry about something. The woman then moved to a different spot and I noticed that she had a large ring on one finger and had a purse. What a way to make a living.
David said lots of ‘beggars’ arrive on the buses in Lourdes to take advantage of the seniors and the sick who travel there for the holy water. I guess that is why it is better to donate to the food bank or charities where you know your money is needed and used for good.
Montpellier is a tourist’s delight and a place for lots of money. They have a huge, modern mall with over 50 boutiques and many, many streets filled with high-end stores like Cartier’s. I totally window-shopped and found it enjoyable. Later, I went  inside the mall to the central area with padded seats so Jack could play and rest. He ended up falling asleep on the rug next to me.
A lovely French grandmother in a ball cap and I had a conversation with few words, but eternal understanding. She asked if he was 4 and was delighted to tell me when he had gone to sleep. We both sat there across from each other for a long time while he napped, and when she left, she gave me the thumbs up and waved good-bye.
Soothers are very common in France, up to about the age of 4! We see kids plugged in everywhere, on the trains, in strollers and walking along with families! That must be why they are so noisy later, after being plugged in for their first few years!
Today has been a rest day as Jack was out of sorts, so we all took turns wandering the market and the side streets. I decided to do a “doors” project with my camera. There are so many styles and the iron grating patterns are numerous. Some doors are very fancy and refurbished or new, while others remain ancient and worn. I doubt that is an indication of what is inside.
Our house has a very warn, wooden door with an old-fashioned latch and requires a big skeleton key to open it, but the inside has seen major renovations. Photo album coming up soon of FB.
I sat on the roof deck this afternoon, enjoying the blazing blue sky and cool breezes and listening to a family across the way have a very loud, melodic conversation. It is not quiet in the neighbourhood where we live!  Most families have several children, and there is a lot of crying and yelling. They do it all with gusto.
Because houses are attached and share tiny, open areas, they also share cooking fragrances, music, television shows, and conversations!  Most Canadians have no idea how lucky they are to have so much space.
Children here play on their steps or just outside their doorways. Even the laundry is put right outside the doorway on racks to dry. My clothes are going to think they have gone to heaven when they get dried in a dryer next week. I open my walk-in window to find myself at the door under the stone stairs leading to our main entrance. Inside is the washing machine, so that is handy. When a load is finished, I hang everything on hangers or drape items over the day bed in my room.
It sounds rather inconvenient, but works very well actually. Because it is humid here, it does take several hours to dry things unless there is a breeze.
We leave by train for Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday morning, then have a flight on Friday to London, England, then Toronto and finally Calgary, arriving home Friday evening.
It will be a long trip home and we will have gained the 8 hours we lost on arrival in Paris. It will be good to have a long weekend to decompress before going back to real life on Tuesday.
My plan is to head to my church in the Pass for the weekend. I would like to take my jet lag to Allison for a picnic and perhaps do some painting. This time I do not mean walls. Finally, I mean canvases! It has been a long, long time. Coming to France has healed what has ailed my creativity, I think. I also plan to learn French.
I have made a promise to myself that my job is not going to be my life from this point on. It will take up part of my time, but not the most important part. Amen to that!
I want to talk to our landlord about taxes, etc. in Agde. It would not cost a lot to live here on a pension if one owned their home. . . . There I go, dreaming again. But what is life without dreams?
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