Tales From The Labyrinth

"Another Moment~ Amsterdam" ~ Writers Island

Today, as I began to "cook up" something for my husband... I realized that I wanted to string together some more moments...

While I was in Provence this past October, my husband traveled off to Amsterdam with his oldest friend of forty-two years... We then rendezvoused in Paris and prepared to travel home... Instead we found ourselves entangled in the Air France strike with our flight canceled and no way home... Through the much appreciated help from the concierge at Hotel de la Tulipe, and endless phone calls with Travelocity and Hotel.com, we found that the route of least resistance was to travel back to California via Amsterdam. As my husband said, it was making lemonade out of lemons...

So that was how I came to find myself visiting this most amazing city...

Amsterdam is a city of Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Van Gogh and the inspiration for the colors and themes that remain with us today through their paintings and the incredible museums that house them and much more...

Everyone rides bicycles, everyone... ties and suits, dresses, jeans and t-shirts, couples entwined, and even children, whirling at speeds worthy of a pack of faeries, a flock of birds, or a school of fish... This is the train station bicycle parking area... thousands of bicycles...

Marijuana is "legal" here. The European Trade Industry prefers the word "tolerated". A "Coffee Shop" where the plant is served has a menu, just like a fancy wine bar or funky jazz cafe. No other drugs or alcohol are allowed in the coffee shops...

This part of Amsterdam really stretched me... not the concept, but being in such proximity to what is so normal there and so not talked about, or even seen in my part of the world... Prostitution is legal in Amsterdam. Walking at night, the red light district is very apparent and integrated with the rest of the city. Pimping, child pornography (or even inquiring about it), is absolutely illegal... In front of the oldest church in Amsterdam is a monument to the sex workers of the city...

Homosexuality is also celebrated here with a monument that I am sorry to say that I, nor my husband, photographed. This large monument is flat upon the ground in the shape of two triangles and just around the corner from the Anne Frank house and museum...

Canals still make up the largest transportation route through the inner city...

The food in Amsterdam was exquisite... a raw herring sandwich, complete with raw onion and pickles from a canal side stand...

More mussels, fries...

and my daily glass of champagne...

as well as these little pancakes (Poffertjes) for desert...

gave us lots of energy for shopping and window shopping and the walking to take it all in...

Corey, I took this picture just for you... these are pre-World War One Dresden Pot de Creme pots and tray... one pot was cracked, one was missing, and I will forever regret not emptying my suitcase to bring them home or calling you...

My husband was so lucky and so relieved that this store was closed when we went by...

but this one... was open...

My stay in Amsterdam was such a small moment in time...

But our stay there has filled me with a lifetime of thoughts and memories...

For those of you that are reading this from the Netherlands, I hope I have portrayed your beautiful city well from my short stay... I do know that the Netherlands and Amsterdam are not totally without the problems that other countries or cities have, but we found the inner city to be a model for how tolerance can be sweet, and far more conducive to civilized community than unnecessary repression. Things work there. The streets are clean, I felt safe no matter where I was, the shops as beautiful as Paris, and the citizens were kind, happy, helpful, and I thought quite resourceful with flying around on bicycles and living below the level of the sea...

© 2007 "Another Moment~ Amsterdam"  ~ For Writers Island

 

Élizabeth-Louise Vigée-LeBrun & a Trip to the Petit Trianon From Afar

Twenty six years ago I stepped into the Louvre in Paris, France for the first time...

That entire trip was a faerie tale and a pivot in time that would forever change the course of my life...

With awe at the masterpieces before me, I fell in love with art of a woman painter from the 18th-19th century... stepping from room to room, her pieces appeared before me, drawing me to them like a light...

(Self Portrait - 1789)

Over the years since, I have delved into the history of Marie Élizabeth-Louise Vigée-LeBrun, 1755 to 1842. I discovered that not only did she become a prolific and well recognized painter from the 18th-19th century, but that she was friend and one of Marie-Antoinette's favorite artists, and was invited to not only paint portraits of the queen and the queen and her children, but rooms and ceilings in Versailles, especially noteworthy, the chapel...

Here are some pictures that I took this recent trip...

another self portrait....

This past Friday, the showing of Marie-Antoinette and the Petit Trianon at Versailles was opened at San Francisco's Legion of Honor. This is the first time that any of these pieces have ever left France. There simplicity, and intricacy, craftsmanship and style, established a foundation for color and style to come... So it was a treat beyond belief to spend time in their beauty and in the presence of SIX Elizabeth Vigée-LeBrun paintings!!! Ulla came as my guest. She arrived upon my porch with tail and all...

We then proceeded to place our "mouches" which is "fly" in French and the word for those little black beauty marks!

Here's a little map, or "mouchology", that Ulla gave me along with five mouches!!! For where ever you place these beauty marks has a secret meaning...

Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed within the special exhibits at the Legion of Honor so here are some befores and afters and a final view of two of Élizabeth Vigée-LeBrun's most famous paintings...

The flower decorations were gorgeous... but not quite as lovely as Ulla...

Some how... food always makes it into my posts... Ulla and I shared a lovely lunch at the Legion of Honor's café while waiting for the exhibit to open...

And browsed afterward in the gift shop where we were tempted, oh let me tell you!!!

In closing this longggg post, I will leave you with these two paintings... They were both painted the same year by LeBrun, in 1783. The first caused quite a stir when LeBrun placed the painting in the Salon in Paris. People were outraged, claiming that the queen was being shown in underwear, or common folk dress... Notice, no jewelry, simple head attire, although a bit of a flare with the feather in her straw hat, and the muted roses, and modest decolletage...

LeBrun removed the painting and painted the following. The queen's pose, facial expression, and hand positions are exactly the same. However, now she is wearing a form-fitting fancy satin dress with intricate lace, low decolletage, hair frizzed and powdered in the style of the time, fancy hat with many feathers, neck and wrists adorned with pearls, and her hands hold a dazzling pink rose... this painting was accepted, but the grumbles and projections of people from afar and near Marie-Antoinette continued to grow...

I believe the first painting shows more of the true personality and feelings of the Marie-Antoinette that has come to be layered with so many projections and fables that the real woman is hidden from us all... except in tiny glimpses here and there and in these portraits. Oh how I would love to know just what transpired in the conversations between these two women...

I continue to be fascinated by this entire period of time... and now, I can't believe its true... but I would hop on a plane tomorrow just to wander the grounds of the Petit Trianon...

Le Competition

Are you ready for a feast???

In the spirit of friendship inspired by Writers Island this week, I thought I would tell you all about the grand competition that took place while I was visiting with my friend Corey in the South of France...

Along with being an amazing cook and master of setting a table and home with beauty... one of Corey's gifts is of the art of matchmaking...

With vintage paper, Corey created place names for each of us, giving us an air of mystery...

Attending le competition was... Madame House, Monsieur Land, Madame Macaroon, Madame Velvet, Monsieur Chair, Monsieur Beau, Mademoiselle Belle de Noir, and... 

yours truly... Madame Pathway...

The table was set...

and the guests arrived!

Here we have lovely Mélanie and her beautiful mother...

And we started the evening
with one of the best guacamoles I've ever had!!!!

This was made by Mélanie's mother, and I have to say that I consider myself a connoisseur of guacamole, having grown up in California... and this one was sooooooo yummy, and quite a surprise to taste in France!!!

Just look at what occurred in not much time at all!!!

Then it was my turn... I was delighted to serve the Amusé Bouche... I made grapes stuffed with blue-cheese, toasted walnuts, then drizzled with honey from the region and a sprinkle of thyme from the garden and served in antique silver soup spoons...

followed by cucumber soup
in these lovely antique demitasse cups...

Wine flowed from the hand of Monsieur Beau...

and Monsieur Land served up his feast of mussels...

and the mandalas of feasting began...

salmon and shrimp by Madame Macaroon...

Simmered tomatoes
and red peppers by Mademoiselle Belle de Noir...

a lovely grain dish by Madame Velvet...

all together on one plate...

and more wine and conversations flowed...

Then Madame House served her cheese course... cheese stuffed with garlic then baked, sauteed mushrooms, and sorrel lightly dressed in oil, vinegar, and herbs of Provence...

And then... last but not least...
the famous cheesecake of Madame Macaroon...

and you ask... what was the competition for??? Why to win the hand of Monsieur Beau and a trip to Turkey the following morning!!! But wait, most of us are married... and... I think we all won??? And as far as I know... Monsieur Beau took off with suitcase in hand... little did he know that we were all stowed inside... and he wondered why that suitcase was sooooooo heavy...

Oh this magical evening will forever sing a song in my heart of friends gathered together, laughing, feasting, and sharing the beauty of friendship...

SomePinkFlowers For You

I'm not even home a week,
and I'm leaving again...

This time for the 8th annual
International Labyrinth Society Gathering
in Kansas...

So, I will share more of my travels
when I return after the 12th of November...

My sweet blogging friend,
SomePinkFlowers,
asked me to bring her back some pink flowers from Paris
and where ever else I could find them,
St. Genis Pouilly, Provence, Amsterdam,
in the courtyard of museums,
cemeteries,
flower and fruit stands,
on hanging baskets over canals,
as they are rare to find in the Fall...

And... this week
her heart is hurting at the loss of precious trees
in her neighborhood...

So here they are,
for SomePinkFlowersBonnieBee,
and for all of you...

Enjoy...

Can you smell their sweet fragrance???

These flowers
blooming
radiance
from far, far away...

Where history
roots
in stone walls
and winding trails,
where bones
and flesh
are reborn
in morning dew
and the canals   
that line the streets
that draw me in
and down
and around into memories
oh not so old...

Petals fall...
and the seasons
change
and I remember holding you
full in my arms
breathing in the scent
of your entire being...

Oh sweet flower,
bud of my desire,
unfolding in beauty
before me...

No Chocolate Croissants or Cheesecake

The French do breakfast well
le petit déjeuner...
the little break fast...

It's our third morning home and there are no
chocolate croissants in the house...
and I have a cold
so it is garlic tea and chicken soup for me...

But I keep dreaming of breakfast crepes
from the Rue de Cler in Paris...

or cheesecake...

Chessecake you ask?
For breakfast?

That's what they have for breakfast in Provence...

Just look at these empty plates almost licked clean...

That lone piece didn't last long either...

Even the bees in Provence eat breakfast well...

Photos: Petit de'jeuner at our hotel, La Tulipe on Rue Malar, a truly delightful place to stay in the 7th arrondesmont, Paris; breakfast crepes being made on the Rue de Cler (oh for some Nutella right now...); Cheesecake made by Corey's dear friend Cynthia in Corey's kitchen; and a bee on Corey's window sill slurping up chessecake juice from where the hot cheesecakes cooled the night before in the chill of the Provence air.

Waking In Paris

We are home...

In the last three weeks
we touched France, Switzerland,
Belgium, the Netherlands, and England...

And now...
this place of home usually so known,
is the dream...

and the memories of our travels
linger
and wrap themselves around me,
begging me not to forget....

Like that first lick
of true bliss...

and the joy
of the freedom to discover,

walk, and be...

where ever you want to be...

Photos: Eiffel Tower; Grand Palace, my French glacé of chocolate, caramel and salt; and Milt with chocolate hazelnut on the Isle St. Louis, Paris.

Home...

We are home...
from the glorious desert of the southwest...

where few words...

can fill the vast plains, skies, mountains, and canyons...

or the sunrises and sunsets
that paint the yearnings of my heart and soul...

For within twelve hours of our plane touching the home ground of California, I was whisked away in a magic silver bullet... to the fertile abundance of an enchanted castle...

where something old...

something new...

something borrowed...

and something flow-blue...

filled our hearts with the joy of friendship,
inspiration, courage,
and with seeds...

new seeds of all possibility...
planted in the depths of heart and soul
in the growing light of the new moon...

Oh what seeds of possibility are you planting...
breathing desire and wonder,
beauty and uniqueness
into the vistas and enchantment
of all that you are???

The Heart's Longing

We've just returned
from Ashland and the beautiful Rogue Valley, Oregon...

where I had the honor to be the keynote speaker
for the 2nd annual North West Labyrinth Gathering,
entitled "The Heart's Longing:
In Beauty and Nature the Labyrinth Restores Us"...

Here, Milt and I gather with some of the gathering's
amazing committee members
in front of Lani and Stan Rossetta's
beautiful goddess labyrinth,
based on a Baltic-wheel labyrinth...

For our stay, we rented five nights
in Lynnette and Paul Scolari's
Thimbleberry Cabin, 29 miles east of Ashland...

Words and pictures do not begin to describe
the beauty and bone quiet of this forested area...

I built the Scolari's a small three-circuit labyrinth
from displaced rocks from the surrounding construction
for them and their future cabin guests
to add to and enjoy...

On Friday afternoon before my talk,
we visited with dear family friends who have now lived
in Gold Hill Oregon for the past thirteen years...

Oh how I've missed Carol's baking and Kenneth's coffee!!!

But most of all,
I've missed their sweet and wise spirits
and the way they hug me!

Their home and garden were a delight,
and their clematis loved posing for a picture...

I was warmly welcomed that evening to the NWLGathering,
along with Jean Houston who made a special guest appearance.
Here I am with Rose Tandon and the beautiful posters
that she made for Jean and me...

After the evening talks,the magnificent slide show by Margaret Valvo,and opening ceremony by Alena Marie and Tom Smith on flutes...Milt and I had a late night meal with Dale and Rita of iSpiritual,the finger-labyrinth ladies of the world!

On Saturday, my rope classical labyrinth
joined many canvas labyrinths of all shapes and sizes...

I did two workshops on what I've come to realize
is my favorite topic and life's work...

Beauty and the Beast/Minotaur...

I met many wonderful people and had the joyful opportunity to meet in person with a long-time internet connection, Marney Armitage from Canada. Like many others, Marney has been doing some incredible labyrinth work over the years with patients with life threatening illness. She is as delightful in person as she is on-line!

The workshop and speaking festivities closed on the Asante Rogue Valley Medical Center's Chartres design labyrinth...

Led by Alena Marie to the haunting flute music of Tom Smith, the flag dancers spread their wings and graced us with beauty...

And participants joined in the closing ceremony walk...

I must say something here about the Asante Rogue Valley Medical Center. I was so impressed when Pastor Joe McMahan, Director of Pastoral Care, took me on a tour. This state of the art, award winning hospital, is not only functional, but beautiful... giving to patients and staff in a leading edge approach to health care that cares for the whole person, body, mind, and spirit...

On our last Sunday in Ashland, Milt and I took in Shakespeare's "As You Like It." If you have the opportunity to get tickets, do so! It was fantastic!

Before the show,
we wandered through Ashland's beautiful city park...

 

Somehow, I managed to loose my labyrinth map of the surrounding area labyrinths open to the gathering... Late on Sunday though, Milt and I did find our way to the magical "Circle of Teran," one of the most unusual retreat centers I've ever had the pleasure to visit.

Again, no words or pictures can capture what we experienced... This land, retreat center, and two-hundred foot Chartres design labyrinth made entirely from lavender plants was extraordinary...

In just a few weeks, these mounds will be ablaze in a lavender purple haze... but even now, the scent and the green, and the beauty was a joy to experience...

I returned from my labyrinth walk,
to find Milt deep in contemplation
outside of the retreat center...

We both felt that this trip was a trip of beauty, finding our heart's longing nourished and inspired by the gathering of labyrinth enthusiasts and the labyrinthine path of days spent in nature and the glorious southern lands of Oregon...

Home...

I am home...

with Hawaii, Kawela Bay, turtles, rainbows, whales, glass-sea, towering waves, glorious sunrises & sunsets, banyan forests, outings, art-making, ceremony, and eleven special women forever in my heart...

Marilyn Radzat took the following picture
of our closing ceremony with our sea-turtles-honu,
and the eleven women
who I spent seven days of paradise with...

May you all have sweet aloha to bless you...

Hawaii...

Hawaii has been calling me,
beckoning me to come and step
into time out of time...

So... Hawaii and this very beach is where I'm headed!

I'm off to spend a week in retreat
with Fantasy Artists Marilyn Radzat and Gail Lackey..

My bags are packed and my flight is today...

Notice the yellow frog? I saw this Navaho symbol in the Santa Fe museum years ago and fabric painted them on all of our lugguge. It makes our lugguge unique and easy to spot and I love the symbolism of the frog traveling with us...

Here is a link that will tell you more about the retreat...

Marilyn Radzat and Gail Lackey ~ Artist Retreat

I'll have lots of stories and pictures to share when I return! While I'm gone, I've planned a celebration week, honoring the Santa Rosa Labyrinth's Tenth Birth Day... so stay tuned!