We are going to a 4th of July party on Tuesday. The party is a neighborhood tradition.  It is very low-key and fun.  Most people come up fro...

is never a bad thing. I try to wait for champagne to go on sale and then take the caddy to the local Nicolas and stock up. 

We took a walk in St Germain des Pres a few days ago.  I wanted Emma to meet Voltaire.  His statue is on rue de Seine.  She seemed impress...

I have been using a Fitbit since 2014.  I received my first one as a birthday gift.   At the time, it was hard to set up and I wasn't su...

Our preferred dog park is the Luxembourg Gardens.  Dogs are allowed to go in about 1/6 of the garden.  It's not the nicest part of...

It was easy this year.  Normally, I spend several weeks running around town trying to find a pumpkin or two to help celebrate the Fall. ...

Everyone I meet that lives here in Paris is complaining about the bad things that are happening right now.  Strikes Demonstrations Terro...

In addition to rolling transportation strikes and demonstrations, higher levels of security and the normal bureaucracy here, we are now h...

I've been the the local G20 twice this week, both Monday and today, Wednesday and both times, I've left almost empty-handed.  I...

Here in France, it's almost a hopeless exercise to assume that a package will be delivered properly.  On time, in good condition, the ri...

Emma is one today.  I think back one year ago to realize how hard it was to get her. The first breeder fell through and I scrambled to try...

An El Nino storm blew through town yesterday.  First we had rain.  It was nice, not too hard, didn't last too long.  Then the wind whipp...

Can you believe that she put this on me?  I can't imagine being seen outside like this, of course.  I had to act quickly so I pr...

I've seen several French flags over the last few days.  This one is wonderful. It is on a beach house on The Strand in Hermosa Beach, ...

I haven't been in the US for Thanksgiving since 2007.  Celebrating Thanksgiving in Paris is a combination of difficult and easy.   ...

When we first came to Paris there were two things wrong here.  A cup of coffee was too small and all (or most of) the stores were closed on ...

This Summer, Emma has traveled five times.  They were all car trips.  She stayed at the Park Hyatt Aviara, The Homewood Suites, the Four Sea...

To take an American dog to France, you have to have your dog examined by a USDA accredited vet and then take the (extensive) paperwork to th...

The WICE French English Conversation Groups will re-start in September.   Note that the Tuesday groups will meet a...

Emma likes these words which we found on the back of a dog treat package: LIVE SIMPLY SPEAK KINDLY LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY If yo...

Emma the Border Terrier is doing very well.  It's a bit too hot for her today and yesterday the thunder scared her during the storm.  Sh...

Meet Emma, our Border Terrier puppy.  We got her on Saturday and it has been non-stop since then.  It's been a lot of fun and a lot of w...

Meet Emma, the Border Terrier.  She is still with the breeder but I'll get her very soon.  She's ready to come home with us.  ...

We arrived at the Louvre on Sunday afternoon, hoping to see the Poussin exhibition and a few Flemish painters.  The courtyard with the p...

I'm still struggling, after all these years with speaking, reading, writing French.  While I can communicate most of the time and unders...

One day soon, one of these little dogs will be sitting on a plane next to me (actually at my feet, hopefully) for the long flight.  T...

More from my "for" and "against" life in France, specifically Paris.  Obviously, I'm got conflicts but I guess the...

We have an invitation to a New Year's Eve party tonight and didn't know what to bring to our hosts.   They are wine experts and h...

I took a class during the Fall, "Guided Conversation in French".  One of the best parts of the class was being in the same room wi...

It is really nice to have a car available for Christmas shopping.  Buy the stuff, throw it in the trunk, lock the car and return to the ...

France doesn't have a "start date" for the Christmas holiday shopping period.  Thanksgiving marks the season in the US, so we ...

After a lovely few days in the Burgundy countryside, we returned to Paris at about 7:30 PM on Friday night.  Gare de Lyon always has a lon...

If I don't maintain my French language skills consistently, I forget it all.  Quickly.   Reading, writing, speaking and listening in F...

I have been struggling with technical problems for about ten days. It started innocently enough with a letter from my internet provider.  ...

This is the typical Berlin lunch or dinner.  Sausages (wurst), sauerkraut, potatoes.  Wash it down with a Dunkel (dark) beer.  Not my favo...

There is quite a large section of the Berlin Wall that is still intact.  It is not meant to keep people "in" or "out...

This is inside the "Dome" at the Bundestag in Berlin.  Part of the building is old and part (this part) is very modern.  We ...

Things break.  I would like to repair them rather than replace if at all possible.  The washer/dryer combo (yes, one unit) has been leak...

At the poultry counter today at our local outdoor market, I spotted a new choice for Easter dinner.  Goat.  There with the turkey, c...

My sister is the one wearing the cute shoes.  I am always in "sensible shoes" when sightseeing.  This is a photo taken by Terr...

I was in the gym this morning doing my typical Monday morning workout -- cardio then some weights.  It's the Club Med Gym which is...

Pollution in Paris?  A life-changer?  Only if you're a cab driver.  We live with air pollution in LA all the time.  On a good day th...

I go back and forth on whether to organize an activity for the Beaujolais Nouveau every year.  We haven't done anything for the last...

I just heard from our insurance agent that we have to change the renewal date on our health insurance plans from August to December.  This w...

Can one be a princess and snore at the same time.  Yes!  Chloe is the example. Here she is, alert as usual. No snores now! But, we...

The weather has been weird this week.  A large storm that has torn across Northern Europe has also hit Paris.  It's been alternately win...

In the past week, I have had countless small snubs come my way.  The kind that if you don't listen closely, it will go over your head.  ...

It's that time of year again--I can smell the chestnuts roasting in big pans over high heat.  The smell is between woods-y and something...

The tiny town of St. Jacut de la Mer is so small that it is hard to find on a map of Brittany.  A peninsula that juts into the ocean.  At lo...