Totally unrelated to food
« Previous EntriesWatch cats
Tuesday, February 28th, 2012They’re not easy to spot — shy and a little stealthy — but there they sit, behind glass storefronts: Watch Cats. It has taken me months to collect these photos of Paris kitties in shop windows. They’re a secret French feline force keeping the mice at bay. I’ve never eaten at the restaurant Lard d’Enfance in [...]
Maine Coon cats
Thursday, July 7th, 2011Last weekend we were in London where we visited some friends for dinner and fell under the spell of their Maine Coon cats, the fluffiest pair of felines to ever have clawed a scratching post (not pictured here, alas — I forgot my camera). I was totally enchanted by their size and sweeping tails and [...]
French felines
Thursday, February 10th, 2011If you were a cat, could there be a better place to live than France? The 35-hour work week means your owner is around more for cuddles. The national love of foie gras makes for excellent snacks (authorized, or not). Yes, as my photographic research shows, I think any French feline would declare life here [...]
French felines
Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010I love cats. I love Paris. I love cats in Paris. But it turns out French felines are a little bit harder to capture on camera than their canine counterparts. Still, with a careful eye, you can find them slinking around the City of Light’s quiet corners.
Pups of Paris
Thursday, November 12th, 2009The French love their dogs, it is true. Pups pop up everywhere in Paris. Everywhere? Mais oui, and I’ve the photographic evidence to prove it. They’re hanging with their pals, enjoying coffee at the café (photo above)…
Château de Versailles, by night
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Last week, I felt honored to be included in a special, private tour of Versailles by night. I’ve been interested in the 17th-century palace since I read this biography of Marie Antoinette, and saw Sophia Coppola’s film, but seeing its grandeur bathed in nocturnal shadows was both spooky and poignant. What did I see?
Holy hot hammam!
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009Have you ever been to a hammam? I hadn’t. Until last week, I’m not sure I could even accurately define “hammam” (it’s an Arabic word, meaning steam bath). Paris abounds with these Turkish baths, and when my friend Heather came to town, she had the bright idea of getting steamed and scrubbed. After extensive internet [...]
Twenty years ago
Thursday, June 4th, 2009I was only 14 when the events at Tiananmen Square took place. I remember the images — especially the lone man in front of the tank — but I didn’t understand their significance at the time. That all changed when I moved to China in 2003, and met some very brave people — some who [...]
CtB goes DIY (and some unfortunate news about overdue library books)
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Ta da! Here are the results of my very first DIY project! I inherited this particle board dresser from a friend six years ago. I forgot to take “before” photographs, but it started out an uninspiring “birch” color, with various stains, scratches and ugly nicks. I’d long wanted to paint it but was intimidated by the process, [...]
Olive
Monday, April 14th, 2008I must confess that DIY took up most of my weekend, leaving not much time for cooking. My painted dresser looks very pretty, however, and I will post pictures of it when it’s dry and assembled (annoyingly, I forgot to take “before” shots — sorry). In the meantime, I wanted to post some pictures of [...]
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