Dreaming of France -- Paris Runaway

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France.

It's been a little while since we've played Dreaming of France. I know the way to increase the number of people playing and reading -- all I have to do is move to France!
But our current plans don't include us moving to France until May 2017. Still -- May 2017 is only a year and a half away!
So today, as we head toward the end of 2015, I thought I'd post some pictures from our trip to Marseille in March.
We'd never been to Marseille, so we took the bus from Aix en Provence to Marseille, about 30 minutes. The bus stops at the train station, and the view from the train station is panoramic.

In the distance on the hill is Notre Dame de la Garde, our lady of the guard, which overlooks the Marseille harbor. 

The architecture in Marseille looks similar to buildings in Paris. 

This ferris wheel sits at the beginning of the harbor for a terrific view. Well, we didn't actually ride on the ferris wheel, but I imagine the view would be stunning from those little seats. 

We walked down to the end of the harbor where we saw the Marseille Cathedral. I'd never heard of it before, but sitting there along the edge of the Mediterranean, with it's dramatic dark insets, the cathedral wowed us. 

I'm looking forward to the day when we can return to France and explore Marseille again. 

I hope you're dreaming of France today too and I really appreciate everyone who participates and visits each other's blogs. 

First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros -- Breathless An American Girl in Paris

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
My bookshelf is appalling bare, but I have so little time to read this month that it isn't likely to change, although I'm getting that itch to go to the library and carry an armload of books home.

I did still have this on my shelf and decided to at least start it. It's a memoir set in the 1960s, Breathless An American Girl in Paris by Nancy K. Miller. I feel like I've been that girl, just in a different era.
Here's the intro:

I didn't set out to sleep with Philippe. For one thing, he was my parents' friend; for another, he was married.

On one of their many trips to Paris before I lived there, my parents met Philippe Rousel, an ophthalmologist, at Aux Charpentiers, a neighborhood restaurant near Saint-Germain des Pres, where long, family-style tables bring you into closer contact with other diners than you might wish. In his travel diary, which I discovered after his death, my father reported that the French friends who had recommended the resyaurant had said that "while not modern or elegant it was a place where intellectuals came to eat."

I hope the book is closer to that first paragraph than the second.
 

Saturday Snapshot - Family Day at Ohio University

We got to spend some time with our boys at their college this weekend. Don't get me wrong, they weren't hankering for us to come down, but we went anyway.

We didn't go to any of the organized activities. But we drove down Friday evening to have dinner with Spencer. His phone had stopped working so we weren't sure if he was anxious to see us or to get the new phone. 

We dropped him back at his dorm around 9:30 then met my brother and his wife at BW3 -- that's a sports bar chain. Their daughter attends the same university. We had drinks then headed back to the motel. All of the hotels were booked for miles around so my sister-in-law lucked into finding this place. It looked pretty rough on the outside but it was clean on the inside and was probably the bomb back in the 1970s. 

We feared it might be awkward sharing a hotel room with another couple, but it was a lot of fun as we lay in the dark remembering humorous memories about our childhood and as we raised our own kids. I think we need to plan a vacation with them - maybe separate hotel rooms though.

This morning we went to a coffee shop with a balcony. Both the boys were sleeping in, so we face-timed with Grace. 

We finally got some time with both boys at brunch, then we took them to the grocery to stock up. 

Just the right amount of time to reconnect with our sons.

Man, am I short compared to all my guys. 

First Paragraph -- The Church of Tango

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.

I am reading The Church of Tango by Cherie Magnus for France Book Tours. I'll post a review of this memoir in October. Here's the intro:

It was February, 1992, when I stood in my raincoat with my two suitcases in front of a locked courtyard gate in the 9th arrondissement. The airport taxi vanished, leaving me alone on the deserted street. The digicode I had brought from Los Angeles didn't unlock the big double doors of the eighteenth-century apartment building. What am I doing here? I wondered in a moment of panic. Am I completely crazy after a year of widowhood.

 What do you think?

First Paragraph -- Gone Girl

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
Everyone has already read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, right?

I hadn't. I was afraid it would be too graphic, too bloody or something. I was wrong. I got captured by it and stayed up late into the night reading it, which is rare for me.
Here's the intro:

When I think of my wife, I always think of h er head. The shape of it, to begin with. The very first time I saw her, it was the back of the head I saw, and there was something lovely about it, the angles of it. Like a shiny, hard corn kernel or a riverbed fossil. She had what the Victorians would call a finely shaped head. You could imagine the skull quite easily. 

This book was a psychological thriller. And it definitely had me going in the wrong direction. It's funny that I haven't even heard many people giving away the twist in the book, which isn't at the end necessarily. The only part that felt unsatisfying to me was the end because it didn't wrap up everything. But I definitely love the mind games throughout.

Escapes to France

This morning, on my drive in to work, I visited Notre Dame on Île de la Cité.

Not in person, of course, but I listened to Rick Steves' App and historic tour of Paris which starts at Notre Dame. This walking tour is meant to be taken while in Paris, but I didn't mind imagining the Rose window and the statue of St. Dennis with his head held in his hands. I'll listen to more on my way home from work.
I have the Rick Steves app on my iPhone, so I can go on it and choose stories about France (Paris) or France (Beyond Paris). you can also listen to the radio show online. Here's a link to Travel with Rick Steves.
I've listened to fun stories about "How to Eat Like a Parisian" that gave great tips on when the markets are open and told visitors how to order from la carte rather than asking for a menu.
One of the most awkward stories on the Rick Steves app is his interview with David Sedaris. Now, I love David Sedaris and his oddball experiences in France and in the United States. Rick Steves is maybe a bit too mainstream for Sedaris. But the David Sedaris interview.
interview was definitely fun. Here's a link to the
Steves even had a story called "Marrying into France" with tips on why and how to marry a Frenchman (or woman if you happen to be male). He talks about taking canal boat tours and eating cheese and Americans running gites. If you love France (surprise! I do) then you'll enjoy some of these stories.

Also, in hopes of giving you a trip to France, my novel I See London I See France is on sale for 99 cents on Kindle now through Sunday. I hope you'll give it a try.

When her husband of a dozen years walks out in a huff, Caroline Sommers walks out too - to Europe, with her kids after impulsively selling her minivan for travel money. Tired of being the perfect wife, she escapes to rediscover herself, and possibly rekindle the unrequited love of a Frenchman from her college days. While shepherding her kids from London to Scotland then Paris to Provence, she finds herself at a crossroads. Does she choose love, or lust, in the arms of a European man, or should she try again with the father of her children and the man she truly loved, once?

In addition to Caroline's travels with her children, much of the book focuses on Caroline's memories of working as an au pair in Aix en Provence and Corsica. And, yes, much of that was based on my own crush on a French doctor in my early 20s. He taught me to sail on the Mediterranean, and we sailed to hard-to-reach shore which turned out to be a nude beach.
Hope you'll consider buying, and reading, and reviewing, but no pressure. Here's the link to my novel on Amazon for the U.S.
And another link for my UK readers.
I'm linking to Paris in July, because everything I do this month is about France.

First Paragraph, Teaser Tuesday -- The Chocolate Kiss

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
I enjoy a good chick lit book and when you throw in romance, chocolate and Paris, what's not to like. Here's the first paragraph of The Chocolate Kiss by Laura Florand.

It was a good day for princesses. The rain drove them indoors, an amused little rain with long cool fingers that heralded the winter to come and made people fear the drafts in their castles. And Magalie Chaudron, stirring chocolate in the tea shop's blue kitchen, felt smug to be tucked into the heart and soul of all this warmth, not wandering the wet streets searching for a home. 

I'm joining Teaser Tuesday this week too.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Open to a random page of your current read  and share a teaser sentence from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser
Here's the teaser from  page 96:

But she couldn't help noticing the treasure chest: a genuine jeweled chest several centuries old. He had probably bribed some collector with one of his pastries to lend him the piece, she thought irritably. The chest was tilted onto its side, and from it spilled his macarons, like something a dragon might die for: blood red filled with dark chocolate ganache, garnet flecked with genuine gold, one that was pure onyx, another a green so rich it could be emerald, another burnished amber.

Of course, this book also fits in with Paris in July, as will many of my posts this month. If you're passionate about France like I am, go ahead and check it out. It's spread across four main blogs this month.
If anyone doing Paris in July is interested in reading and reviewing either of my novels, I See London I See France or The Summer of France, please let me know and I'd be happy to get you an ebook copy free.

Hope you have some chocolate or some treasure in your day today.

Dreaming of France -- Good Meals, Bad Meals

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
Food is always a big draw for visitors to France. I'm not a foodie. I don't plan specific meals that I will eat or arrange tours at chocolateries or take cooking classes -- not that I wouldn't love to do all of those things.
I can't think of many meals that I haven't enjoyed in France.
Well, one does come to mind.
Earl and I enjoyed the book Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland, and last time we went to France together we decided to eat at the restaurant which inspired the painting by Renoir.
The setting did not disappoint us, but the food was not as tasty as I'd expected from a French restaurant, even a mundane French restaurant.
The restaurant is located along the Seine outside of Paris. We took a train then muddled our way along the streets in search of the river and the restaurant.
We were there in April, so it was asparagus season.

The markets in Paris were full of thick stalks of white asparagus. So we both ordered asparagus for a starter but were disappointed by the limpness (make your own sexual joke here).

Even the dessert, although pretty, was a little bland. 

 
My favorite meal in France is usually breakfast, and I like to eat it at the hotel.
The pitcher of coffee and the pitcher of steamed milk alongside the basket of croissants and mini jars of jam. Yum.

Do you have a favorite meal in France?

I hope you'll visit each others' blogs to see more posts on Dreaming of France. 

First Paragraph, Teaser Tuesday -- Mr. Lynch's Holiday

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
I got the book Mr. Lynch's Holiday by Catherine O'Flynn after seeing someone else feature it on First Paragraph, Tuesday Teaser. I hope I like it.

Here's the intro:

He arrived on a cloudless day. As he stepped onto the tarmac, he looked up at the sky and saw nothing but blue and the traces left by other planes.

Fairly succinct opening. The basics are that Dermot Lynch takes his first vacation from Birmingham in many years to visit his son Eamonn who lives on the coast of Spain. He learns Eamonn's secrets and becomes the center of the ex-pat community .
I'm joining Teaser Tuesday this week too.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Open to a random page of your current read  and share a teaser sentence from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
Here's mine from page 10:

Eamonn nodded. "That's good." He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into his bed, to finally fall asleep and on waking discover that his father's arrival had been an unsettling dream. "So..." He was still nodding. "Is this a holiday, then?" 

I hope I find some other books to add to my list today as I visit everyone's blog.

Saturday Snapshot -- Sunrise

Today I'm sharing a sunrise picture that I took during an early morning run.

We've been enjoying gorgeous weather here in Columbus. I could live like this all summer. Hope it continues as I go  to my last round of graduation parties this weekend.

First Paragraph, Tuesday Teaser -- Dreaming in French

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
I was renewing library books when I realized one of the books is due on Thursday and I haven't started reading it. I quickly pulled it from the shelf and started yesterday -- Dreaming in French by Megan McAndrew.

I thought I liked the cover, but the more I look at it... I thought she had her face against her knee, but it can't be her knee because it is too skinny. I'm not sure. Amazon has a different cover for it now.
Here's the intro:

Astrid became a Marxist after it stopped being fashionable, even in France, but fashion, as she always told us, was for people without imagination. How a woman who shopped at Sonia Rykiel could have discovered within herself a sudden solidarity with the working classes was a matter for some perplexity, though not on the part of Lea, who expressed the view that our mother was unstable. At sixteen my older sister was cultivating cynicism. She had also just gone on the pill, which was easy to do in those days. All it took was a visit to the clinique on Rue Bonaparte, where the darkly handsome Docteur Bernard, who looked more like a hairdresser than a gynecologist, dispensed contraception to the young sirens of the Sixth Arrondissement after the most nominal of examinations and, it was rumored, occasionally seduced one, though Lea was disappointingly not among their number. Why Lea had sought birth control was in itself cause for speculation, since she didn't have a boyfriend. But, as she grimly told me, it was better to be prepared. Grimness was a sentiment that gripped Lea frequently. Like Vera in War and Peace, my older sister saw herself as the only dignified member of a ridiculous family. She bore our mother's idiosyncrasies stoically but, in her heart, my sister thought of herself as French, and French mothers did not go to ashrams in India, or march in demonstrations, or hire Maoist housepainters, or walk around the apartment wearing nothing but red nail polish. 

I'm joining in with Teaser Tuesday this week too, but the intro is so long that I'll let it stand for both First Paragraph and Tuesday Teaser.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Open to a random page of your current read  and share a teaser sentence from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.
Looking forward to seeing all of your books.

Graduation Weekend

As you all predicted, the party went off just fine. I even managed to relax a bit.
One of the best things about throwing a backyard party is that I get to use all my French tablecloths. The weather was perfect -- sunny and a high of 72 degrees.

Here's Tucker standing next to me with some of the crowd in the background. Probably 75-100 people filtered through, congratulating Tucker and Josh. 

The sangria went like gangbusters with just enough left so that I didn't worry people went without.
We had so much food! Tucker had his graduation party with his best friend Josh. Luckily, Josh's dad is a chef, so he took care of most of the food.
We had pulled pork and barbecued chicken sandwiches, along with potato salad, pasta salad and pizza pinwheels. I made a green salad, tortilla chips and desserts, along with buying a sheet cake.

I made a turtle cake, and there were only two pieces left at the end of the night.
Plenty of the boys' high school friends showed up, which always makes it more fun for them. And the boys headed off to more graduation parties afterward.
We stayed outside under the canopies long after night had fallen and the first mosquitoes of summer had begun to bite before we moved indoors.
Now, with the graduation party behind us, we can relax and enjoy the actual ceremony on Sunday. Plus, I get to visit with my parents this weekend since they came in from Florida.
Hope you all are having a good weekend.
I'm playing along with Saturday Snapshot.

Dreaming of France -- Musee d'Orsay

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.
In my new short story, "French Masquerade," a scene takes place in Musée d'Orsay. I have never met anyone who doesn't love Musée d'Orsay. When I picture walking through it, I imagine a stillness that belies the crowd, brought on by the impressiveness of the artwork.
Here are a couple of pictures from Musée d'Orsay.

Here's a view from inside the museum taking a shot out the clock window at the Seine.

 

Then here's an overview of the museum from the top floor.

The architecture of the building is worth seeing, never mind the brilliant artwork inside.

Last time we visited, we sat on the steps outside enjoying a snack before soldiering on with our sightseeing. Here's a picture of my husband resting outside Musée d'Orsay.

Do you have a lovely memory of visiting Musée d'Orsay? Share it.

And I'd love it if you'd consider buying my short story, "French Masquerade" on Amazon for 99 cents. Also available in Amazon UK for 77 pence.

Saturday Snapshot -- Full Moon

After driving 16 hours on Wednesday, I pulled into my parents' neighborhood, cruising past a quiet lake, and saw the full moon reflected there.

The lights could be buildings or car along the highway opposite.
Next weekend is the final  high school graduation for my family. I'm expecting it to be hectic, thrilling and fulfillling.
Hope everyone is having a terrific weekend.

Paris Is Always A Good Idea Plus First Paragraph and Tuesday Teaser

Today, I'm teaming up with Vicki Lesage, author of Confessions of a Paris Party Girl to tell you about some books for people who love France. (Find my teaser and first paragraph at the bottom).
I haven't read all of these books, so make sure you take a look at the reviews before you plunge in and buy one.
Audrey Hepburn had it right when she said "Paris is always a good idea." The City of Light is loaded with charms and wonders you can't find anywhere else on the planet.

Books about Paris are a surefire hit – from romance to mystery to intrigue, what better way to fantasize about Paris than reading a book about it, preferably over a glass of Bordeaux? Vicky hand-picked a selection of French-themed books below and to help you decide which ones fit your style, she asked each author to answer two of the following questions: 1. Why is your book a "good idea" for someone who loves Paris/France? 2. If your book was a drink, what would it be? 3. Which scene might raise a few eyebrows? 4. Who would absolutely hate your book? Read their responses and check out their books!

Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb

Why is your book a "good idea" for someone who loves Paris? Becoming Josephine is about a famous and beloved French historical figure and much of the novel takes place in Paris. Which scene might raise a few eyebrows? One of the scenes set during the September Massacres, also, perhaps one of the hotter scenes between Napoleon and Josephine. Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $15.00 | Kindle: $7.99 Connect with Heather: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Je T'Aime, Me Neither by April Lily Heise

Why is your book a "good idea" for someone who loves Paris? Paris is almost a character in my book rather than the setting, perhaps a coy antagonist? I'd like to think that the passion of Paris was a root of most of my romantic misadventures, but I can't blame it all on Paris! Who would absolutely hate your book? Readers looking for an idealized story of Paris. Truth is more interesting than fiction, but reality can clash with some people's dreams of perfect Paris. Genre: Memoir Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $13.49 | Kindle: $6.99 Connect with Lily: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Paris, Rue des Martyrs by Adria J. Cimino

Why is your book a "good idea" for someone who loves Paris? It will transport you to the Paris of Parisians... You won't feel as if you have vacationed in Paris, but as if you have lived there. If your book was a drink, what would it be? Café au lait: Bitter and sweet, dark and light... Opposites come together, creating unforgettable flavor! Genre: Contemporary Fiction Buy now or read the book's description: Kindle: $3.99 Connect with Adria: Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Confessions of a Paris Party Girl by Vicki Lesage

If your book was a drink, what would it be? A glass of red wine – classy but accessible. You want to share it with friends and you have fun drinking it. Which scene might raise a few eyebrows? The airplane vomit story, for sure. Or maybe the passing-out-on-the-bathroom-floor story. If you enjoy drinking, this might make you stop. If you don't drink, you can smugly watch me learn my lesson. I do eventually grow up, it just takes a while. Genre: Memoir Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $14.99 | Kindle: $4.99 Connect with Vicki: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

I see London, I see France by Paulita Kincer

If your book was a drink, what would it be? An Absinthe Chocolate Cocktail. Traveling with three kids while figuring out if a marriage is worth saving brings some definite worries, thus the absinthe to help forget those worries. And the chocolate, well that makes everything better, right? Which scene might raise a few eyebrows? Some of the scenes in my novel are hot, but they don't get into graphic details of slot a fitted into slot b. What might raise some eyebrows would be Caroline, the main character's, realization that she may have some prejudices. She rolls around the beach in Nice and is certain she is ready to break her marriage vows to have sex with a sensual gypsy man (think Johnny Depp). She leads him up to her hotel room and realizes she's never been inside a building with the man. She only pictures him outdoors. And the prejudice of the hotel clerk plants doubt in her mind. Most middle class Americans have trouble admitting they may have prejudices. Genres: Fiction, Women's Fiction Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $14.00 | Kindle: $4.99 Connect with Paulita: Website  Facebook Twitter Goodreads

Paris Was The Place by Susan Conley

Why is your book a "good idea" for someone who loves Paris? At times Paris Was the Place is like a guided walking tour of Paris. You get to eat delicious crepes, hear some good jazz music, drink red wine and fall in love. Which scene might raise a few eyebrows? When narrator Willie Pears falls for a Frenchman she meets in Paris, she jumps in his truck and heads to the South of France. It's a drive that turns out to be one long roadtrip of foreplay. Genres: Fiction, Women's Fiction Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $26.95 | Kindle: $10.99 Connect with Susan: Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Paris Game by Alyssa Linn Palmer

Why is your book a "good idea" for someone who loves Paris? It's an especially good idea if you're fond of late night jazz, or wandering the streets of the Left Bank. That's where I focused most of the story. If your book was a drink, what would it be? Something quite strong, whiskey on the rocks. Which scene might raise a few eyebrows? The entirety of chapter one. Genres: Mystery, Romance, Suspense Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $15.95 | Kindle: $4.99 Connect with Alyssa: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Gastien: The Cost of a Dream by Caddy Rowland
If your book was a drink, what would it be? If The Gastien Series was a drink, it would be absinthe, of course! That was the preferred drink of the bohemian artists of nineteenth century Paris. Strong, beautiful and mind-altering, the "green fairy" is a drink that forges its own path, daring to be different. Who would absolutely hate your book? People who don't like dark, raw, gritty, emotional, and - at times - brutal stories would hate my book. I don't write "pretty" stories, I write about the sublime joy and bitter tragedy of being human. That doesn't guarantee "happy" but it does guarantee "real". Genre: Historical Fiction, Family Saga, Drama Buy now or read the book's description: Print: $14.99 | Kindle: $4.99 Connect with Caddy: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Which books match your style? Share in the comments!
Playing along with Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea with First Paragraph, and Tuesday Teaser with Miz B of Should Be Reading, here's the first paragraph, which will count as my teaser too, from Paris Rue des Martyrs by Adria J. Cimino.

Rafael Mendez arrived like a thief in the night at 120 Rue des Martyrs. He ran all the way from the train station, where he had left one small, ragtag suitcase in a rented locker. His sneakers slapped noisily along the cobblestones, then pavement, in time with his own tears, and the rain falling from a grim Parisian sky. 

Hope you'll try one of these books set in France.

Saturday Snapshot -- Tulips

Every year around this time, I need to share a photo of the tulips blooming in a yard near our neighborhood.
The gardener here has a fabulous display of tulips.

That's some creeping phlox there at the front. I'm not sure what the yellow flowers are, but I'm glad she's diversifying. As much as I love tulips, I hate the way they look after the blooms are gone. 

I imagine sitting on that porch during the spring and seeing all those colorful tulips. Lovely. 

Saturday Snapshot -- Spring Walks

The weather is crazy in the spring, but we drink in any warm days that come our way. We live about a mile away from our downtown area, so my husband and I like to walk there for coffee. 

Here he is under a blooming magnolia tree. Lovely. 

Hope your weekend in beautiful, and if  you celebrate Easter, have a glorious day.