Bonjour Friends,

In September, Dave and I spent eight days in Paris, ten in Saint Jean de Luz and ten on a canal boat in the southwest, cruising from Valence Sur Biase to Agen, the pruneaux (prune) capital of France. I took the photo below from a bridge in Nerac, a quaint village with a Henry IV chateau. Our boat is on the right, at the very top.

Saint Jean de Luz: In this seaside town, we discovered Muscade, a small café specializing in tarts: carrot tarts, onion tarts, potato tarts, chicken tarts, fish tarts and sweet tarts. We dined there six times and enjoyed trading stories with the owner.

Biarritz: One of the most posh beach resorts and popular surfing destinations on the French Coast. It came to fame in the mid 19th Century when Empress Eugenie (the wife of Napoleon III) fell in love with this part of the Basque country and built a Palace on the beach.

Paris: Set in the heart of Paris on the Left Bank opposite Notre-Dame, Shakespeare and Company has grown from a bookshop into an institution. Specializing in English-language books, magazines and newspapers, it’s the center of Parisian creativity. It opened its doors in 1951.

France’s Marvelous Values: A friend asked, “What do you like best about France?” Without hesitation I said: “Their lifestyle, the two-hour lunches versus America’s pay, gulp and back-to-work ethic…And French women’s closets, with better quality, and far fewer, clothes…In general, Europeans are less materialistic, buy things that last. Trés chic.”

Surfer Laird Hamilton’s Life Lessons
• “The ocean’s vastness reminds you of your insignificance. It’s like a grounder. It’s been around long before people got here and will be here long after. It teaches humility.”
• “The ocean reminds you that you’re not in control. It’s in control when you’re in it. The sooner you embrace that, the easier it will be in other aspects of your life.”
• “The ocean is non-judgmental. It doesn’t differentiate between you and the next guy. We’re all equal before a wave.”

That’s it folks! Have a joyous holiday season. Give vanishing-gifts such as wine, food, flowers, tickets, gift certificates, and so on. Hug more; buy less. Save your money for living simply and sensuously in France.

Au Revoir,

P.S. It befuddles me when people say, “Anything’s possible,” or “Nothing’s impossible.” They’ve obviously never tried to nail jelly to a tree.