The other day, I burned a grilled cheese sandwich that I was making for my lunch. It’s my go-to noon meal in France, and over the years that we’ve been here, I’ve been perfecting it, probably because in France it’s natural to want to make a good impression on your food. For the...
COVID-19 takes the harsh measure of a once-great nation
To what extent is a nation the sum of its people? It’s a question I ask myself when I look at the America that is just now starting to come to grips with the worst global crisis since World War II. On the one hand, every day there is another example on social...
Life in the time of Corona: Riding out the storm in the French countryside
“It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over such a small thing.” – Boromir The Lord of the Rings When the plague reached Paris in 1348, anyone who could afford to flee the city to the safety of the countryside did so immediately. It was with...
What to do after another attack in Europe? Travel!
After the recent protests in Paris and the shooting Tuesday night in Strasbourg, the instinct of some of our American friends is to scratch France off their travel list. One friend canceled a planned trip to Paris, and another said, “Strasbourg was on my list of places to travel, but now, maybe not.” ...
What is our purpose? Through travel, a search for meaning
We’ve been thinking lately about our purpose in life. Philosophers have spent lifetimes pondering the question, but I’m happy to say that for people on the cusp of 60, it doesn’t deliver quite as much of an existential punch as it did when we were 18. Paula and I put in more than...
Captives of France: An escape story
Standing at the prefecture window in Dijon, Paula and I realized with sudden, inescapable clarity that we were trapped in France. On the surface, this was a situation unlikely to elicit sympathy from our friends. “Poor you, stuck in a beautiful country, in summer, with nothing but Paris and Aix-en-Provence and Normandy and...
On American Independence Day, citizens from 10 countries speak with one voice
Paula and I have been living in France for fewer than 11 months, absorbing as much French culture as we possibly can, reveling in the differences and similarities we notice between France and New Orleans, our home for more than 40 years. One of the things we’ve learned is that there is a...
Springtime in Sweden: A love story
We just spent three days in Stockholm on Sweden’s southeast coast, and two days in Göteborg (Gothenburg) on the southwest coast, the first time for either one of us in Scandinavia. Paula grew up with relatives who emigrated from Sweden, so the trip was very personal for her. Here are some impressions after...
Retired? We need a new word for this crazy, busy life
“Are you retired?” The question always stumps us. Every day for 37 years I went to a newsroom. Then one day a little more than a year ago, I suddenly stopped. And now, 13 months later, I’m still not sure how to answer. On the one hand, it’s easy. Yes, Paula and I...