Christmas in Douglas, 2009

Susie and I spent Christmas Day with her family as they gathered at Dick and Dorothy's home in Douglas, MA. The food was delicious, the hospitality warm and the conversation lively. But hey, the photographs speak for themselves:

Cathy and Bernice:

Sister and brother - Bernice and Frank:


Mieke -- jetting in from Brooklyn:


And of course it wouldn't have been a Christmas gathering for a group of Vandenbergs without one round of the Bernice game -- Bernice, Mary and Dorothy:


Uncle Frank:

Dorothy:




A day of smiles indeed:

Going back to Paris -- of course

How can we not go back? It may not be as exciting as the 1889 Exposition -- when the Eiffel Tower made its "debut" -- but when is Paris not incredible?

So, Susie will be gone for another 7-week stretch, pretty much like the spring of 2009 but no professional development courses at Le Cordon Bleu this time. My hope is she will find plenty of time to spend doing tai chi in the Jardin du Luxembourg.

I'll join her for the last 3 weeks or so. We hope to see Richard and Pauline in Mouchan and spend quality time in Siena (again). That's the plan.

Right now all we have are tickets to get on an Air France flight and go. Next up, lodging -- in the 11th we hope!

Saying goodbye to the Mini

Yep. It's true. We got rid of our (2nd) Mini Cooper. The streets in Providence were literally killing our car. And it was, to say the least, not good in the winter. So we returned to our old ways and went for a new Audi A4 -- all-wheel drive thank you very much.

Adieu old Red, arrivederci nostra edizione!

Say ciao and bonjour to the Gray Ghost -- il fantasma grigio!

Remembering Scarborough Beach

After one major snowstorm followed by day-after-day of bitterly, brutally cold temperatures, a sneak back at warmer times along the ocean seems most appropriate.

Christmas in Douglas, 2009

Christmas in Douglas, 2009.

Susie and I spent Christmas Day with her family as they gathered at Dick and Dorothy's home in Douglas, MA. The food was delicious, the hospitality warm and the conversation lively. But hey, the photographs speak for themselves:

Cathy and Bernice:

Sister and brother Bernice and Frank:

Mieke -- jetting in from Brooklyn:

And of course it wouldn't have been a Christmas gathering for a group of Vandenbergs without one round of the Bernice game -- Bernice, Mary and Dorothy:

Uncle Frank

Dorothy

A day of smiles indeed:

December in Providence and Spring in Paris

As some of you know from personal experience, the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and various other parts of the eastern US got hit by a fairly dramatic snowstorm this past weekend. In some ways it was convenient timing -- it began early Sunday morning when most folks were safely tucked in their beds. We were at any rate.

By the time all was said and done we had more than a foot piled on our condo parking lot with two feet in drifts. And the temperatures were brutal -- more like a deep hollow in Vermont in February.


But today the sun is out, Susie is off tidying up a few things at Gracie's, like this delicious chocolate ganache with cocoa mascarpone cream:

Our one piece of big news is that we will be returning to Paris in the spring, something that is fast developing into a tradition it seems. Anyway, Susie has her tickets -- she's going from mid-March until mid-May and I plan to join her for the last three or four weeks.

My hope is for Susie to decompress, unwind, study French and spend quality time walking the Seine.

And for me?

I have two objectives: one is I hope spend a week in Italy, most of that in Siena and Rome if possible. It would be nice to get to Mouchan to see Richard and Pauline, to go to Strasbourg or anywhere in the Alsace for that matter, to return for a longer stay in Normandy . . . the list goes on. Certainly to spend a solid day in the Musee d'Orsay and a schedule-free trip to Pere Lachaise.

Oh, and in case you were curious, here's the roofline of the building I work in, formerly a warehouse converted into an indoor shopping mall on the Providence River, it now houses a variety of offices:

Afternoon light in Providence

There are times, usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the light in Providence is extraordinarily beautiful. The early morning light resembles a light pink champagne; the afternoon light is an incredible cross between light orange and yellow. I'm no designer so my palette is rather weak here; but it is gorgeous.

Anyway, I took these images from the 3rd floor of our office building in Davol Square, overlooking the point where the Providence River readies itself to move up in the world and become a full-fledged bay -- the Narragansett Bay in fact. Not that the Narragansetts called it that, of course.

This is the old Narragansett Electric building -- and another abandoned city project:


Finally, the Point Street Bridge -- with just a hint of Photoshop:

Thanksgiving with the Bechis in Asciano

As I was going through some photographs I took some years ago in Italy, I came across a short series of images from Thanksgiving of 2005. Susie and I were living in Siena and had been invited to join Patti and Roberto Bechi and a few of their friends for Thanksgiving at a home of another of theirs in Asciano, just south of Siena.

That's Patti above.

Thanksgiving in Douglas 2009

Dick and Dorothy generously (and once again) opened their home to family and friends -- but they did much more and fixed virtually the entire meal as well! (Photo above: Susie, Joyce, Mary and Dick.)

Our friends Andrea and her mother Barbara met Susie and me at our place and the four of us convoyed north up Route 146 heading for the wilds of Douglas, MA. Thirty minutes later we were pulling into the driveway off of Linden Street and hauling sparkling wine, fresh-baked provolone bread and a massive pear-almond-cherry tart into the house.

Andrea and Barbara had brought a scrumptious cheese plate, which was the focus of attention for the next hour or so as we all caught up on the latest news.

Uncle Frank and Cathy as well as Joyce, Carl and Jonathan (all three back in civilization briefly from the north woods of Maine) were already there and Mary and Mallory arrived soon after we did.

In addition to Susie's desserts we also had a couple of pies compliments of the Quincy, MA, contingent. (Sadly, Mieke was hung up in NYC and couldn't join us this year.) Mary decorated the table and Dorothy and Dick laid on the traditional T'Day meal: an incredibly moist (read perfectly brined) turkey with all the trimmings, mashed potatoes and gravy, whipped sweet potato casserole, little carrots done to perfection, and tasty green beans (I swear Dorothy has a sixth sense about picking exceptional beans at the grocery store).

We lingered at the table, chatted about one thing or another but mainly enjoyed being together. So many have so little and no one to share even that little with. We are fortunate indeed.

Joyce showing her latest quilt project:

Andrea and her mother Barbara:

Andrea:

Uncle Frank:

Sisters:

Gathered together (again), Susie, Joyce, Carl and Uncle Frank:

Some smiles just can't be beat:


Oh, and for more photos check out Dick's slideshow on Picasa.

Have a wonderful holiday season!