All that jazz..., takin' it easy!

A fews things left out of our last blog... on May 12, we went to a wonderful memorial program at the Village Voice (another English language bookstore in Paris) for Hazel Rowley, an British born, Australian biographer of Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir (Tête- à-Tête: The Tumultuous Lives and Loves of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre 2005) and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt:  An Extraordinary Marriage (2010)).   Earlier she had also written a book about Richard Wright. Rowley had died unexpectedly, following an infection, in March 2011, at 59.  She had lived for 18 months in Paris while doing research for her book on Sartre and De Beauvoir and many of the literary community gathered for this event.  We felt a bit like interlopers, but Rowley was vividly brought to life by her friends.  Part of the memorial was a video of a reading/discussion she gave at the bookstore in 2006. For more info about Rowley see, http://www.hazelrowley.com/

Hazel Rowley (1951-2011)

We mentioned our visit to the Cognacq-Jay Museum on Saturday night, but forgot to attach some pictures.  Wonderful 18th century furniture and paintings, including an early Rembrandt.

Room in the Cognacq-Jay Museum

Rembrandt

On Sunday May 15, we went to see the Agathe Jazz Quartet at Place Saint Germain, as part of the Saint Germain jazz fest.  Franco-Brazilian, Agathe Iracema has a wonderful voice.  We ended up buying her CD, which she autographed for us.

The Agathe Jazz Quartet

Agathe Iracema

The autograph

On the walk home, we found the attic at 28 Rue Jacob, where Colette lived during her early years in Paris with her first husband, Willy.

28 Rue Jacob- Colette lived in the attic

We had been really looking forward to seeing Charlie Haden Quartet West on May 16,  but on the way home on Sunday May 15, we saw the "concert annulé" sign outside the concert hall.  What a disappointment!  We did get a refund the next day.

On Monday May 16, Alain and I went for a run- Alain lost his Nike running watch, which he managed to replace later in the day. We had a quiet day, as it was coolish out.  We met Mary Lou and John at the wine bar down the street, La Belle Hortense, for a few glasses of wine.  They are heading back to Toronto later this week.

On Tuesday May 17, we headed out to the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, a wonderful small museum devoted to photography.  There was a special exhibit by an American photographer, Mitch Epstein entitled American Power.  Epstein spent a number of years photographing Americans living near sources of power.  He became interested in the topic after meeting and taking pictures of residents of Cheshire, Ohio, in 2003, who were paid off by American Electric Power to move and not talk about pollution from its nuclear plant.   We especially liked his picture from Omaha, Nebraska, entitled "Terror- Free Oil".

Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson

Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004) and his Leica

Mitch Epstein- Terror Free Oil

We, of course, have been following the saga of the downfall of DSK (Domminique Strauss-Kahn)--- here are the latest headlines:

The weather had turned nice again (21C) and we took this shot of the Seine.  We are so lucky to be just 20 minutes from the left bank, and, therefore, are constantly walking back and forth on the many bridges that cross the Seine.  The light is just wonderful late in the afternoon.

We also stopped at a wonderful cheese shop- Laurent Dubois, who is Meilleur Ovrier de France (MOF), top honours for cousine in France.

Laurent Dubois Fromagerie

What a selection and all beautifully displayed!

Picking the right goat and sheep cheeses for dinner

Finally, dinner with cousin Laure and François.  They brought the champagne and we made lamb on our  induction stovetop.  Eclairs, cheese and strawberries for desert.  Another perfect Paris day.

Finally, we have to blog a big SHOUT OUT to Vicky and David, friends from Ottawa, and before that Victoria, who got married in Ottawa on Sunday May 15.   Congratulations!!

Outside of Merci, concept store in Paris