le sketch du jour: July 4th, 1980. Beaubourg, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, d’Estaing, some politics.

Aug 22 2011

le sketch du jour: July 4th, 1980. Beaubourg, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, d’Estaing, some politics.

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Centre Georges Pompidou, former meat district, Paris.

The Pompidou Center was a brand new building designed by architects Renzo Piano (Italian, Milan)and Richard Rogers (British, Yale) in 1980 when I was in Paris. It was one of many projects by Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. The complex, an Art Museum, is in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It is near les halles (the former meat market area), rue montorgueil (where hip Parisians shop, eat, are seen…there’s a Monet painting of this street) and the Marais (first wealthy planned urban shopping and dwelling, Place des Vosges which was mentioned in sketchbook on July 1st. The goal of this museum is very egalitarian, to bring in everyone, even those who would never go to an art museum. This is so different than so many other museums in Paris where I would generalize to say that beyond the tourist, the visitor already feels some degree of appreciation of art.

First, a word about le Centre Georges Pompidou, aka Beauborg. If you really want the architect’s intellectual discussion, here ’tis. But bear with me, if you are working in the field of architecture or construction, it’s useless.

The Photo of my angle from internet.

It was innovative in having services such as staircases, lifts, electrical power conduits and water pipes on the outside, leaving the inside open and uncluttered.

an excerpt from journal notes from 4 July 1980.

As you can see, I saw Pompidou Center commonly called “Beaubourg”. It is pretty exciting-it looks like a “big erector set” as Michael (my teacher from NYC and Parsons) said. It is exciting because it is so big, so high-tech, and so different for this city. People seem to really enjoy it because the square & inside of the center were packed. Inside was a photography exhibit, an exhibit of old train cars, tents, paintings, Duane Hanson (people in car) – I think it was “leisure activities,” a restaurant on the roof, a museum in the majority of theh building, and an escalator that takes you up through that clear tunnel to the top. I did all, but none of the museum, and I was there for 2 1/2 hours.

In the square were bagpipes, mimes, dancers, beggars, some religious group, and a man with chaings aound him that passed around a bucket for money. There was also a belly dancer. Definitely a must of things to do in Paris, but it does take a whole afternoon.

And here’s some politics about France if anyone cares.

Beaubourg was initiated under Pompidou, but under d’Estaing’s leadership was completed along with Valéry’s other far-reaching infrastructure projects, the TGV and the turn towards nuclear power as France’s main energy source. He suffered from the economic downturn from the ’73 energy crisis marking the end of the “30 glorious years after World War II.” Official discourse stated that the “end of the tunnel was near”.

A bit of background, he was a centre-right politician and liberal on social issues in the Catholic country of divorce, contraception, and abortion. He was opposed by Mitterand, of the newly-unified left, and from a rising Jacques Chirac who resurrected Gaullis (with whom d’Estaing had broken ranks) on a right-wing opposition line and was not re-elected after his tenure in ’81. He supported the United States of Europe and the later EU.

One quote of his in particular, from an article he wrote for Le Monde^[10] and published in that newspaper on 15 June 2007, that “public opinion will be led to adopt, without knowing it, the proposals we dare not present to them directly”, was consistently highlighted by “No” campaigners (anti EU) as evidence of d’Estaing’s alleged agenda to fool the European public into his proposals. While the quote is accurate, it was part of a critique, taken out of context, of a suggestion made by some unnamed persons. In truth, he went on to reject this course of action by saying, “This approach of ‘divide and ratify’ is clearly unacceptable. Perhaps it is a good exercise in presentation. But it would confirm to European citizens the notion that European construction is a procedure organised behind their backs by lawyers and diplomats.”

He was a a teacher in Montréal in ’48, graduated from École Polytechnique and the École national d’administration from ’49-’51, worked with the Tax and Revenue Service, joined staff of Prime Minister Faure in ’56, sec’y of Finance from ’59-’62, he supported the winning candidate Georges Pompidou and returned to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and in ’74 at age 48, he was elected to President,In 1974, he was elected President of France at 48, the third youngest president in French history, after Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and Jean Casimir-Perioer. He promised “change in continuity”. He made clear his desire to introduce various reforms and modernise French society, which was an important part of his presidency.

And, he was an elegant, articulate man of economics, seemingly free of sexual scandal (a little minor diamond smuggling liaison accusation, but we have money issues in America, too). Pretty amazing for a French politician.

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Aug 6 2011

le sketch du jour but no sketches: July 1 and 2, 1980

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This is only one that architectural historians and decorative arts people (antiques dealers) might find interesting. Unfortunately my books including pictures of most of these buildings is in the attic at the XIT Ranch, so there are only a few visuals. I don’t know why anyone cares, but I have included everything from the journal so far, so I am compelled. I was an Art History teacher and focused quite a bit on architecture from 1983-1989 so I’m trying to hold back from sharing….we’ll see if it works…

A synopsis:

July 1, 1980: raining and cold. [I have to include this to show you that it rained pretty much every day in Paris that summer. And I was still happy as a clam.]

AM Architecture, Les Halles area: S. Eustache. Fontaine des Innocents-Goujon

Fontaine des Innocents. Goujon.

Lescot wing of Louvre

Lescot Wing of Louvre.

NOON-TWO (it is quite the long lunch hour in France). Restaurant Chinois north of Louvre (19 Francs).

PM Decorative Arts Lecture: Louis XIII & Louis XIV. Going crazy-can’t understand

UNFAMILIAR TOTALLY!

Travel Agency-Rue des Capucines by Opera.

Métro home: I CAN DO IT!!

groceries- 13F, dinner: sandwich-5F

letter, read, bed.

July 2, 1980

Raining. Ran 3 miles around Tuileries and Louvre. Met a street cleaner & talked to him for a while.

AM ARCHITECTURE

La Maignon: (first use of colossal order in Paris). Baptiste Cerceau.

Place des Vosges:

Place des Vosges, Marais District. Paris, France

1st departure point for Paris as a planned city. Henry IV wanted a practical, middle-cost, quality housing area.

First example of city planning in a large public space. Private and away from traffice but with commerce integrated. Influenced development of the wealthy Marais District which in turn affected all of Paris.

Contract still in effect for building in this square which dictates uniform façades, red brick with details in white stone, gallery arcade on ground floor (covered to induce commerce).

Hotel Sully: 1634 Jean du Cerceau, son of Baptiste above (l’hôtel is the word for city house, not a hotel).

Standard for a City Villa: courtyard with main living behind courtyard and garden behind the house. Begin to see Baroque

Hotel Carnavalet: 1548 (by master mason)

One of the fist examples of a City Villa similar to Sully but before.

Temple St. Marie: François Mansart, 1632. (Gothic Interior)

clear articulation of Masses (structure evident)

restrained sculptural decoration

NOON-TWO Bought needlepoint at shop near college where we had a lecture at noon. (cost $40.00)

PM DECORATIVE ARTS

Louis XIV Lecture & Germanic Glassware visit

Chicken and artichoke for dinner.

July 3, 1980: ran 3.5 miles down to l’île-de-la-cité

St. Gervais-Solomon de Brosse (grandson of Jacques Cerceau). First classical church in Paris where correctly used orders. Had to have tall façade.

Hotel Beauvais-1652.

Church of St. Paul St. Louis-Jesuits

overstated details

superimposed monumental corinthian order

dome is surprise (not seen from exterior)

Hotel Salé-Jean Boullier-1656

caryatids used in interior space

superimposed monumental corinthian order

dome is surprise (not seen from exterior)

Hôtel Guenegaud-1648 Mansart

sober

balance (pavilions)

proportion of glass to wall is greater than in other housing

architectural mask

PEOPLE

Went to lunch with Mark (Chicago, sort of macho-type on trip. Lives in condo on Lake Shore Drive and works in father’s advertising agency) and Allison.

Had salade niçoise-goofed around all afternoon. Met boy when I was buying fruit from UCLA who wanted to know the word for peanut butter, obviously a backpacker. Went to hotel to needlepoint.

Had dinner with Allison at Café St. Germain across from hotel! Pizza and ice cream. It was very good, though. It had warmed up so we sat on the street and watched all the peple walk up and down St. Germain-des-Près. Home at 10:00 to needlepoint and looked through travel books about Spain and Portugal. Bed.

Charlie had come in at 5:00 am, called a boy, went back out & is not home yet (9:45 AM). Exciting!! 🙂

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Aug 2 2011

Exposing Emmanuel to the Flint Hills Symphony: The French farm garçon-son I never had.

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Paula sans chapeau et Emmanuel at Flint Hills Symphony

From: Emmanuel Magisson <e_magisson@yahoo.com>

Subject: Re: l’art de la bicyclette

Date: June 10, 2011 6:33:20 PM CDT

To: Paula Adams <paulagravesadams@gmail.com>

The bike show seem interesting. 🙂

Attached is the route to my place from Wichita.

The route to the Concert will be pretty!!!
We can stop at Cottonwood falls and look at the Church!

For the time, it is up to you. Wichita-Volland is a 3 hour drive.

Your time is my time.

Bring a large chapeau for the sun. Like a Audrey Hepburn hat you know. 🙂

The black hat you have is a smaller version of the one she wears in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Very elegant.

A bientot,

Emmanuel

Well, what can I say?

Yes, it’s embarrassing for both me and more so for Emmanuel, I’m assuming. But, we’re over that.

first meeting

I met him at The Good Egg where we were both sitting at the counter on a Sunday. I had blown in from outside after walking here with Rosie who was waiting outside for her bacon. After hearing him ask the waitress for something, I seized the opportunity, being pretty confident it was a French accent. J’ai sauté et j’ai parlé. When in Wichita with the French, do as the Frenchmen.

History

So, we then had a bit of background about my summer in France and subsequent trips, and his youth growing up on his father’s family’s cattle farm outside of Lorraine before escaping to engineering school in Paris. After that, we were quick copains, and he walked me home with Rosie.

He also told me of various French cultural events in Wichita sponsored by fellow Frenchwoman Claude Puntel of the CCAI Institute but that’s another post.

How the friendly French say, “How-dee'”

So, here’s Emmanuel and how he said, “How-dee!” as he is very receptive and tries, at least in part and at first, to “when in Kansas, do as the Kansans.” That is, he let me take the picture. I would have gotten a disdainful look and promptly recoiled in France, I am sure. And, he is a farm boy at heart, hard-working, practical with money, true to his roots. The style this is a little different though….there are farm boys and there are farm boys…

Emmanuel and Paula at The Good Egg. March 2011

So, we’ve advanced to me helping him get his game on with the ladies in the US. He is very polite and reserved, a gentleman, and lives up in Newton doing high level mechanical engineering prototype design for agricultural implements. And, not getting any younger. So, my unsolicited advice was in the form of a comment re: the number of years he has been in the states and that he better get on it. Or at least, back on. And who will really ever know what he does back home on the farm?

So, we’ve decided the l’été-l’automne thing of being seen in public together might work for our respective programs though I am trying really hard to find him younger, fun’er female companions. But, he’s not pulling his weight on this part.

Emmanuel’s program as I see it for him, unsolicited of course: to highlight what I have told him are the cultural stereotypes that he will always have to endure to include the following…

a) the men thinking he is a snotty socialistic bastard and jealous of his ways with women.

b) the women thinking he is a great lover.

Paula’s program: to get attention for my blog which has no point except for me to have fun with hopes of a future design client to pay for this fun to include…

a) practicing my French

b) to promote one of a few good hardworking kind men with rural roots that I know on FB to women.

c) To allow my American men friends (C Michael Bailey) to have an actual Frenchman at whom they might hurl their European socialist political slurs.

[note: He bikes in Kansas with many men like this, so when a new rider takes him on as bait and his older buddy jumps in, Emmanuel says, “I can handle it.” Much of the time he takes it on the chin. In general, we don’t talk politics. Values are basically the same.]

c) to promote idea that I am really leading a secret wild life to work with basic “attention” program above

d) to flaunt c) so openly as to hide the possibility that this might in fact be a reality….no, that was a joke.

Yes, we tend to get our picture taken alot for some reason, possibly because we are speaking in French.

And so you’ll know, Emmanuel has no tolerance for a photographer asking his name once and then having to tell another person. He will say, “ask that guy.”

[He thinks that he blends in, does not have an accent, and is a totally polite Frenchman adopting all American ways. But I seem to always capture that inner French look of disdain that they are born with, humble and respectful and americanophile that he is.]

And possibly, we are also noticed because of how we dress in Kansas.

Emmanuel wears those black shirts that have like flat tabs on the shoulders, a very European look. He has about 20 and they all look the same. I think his jeans are levis, old school, but the history of “de Nimes” is another post. He was appalled at the cost of jeans in Brick’s in Wichita.

I wear my usual Paula clothes…a Degas-like tutu netted top with red belt, my black patent pale pink French whore platforms with cutouts, a small black hat with a big fuschia flower, that type of thing. Not all together of course, only a piece at a time and with French restraint. No “matchy-matchy.”

So, no. I do not want to be pictured in next year’s brochure for the Flint Hills Symphony, “Emmanuel Magisson with un-named much older woman.” Would I want the father of my children to be photographed and pictured in a brochure when he is touring the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Wichita (he has done this in Oak Park) with Emmanuelle Seigneur? We must have some respect for each other’s territory.

And especially not in Kansas… those Puritan roots run deep. Ah, but the French have always had a tolerance for such things. They call the after-office-hours rendezvous of a man with his mistress the ‘cinq a sept’ – after which he goes home, happy and relaxed, to his wife and family. It might be something we should adopt in the next century….but don’t tell my father I said that.

And, since I’ve spent this entire blog post making excuses for why I’m hanging out with a much younger French guy named Emmanuel, I’ll have to do the post of the evening in Volland at the Flint Hills Symphony in another place. So, I will just have to say….”whatever….” to what anyone thinks.

Okay, stay tuned for The Symphony and two concerts at The Bartlett Arboretum with Paula and Emmanuel. No more excuses.

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Aug 1 2011

le sketch du jour: 30 June 1980. SMOOCH à la français.

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[I did not include June 29, the day of arrival. I arrived before everyone from NYC with the Parsons Group. They gave me a free breakfast, a croissant and café au lait. In France, they bring a croissant in a basket or usually a plate and a big coffee cup or most often, it is already at the table. Then, they come to table to pour the two pots of coffee and steamed milk simultaneously into your cup. The steamed milk always tastes very sweet. It is all on lots of thick, very white ceramic tableware, but the carafes are stainless.

The other notes were mention of my roommate Charlie from Toledo, a small town in Texas. She is kind of a bit bigger girl, smiley eyes, short dark hair, and proved to be a bit promiscuous with the men from Marseilles, but she had a kind heart. The other girls were soon to be very good friends that I met that day. They were a Tri Delt (Allison from Tuscaloosa) and Kappa Delta (Lisa from Memphis) from the University of Alabama and had southern accents. This was my first contact with southern women and they were very very nice, not unlike my KC/KU girlfriends, but more attune to feminine things it seemed. I hung with them much later in the summer as I realized I was alone so much with Charlie out all hours of the evening with dark men. ]

30 June 1980.

Paula ravished by Frenchman in a SMOOCH! au coin de Boul Saint Germain-des-Près et Boul Saint-Michel.

Woke 7:00. Ran 3 miles. A man kissed me twice when I was asking directions!!! What do you say?! On the forehead-actually took my face in his hands!

[Can you tell I loved it? This has only happened to me one other time upon first meeting someone, though it was actually upon re-meeting someone I had only known a little bit from my past.]

Breakfast: croissant & thé at hotel. We met at le Musée (des arts décoratifs which is the north wing of the Louvre and where we would study and meet in the mornings for our lecture). It is closed to everyone but Parsons students at the present due to renovation.

Orientation: Michael is my lecturer-young, dark beard, long jesus-y hair, nice. Charlotte Lacaze gave a lecture on the History of Paris City Planning & then we bought our subway cards (carte d’orange). I bought some cold chicken & carrot salad which I ate in the Tuileries $(4.50). Then, I walked around ’til two when class began again.

[This is the start of my pleasure in doing things by myself which I still enjoy. It was not by choice in Paris most of the time. But to this day, I love to eat, go to movies, and travel by myself. I sometimes am lonely, but not very often when I am alone. If so, I just go out. I love watching people and meeting new people and I don’t feel compelled to talk so much and can listen and ask questions and learn.]

Map of Paris Stomping Grounds, Day One. from (still very old) 14th edition antique bookstore copy of Karl Baedeker's "Paris and Environs : Handbook for Travelers", published 1900.

This is the first of many maps from my antique 14th edition of Baedeker’s classic field guide to Paris, found and given to me by my mother Ginny Graves. What I love best about this book is his blessing to the reader…

‘Go, little book, God send thee good passage,

And specially let this be thy prayers

Unto them all that thee will read or hear,

Where thou art wrong, after their help to call,

Thee to correct in any part or all!’

-Says everything a writer hopes for.

At 2:00 we had a Decorative Arts lecture au Musée and then we visited the 14th, 15th, & 16th c. pieces.

Walked on Rue St.-Honoré to find American bookstore & needlepoint shop. But needlepoint store was closed. It was very expensive, too.

Very tired so bought dinner in a charcuterie-a little quiche & some kind of spinach/vegetable salad.

Big Day! Lots of walking!

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Aug 1 2011

Accosting young Frenchmen in Kansas…

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I’m kind of doing payback for the Frenchmen that bothered me the summer of ’80 in France. The Italo-French Architect in the Louvre who admired my sketches, the man from Marseilles who followed me off the subway, the curly-headed copain who nuded me in the auberge laundry room.

Now, if I hear un peu de l’accent français, je saute et je parle. So this was my first subject…..

Faridj et Paule, Latteland. Plaza, KC.

I found this jeune homme speaking on his cell au bas de l’escalier at The Palace Theatre on the Plaza. Faridj Air is actually Berber (Northwest Africa, primarily arabic) of origin, but grew up in Paris. His (wife) and mother of his child are from Wichita where she lives with their son on the Plaza in KC. Thus, he wants to spend more time in ol’ Possum Trot to be with his son. But, he caters private parties and lives in New York. When in Kansas City, he also serves a client down in Houston.

He was also doing an event for an artist Patrick Courtois in NYC (Chelsea) over my birthday and there were many French people traveling to New York to attend, so he invited me to come. Being a week’s notice and I just met the garçon, I thought it premature to attend as well expensive at the last minute, but perhaps in a near future life I could live with such abandon. He put me on the phone with Patrick Courtois so that I might hear l’accent français d’un homme de Marseilles, in the south of France. It is quite different, more earthy and guttural but still sec-zee’.

Faridj has many interesting friends from France and beyond. He has another business as a middleman with a group that exports products such as what I would call “elite olive oils” sold in very very specialty food markets, each produced on local farms. As you can imagine, the packaging, brochure about the people and place, and the included pour spout is everything and very well-done. As it must be for a $12 3 oz. can of olive oil…maybe for my purse? Then again, that could be a mess.

So, might point is that he gets it with my website. Or at least the part that has to do with history, place, buildings, people, products, and food. Many of his connections live in French countryside producing food on their land in small family businesses, they invest loving hands in historic French farmhouses for guest travelers, and they make art. They appreciate good food from native growers, fine wine or water, and moments with friends, new and old. I get that.

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Jul 13 2011

le sketch du jour: The train to Paris. Those snotty little bastards. Stay away from the dark-skinned men. Sat. June 28, 1980.

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Trying to get my luggage in the overhead bin.

Sat. June 28, 1980.

Woke at 10:00. Ran to Le Lac Montrion (7 mi.).

Group went to Chamonix, but weren’t getting back ’til 7:00 & I had to be at bus then, so I stayed home to pack.

[I’m repeating myself, but I went over with KU French Department. I studied and traveled with them for two weeks, but I was actually enrolled in classes with Parsons School of Design, New York City, in their study abroad program. We studied the History of Decorative Arts in the Museum of Decorative Arts that is the north wing of the Louvre. And, we had brief lectures in afternoon on Paris history and urban planning. Then, we hit the streets to see all the arrondissements, boulevards, and buildings. These told the story of religion, kings, politics, power, prostitution, learning and most of all, people wine and food that are the things French that we love, despite WWII and their superior attitude about us saving their ungrateful asses from Hitler.]

a tangent: The French and WWII. Why American men refer to Frenchmen as “those snotty little bastards.”

You know I love the French. This is from so many men I know, and they do have a point since it seems to continue. You know how that goes…”that accidental bomb dropped in France en route just slipped.” Or, as someone on the internet put it….

“We only fucked up one place, we accidentally dropped a bomb on the French embassy. ‘Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! Aw, sorry about that fellahs. I’m sure we would have had better aim if we had more FUCKING SLEEP! Thanks for those 6500 extra air miles, you fuckheads, BUILD A NEW HOUSE!’ BLAM!!!”

Walked to town at 3:00. Had café au lait $ read. Lots of people came in. I sat by a German Shepherd.

Jeanie and Bob took me to the station. Raining. Station was very stark.

Two nice ladies answered all my questions, but I am making progress→I kept kind of having them reiterate what they were saying about reserved seats vs. tickets, etc. & finally I said I’m American. They said, “Oh! Vous parlez français bien!” J’ai dit “j’ai besoin de longtemps pour le comprendre.” 🙂 [I need a long time to understand]

Train was funny. 2 seats facing each other w/ overhead racks. [I always spent least possible, so even though overnight, I did not get a couche-lit with bed. They are like sleeping in a sardine can anyway though the train does lull.]

You should have seen me try to get my bags up. I finally left one on the floor. An older couple and girl got in my car in Annecy. Wasn’t too bad except for the cold. I think I’ll get a bed the next time I take an all night trip.

one woman’s warning

[It is interesting to me that I so vividly remember a woman at the train station in Morzine speaking to me before I embarked on the train, but that I haven’t written about it. She was older and looked very nice and kind to speak with me in French before I left. She was concerned about me being alone on the train to Paris. And, her particular words that I remember are warning me to be careful of “les Marseilleuses.” She mentioned that I would know because they had such dark skin. The French have so many cultures they accept that they don’t have the same p.c. hangups about speaking of racial generalizations we do in America. Of course, as with most people, people carry racial stereotypes that are formed for a reason, historical, regional, cultural. But, France has always welcomed and attracted such a multi-cultural population that I hardly think this can be termed “racist” in the “hating” fashion that it labels people who current venture into talking about race this way in America. There are many healthy things about being able to discuss race. Anyway, you’ll see later in the summer with my roommate, who slept with every man on the left bank from Marseilles, that this came into play with my immediate bunking situation in Paris.]

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Jul 4 2011

le sketch du jour: the train schedule, little mouse, une fête de coutume.

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Hank wore a BOZO wig and danced w/ all the girls and put his hands clear on their ASSES!!

June 27, 1980.

Woke at 10:00. to more freezing rain. Ran anyway (4 1/2) in freezing rain. Hot water deal was broken :(. Froze.

Lunch -some paté thing. french frîtes & great spinach!! Yaourt & fruit.

Went downtown at 3:00 to l’autogare to find out train schedule. I’m taking a train that leaves at 10:00 PM at night and arrives at 7:00 AM. I take a 7:30 train from Morzine to another town that train leaves from. [sorry grammar] Then in Paris, I’ll take a taxi to hotel.

[I went with KU French Language Department as I was a French minor, but I left the group early. I was studying with Parsons School of Design/NYC au musée des arts décoratifs in the Louvre. The two courses we took were a History of Decorative Arts and Urban Planning of Paris. The history of decorative arts was all about French periods of design as they related to political and social context.

Ex. of Decorative Arts Study: French armchairs from earliest kings to present, tapestries, history of bone china to Limoges, quimper, motifs like folle nappe (folded napkin), swags, boulle dressers, etc. etc. etc. Basically, everything you wanted to know about antiques and roots of interior design.

Ex. of Urban Planning Study: from Roman catacombs below Notre Dame to Haussmann’s Boulevards. About halfway through the trip, I lost my carte d’orange and didn’t want to buy another. So, I walked these Avenues and experienced Haussmann’s Paris on foot. As well, the running allowed me to experience many parts of the city within a reasonable 6 mile distance from city core.]

Class at 4:00 to 5:30-Tea.

Cindy & I planned trip ’til dinner.

[we were all getting our groups together to travel the last two weeks of the summer in August after we were through with our school in Paris. Cindy Bean, who I knew from the Theta House, and I were going to Madrid, Toledo, Barcelona, and a beach town called Blanes in Spain].

Dinner is at 8:00 & is a costume party!! We have a present for Jeannie, the bus driver!

[he was the sweetest man and put up with us. He also seemed to drink quite a bit of wine in our picnics along the road as I remember back. At the time when we were in high school, this was common practice. Drinking and driving, that is. But as I reflect, he was in a position to be responsible for a whole busload of American college students. Again, liability issues, especially in France at that time, were not an issue].

I have a new name given to me from the cook’s helper. It is mouilleté or something like that. The word is German for “a little mouse.”

[I think I am confused here and couldn’t remember what he’d said. The German word for little mouse is “mausa” and the translation for mouilleté is a) soldier or b) finger of bread eaten with a boiled egg. Maybe I was feeling militantly angry with all this rain].

Costume party was a riot.

All different kinds of people in this group, all dressed up, all drinking & going out! I wished Marthe or mom or Robb or someone to be here that would see the humor in this situation!

[I am not a fraction as much fun as I would be now in this situation, very cautious. I don’t know why, because I was pretty wild in high school. I think it was just an internal safety thing for me being around people where I knew nothing about anyone’s background, family, especially with all the alcohol, probably good my binge drinking shoes had for the most part been hung up.]

I wore my green putter pants with green cotton sweater & leaves on my head. I wore a sign that said “haricot vert.” There was a punk rocker & a hunchback, a Dolly Parton, homosexual in drag (the bartender at the Auberge).

Amy was a hula girl, Ginna-Liza Minnelli [Getto-Kappa], & Cindy [Bean-Theta]-a Heidi.

Hank wore a BOZO wig and danced with all the girls and put his hands clear on their ASSES! I couldn’t believe it. Of course, they let him but he is married w/ 2 little kids!

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Jul 2 2011

le sketch du jour: nude Frenchman, le lac de montriond, lady in nickers, Annecy. June 25 & 26, 1980.

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Paula: "Excusez-moi." nude Frenchman: "Bon."

I think I forgot something in my sketch, must have blocked it out of my mind.

I remember being a bit shocked. But, I didn’t want to seem rude, so I just proceeded to the shower.

I wonder if I left on my shorts? Like when we used to wear shorts under our dresses so we could play on the jungle gym without the boys seeing our underpants. And yes, in the Graves family we called them underpants, not panties. Sorry to all those boys without sisters who can’t imagine girls using such a utilitarian word.

Wed. June 25, 1980.

woke up late-breakfast.

RAINING.

Ran at 11:00 (3 miles)- shower*

*there is a new guy here with a big Afro hairdo. encountered him NUDE doing his wash when I headed into the shower room today! I said “excusez-moi” & he just smiled and said, “bon.”

Went to town, bought socks.

[the cold is really starting to get to me. this is when I adopted my european look of wearing knee high socks with sandals which continued with short socks well into my twenties. this was not the norm at that time as it is now.]

At 5:00, had tea & chocolate.

5:30- went to Le Lac Montriond-green lake in the mountains made from melted ice that falls from Alps. The melted ice makes the water green.

Went higher up to a little tiny mountain town, Chamonix. Goats run around all over in hills and on the roof of this house with a dog that tends them. Very cold-about freezing. [my handwriting is very shaky here, so I must also be freezing]

Snow and tops of the Alps can be seen. Few houses, but those there are built into the ground.

dinner/potage, pork chops, creamed potatoes, salade verte, apple tarte patisserie

June 26, 1980.

Woke at 10:00!! Raining per usual.

Decided to run to Le Lac Montriond.

I was lost (went wrong way) for about 2-1/2-3 miles, so by the time I had returned, I’d run a little over 10 miles.

Met a woman on the way up to the lake who was darling! She said “Vous êtes jeune et bronzée et de bonne santé” or something like that (young, brown & healthy). She asked if I was running to the lake and if I was staying at the Auberge. She was from Paris & knew the owners of the Auberge. Very cute-was about 55 and had on knickers & knee socks & sweater & hiking boots.

Arrived back at Auberge just in time to catch the bus leaving for Annecy. Stopped to picnic en route (roast pork, baguettes, tomatoes, oranges, chips).

RAIN!!

Raining in Annecy, but it is a really neat town. It is on a lake and there is a big, long stretch of park, grass, flowers, benches. We sat in a café ’til it quit pouring & then walked around.

The women there were really pretty. It really was noticeable-much more beautiful than in the smaller towns.

There was a cute little bakery with a big crowd around it that smelled heavenly!! We walked by it & waited to see what the crowd was (mostly Parisians) for. A fresh, hot batch of little pie-like things had just finished baking & the people were waiting for a warm one. Nixie bought one, and they were like little cheesy-eggy quiches.

Things like that, I’m really going to miss.

Returned to Morzine.

Cous-cous for dinner-I can take it or leave it-

mutton

chicken w/ vegetables

grit-like stuff

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Jun 30 2011

le sketch du jour: Yvoire, Genève, power shopping with details. June 24, 1980.

by admin

Our bus route from Morzine, France to Genève, Switzerland.

A bit of background. While we were at the Auberge de Jeunesse in Morzine (French Alps) we did intense French lessons. But, there were two days of sidetrips. After study on a rainy Monday, we were rewarded with this trip to Geneva. I’ll just begin from the sketchbook.

Mon. June 23, 1980.

Woke at 7:00. Sunny. Ran to Les Gets (all uphill 🙁 ) & back (all downhill 🙂 ). About 6.5 miles. Breakfast on raisins and coffee. Shower-hot.

10:00 headed for Genève.

Allons-y! traduisez: Let's go!

Yvoire

Stopped at 11:30 at Y’vroiy (sp?). Small, medieval walled town that reminded me of San Gimingniano [San Gimignano, Sienna] in Italy. Lunch there.

[Yvoire is a medieval town in Haute Savoie on the shores of Lac Léman. It dates back to 1306. It was an important town on the trade routes through the Alps and along Lac Léman. By the 16th c., Yvoire had lost its strategic importance and had become a fisherman’s village. There is a beautiful château on the bank of the lake with turrets, towers, and a demanding position at the entrance of the yacht towers of Yvoire. And, the flowers are lovely.]

Genève

We were in Geneva from 1:00 to 6:00. Beautiful, beautiful city!! The feeling of Rome, but more polished and glittery, yet not artificial because it is still old. Very cosmopolitan feeling! I felt very important. All the $ is just overwhelming, though. Blocks and blocks of banks, jewelry stores with enormous emeralds & diamonds, & every designer one has ever heard of! Stores that you wouldn’t step into unless you were dressed to the teeth & probably not then! We went into the McDonald’s there & a Big MAC is $2.50.

Sent a white chocolate to Robb [Robb Edmonds was my part-of-the college-time boyfriend who was working in Washington, D.C. as an intern for Kassebaum, I think] at Georgetown which was really fun to do! Felt very touristique!!

The people were very nice, & I’m beginning to understand without having to ask questions, ask to repeat, or ask to speak more slowly. People also seem to think by this time that we can speak a relative amount of French fluently (as long as we don’t speak too much :)! ) I think our tongues are loosening up a little & we’re not as halting as on our arrival. I made 2 purchases.

[I am always money conscious and worry about running out of money. My grandmother lived to be 97. This doesn’t mean I don’t spend it extravagantly at times, but I do keep track and my goal for this trip was to come home with money in my pocket to give back to my mother (parents). I think I was realizing how much spending money had been given to me and the great experience my parents were providing for me.]

One [purchase] -an aqua soft, soft sweatshirt ($17 or $18) that is possibly for mom-possibly Gina. I bought it at a place called Blondino’s (like Fiorucci) [Italian store started in Milan in late 60s, maybe still around?]. It was wild! Bright colors & sort of punk-pink topsiders-yellow penny loafers etc. It was worth it for the bags alone.

[true shopping confessions]

I also made another purchase-for myself-but probably for sharing in the family [the 3 Graves girls; mom, Paula, Gina, as the Adams girls;Lacy & Paula, shared clothes].

[This was a rationalization, I don’t think it was anyone else’s look and Gina was at ASU. Distance and heat would make impossible and silly].

It is a beautiful, hand-knit in Switzerland blue (?), wool (yoke), button-up front w/ little silver button sweater.

A KU style tangent

[we called these Fair Isle in US in 1980s at KU for any sweaters that had a yoke. In Kansas, it was a loose term for any stranded color knitting specifically with this neckline, not necessarily having any relation to the knitting of Fair Isle or any of the other Shetland Islands. It was a Kappa signature sweater. They wore them backwards with buttons up the back, a great look which made me wish I’d pledged Kappa at times, along with the keys & fleur-de-lys. The one I bought looked Bavarian.]

KU Craft note

Note: I took knitting at Yarn Barn in college and I tried to knit a Fair Isle one once. I had mastered Fisherman’s knit and knitted them for me, mom and Gina. I never got the tension right on the Fair Isle, very difficult. So, I’m sure that not being able to make one for myself and the very cold rain without the proper clothes were both additional rationalizations for flipping out this kind of $.

I don’t want to say what I spent, but I do want to keep track in this book so I will say. $100. hmmm….But I do love it!! I have cashed $150.00 in traveler’s checks so far. My expenses have only been those 2 things, chocolate for Robb ( ) [don’t know why I don’t write this down, must have been expensive chocolate in my mind or hiding money I’ve spent on a boyfriend from my parents like they would care? I’m sure shipping was exhorbitant] and expenses such as postcards, drinks in cafés, fruit, carrots, stamps, bottled water.

For dinner we had potage, coq au vin, la salade verte, & fromage blanc avec sucre. It is a white, sour cream type thing that you sprinkle sugar on top of. Very subtle, but good.

Journal and letter writing.

Almost done with Tender is the Night.

Tomorrow-possibly Chamonix if weather is good.

Au revoir à demain!

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Jun 30 2011

le sketch du jour: Hank, the swiss man’ish man; George, the former tennis instructor from l’hôtel du Cap; some menu descriptions. June 23, 1980.

by admin

Alex, from Dottikon, Switzerland.

Hilmer, Sweden.

Because there are no sketches and no travels within this sketchbook journal entry, I’m starting off this post with a good visual of two European men. I have a vivid picture of both Hank and George kind of blended into a very masculine Swiss-French athletic what I thought to be older man. Sometimes he has hair, sometimes he does not. I even get these two men and their names mixed up within this journal entry.

But, I could not find a picture of a Swiss man doing calisthenics on the internet, so this is where I landed. I started with men in 50s (see below), but then upped it a bit. I had to look in both Sweden and Switzerland dating services to get even close to the look, but basically they’re both nordic or celtic or something, aren’t they? Anyway, I have another young Frenchman I’m going to market along with two bachelor cowboys, so I thought I’d just throw them in the mix. They both are widows and they both are Taurus’s which I thought was interesting.

Mon. June 23, 1980.

J’ai reveillée at sept heures (7:00 am) and went downstairs to run. Hank (the athletic) one was downstairs in gym shorts & tennies kicking around his legs and looking very swiss-man’ish. He is very tan with a little hair that is sort of grey-white. He stopped his exercising long enough to demander où je vais (ask me where I’m going). I told him & asked him about a good 6-mile route (after taking about 5 minutes to figure out 6 miles in kilomètres!). He drew me a map which was great, although I still l’était perdue (lost it) before I’d even left the Auberge. It was drizzly & grey, but still so pretty! You can hardly see the Alps because of the fog.

I returnedd for petit-déjeuner (café, et un morceau de pain avec beurre). Today I helped in the kitchen, but it is very difficult to understand because

1) they tease you

2) they act like they can’t undersatnd if you use the “vous” (formal-what we’re taught to use in school) form to address them.

Shower after breakfast & now I’m writing. None of the magasins [stores] sont ouverts [open] aujourd’hui, so it’s basically a letter-writing-reading day.

[I think the Geneva trip activated the immediate gratification shopping chemicals. These had been dormant after first part of trip when I was occupied with history, buildings, and sketching. Then again, there were not really architecturally significant buildings I can remember in Morzine. It’s like a resort town].

For lunch we had this crudités salad thing and …Rabbit (lapin)!! [attention Ginna Getto]. It was very good-sort of a white meat. It was served with little white potatoes w/ brie and fruit for dessert.

We had a phonetics lesson at 3:00 in the bar-café. I’m with the advanced students. Pretty interesting.