Gratitude and Fear

by Carol

I am coming off of a peaceful, full birthday weekend. Both of my children and my daughter's boyfriend were here. My favorite part of weekends like this one is going to sleep at night with the knowledge that my children (now adults) are safely tucked in, in the rooms right next to mine. For two nights, I slept knowing for sure that at that very moment they were safe. There was no yesterday, and no guarantee for the future, but at the very moment that I closed my eyes each night, I knew they were safe and happy.

But my peaceful weekend was juxtaposed with the incomprehensible news from France - a place that lives in my heart.  During those same moments that I was closing my eyes with gratefulness there were parents searching for, or mourning for their children. Of course, I know that to be true everyday. I remember when my daughter was fighting for her life as an infant, that I used to sit in the hospital and think that somewhere other people were feeding their healthy babies at home. All of life is happening all the time. 

I don't have any new words regarding Paris or terrorism. But I always find solace in those people who can find words. I am once again grateful for the spirit and heart of David DuChemin who wrote this beautiful piece.  I am also grateful to contemplative photographer Diane Walker who wrote a beautiful poem using the analogy of the fall trees. You can read it on her Facebook page blog, "Contemplative Photography by Diane Walker." Elizabeth Gilbert had wise words on Instagram. 

I know I quote these people a lot. I know they offer only words. But what more do we have than words to offer hope and solace.  How else to express our compassion and combat our fears than to express our individual and our collective wishes for understanding and peace? The Dalai Lama said " Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."

And to deal with our personal fears - there is gratitude . Gratitude for all we are given each day, in the here and now, wherever we exist. As DuChemin suggests, let us "turn to the light."

"Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life."

                                   John Lennon

In Love with Locks

by Deanna

Daylight is waning, leaves are beginning to turn to those glorious colors of Fall, flower pots are weary.  Yes, things are changing, but before we get too immersed in everything Fall, I still want to relive some of that glorious time I spent in Paris this past July.

One of the sites I was looking forward to seeing was the legendary Love Locks on the Pont des Arts bridge in the middle of Paris. But sadly, I was too late to see the entire bridge covered with these Love Locks that had been accumulating here since 2008.  I thought the tradition had been around for a much longer period of time, but in researching this ritual I found this has been a short-lived attraction. The practice began in Rome with the writing of a young adult book in 2006 entitled "I Want You" that was eventually made into a movie.

The ritual quickly spread to Paris  The tradition is that 2 lovers have their names placed on a lock, attach the lock to the bridge and then proceed to throw the key into the River Seine, sealing their love forever. Within a brief number of years 2008-2015 the Paris Love Locks became a structural hazard with 1 million padlocks weighing approximately 45 tons.  Removal of the locks from the Pont des Arts bridge began on June 1st, 2015 much to the dismay of all the "lovers" that had attached their locks to the bridge. According to our travel guide, the locks have not been destroyed, but had no information as to where they were stored.

If you are a lover of preserving the beauty of old architecture you will agree that placing locks as a "love pledge" on places of beauty is probably not the best choice. Eventho attaching a lock to the bridge is no longer possible, tourists still find ways to attach their love locks on spaces around the bridges of Paris.

The image above is of my daughter and her husband in front of what is left of the love locks in Paris. And if you look closely in the other image you can see the red/pink bridge in the background.....that is the Pont des Arts bridge that is now completely cleared of all locks.

How Tall Are You?

by Dotti

You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.

                                                                   ~ A. Lincoln

Remember, our color this week is BLUE!

People, I Need People....

by Deanna

Well, golly, I just returned last Saturday from an absolutely wonderful, marvelous, trip to Paris, France.  I was there for six days and believe me that was not nearly enough time to see all that I wanted to see, or to do all that I wanted to do.  However, the body said no more.  We walked, walked, and walked some more and not at a leisurely pace, I might add. First the knees hurt, then the back of my calves started screaming, and finally the hips just down right yelled at me.  I kept telling myself to get in shape prior to this trip, but did I listen....obviously no.  Anyhoo, I have a mere 1,000 plus photos on my DSLR not counting all the I-Phone snaps I took, so no telling how long it will take me to go thru them all.  But instead of showing you images of the eye-popping buildings, monuments and churches, I decided to show you a little "street" photography.  Again, I did not capture nearly enough, but you will get a taste of the people of Paris.  

Street photography is defined as photography that features the human condition within public places.
Eugene Atget, coincidently, a Parisian, is regarded as the father of the genre, not because he was the first of his kind, but because of his popularity as a Parisian photographer.  As the city developed, Atget helped to promote the city streets as a worthy subject for photography. He worked in the city of Paris from the 1890s to the 1920s. His subject matter consisted mainly of architecture: stairs, gardens and windows. He did photograph some workers but people were not his main focus.

There have been disagreements over the legalities of taking pictures of people in public places without their consent, however in both the USA and France taking photographs in public places without permission is legal and is considered part of the 1st Amendment in the US. In France it has been decreed that street photography without the consent of the subject is an important freedom in democracy. 

Many photographers are uncomfortable taking pictures of people without their consent. I find it rather fascinating and when I can capture moments like these I am thrilled.  The two images above were French citizens watching my daughter's dancers perform in a local park. Look at their smiles.

These two were sitting along the Seine as we passed by on a riverboat tour. Not exactly the image I wanted to capture of a red umbrella in the rain in Paris, but it is red, and it is an umbrella. 

Hats were very in "vogue" in Paris....

This is my favorite, not as clear as I would like, but look at the character in that face.

All dressed up in her pearls and fancy hat sitting in the Luxembourg Garden.  Not sure if she was reading or taking a little snooze. 

Lovers in the Luxembourg...

Walking the streets of Paris you can find just about any kind of street performer.  Ready to have their picture taken with you, but expecting compensation in the form of Euros for the deed.

Obviously a brother and sister, thinking they may be twins??

I don't think he is from Paris. The shirt is a dead giveaway....the right colors, wrong country. 

What do you suppose this conversation is about?

The perfect traveler, skates for transportation, camera ready, map and purse in hand, fit bit counting her steps, water bottle for hydration, and a light back-pack.  She is standing right by the Metro Station, wonder how she rides the Metro with skates? 

And since Eugene Atget, the father of this genre called "street photography", never took pictures of people but focused on architecture: stairs, gardens and windows....here is one in his honor...

Au revoir...