The days are passing and the news seems to be getting worse so I’ve decided to stop tuning in – at least for a while. It is part of the reason I haven’t written a blog since the first one, but isn’t the only reason. Seems my computer is getting low on memory (my computer isn’t the only one)… and thus is not uploading photos and allowing me to transfer them easily. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to figure it out and finally have.

Today I did something I thought was pretty good — I ordered a turkey – une dinde – from our local boucherie for November 22 to cook for the next day, Thanksgiving. The butcher didn’t speak English but had a voice translater on his phone – so we were able to communicate between that and I’m humble French. I think I ordered a 6 kg turkey. We shall see. I don’t know if comes plucked or not or cleaned out. We shall see! I’m hoping that my small oven will hold it. I didn’t even think of that. It will be an adventure.

Now -what we’ve been up to. George turned 92 and we had a nice celebration planned with our neighbors who are good friends. They made the reservations at the restaurant at the top of the Pompidou Museum where the food is supposed to be terrific and the views breathtaking. We were all excited and getting ready when an email was received saying that they had to cancel because workers in the museum had gone on a one-day strike. We found out later why, but I won’t take the time now to go into it now. We panicked! After trying two other restaurants we finally got reservations at Le Dome on Blvd Montparnasse. We had a blast! Great champagne, a terrific dinner with oysters to blow you away and a meille-feuille (napoleon) pastry for dessert all added up making it a really nice celebration.

The dessert was a delicious as it looks– flaking and light as they say. There was nothing light about the calories that came with this. One piece would have been enough for the 4 or us.

Finally we got to an art exposition – at the Foundation Louis Vuitton museum (architect Frank Gehry). Rothko — 1903-1970. Now I get it that some people don’t get Rothko, but I love his work. Not his early work (which I didn’t take photos of). It seems he didn’t much like it either. He said so and stopped painting realism. He make a comment something like, “I’m butchering the human figure.”

Many of his early paintings, however, show his interest in squares and rectangles and, in retrospect, could be appreciated. After the early period, room after room left me in awe. At the end the curators surprised the visitor with 3 Giacometti bronze statues which Rothko greatly admired. These photos do no justice at all to the real works. One can see the color but not feel the vibrancy of the painting. The deepth of color – the seemingly simple shapes – the movement which one sees only after a while — all make a huge impact on people like me. (Granted — as I said — this isn’t for everyone).

Above is one of his early paintings which is in a transitional period from realism to experimenting with color and shapes.

Another transition piece which begins to show the direction he is going in – but is not yet “A Rothko”.

Now — a Rothko. One can never confuse this with any other painter.

Very dramatic and powerful!

We all spent a lot of time looking at this one… so much going on to get absorbed in.

One of the Giacometti’s with a Rothko as backdrop. The curator wrote that this Rothko was perhaps moving into a minimalist period – but others think it was a sign of the depression with which he was struggling.

We have to end on a happy note – pear cake anyone? It was from the Grand Epicerie at Le Bon Marché. If you don’t fancy a pear cake, about a chocolate soufflé? It was out of this world!!