04 Monday Jul 2016
Wishing everyone a very Happy Independence Day!
Whether you are traveling to see family, are joining in a Fourth of July party…
…or participating in the reading of the Declaration of Independence, I wish you all a good time.
The few pictures posted in this post were taken during a Fourth of July party I attended two years ago in a small community in Central Texas.
And this is part of my menu for today:
Wishing you all a Happy Fourth of July!
18 Friday Dec 2015
Tags
Austin, Christmas, new york, photography, Richmond VA, Texas, Virginia
This will be my fifth Christmas in the United States, as a permanent resident. I spent two of them in New York, and two of them in Austin.
Before I can post some pictures of the fifth one, which will be in Washington, DC, here are some memories from the previous ones in the U.S.
In New York in 2012…
Advent Calendar – December 24th, 2012
In Austin, TX in 2013…
Christmas Trees Galore Along Loop 360
In Virginia in 2014…
At the Jefferson hotel in Richmond
In Alexandria, for the Scottish Christmas Walk
In Texas in 2014…
Johnson City’s Christmas Lights
Feel free to click on the links for more pictures. So many beautiful memories!
04 Saturday Jul 2015
30 Tuesday Dec 2014
Tags
Christmas, Jefferson Hotel, nativity scene, Richmond, Richmond VA, Santa's worshop, Thomas Jefferson, Virginia
In my last few days spent in North Virginia/DC, I was lucky to have my Mom join me there and come back with me on the road trip back to Texas.
Our first stop on the road was actually the occasion to see an old time friend. This very good friend had booked us at the Jefferson Hotel for a nigh. A wonderful Christmas gift!
The Jefferson Hotel is a gorgeous Beaux-Arts style, luxury hotel that opened in 1895. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Thirteen American Presidents stayed there, as well as personalities such as Henry James, Elvis Presley, or Frank Sinatra.
The hotel is featured in several movies and a rumor says that its grand staircase inspired the author of Gone With the Wind for the description of the novel’s staircase.
That was my second time at this hotel (both times thanks to my friend, that I want to thank wholeheartedly!). This time, the hotel was decorated for Christmas.
View of the Palm Court Lobby and the statue of Thomas Jefferson – December 2014
Statue of Thomas Jefferson – December 2014
Santa’s (gingerbread) Workshop – December 2014
Nativity Scene – December 2014
Statue of Thomas Jefferson in the Palm Court Lobby – December 2014
Grand staircase – December 2014
24 Wednesday Dec 2014
Posted in America, Austin, Holidays, Photography, Texas, USA, Washington DC
Tags
Austin, Austin TX, Christmas, Christmas decorations, Christmas tree, Jefferson Hotel, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas Y'all, Old Town Alexandria, Scottish Parade, Texas, Virginia, Washington DC
Three months have passed and I haven’t posted anything. It’s not for a lack of anything to post about: I have spent the last three months around Maryland, Washington DC, and North Virginia, and I am now back in Austin, TX. But some things do take priorities in life, such as work. Yes, yes it does, because I love what I am doing. But that is a subject for another post maybe.
I still want to stop by today and wish everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. Here are just a few pictures of Christmas celebrations from the DC area and Texas!
I hope y’all have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas!
Christmas tree in a shopping mall in North Virginia – December 2014
A store in Old Town Alexandria, VA – December 2014
Christmas decorations in Old Town Alexandria, VA – December 2014
Scottish Santa at the Scottish Christmas Parade in Alexandria, VA – December 2014
A decorated house in Old Town Alexandria, VA – December 2014
A decorated business building in Old Town Alexandria, VA – December 2014
Christmas tree at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA – December 2014
Christmas tree in front of the Capitol in Austin, TX – December 2014
Christmas tree in front of the Capitol in Austin, TX – December 2014
Christmas Lights in Johnson City, TX – December 2014
Christmas Lights in Johnson City, TX – December 2014
Christmas Lights in Johnson City, TX – December 2014
Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX – December 2014
Christmas tree in front of the Alamo, in San Antonio, TX – December 2014
Christmas tree in front of the Alamo, in San Antonio, TX – December 2014
23 Saturday Aug 2014
Posted in America, Art, Austin, Blog administration, Photography, Texas, USA
Dear Readers,
I have not forgotten my blog or given up on it again. I have been quite busy again and although I have plenty in store to share, I have not been able to take the time to simply sit and type the posts.
In addition to Texas, I’ve spent a few days in Detroit last month, and I’d like to share a bit about my experience.
The Spirit of Detroit – Detroit, MI – July 2014
In two weeks, I’ll also be heading back to the East Coast for a few months of professional experience in the Washington, DC Metro area.
So the posts will be coming hopefully, but probably not regularly. Stay tuned though :-)
Thanks for your patience! Have a great weekend y’all!
Frost Bank Tower – Austin, TX – August 2014
20 Sunday Apr 2014
Tags
I know I promised you bluebonnets field, and they will come. But today is Easter and I thought I would share what I did this year.
Can you see the picture in the banner of this blog that says “Texas” (bottom left). When I first saw it, little did I know that this place was kind of emblematic and that I was missing the other part of the name of the ranch: Luck.
We live in a region area where there are plenty of gorgeous areas to visit. We also live not too far from a place that you cannot really visit… except on Easter Sunday. The place is Luck, Texas, and it is Willie Nelson‘s ranch. The movie Red Headed Stranger was filmed there, and the pictures below illustrate what remains of the setting.
There is a tiny church too, that welcomes a Gospel Choir on Easter Sunday, and apparently on Christmas Day too. On Easter Sunday, the door to the ranch is opened to everyone. I want to thank our neighbors for letting us know about this. This is not really a secrete anymore but this is not publicized either.
Willie Nelson is a huge star here and he sometimes make an appearance during the Easter service.
Here is Luck, Texas. Thanks to Mr. Nelson for his hospitality. Happy Easter Y’all!
26 Thursday Dec 2013
Tags
Austin, boxes, boxing day, Capitol, cats in boxes, Christmas, Christmas tree, Hello Kitty, Kitshka, Milou, new york, red tape, Santa Claus, Texas
We complain that we are overburdened by regulations that make our lives less easy – and that’s true. You’d imagine that someone like Santa Claus would get special privileges from the “governing” sphere though because, well, because he’s Santa, for goodness’ sake!
Well, you’d be wrong. And right.
Santa and his reindeers have to get all the permits necessary to enter the U.S. territory like everyone else, but we do think the red tape is being reduced a little for him. After all, if someone is used to red tape, that must be Santa (red, green, silver…), so you don’t want to add to it.
Er, this is not Santa, this is Hello Kitty Claus (?!)
If you are still thinking: “what the hell did she drink for Christmas?!”, let me explain.
The US Department of Agriculture issued a permit to Santa so that his reindeers could enter the U.S.:
Breaking news out of Washington, D.C. as the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a movement permit to Mr. S. Claus of the North Pole, a broker with Worldwide Gifts, Unlimited. The permit will allow reindeer to enter and exit the United States between the hours of 6 PM December 24, 2013 and 6 AM December 25, 2013, through or over any northern border port.
“During this season of giving, USDA wants to do everything in its power to help Santa,” said Dr. John R. Clifford, USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer. “We agreed to waive the normal application fees and entry inspection/overtime costs, provided he winks his eye and wishes port personnel a Merry Christmas at the time of crossing.”
APHIS also waived the normally applicable disease testing requirements, as the North Pole is recognized by APHIS as negligible risk for all livestock diseases and at a recent inspection, the reindeer were found to be healthy and able to prance and paw with each hoof.
Rudolph might avoid being frisked but he still has – per mentioned-regulation – to stick to a special diet of hay, sugar plums, and gingerbread and be microchipped.
But wait, that’s not all. The Federal Administration Aviation also made things a bit more easy for Santa:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today said Santa Claus, his elfin crew and the Santa One sleigh are GO for the annual round-the-world flight that will deliver presents to good boys and girls everywhere.
“This is my first holiday season as Secretary of Transportation, and I feel a special responsibility to make sure Santa’s flight goes off without a hitch,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
While there were no external changes to Santa One this year, FAA inspectors put in many hours ensuring that the sleigh’s systems – and especially its crew – met all applicable regulations.
(…)
“We’re helping Santa fly smarter and faster while making sure he has a safe and successful mission” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
Finally, not even Santa is free of being spied on surveilled tracked. Yes, you read that right: you can track Santa’s route thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). In fact, “they’ve been tracking Santa since 1955 – they’re veritable professionals at keeping tabs on the big man. From their website, Noradsanta.org, you can follow Santa as he zooms around the globe delivering presents and spreading good cheer.”
Ah!
Well, I hope that Santa stopped at your house and delivered what you expected :-) If you are unsure (!), you can always ask the NSA to check for you.
Not everything went smoothly everywhere. I went to Austin’s Capitol on Monday to take a picture of the Christmas Tree in front of the park.
Yes, this is a limo and a Cinderella-like carriage fleeing the scene on your left
No, this is not a magic tree. Obviously, there was a bug in the lightning system. I wonder if those switched-off lights were incandescent light bulbs?
Finally, finally,… have you heard of boxing day? I had not until about a year. I’ll go back to how in a moment.
Nobody knows exactly the origins of Boxing Day, but there are several theories:
The best clue to Boxing Day’s origins can be found in the song “Good King Wenceslas.” According to the Christmas carol, Wenceslas, who was Duke of Bohemia in the early 10th century, was surveying his land on St. Stephen’s Day — Dec. 26 — when he saw a poor man gathering wood in the middle of a snowstorm. Moved, the King gathered up surplus food and wine and carried them through the blizzard to the peasant’s door. The alms-giving tradition has always been closely associated with the Christmas season — hence the canned-food drives and Salvation Army Santas that pepper our neighborhoods during the winter — but King Wenceslas’ good deed came the day after Christmas, when the English poor received most of their charity.
King Wenceslas didn’t start Boxing Day, but the Church of England might have. During Advent, Anglican parishes displayed a box into which churchgoers put their monetary donations. On the day after Christmas, the boxes were broken open and their contents distributed among the poor, thus giving rise to the term Boxing Day. Maybe.
But wait: there’s another possible story about the holiday’s origin. The day after Christmas was also the traditional day on which the aristocracy distributed presents (boxes) to servants and employees — a sort of institutionalized Christmas-bonus party. The servants returned home, opened their boxes and had a second Christmas on what became known as Boxing Day.
Boxing Day is not celebrated in the United States. Well, wait, it is actually, although it is celebrated in a particular way that is not on Wikipedia. It is how I heard of it. Boxing Day is a kitty holiday! Mais bien sûr ! And you can be sure some kitties at my home are celebrating like it’s Christmas all over again!
Happy Holiday Season!
28 Thursday Nov 2013
Tags
Hanukkah, new york, Texas, Thanksgiving, Thanksgivukkah, turkey
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, a day to be thankful for what we have, the goals we have reached and the friends and family we have around us.
As a way to celebrate, families usually gather and cook a lovely and bountiful meal that often contains turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin or pecan pie (those are some of the traditional dishes served, there are many others!).
Today is also the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.
This year is a very special year, since Thanksgiving Day and the first day of Hanukkah happen on the same day. This will only happen again in… 70,000 years! Hence today has been dubbed “Thanksgivukkah” or another combination of the words Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.
I don’t have any specific pictures for Thanksgiving this year because for some reason that I am having a hard time understanding, we went straight from Halloween to Christmas decorations and not much has inspired me to illustrate Thanksgiving (except for the turkey above, spotted at Walmart). Last year I had hungry squirrels and the bountifulness of the Union Square Farmers Market. (I must add that I haven’t tried any Austin Farmers Market yet, just the one closest to where we live outside Austin, and it is nothing close to what I was used to at Union Square. But again, I can’t tell for Austin.)
I feel terribly sad to have missed – twice! – the Thanksgiving Parade in New York for lack of courage to go out. Of course, now that I am not there anymore (Don’t it always seem to go… yes! And yes I know Joni Mitchell’s is the original version, but I like this one), I feel bad even more that I did not seize the occasion when I could. Lesson learned.
I wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving, or a Happy Hanukkah, or both, and a wonderful day to those celebrating neither! May you see the reasons to be thankful in your life!
20 Wednesday Nov 2013
Posted in America, Nature, New York State, Photography, USA
Tags
Cranberry Lake Preserve, David Licata, nature, New York state, NY, photography, Pink Ladyslipper, pond, water lilies, White Plains, White Plains NY
Last March, I wrote a post about our visit to the beautiful Cranberry Lake Preserve and how it had been affected by Sandy. You can read the post here.
I received several messages following this post, including in the comments, notably updating me on how the place was being cleaned of the debris and damages made by Sandy.
More recently, I received a email letting me know that “David Licata, a local glass artist, [wa]s installing glass orchids throughout the park inspired by the locally growing Pink Ladyslipper Orchid.” He is giving tours and the exhibition was supposed to last until December 1st. Unfortunately, upon checking Mr. Licata’s website, it seems that the orchids had to be removed due to vandalism. But he will display some during his tours. Please click on the links for more details, on Mr Licata’s website.
I have not seen this exhibition and will not be able to see it since, as you know if you’ve been following me for more than 6 months, I have now moved from New York to Texas. But you might want to see it!
I also thought it would be the occasion to update my March post by pictures we took on our second visit to Cranberry Lake Preserve in June.
[Click on any picture to enlarge and open the slideshow]
