tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post5431743409887905231..comments2023-10-14T18:34:30.879+02:00Comments on Lost in Arles: The ease of conviviality - Top of the Park, Ann ArborHeather Robinsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-9204981480620044652014-06-28T07:20:06.314+02:002014-06-28T07:20:06.314+02:00Looks like an absolutely perfect evening. Mmmm, ho...Looks like an absolutely perfect evening. Mmmm, how I'd love a glass of wine... (haha! Couple more months for me!)<br /><br />Clare xSoulful Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12191037713466087670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-18451997831411369912014-06-25T03:47:56.039+02:002014-06-25T03:47:56.039+02:00Just as fascinating as the post itself, the commen...Just as fascinating as the post itself, the comments about generalisations have really intrigued me. Some varied and valid points, especially those made by Silke Bauer, and also by the Hattat's. Here in Australia, I wouldn't dare to say we fit into one category or the other, because in some parts of the country people will stare, and in other parts they avoid a gaze. And that even varies in different parts of one city. But we are a very multi-cultural society, so of course our behaviour is a medley of our backgrounds. <br /><br />On another note, I am sad that you aren't able to upload more posts of your adventures in the States, because they are truly interesting. (I love the observations of people's behaviour, it's one of the best things of travelling, even if it has commanded a lot of attention in the comments!) <br /><br /> And as for that Mexican feast on your picnic blanket….oh, yum, yum, yum!! Glamour Dropshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12651174250292927988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-24999832781275153442014-06-21T03:21:37.803+02:002014-06-21T03:21:37.803+02:00Oh, Heather....Annie Dillard used to live, for a c...Oh, Heather....Annie Dillard used to live, for a couple of years, in this tiny, 6-street, 18th century town (which is STUFFED with Southern writers) . She's, of course, wonderful and brilliant and surprisingly prolific and all sorts of other fine things.....but she IS, as you might guess, intense.<br /><br />A good friend of mine (who's also been a great admirer of Dillard's writings for decades) was her next-door neighbor. She very wryly tells of being initially quite excited to hear that Dillard was moving-in next-door, but eventually slipping into the habit of, as she was about to go out into her own yard, realizing that Dillard was in her own yard....and wondering "Oh Lord....do I have the energy for this, today?????". Annie is, as I said previously, a very i-n-t-e-n-s-e woman (that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's read "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" or the essays).<br /><br />All of the above is meant as a compliment to Dillard, of course; she's simply not the sort with whom you can pass the time by making small talk (she doesn't DO "small talk" of any sort) about the weather or how your tomatoes are coming along. You can,indeed, bring up those topics, and she'll happily join in.....but it ends up being a three hour dissertation on the damned Existential MEANING and Implications of the weather or the state of your tomato plants.<br /><br />In short?......she is not a simple woman.....but, if you've started the book, you've probably already figured that out.<br /><br />----david terrydavid terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18009130338123162371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-4681547423495049582014-06-20T23:01:59.271+02:002014-06-20T23:01:59.271+02:00In the manner of "if you can't say anythi...In the manner of "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" I will just reply with an additional book thank you as I started reading the Annie Dillard last night and the grounding peace in her language is a great comfort to me, David. Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-83068495901409607772014-06-20T22:59:53.037+02:002014-06-20T22:59:53.037+02:00Oh are you back to swimming with your puppers? How...Oh are you back to swimming with your puppers? How lovely. I always appreciated that image of you back where you belong. :) And even if that would be the long way around I certainly would be tempted to visit if I could afford it! <br />And ps. The winters here are BRUTAL. Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-85359399664667348492014-06-20T22:57:51.205+02:002014-06-20T22:57:51.205+02:00Thank you so much Judith - I feel the same about y...Thank you so much Judith - I feel the same about you! And it is a short trip up here from Detroit if the time of day/traffic is right. Only thirty minutes or so from the airport. We have gone to some really fantastic restaurants this trip so if you do decide to make a day trip, please let me know and I will make suggestions. :)Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-83784026532201305362014-06-20T15:56:11.922+02:002014-06-20T15:56:11.922+02:00I have yet to go to the Slurping Turtle but I can&...I have yet to go to the Slurping Turtle but I can't wait!! You really found the best food places here :). I don't know what Aventura is - will need to check it out. My favorite restaurant in Arles was L'Autruche- very close to Rue des Marbriers- where we were staying in an airbnb place. If this interests you, I'd suggest checking out the Luminarium at the summer festival- I am going this Sunday and it sounds amazing. Enjoy your stay here! I accidentally wrote you the last comment from my work email so this time it's from a personal account :).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-24594409043008384582014-06-20T14:06:37.525+02:002014-06-20T14:06:37.525+02:00Oh......as far as European (or at least French) at...Oh......as far as European (or at least French) attitudes/responses towards Americans go?.....<br /><br />My favorite anecdote concerns how (and this has been happening to me for YEARS now), at family gatherings and parties at Herve's parents' house in Tours, four or more people invariably say something about "Oh?.....the American Uncle!!!!".....and everyone begans rocking with inexplicable laughter, including the actual niece and nephews (who are six, nine, and 11). Then, someone will repeat the "How lucky!....an American Uncle!!!!"....and they all start splitting their sides....again and again. As I said, this has gone on regularly for years.<br /><br />The juicy-inside of this speciman of wry, Gallic wit has been explained to me by my mother-in-law, who has stopped laughing long enough to tell me "Oh...it is a FRENCH joke....everyone says 'American Uncle' because this means he is RICH!!!!! Ha-ha-ha!!!! It's very good joke, do you think?"....and I wonder "I guess.....but who's the joke ON?"<br /><br />Herve later explained to me that it's rather a double-edged, snobby witticism; his family and their circles are all highly-educated, urban, & minimally haute-bourgeoisie, with a fair smattering of minor aristocracy and a large number of snooty-boots. The "RICH American Uncle" business is a distinctly provincial phenomenon (which does, after all, make sense; poor country families and villagers would, I assume, traditionally regard the relative who-went-off-to-America-to-make-his-fortune as "RICH!".). Essentially. the upper-class Tours circles are cultivating the sort of class-based humor that my Tennessee family could indulge in if they began imitating hillbilly twangs and mocking country beliefs (let me emphasize that we DON'T do that; my mother would have smacked any of us who began doing so).<br /><br />So, the "Rich American Uncle" is essentially class-based mockery.....made all the more delicious, I assume, by everyone's being quite aware that David the Artist isn't the rich one in this marriage.<br /><br />Nice manners, don't you think?.....<br /><br />----david terrydavid terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18009130338123162371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-10628223661718309162014-06-19T21:38:05.093+02:002014-06-19T21:38:05.093+02:00Your description of an evening at the Top of the P...Your description of an evening at the Top of the Park Festival reminds me of what I have enjoyed about celebratory public gatherings in the Upper Midwest (where my husband was raised). The relaxed conviviality was a big part of why I wanted to try living there. (That hope died after I realized I would have to do without a nearby ocean and mountain range.) Anyway, I'm so glad that you were able to tell us this story, with photographs, while it was fresh in your mind. How long will you be in Michigan? I wish you could stop here on your way back to France (via Asia), because our low-humidity, sunny summer is in full bloom and the river awaits! Someday... Enjoy the rest of your time there even more, Leslie in Oregon Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072342787536727765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-28657032755286479182014-06-19T16:57:01.492+02:002014-06-19T16:57:01.492+02:00David seems to be raising the level of reading sin...David seems to be raising the level of reading singlehandedly -- not that you and your blog followers aren't already reading at a very high level, Heather.<br /><br />Why is it that I only get short visits to my husband's hometown of Detroit, Michigan. As always, I take notes on your Michigan post -- we ate at Slow's last time we were there (for a funeral) and perhaps when we are there in August (for a wedding, thank goodness) we can take a side trip to Ann Arbor. Always good to hear from you Heather, wherever you are.Judith Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12079409605010969088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-43216232393669825622014-06-19T16:40:01.978+02:002014-06-19T16:40:01.978+02:00Thank you, Janey! That is very kind of you (and fo...Thank you, Janey! That is very kind of you (and for the compliment too) but I now have, thanks to David, more books than I normally read in a year and new music to look forward to! Plus my Mom and Sister are spoiling me with their love and attention - not to mention all of the fun places that they are taking me to.<br /><br />And I am right there with you about the comments. Why do you think that I have kept this blog going? ;)Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-83684820789013511952014-06-19T16:35:55.157+02:002014-06-19T16:35:55.157+02:00And Greek! I knew I was forgetting one...OPA!And Greek! I knew I was forgetting one...OPA!Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-7541517576543355282014-06-19T16:34:36.883+02:002014-06-19T16:34:36.883+02:00And a PPS (!) - I have had quite a few people in F...And a PPS (!) - I have had quite a few people in France tell me their fears about visiting the States because they are convinced that is like the crime shows (NCIS, etc) that are so popular...Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-49208762615502528302014-06-19T16:31:23.554+02:002014-06-19T16:31:23.554+02:00After reading this, I had to go back and look thro...After reading this, I had to go back and look through all of the comments again! Well, if there has been generalizations taking place, it was my fault to start with - although I honestly didn't see anything hurtful. But you know how much I appreciate your perspective AND your blasting through generalizations. :)<br />PS. The Republik of Zypern Zypern? Now I have to go and look that up! <br />PPS. An email will be heading your way this afternoon...<br />xo<br />HHeather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-75968635952417722912014-06-19T16:26:30.895+02:002014-06-19T16:26:30.895+02:00David, you are a fine agent of giving if ever ther...David, you are a fine agent of giving if ever there was one - and your appeal seems to be working! Just look at Janey's comment below...<br /><br />Now, I am glad that you asked about "Ypsi" as it is commonly called here because who would have guessed that this small town was home to so many interesting things? Thank you Wikipedia! As to the name, why, there is a specific reason and not at all what I had first imagined:<br />"Originally a trading post established in 1809 by Gabriel Godfroy, a French-Canadian fur trader from Montreal, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti", after Demetrius Ypsilanti, a hero in the Greek War of Independence.[9] Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, the year its namesake effectively won the Greek war, and the two communities eventually merged."<br /><br />I actually think that the rest of what I read is worthy of a post on it's own. But if you would like to dive in ahead, take a gander here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ypsilanti,_Michigan<br /><br />I have been checking my mailbox on a nearly hourly basis in the afternoons, as you know, so I will eagerly await your gift of music. Folks take note! Is there any finer gift than words and music?<br /><br />Resignedly yours as ever,<br />Ms. HeatherHeather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-71416698707717533152014-06-19T16:10:59.218+02:002014-06-19T16:10:59.218+02:00Thank you for making my day with that compliment, ...Thank you for making my day with that compliment, Joan. <br /><br />And you have lived overseas far longer than I have in your amazing life - you know how exotic Tex Mex is when you haven't had it in years!! ;)Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-88483052401155455882014-06-19T16:09:23.771+02:002014-06-19T16:09:23.771+02:00Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan an...Ann Arbor is home to the University of Michigan and so it is an especially ethnically diverse area with the restaurants to prove it! I have had excellent Lebanese food, Mexican, Spanish tapas, Chinese, Japanese tapas plus really good farm to table contemporary American. All at prices that wouldn't buy me an entrée back in France. Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-26931152640492548852014-06-19T16:05:16.978+02:002014-06-19T16:05:16.978+02:00He is the real deal. I already knew that but I cer...He is the real deal. I already knew that but I certainly don't take that kindness nor his friendship for granted. Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-52243628542411438442014-06-19T16:04:23.331+02:002014-06-19T16:04:23.331+02:00Oh Loree, I wish that I had that quality! Of my va...Oh Loree, I wish that I had that quality! Of my various memory problems, the most embarassing for me is that of forgetting people's faces - which, when you live is such a small town as Arles, can really be a problem. I have offended more people than I mean to! <br />Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-48664446048069062492014-06-19T16:02:22.658+02:002014-06-19T16:02:22.658+02:00Oh how funny. What a small, small world it can be ...Oh how funny. What a small, small world it can be at times. My Mom and Sister are here and I love visiting - although this is the first time that I have been in summer and it is just gorgeous. As I am usually here for either Thanksgiving or the Christmas holidays the weather is quite different! Ann Arbor is such a fantastic town and full of such good restaurants - of which we have been making the most of - that is why I am frustrated not to be able to download my photos. So far, the Slurping Turtle, Aventura and Grange have been my favorites of the "new" (to me) crop plus we did my "must" visit to Jolly Pumpkin for truffle fries. :) <br />Glad you loved Arles and that you are enjoying the blog - bienvenue!Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-90275467241495320872014-06-19T15:57:37.095+02:002014-06-19T15:57:37.095+02:00Such as your fine self! I brought the beautiful sh...Such as your fine self! I brought the beautiful shoes that you sent me on this trip and wear them all the time!!Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-4314147591378523922014-06-19T15:57:02.225+02:002014-06-19T15:57:02.225+02:00It is, Marsha. It is so lush - everything is so gr...It is, Marsha. It is so lush - everything is so green and the birds are singing non-stop. I love it! And my Mom is a strong woman and yes, an adventurer - last year she went on a gruelling trip through India and Nepal to retrace the path of Buddha and was the only one who was not sick the entire time. Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-77311800076232757582014-06-19T15:55:03.762+02:002014-06-19T15:55:03.762+02:00It is driving me crazy! Mainly because I am eager ...It is driving me crazy! Mainly because I am eager to share what I have with you all! :)Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-65843208390097227092014-06-19T15:54:21.090+02:002014-06-19T15:54:21.090+02:00I think that you would have loved this evening Jea...I think that you would have loved this evening Jeanne. And I bet you held your own just fine in those corporate elevators!! ;)Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2498719763759636773.post-70484024629346886972014-06-19T15:53:04.536+02:002014-06-19T15:53:04.536+02:00A generous response from a generous man. And yes, ...A generous response from a generous man. And yes, I am often telling Remi that he has to "refill the well" because you can't just endlessly give away your creative output without, as David Hammond said "feeding." But what I especially loved about your gifts - beyond just the sheer luxury of so many words in front of me, so much promise - is that they are not books that I would have necessarily found on my own. Actually I am sure of it! So thank you for opening doors as well...Heather Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01316279029849503437noreply@blogger.com