Dogs Taking Flight: Sheer Joy: 1

I really like catching the dogs in flight. 

Maple Syrup

Meet Cassie!

How can you go wrong with home made maple syrup.   MERCY...that is GOOD!!

Bolt Crossbows

Meet Derrick.

I have to admit, I was very intrigued with the bolt crossbows.  They are small, think something like a pistol.   But, they pack a little punch.

I have a grandson that is crazy for one.  But, I don't think he is old enough yet.  Heck, I am not sure I am old enough yet.  But, damn they look like fun!

Thanks Derrick!

Custom Gun Cases

Meet Elden!

He makes custom gun cases!  Pick your size, fabric, color, etc.

Nice meeting you Elden!

Meet Two Reps from Dakota Silencer

One of the fun things about going to the Game Fair is meeting the various reps from different companies and finding out more about their products.

These two gentlemen were a wealth of information about suppressors.

Meet Michael.

Meet Barry.

Thank you both for the wonderful information!

Grandma Skills

Meet Michelle and Maggie, representing Grandma Skills, a store that specializes in selling scarves, hats, headbands, etc. in memory of Michelle's two grandmother's.

Fashion for the outdoors!
The store opened in 2013.   If you want to learn more, click here!

Well made items, in grandma's tradition.

Thanks Michelle!

We Just May Survive Winter

And this is just around the corner.

Meet Tamara

I found a health club near my office that is part of the same chain have near my house.  So, it is a nice quick trip there on days I can get out of the office a bit early for a workout.

Tamara is always a smiling and provides an encouraging word.

It's quite nice to feel welcomed and given positive feedback, and advice on how to improve a workout.

Thank you Tamara for making my time there so enjoyable!  You have a wonderful smile!

Meet Brooke

Brooke is one of the trainers at the health club.  And a photographer, to boot!

Thanks for all the encouraging words Brooke!   I may make my pushup goal yet!

Leaving Paris: Marie (A Gem of Paris)

In my last night in Paris, the group had dinner at a corner restaurant that we had visited 2 days earlier (L'Horizon).

On that first visit, Marie was our waitress.  Well, actually, she helped our waiter with my drink order, "an Old Fashion".  The waiter had no clue what it was.  But, she was clearing a table near us, heard the order and responded, "Oui.  We can make that!  Our bartender can do it!".  It wasn't long after that I had my first Old Fashion in a couple of weeks.

Marie was lovely, kind and attentive. On our second visit to the restaurant, on our last night, we were all quite tired of walking around.   We sat down.  The waiter came to take our order and brought an Old Fashion. and sat it down in front of me.  We hadn't even ordered yet.  But, Marie had seen us walk in and had ordered it for me.

Nicely done, Marie.   Nicely done.

You are a wonderful person.

Thank you for such wonderful kindness, service, and smiles.

Sacre-Coeur: A Place for Lovers

Waiting for some of the group to tour the inside of Sacre-Coeur.

My knees were not cooperating, so I stayed outside and watched the crowd.  Besides this couple, there were many others engaged in conversation, resting, and at least one policy chase of a pick-pocket.

Worshipper Leaving Sacre-Coeur

This woman passed me as I was walking from the Artists Corner back to Sacre-Coeur.  She was very old and stooped over.

But, she was making her way home after worshipping and doing a little grocery shopping.

Montemartre: The Arists Quarter

After visiting Sacre-Coeur, it is just a short walk to the left and around the corner to the Artists Corner.  This is certainly a tourist trap.

But, it is delightful seeing artists at work. 

All kinds of artists.

And the food was good!

Sacré-Cœur: Or, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris

Constructed from 1855 to 1914, it stands at the top of MontMarte, the highest point in Paris.

he inspiration for Sacré Cœur's design originated on 4 September 1870, the day of the proclamation of the Third Republic, with a speech by Bishop Fournier attributing the defeat of French troops during the Franco-Prussian War to a divine punishment after "a century of moral decline" since the French Revolution, in the wake of the division in French society that arose in the decades following that revolution, between devout Catholics and legitimist royalists on one side,^[4] and democrats, secularists, socialists, and radicals on the other. This schism in the French social order became particularly pronounced after the 1870 withdrawal of the French military garrison protecting the Vatican in Rome to the front of the Franco-Prussian War by Napoleon III,^[5] the secular uprising of the Paris Commune of 1870-1871, and the subsequent 1871 defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War.

Though today the basilica is asserted^[6][when?] to be dedicated in honor of the 58,000 who lost their lives during the war, the decree of the Assemblée nationale 24 July 1873, responding to a request by the archbishop of Paris and voting its construction, specifies that it is to "expiate the crimes of the Commune."^[7] Montmartre had been the site of the Commune's first insurrection, and the Communards had executed Georges Darboy, Archbishop of Paris, who became a martyr for the resurgent Catholic Church. His successor Guibert, climbing the Butte Montmartre in October 1872, was reported to have had a vision as clouds dispersed over the panorama: "It is here, it is here where the martyrs are,^[8] it is here that the Sacred Heart must reign so that it can beckon all to come."^[9]

As for me, it is a must visit site in Paris.   This is where Hitler stood on June 23, 1940 and declared that "Paris is mine."

It wasn't for long.  Funny, he was only in Paris for a day.  And he never returned.