Ah......my sweet girl.  One year ago today we had to let you go.  Seldom does a day go by that we don't think of you, Holly.  You were the best!  And you taught Duncan everything that mattered.  His companion is now Brie, but I have a feeling he still thinks of you and remembers all the fun you had running in the yard together. 

We love you, Holly girl, and your memory will always be with us.

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And a Happy Birthday to my Dad........he's also gone, but not forgotten.  He would have turned 89 today.  It still comforts me that Holly went to the Rainbow Bridge on my father's birthday.  I like to think they're hanging out together.....somewhere out there.

See you here next time............

Many of you in the blog world might know Mary Lee from her blog, Full Fathom Five.  I first "met" her about 2 years ago when I came across her blog and the current entry told of how she'd lost her beloved dog.  I felt the loss and compassion in her words and felt compelled to leave a comment and email her privately.  Since that time, we've become good friends and discovered we had much in common.  One of which was our desire to get our work published.  So I was thrilled to hear last year that this had been accomplished by Mary Lee.

And just a few weeks ago, her profound memoir was released.  I'd already pre-ordered it on Amazon and was anxious to read it.  And read it, I did......in one day!  I simply couldn't put it down.  So yes, it's a definite page-turner.

Mary Lee has flawlessly combined history, a romance, loss and redemption into a wonderful story.   Jim Coe was commander of a submarine lost at sea during WWII seven months before Mary Lee was born.  Her mother quickly remarried into a troubled relationship and Mary Lee's father was never mentioned.  It wasn't until her mother passed away in 1997 that Mary Lee began a search to "construct" a father she never knew.

Having grown up with a father that I was extremely close to, I felt a deep sadness for a woman who never had the chance to know her biological father.  And during my growing up years, I heard many stories about WWII and the fact that my father was part of the Normandy Invasion.  The older I got, the more I learned about the war in Europe.  But something that I never knew much about at all was the part that the submarines played in the Pacific during the war.

So it was with great excitement that I read about this in Mary Lee's story.  She was able to write in layman's terms about the patrols and day to day danger that was involved.  I was astounded by the volumes of research that she did in order to get her story correct.  She searched through old ships' logs, letters, naval communication, visited submarine museums, the Naval Academy and interviewed old friends and crew members that knew her dad and mom.  And all of her work culminates into her exquisite writing to share with her readers.

Mary Lee tells the emotional side of the story that affected not only her mother, but her sister and brother who were ages six and two when their father was lost at sea.  I was beyond impressed with the fact that she writes all of it without placing blame and without leaving the reader feeling sad.  I will admit though, there were parts of the story in reference to the brass where I got mighty angry.  But this author doesn't allow the anger to linger, because with her positive attitude and superb writing she allows the reader to do what she did.....move forward.

This book isn't just informational, it's uplifting and refreshing.  And when I read that final page, I knew I still hadn't finished it "in my head."  It was extremely thought provoking and in my opinion.....THAT is an excellent book.  One that leaves you still thinking about it days later.  And that's exactly what Full Fathom Five did to me.

Did she "find" her father, you might ask?  Well........I'll leave you to read the book for that answer.  However, not knowing Mary Lee as well as other friends that I've had for years, I will say this.......without a doubt, she IS her father's daughter.  And as I read the book and discovered little ways in which I connected the both of them......their love for dogs, their love for the sea, their diplomacy in social situations......it left me feeling joyful and gratified that this daughter's search had proved there is a very special bond between fathers and daughters.

My thanks goes to Mary Lee for enabling her readers to also come to know Jim Coe.....a very special man.  One that I know I would have liked.  And a man I'm sure she's very proud to call her father.

Do yourself a favor and pay a visit to Amazon so you can also get to know Jim Coe.

See you here next time..........

Not being in Paris today, as originally planned, was made somewhat less disappointing with the hours and hours that I spent last week rescheduling our trip for the fall.  And believe me, I did do hours of research.  But I loved every minute of it.  And now.......everything is arranged, booked and actually, it's only 5 months away.

We decided that since we spent so much time in Paris last year, in March and again in October, that we'd explore a new area.  We'd been to Normandy and southern Brittany years ago.  Another trip took us to the Jura area, on the Swiss border.  When I wrote for Bonjour Paris, I spent a few days in Provence with my friend, Karen Fawcette, the owner of Bonjour Paris.  And on another trip to France, Ray and I spent a week in the northeast region of the Languedoc.

So this time we've decided to visit the southwest area of the Languedoc, very close to Carcassonne, and also very close to the Spain border. 

We will fly to Paris Monday night, September 29, arriving at Charles de Gaulle on Tuesday morning.  We've booked the Ibis Hotel at the airport to stay for Tuesday night.  So I still get a taste (and I do mean that literally) of Paris, because we'll take the RER into Paris after settling in at the hotel.  We'll change our dollars into Euros (and oh yeah, I'm hoping they'll be a bit better by then) and I'll do some shopping.  There's certain things I can't leave Paris without.  And we'll have a late lunch in Paris.  Then back to the hotel to get over jet lag.

Wednesday morning, we'll be booked on the TGV (high speed train).....which we get right at the airport......and 4 hr. and 17 min. later, we'll be in Montpellier, where our rental car will be waiting.  We'll browse around that area and wing it that night for a place to stay.  Although I am an organizer, I also love to be flexible and go with the flow.  Besides, you just never know what you might come across.  So we'll look for a place to stay outside of Montpellier. 

On Thursday, we'll drive from there about an hour and 45 min. to Caunes Minervois, which is just 20 minutes north of Carcassonne.  We've rented a charming and picturesque house there for a week.  It also happens to be owned by an author and her author husband.  "La Gaillarde" is a lovingly restored house in the medieval heart of Caunes Minervois.  Walls are original stone with century old beams, complete with a fireplace in the second floor country kitchen for cooking and our own garden accessed from the living room. But the house has 21st century conveniences, like WIFI.  (Yes!  I can blog from there) The house is furnished with local antiques and looks delightful.  Here's our entrance.

And our kitchen...........

And our garden.........

I'm already enchanted with the medieval village of Caunes-Minervois......with twisting, narrow streets and sand-colored stone buildings, it's surrounded by the great 8th Century Abbey that lies at its heart.  Although the village is small, with only about 1000 inhabitants, it has two restaurants, two bistros, a pharmacy, two grocery stores, bakeries, a butcher and a gas station.  Wineries are everywhere and I discovered in my research that some of the local wines sell for under $10 per bottle.  This particular one that I researched looks very good........

So I definitely plan to visit this winery.

Spain is under a two hour drive from our village, so we'll plan a day trip over the border.

I'm very much looking forward to this trip and the way the days seem to whiz on by, I have a feeling that September 29 will be here before I know it!

See you here next time.................

Yes......I'm afraid a week later, all I have left in my aquarium are three fish.  The babies?  All gone.  The yellow Mollie?  She's gone too.  The babies disappeared one night last week.  Turned the light on in the morning and poof!  No babies. 

  The other morning, I turned the light and no yellow Mollie.  I think she had been pooky and without getting gross here, I bet you can guess where she went.  Hmmm, is this what they mean by survival of the fittest?   So I'm down to three fish.....and I'm thinking when the tank is fully cycled (has to do with having the proper bacteria in there, etc.) I'm going to give these two Mollies and my Tetra to Oliver.  And me?  I'm going with good old Fancy Goldfish.  I just love the ones in my outside pond and they're doing SUPER!  Not namby pambies like these Tropical fish.

Update on Ray:  Well, he's certainly feeling much better.  Back to normal, actually.  However, we got a phone call on Thursday from the Hematology & Oncology Center in Gainesville.  Ray's iron levels are off the charts.  Normal range is 10-290 and his is 628.  Yeah, double.  So Miss Martha, the Nurse Practitioner in Chiefland, called Gainesville for Ray to be seen.  We're going this Friday at 1:00.  I guess they're thinking it could be Hemachromatosis......overload of iron.  Some of you might recall that my mother had that, unbeknowst to us, and ultimately it damaged her liver and caused her death. I'd done a blog entry about this last year.  After we discovered she had it and too late for her, I had to go and have DNA genetic testing.  Thank goodness "I" do not have it.  It's genetic and since I don't have it, it wasn't passed on to my children. 

 If caught in time, it involves going quite often at first to a phlebotomist to get rid of the blood.  Just like giving blood.  Once the levels are down, then you do this a few times a year.  We're not sure this is the cause for Ray's exceptionally high iron levels, but it could be.  And that's why we're meeting with the dr. in Gainesville for a history, more blood work, etc.  To be continued..............

Paris Update:  Yes, I'm supposed to be in France right now.  Actually, in Brittany and then we were going to Paris for a week on Tuesday.  But as you know, due to the episode with Ray's health, we had to cancel.  Am I feeling disappointed and sad?  Hmmm, a little.  But not a whole lot, because.........I was very busy this past week rescheduling our trip for the fall.  All the plans have been made, everything is booked and confirmed.

And we had a change of heart.  Rather than going to Normandy, Brittany and then on to Paris for a week.......we decided to do something different.  Oh yes.......it's still France, my one great love.

So join me here next time and I'll tell you all about it............

I discovered this author on My Space.  "One Dance in Paris" is actually her second novel.  And......Julia Holden is a pseudonym.  Now isn't that intriguing?  Hmm, so who really is Julia Holden?  I have no idea....except from what I've read about her, she's involved with Hollywood as an Executive and I read that she isn't using her real name for personal and professional reasons.  As I said......very intriguing.  And I won't lie, I love a mystery.  And okay, okay.......I'm also nosey.  But she's real, because Julia very nicely accepted my invitation on My Space to be my "friend."  Yeah, I know.....she might be my friend, but I really don't "know" her.  That's okay.......on My Space, that's allowed.  Especially for us authors.

All of this aside, lets get back to the book........in one word I thought it was spectacular!  I loved it.  I didn't want it to end.  I enjoyed every single page.

The main character, Linda Stone, barely remembered her mother.  She died when Linda was a baby.  But what she discovers about the woman who gave her life was way more than she bargained for.  Her mother was a famous.....and infamous.....international showgirl.  Her mother wore glittering high-heeled sandals.......and a dress that was barely there.  A dress that gave her the power to become the talk of the town, the queen of Paris, the star of the Folies Bergere.

As many of you know, I'm originally from the Boston area.  The character in the novel is from Somerville, Mass. which is where the story begins.  Many of you also know that I'm a confirmed Francophile and my favorite place in the world is Paris.  The character ends up in Paris.  So you're probably thinking, "well, sure, of course Terri would love this book."  While that added to the story for me, trust me, those aren't the main reasons I loved this book.

When the character takes off for Vegas to begin her journey of searching to learn about her mother, I was right there with her.  I felt like I was standing right behind Linda Stone's shoulder as she met Dixie, one of the first links to her mother.  When she flew to Paris, I was on that Continental flight with her (yes, the author chose Continental as the airline)  And when she arrived in the City of Light, I was just a few steps in back of her as she walked Rue Cadet, Rue Richer, Montmartre and everywhere else. Not because I've also strolled those streets, but because this author brought it all alive......whether you've been there or not.  When she met Claudine, the last link to her mother, I felt like I was meeting a real French woman by this name.  Because that's how vividly this author captures her characters.

Holden's writing is both witty and poignant.  But above all, it's real.  She's spot-on when it comes to character development.  And knowing Paris as well as I do, it was very gratifying to see how authentic her descriptions were of everything from street locations to the French culture.

The story itself was unique, refreshing, entertaining and satisfying.  All good things must come to an end.......just as this story did.  But it doesn't mean I have to like it.  I hated to close that final page.  And I have to say, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a novel about Paris as much as I did this one.

But the good news is, I've already ordered Holden's debut novel, A Dangerous Dress.  And I'm anxiously looking forward to losing myself in her writing once again.

So if you're looking for an extremely enjoyable book, whether you're a Francophile or not, do yourself a favor and get this one!  I don't think you'll be sorry.

See you here next time..............