Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Dahling, You Don't Look a Blog Post Over 50

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Cats in the window and copper pots.  This must be France
Wow, can you believe it?  I just turned 100 this week.  One hundred blog posts, that is.  I didn’t notice it until after I posted my Valentine’s Day piece.  Note to self – start looking at all the statistics generated by the statistics-gathering plug-ins I plugged into this webpage.  Considering that I started this project in 2009, I might reach my second hundred before retirement age. 

When I set up home on the internet as a way to share with my family the stories and pictures of a summer in France, I had no idea that I would still be doing it and that people I’ve never met would be reading it and joining in conversation with me.

In developing my own blog, I’ve found many others writing with voices stronger than my own and with so much to teach me – about writing and about life.  They may not be headlines on today’s celebrity news, but they tell stories of remarkable encounters, of the poignancy of everyday life, and of the uproariously funny oddities of the world that confound us all.  In the span of 100 posts I’ve gotten inspired to up my writing game.  I’ve gotten more disciplined with putting words down on paper (digitally speaking).  I’ve seen that it is possible to be that strange creature called “writer.”

I’d like to thank everyone who has read during these growing years.  And if you have taken time to share your thoughts, I doubly thank you.  I’m trying to get to the websites of each commenter, but it’s a slow business.  Knowing you’re out there makes me eager to sit down and start each new online conversation.  Especially when I return yet again this summer to the place that started it all.

To mark this day, I’m turning on the Wayback Machine and sharing a few of my posts from the summer in France that started this whole writing experiment.  Enjoy.

J’ecris (I Write) -- “It is not necessarily at home that we best encounter our true selves. The furniture insists that we cannot change because it does not; the domestic setting keeps us tethered to the person we are in ordinary life, who may not be who we essentially are.” --Alain de Botton The Art of Travel
This quotation started off my blog.  It expresses why I travel.  The post says why I write.

Look Up -- Up is where the French obsession with geraniums takes root. Up is where the lights glow. Up is where the architectural intricacies hide. Up is where unrecognized music drifts out of unknown windows.
You could get vertigo trying to keep alert to all the life that happens above street level in cities like Dijon, FR.

Suits Me To A Thé -- French cafés invite engagement with the world. There is nothing on the internet more entertaining than a French street on market day. My senses overflow.
American coffee shops may offer free wi-fi, but their atmosphere pales in comparison to a ringside table at a French salon de thé on market day.

While I hope that you’ll click on the post links, above, and make comments on them, I also hope you’ll come back here for some more conversation.  How does travel inspire you?  What projects or activities did you start on a whim then find you couldn’t stop doing?  Where are you traveling this summer?  What do you want me to write about next?  Share your responses to these questions or add any other thoughts you have in the comments box.

I think it is not possible to have too many geraniums on too many bridges over too many rivers
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15 comments:

Unknown said...

Lovely photos. I'm going to live my dream of going to Paris for two months, Sept. 2012. I've always wanted to immerse myself in a culture and city.This will be the first of three cities in three years for two months each.

Sometimes I wonder if I'll do any writing at all since I do 99% of my writing indoors, in my room. I don't want to be in my room when in Paris-but I'll tackle that dilemma later.

Julie Farrar said...

I have that same problem when in France. There is so much going on in the streets that it's hard to sit inside and work. I have trouble sitting at a cafe and write because I want to watch everything.

Anonymous said...

Great photos as always! I'm missing France these days...hope we can get there later this year.

Happy 100th! I look forward to many, many more!

Anonymous said...

Happy 100! I would love to go to France & Italy this summer but I suspect I'll just have to visit through your posts.

Julie Farrar said...

I'll do my best to make you feel like you're there, Bridget.

Scrollwork said...

Congratulations on your 100th post! Your title made me chuckle. And I loved the quote by Alain de Botton. I'm sharing that on my business Facebook page right after this. It speaks to the shiftable identity I am trying to get women to realize they are capable of.

"...stories of remarkable encounters, of the poignancy of everyday life, and of the uproariously funny oddities of the world that confound us all." Melodious!

Julie Farrar said...

Thanks so much, Scrollwork.

Cora said...

I enjoyed your post--lovely pictures and quotes. I've never been to France but I look forward to your future posts so I can get a vicarious taste. Congratulations on reaching 100 posts.

Becky Green Aaronson said...

Congratulations on your 100th post! I love the images of all the geraniums. I agree, you can never have too many. Traveling touches me deep to the core, and it humbles me like nothing else. Being immersed in other cultures puts everything into perspective and reminds me that our country and our culture is not the center of the universe.

Julie Farrar said...

You're on to something, Becky. It is fun to get out of the bubble and see that each separate country or culture contributes to the big picture.

monicastangledweb said...

Congratulations! I hit my 100th post sometime in the summer, not I'm approaching 170! Where does the time go?

Shan Jeniah Burton said...

This was lovely and poignant. I loved traveling with you, even if it was digitally.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on turning 100! And here's to 100 more!

Nancy said...

Happy to add my congratulations here on your 100th post, Julie! You're an inspiration to the rest of us.

fiftyfifty.me said...

Belated congrats!

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