Happy Campers

The year we lived in Provence, we had a silly little expression every morning, when we would open our shutters to clear blue sky, bright sun and the scent of lavender oozing from every corner: “Oh just another boring beautiful day in Provence,” yawn, yawn.

So that’s how I feel about the trip that we just completed at Les Murets with six fabulous, dynamic and beautiful women, mostly from Baltimore: “Oh just another wonderful week with a sensational group of incredibly fun women,” yawn yawn.

I never doubted for a second that this would be a great trip but I don’t think I ever suspected it to be THIS much fun. Looking back on my emails from the group’s ring-leader, Ann from Baltimore, it’s pretty clear that it had all the right ingredients from the start. Then when you add six women who not only travel well and get along, but are all equally fun and interested in new experiences, and you throw in some delicious long lunches, some exquisite shopping and lots of exploring by a chauffeur driven van, followed by long dinners with a “sampling” (in case my insurance broker reads this) of delicious, sulfite-free wine, you’ve got the makings of a pretty wonderful week and the essentials for lifelong friends.

I’d like to introduce you to my new found friends:

Je m’appelle Laurie, with a wonderful contagious laugh.

Sandra, who embraced every experience with a sparkling joie de vivre.

Cheryl, whose dry wit had us all bursting at the seams.

Karen, whose quiet dignity certainly belied her ability to attract men with onions.

Denise, whose dramatic storytelling had us on the edge of our seats.

And of course Ann, the ringleader and culprit, who knew just what she was doing when she brought us all together.

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Like all of our trips, this one had a bit of culture, a lot of shopping, a ton of dining, and a sampling of exercise (and wine!).

Here we are in some of our favorite Provence haunts:

Laurie, in the garden of Bonnieux where they filmed one of her favorite movies, “A Year in Provence.”

Laurie and Karen in Cassis, overlooking one of the Calanques.

The group, minus Karen (whose leg is being tended to by two well-meaning would-be doctors using half an onion on her open bite wound), hiking up to the church in Oppede.

Karen, with her would-be doctors (who are plotting her cure).

Laurie, Denise and Sandra, windswept in Cassis.

Ann, Karen and Cheryl, windswept in Cassis.

Laurie, at the Bistrot du Paradou, who is smiling because of …

… the cheese platter! (OK, there was another reason too, but we’ll keep that private).

Ann, in the gorgeous garden at La Mirande, following the tour of the Palais des Papes in Avignon.

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These were my commentaries. Now let’s hear what they had to say …

“I loved being with women who were intelligent and whose sole purpose was to embrace a new place …and I also liked dancing! However, I could have used not being locked in the toilet – twice!”

“As much as I liked all the villages, I loved the dinners, sitting outside, getting to know people and looking at everyone’s finds ….”

“I’m a planner and a researcher and this is the first time that I said this is it, I’m not doing it this. I’m so happy that I didn’t do any research because everything you did was what I would have picked it. I couldn’t have done it no matter how much research I’d done. It was perfect. “

“I’m not a planner when I travel and that’s what I wanted to do. I really wanted to do it this way, and not plan a thing. Also, I feel like I’ve been living inside a painting. The light and this house and all the little villages and markets and cafes, I’d read about and kind of pictured. But when you go and see it in real life, it’s like Oh wow, they really captured it. It hasn’t even changed. Oh, and I loved the long dinners and lunches too!”

“I have to say that it is your heart and soul that has made this trip so comfortable.”

“My whole goal on this trip was to have no preconceived notions. I loved that I was able to recognize where we were, after spending so much time looking at the topography and picking out landmarks. And I loved just being present and opening up my senses. For me, it was all about the experience of the walls, and the smells, and look, and being open to it. It really made the trip so multi dimensional and comfortable. I loved it.”

“I really liked having different one-on-ones with people and being a part of such a wonderfully dynamic and independent group.”

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I think these three photographs pretty much sum up our trip:

Christophe, our fearless driver, struggling with all the cameras, after a delightful lunch in Lourmarin.

…preparing for the final beauty shot …

… and Ta Dah! “Happy Campers” says it all!

Tata!

A.

Healthy Cause

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Ladies on the beach at Cassis

Thirteen years ago, during her medical checkup for her fourth birthday, my daughter’s best friend was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. As the friendship matured and we became closer to this sweet girl and her wonderful parents, we learned much more about the life threatening and disruptive effects of this disease and determined that we should try to do something, in our own small way, to help find a cure.

We’re fortunate to have a beautiful property in the South of France, Les Murets, and with the generous help of Delta Air Lines, we were able to offer our house as a live auction item for the Juvenile Diabetes Atlanta Gala. We were thrilled that it was very profitable for the cause. But you can’t offer the same thing year after year, so we needed to do something that would spice it up a little.

I’m not sure how this idea evolved, but I decided to throw myself in to the mix and offer a week at the house, with yours truly acting as the chef, chauffeur, tour guide and bottle washer (although it turns out there is nothing more efficient or helpful in a kitchen than a group of eight women, so I don’t think I ever washed a single bottle!). The week was a terrific success and set a record for any single item raised during the live auction of the JDRF Gala. Equally importantly, everyone bonded nicely and had a great time.

Many of the women on the original trip decided they wanted to do the trip again, and of course I was more than happy to oblige. So this year, four of the original group, along with two lovely newcomers, joined me for another trip of a lifetime – and with their generous contributions, they actually surpassed the amount raised several years ago. (All you have to do is attend a JDRF Gala, and your heart will be warmed by the number of generous and committed people who have poured their lives in to finding a cure for this disease.)

For me personally, this trip has magically turned in to the gift that keeps giving. What started off as a fundraising event for a cause that my family supports very personally, has actually now broadened in to another business venture that is a natural extension for Huff Harrington Fine Art. This year, we will lead four trips to Provence, each one with different people and slightly different interests.

Could I have ever asked for more when I originally suggested this trip to JDRF? I don’t think so. Although the JDRF family is the first to wish for its own demise, and of course I agree with that, (for that would mean a cure for diabetes), I have to say that I am enormously grateful to this organization for what it has brought me personally: The chance to share my passion and love with extraordinary people for the benefit of an important cause, and the chance to build another business venture that keeps our gallery growing, happy and healthy. I’d call that a wonderfully American win/win! We hope you enjoy the photos from this special trip to Remember.

P.S. We still have a few openings for our October 2 to 9, 2010 trip to Provence. For information, please call the Gallery or visit our website.

A Day in Cassis

A Calanque in Cassis

Ingenious Iphone: Never miss another photo-op

The idyllic Cote d'Azur - a memory that will last forever.

Dipping toes in the Mediterranean

Mediterranean port villages provide the best photo backdrops!

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Home Sweet Home: on the terrace at Les Murets

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A Day at the St. Remy Market

(for more pictures, see our last blog: Hooked On…Orange)

Dining al fresco – a vision in pink & orange

Eggplant perfection at Ann’s favorite restaurant – Le Bistrot du Paradou

Pink & orange goodies from the market

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At Edith Mezard’s, from which our delicious candles hail!

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Chappelle Sainte Sixte

Windblown!

A vision in blue in St. Hillaire

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For more information about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, click here (national chapter) and here (Georgia chapter).

Tata!

A.

Hiccups at Air France

Postcards from Paris…

It all started several years ago when I was traveling back from Paris to Atlanta. My plane from Marseille was delayed, so I arrived at the gate, panting, disheveled, and utterly panicked that I would miss my flight. I remember the ticket agent putting my boarding pass through the scanner and the machine uttering a little hiccup, as the attendant said (what would become some of my favorite words), “Un moment, s'il vous plait.” She then apologized for the delay and explained that I had been upgraded to Business class, and so they had to reissue a ticket.

Moi? Upgraded? Why? I was delighted but I couldn’t help wondering why they’d picked me, the most disheveled passenger, for an upgrade. Of course I accepted it graciously and savored everything from the foie gras, to the fine selection of cheeses, wines, leg room, movies and music. In fact I was so delighted that I did what any well brought up woman would do, after being treated to a fine experience: I wrote a thank you note to Air France.

A few months later, I was again traveling back from France, and the very same hiccup happened at the gate. The funny thing is, I was actually furious with the airline for cutting my connection too short in Paris so that, once again, I almost missed my flight to Atlanta. I arrived at the counter, breathless and poised to complain, when I heard the little hiccup as the agent scanned my boarding pass, and she uttered those welcome words, “Un moment, s'il vous plait,” before delivering the good news.

The third time it happened, a few months later, I figured the hiccup was Air France’s way of apologizing for their unreasonably tight connections in Paris, and this was their way of making it up to me. I decided then and there that I could deal with that tight connection!

But the next time it happened, I was traveling the other way, from Atlanta to Paris. This time there was nothing to complain about. And so this time, I figured it must have been a case of mistaken identity, and that for some reason, Air France thought I was a celebrity. Of course I didn’t want to shatter that illusion, so I went along happily for the ride, and tried to be an appropriately modest and low maintenance celebrity. For several years, I enjoyed being upgraded on just about every flight.

And then they didn’t just upgrade me … they upgraded my whole family. I had never really wanted my daughters to get a taste of business class, but they did, several times, thanks to Air France. A couple of times I got upgraded to First class, because Business Class was full. One time, when I was traveling with my children, they apologized for breaking us up. Not a problem, I told them … my girls would be fine alone in Business. The hiccup at the gate became a wonderful tradition and I was totally hooked as Air France’s most loyal frequent flyer.

And then one day, it ended.

It was the first trip I took with Meg, my wonderful business partner. Although I tried not to take anything for granted because I was still sure it was a case of mistaken identity, I did rather cavalierly tell Meg to stick with me, kid, ‘cause we’d probably both get upgraded. But pas du tout. Not a hiccup. Not even a burp at the gate. In fact, not only did we get the back of the plane, but – and this will be an “aventure” for another blog, I’m sure – my passport was stolen on the flight! Poor Meg thought that she was going to ride with me in the front of the plane and instead she rode with me to the Commissariat de Police at Charles de Gaulle airport.

To my regret, at a cocktail party a few years ago, I made the mistake of telling an acquaintance who was very high up at a competing airline that I was the beneficiary of something mysteriously wonderful at Air France, and she was horrified and said, “Well that’s not right – they shouldn’t be doing that.” I’m not sure if there was any connection with this regrettable slip of the tongue or if my demise was simply a result of Air France’s merger with KLM, which happened to coincide with the end of my benefits. But whatever the cause, I have not been upgraded since.

Recently traveling on Delta, where I am a little nobody and never get upgraded at all, I realized that there is something to be said for the level playing field which eliminates that inevitable sense excitement and disappointment. I’m not expecting the hiccup when the machine swallows my boarding pass. I know that I’ll have the seat I was assigned to, and I have learned, over the years, how to make that just fine (enhanced by bringing along some treats from a favorite “traiteur” in Paris and traveling off season, for more legroom …. but that’s also for another blog).

But I do miss my old friend, Air France. I don’t know what I did to turn it off. In fact, I don’t know what I did to turn it on. But I will always be loyal to this friend, in the hopes that one day, that surprising hiccup will return. And if anyone from Air France happens to read this blog, please know that you are my favorite airline, and always will be. Even without the hiccup. Santé!

Ta ta!

A.