Or is it part of her hair? Probably elephantiasis.

The oblong spiral staircase leading up to our studio in Paris was really neat. At each landing, to practice our extensive knowledge of French language, we’d announce the floor: “un, deux, trois, quatre…” and so on. Actually, that was it. Four floors. But, for us lazy Americans, it felt like 15. Fifteen real floors would have been rough, though, largely because we could really only count to four.

While in Paris, we stayed in Montmartre, the home of the Sacre-Coeur. The detail on this building was cool, although to be fair, having been built during 1875-1914, by European standards, it is practically new construction. Cheaters.

I rediscovered my wife in Paris.

Abbie and I visited Paris in November for our first wedding anniversary. The jetlag was horrible, and the commute from the airport with luggage in tow was rather circuitous. Luckily, the host supervising our studio rental was there when we arrived and offered us coffee on the spot—coffee from a French press, not a giant Mr. Coffee machine.

Abbie took this one.

Suffice it to say, these photos were shot during the time of the year that is not anywhere remotely close to the present time of the year, a time when Chuck can swim without the risk of frostbite or getting trapped underneath a glacier or dying from some other beach-related incident.

Unless he swims 50 feet out looking blindly for the ball I just threw down the beach in the opposite direction or swallows enough sand to need to have his stomach pumped.

Visiting Missouri is always an interesting experience for me. Some of my inlaws live on Lake of the Ozarks, and—it’s different from what I’m used to. To say I am immediately ejected from my comfort zone is an understatement, just as native Missourians must be when they visit the hustle and bustle of Chicago. Much of the time is spent on a boat (I get seasick fairly easily), laying out in the sun (I burn fairly easily), sitting around (I get bored almost immediately without some sort of technology in front of me), and drinking (no complaints there). I’ll leave it at that, except to say that visiting Missouri makes me incredibly thankful for Illinois’ smoking ban.

Lake of the Ozarks MO

Chicago appears somewhat unimposing from the Indiana shore. Looking at the sun tangentially through the atmosphere caused it to take on a hexagonal shape as it set, something I’d never seen before. It was strange and beautiful.

Indiana Dunes State Park
Chesterton IN

My subscribing to bon appétit as a gift for Abbie’s birthday last year has worked out just as I had planned.

Abbie and I visited Washington, DC, several weeks ago and did the requisite walking tour of the Mall. These columns were to Lincoln’s left and so I requisitely shot them, too, because I am obsessed with them for no apparent reason and because, being a national landmark, the Memorial itself was so packed with tourists that the only direction anyone could shoot without getting a fanny pack in the frame was up.

Lincoln Memorial
Washington DC