Mont Veyrier - Mont Baron Loop
So hot. So uphill. Sore toes.
Note to self: Remember to check All Trails. It’s marked “hard.” Had I known, I would’ve brought a sandwich (and left earlier in the day). So tired. And hungry.
A little bookshop in Annecy (since 1731)
1) Camille Claudel, scultprice, 1864 - 9143, 2) Librairie Le Vieil Annecy, 3) record player in the middle of the store, playing classical music.
You know that scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts goes into the fancy boutique in Beverly Hills and is dismissed by the rude staff? That’s how I imagined it going when I entered this bookshop.
Librairie Le Vieil Annecy has been open, more or less, since 1731. They only sell French books, so I assumed I’d be shooed out the door as soon as they smelled the American on me.
But that didn’t happen! The manager, Mr. Pierre, was so kind and generous with his time and knowledge of books - a true booklover at heart. He let me browse for an hour - and when I became fixated on a portrait hanging on the wall, he gave me an art history lesson on the life and times of Camille Claudel.
I enjoyed our conversation so much that I might just become his penpal.
Indiana
mom’s house
So much to say about this trip, but no time to write it! Here are the bullet points:
I spent the first three days in the hospital with my dad, who is doing much better now that his appendix has been removed. He even made it to the wedding! During the ceremony, he sat precariously on a folding chair with his eyes closed, sweating and swaying in circles while I strategized about how to catch him if he fell over. (Happy to say, he did not.)
The wedding was beautiful, of course! The bride was preceded down the aisle by a 9-month old riding a remote-controlled 4-wheeler that sprayed bubbles out the back.
Dan and Sasha flew in for the wedding! They were only there 36 hours, but it was great to see them. (Sophia’s at NYU Amsterdam for the summer term.)
My mom was a star, as always. Unfortunately, I missed the campfire cookout because I was at the hospital with dad. What will she do with all those veggie hot dogs?
Last meal before I left for the airport: nachos and leftover wedding cake.
I took so few photos that I hardly have any to post! But here are a few snaps.
Before the wedding! my sister (mother of the bride), my niece (the bride) and my niece-in-law (sister-in-law of the bride)
I mean, really.
cutie patootie!
Haras, Annecy
Haras eateries are now open! Annecy turned the old horse stables (haras) into eateries, cafes, bars, museum and exhibition halls with a courtyard in the middle. It’s gorgeous. Annecy is really upping its game… now if they can only solve the traffic/parking issue.
Watching the sunset from my bedroom.
Annecy Festival
They’ve taken over the city! Pop up venues everywhere and excitement is in the air.
Woudsend, Friesland
I've been to Amsterdam a few times, but honestly (embarrasingly?) it never occurred to me to visit the countryside. But as luck would have it, some friends won a free stay at a cottage in the small village of Woudsend and they invited us to join them. How could we say no? And what a surprising delight it was to explore the countryside, farm lands, canals and windmills.
I never harbored a secret desire to learn how windmills work, but our village had two working mills, both open and giving tours. One mill was grinding flour, the other sawing wood - both were utterly fascinating! I took way too many photos and videos, but I’ll spare you. Just know that if you’re ever given the opportunity to tour a working windmill, you should do it!
The food in our little village was equally delightful. The croissants in the bakery were made using the flour from the neighboring windmill! For lunch, I had maybe the best turkish eggs of my life at Cafe de Watersport. And we had an excellent dinner in a old mennonite church-turned-restaurant called ’tPonjke. The name translates “church collection bag” in Friesland - which is exactly how the bill was delivered to our table! So clever.
One last thing - as luck would have it, we were there for the annual village summer party. All the locals were out enjoying live music and playing games like Stack the Beer Crates (?)! The whole place felt like a dutch Stars Hollow.
What a great weekend - and a refreshing change from my usual city escapes!
One day in Amsterdam
A few snaps from museum hopping…
A typical scene in Amsterdam: the canal, a boat, a bike and a beautiful building.
La Tournette
Trying to get some higher elevation training under my belt before my big Swiss hike in August.
Met some friendly goats. (Alpine ibex)
Lake Annecy, from La Tournette
my daughter
her spirit animal
Heading back down the mountain.
Hosting my first mini-retreat
Yesterday I hosted my first mini-retreat! We were seven women total - from France, Switzerland and the UK.
We used the GROW framework to workshop each person’s business challenges. Our goals: to create community and to encourage each other to make progress on our biggest job/career challenges.
Some reoccuring themes:
Being intentional about career and life choices
How to find/create work that aligns with personal values
Figuring out how to charge more while remaining accessible
I received some really positive and constructive feedback. With a few tweeks, I’d love to do something like this again in the future!
The start of summer
watching the sunset after dinner
breakfast in the sun
Lake Annecy, France
A Midsummer Night's Dream
at Shakespeare’s Globe, London
What a magical night! Emma Lim's production is utterly delightful. This is Shakespeare for people who think they don’t like Shakespeare. (Buy standing tickets and you might just end up on stage!)
London looking beautiful on a gorgeous summer night.
Is there anything more empowering than female friendship?
Fried Green Tomatoes
Sophia’s home, so it’s been a week of movies, plays and art projects. The above was a favourite.
On meeting Ruth Ozeki
I met Ruth Ozeki!!!!
She is hands down one of my favourite authors. Never mind the fact that no one I know has ever heard of her, and that I had four tickets to the event and could find NO one to go with me except my daughter, who went primarily because she felt sorry for me.
For the record, I would’ve been absolutely fine going alone - but in the end I'm glad she came, because she convinced me to get my book signed. When it was my turn, I COMPLETELY FROZE and Sophia had to jump in and say "This is my mom, she's a writer and she loves you so much."
And Ruth was so gracious and sweet and said nice things. At which point, encouraged, I said something like "I became a yoga teacher because you're a Zen Buddhist priest." (what?!?!) And she responded as if ours was the most natural conversation in the world. Bless her.
Some craft tidbits from her talk:
Her Zen practice helps her write from the brain and the body of her characters — she can drop into a meditative state and experience the scene from her character's perspective.
Her eye as a filmmaker helps her figure out from which perspective to tell the story.
Her experience as a film editor taught her how to move a story along quickly.
Assume you and your reader are on the same wavelength. You don't need to over-explain.
Thanks for visiting London, Ruth. xoxo
London’s Southbank on a summer night is magical. Food stalls, lights, music, dancing - it's such a great scene. And not just for young people! People my age were leaving the BFI and the Literary Festival and getting caught up in the energy. I didn't dance exactly, but I wiggled my hips.
Lake Annecy, April 2026
Sunset from balcony bedroom. xo
I stumbled into this cemetery while biking around the lake.
View of the lake from Les Cascades.
Just another sunset…. how many of these photos have I taken over the years?
Zermatt, Switzerland
Míša not appreciating the view.
Sophia on the train from Tasch to Zermatt.
The girls, in Zermatt.
Daniel and Soph - cocktails before dinner.
Reims, France
Hello from Reims! I left London this morning for the lake house in France. The trip takes about 12 hours, including Le Shuttle. I can make the drive in one day, and I usually do. But lately I’ve been re-learning the lesson that just because something is physically possible, does not mean that it needs to be done. So I stopped in Reims for the night.
Every time I’m in France, I feel guilty for letting my French decline to such an appalling level. Given how much time I spend here, it’s a disgrace. I managed to check in to the hotel (in French) without incident, but my oura ring pinged me and asked me why I was so stressed! One of these days, I’ll come down for a few months and register for a French Intensive. But first, I need to get through yoga teacher training. My aging brain can only take one intensive course at a time!