Pour Toi France

Just a quick photo today for Missing Paris Day 

which has been absent for a bit.

This memorial happens to be in the Passy Cemetery 

in the 16th arrondissement but

most little villages in France 

have one of these somewhere along the road 

memorializing the villagers lost to the 

"Great War." 

Most churches in France, 

somewhere within,

have a list of names of the lost souls 

inscribed on its walls

with the dates 1914-1918.

Inevitably, on these walls

we usually find The Chef's family name

often with a slight variation of letters. 

When you see these memorials 

standing alone on the side of the road 

at the entrance to a small village, 

often with a little pot of flowers,

it evokes a sweetness but mostly a sadness. 

Yesterday, July 28th in the year 1914

marked the beginning of "The War to End All Wars."

Would that it were so. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Mary Magdalene Revealed

Happy MM Feast Day! 

It's July 22nd again where priests, monks and sisters 

carry Mary Magdalene's remains throughout the streets of Provence

and elsewhere to celebrate her.

And I have been waiting for this book by Meggan Watterson! 

It's one of the few books I've ever pre-ordered

so it was even more of a gift when it showed up in the mail. 

Meggan Watterson is one of the well-educated scholars I admire

on the Divine Feminine and Mary Magdalene herself. 

If you're interested in this subject, 

and you don't already follow her on FB or IG,

do so! 

To find the book on Amazon,

click HERE. 

And discover the Christianity the world hasn't tried yet. 

(Photo copyright: Kirsten Steen)

Monterey Weekend

Hard to believe 4th of July is already over. 

I haven't even finished posting photos from Memorial Day weekend! 

So, as promised, here are a few.

Carmel was as lovely as I'd been told. 

And Monterey such a treat. 

Among some of the old buildings,

written about in Steinbeck novels,

there is lots of modern beauty as well.
The trip made me realize how little Steinbeck I've actually read. 

We enjoyed walking and perusing the main streets and shops...

As well as the beaches and coastline. 

We had planned to go to Yosemite

but realized the crowds were going to make it miserable

so were able to cancel our hotel room 

and get a place in Pacific Grove 

so we could explore Big Sur

and more of Carmel and Monterey. 

We would barely have had any real time 

in Carmel and Monterey so we made the right choice. 

Back next time with more coastline shots

of the gorgeous Big Sur. 

Hope you're enjoying your summer! 

We've had remarkably mild temps so far 

compared to the things I keep reading in the news.

What's the weather doing where you are? 

(All photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)