Ray and I went and "stole" Veronique from Brian on Wednesday and had her here as a house guest for three days.  Poor Brian had to work, but I sure enjoyed having her here.  She's bright, intelligent and has a great sense of humor.  We talked non-stop and laughed a lot.  We also had French lessons for me........Veronique is an excellent French teacher!  How I wish I could keep her here for about three months, instead of just three days.  So I got to practice my French quite a bit and learn the proper pronunciations for many words.

She brought me some lovely gifts from Paris. (photo above)  A beautiful porcelain diffuser with a parfum to burn called de la Garrigue.......it's absolutely heavenly and has the fragrance of the south of France.  She also brought incense to burn in the scents from that same region of France.  I can't even describe how wonderful the scents are, but if you ever get a chance, do try them.  These are just perfect for here in my studio when I'm writing.

We had a wonderful visit and a fun 4th of July.  We went down to the City Park for lunch and Veronique and I enjoyed some great shrimp.  I don't think the crowds were as plentiful as past years.  Could it be the economy?  The gas prices?  Probably a little of both.  And that night we went to the fireworks and watched the colors from Atsena Otie reflecting into the sky and across the water.

I've put together a video above of our 4th.  I hope yours was also fun and enjoyable.  See you here next time..........