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..........

Happy Birthday America ~  But hopefully, next 4th of July many of us will have our pride restored for this wonderful country and we'll be on the road to that restoration!

As we celebrate today, let's not forget our troops in Iraq!  May they come home soon and safe!

Enjoy your holiday, my readers,  and I'll see you here next time with details about ours from my island.........

My friend and fellow blogger in Los Angeles turns 76 today and she's just another example to me that age is simply a number.  I "met" Naomi a few years ago when I first visited her blog, Old Lady in the Hills.  I quickly came to see that she was certainly far from "old."

Naomi is one of those people that will always be young at heart.  She's also somebody that I admire and have come to love.  It's difficult not to love Naomi.  Her intense love for nature, her cat Sweetie and her friendships easily comes across in her blog postings.  Whether she's showing you photos of her spectacular cactus garden or the birds and hawks that come to visit close enough for her to photograph, you feel like you're right there with Naomi as she tells you about these things she loves.

I remember when I discovered through her blog postings that she is a celebrity in her own right and how astonished I was with her authenticity.  I learned of her career in the arts and entertainment industry, I read about her theater days in both NYC and LA, but most surprising to me was the multitude of very close friends she has and has had over the years.  Names way too numerous to mention here........but names you would instantly recognize.  And what surprised me most was the fact that Naomi is SO down-to-earth.  Here is a woman that has rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous and yet, never displays an ounce of ego.  It's no wonder to me that she has had friendships spanning many, many years.  Because somebody like Naomi truly understands the definition of friendship and anyone in contact with her knows this.   Here's a photo I "stole" from her blog of her and Betty Garrett, a very, very close friend of Naomi's........taken 9 years ago on Betty's 80th birthday.  You might best remember Betty from her role on All in the Family.  (Naomi is on the right)

Due to respiratory problems, Naomi is pretty much homebound now.  As an RN, I know how difficult this can be for many people.  It can cause anger, self-pity, and bitterness.  But Naomi reminds me of somebody who has lemons and makes lemonade.  With her trusty camera, she steps out onto her balcony overlooking those Hollywood hills and shares with us wonderful stories of things we'd have no knowledge of.  I love it when she "goes back in time" and pulls from her incredible repertoire of old photos from her childhood or theater days and then shares such great stories with us. 

Naomi has a huge blog following and her posts bring lots of comments.  One of the other things that impresses me about Naomi is her ability to reciprocate.........she manages to always not only pay a visit here to Island Writer, but she takes the time to always leave a comment.  I hope she knows how very much I've always appreciated this.  Anybody can "lurk" here because my words are out there for all to read and that's fine.  But to take the time to compose a comment........that's a friend that goes the extra mile and Naomi has always been that. 

I admire women like Naomi.  Strong, motivated and loving.  She's an inspiration to me, and I'm no longer surprised in the least why she's had so many devoted and loyal friends over so many, many years. 

So today, Naomi, it's your day to shine!  And I'm raising a toast to you for a year ahead filled with sunny days, good health and much laughter.  And I'm very proud and grateful to call you my friend! 

To my readers..........please leave a happy birthday greeting here in my comments for this very special woman......or better yet, pay her a visit at her blog (link is above) with your good wishes and be sure to tell her that Terri sent you.

See you here next time............