Photo of the vineyard where we spent 5 lively years! Thanks to your helpful notes, I will be writing the first draft of the memoir in private. Read on… le piège (pee-ezh) : trap, snare, pitfall, booby-trap Audio: Listen to the following words & example sentence: DownloadMP3 or Wav How to properly pronounce French words? Read this inexpensive book! piéger (verb) = to trappiégé = booby-trappedune … Continue reading le piege : the trap + book update
I stumbled across this photo this morning. I think it speaks volumes after today's story, which is dedicated to my husband. Today's word is an expression: l'enjeu est grand : the stakes are high (there is a lot at risk) Audio File: listen to me say this phrase Download MP3 or Wav Je ne sais pas quoi faire. L'enjeu est grand.I don't know what to do. … Continue reading l’enjeu est grand
Jean-Marc will be putting on a clean shirt and looking forward to meeting you all very soon! Read his message, below. Dear Friends, Here is my 2013 US meet ups. I am coming with the new vintages and lots of new things to tell you. Hope to see you then. Here is my whole itinerary. This page will be updated as the events (wine tasting, wine … Continue reading Chief Grape’s USA Wine Tour
"The evidence". Thank you for the generous support you sent in, following the previous post, "So Much for Anonymity! In the ten years since this blog began, I've wanted to share the very personal story but never trusted myself enough to do it. Wednesday, I took the leap. Your comments give me the courage to continue. If all goes well, the telling of my story will … Continue reading temoignage
"This one's for you!" (pictured: that's me with the cake, my husband, right, gets all the wine around here–even when we lived on a vineyard, where wine all but flowed from the garden hose.) A (Very Special) DAY IN A FRENCH …by Kristi EspinasseYesterday a delicate and meaningful milestone quietly passed. Waking up, I searched for a way to respectfully acknowledge the date, lest it … Continue reading So much for anonymity
Postitano, Italy. Photo by Annwvyn. Chapter 1: Positano, Italy – Summer 2002 We must bear with ourselves with patience and without flattery. — Fenelon I am sitting on the floor of a luxury hotel room, tossing potato chips across the parquet tiles to my 9-month-old nephew, Payne. My sister and her husband are out for an early dinner, and I have offered to babysit. With a … Continue reading Chapter 1: Positano, Italy – Summer 2002
Courtship at La Cloche à Fromages restaurant in Marseilles. The year was 1993 (the handwriting is my husband's). Little did I know the adoring Frenchman, was really the authoritaire Frenchman! But that is only my side of the story. According to him, I'm the bossy one. What's sure, is neither of us has a lot of patience. Read on. mener à la baguette (meuh-nay-ah-lah-bah-get) … Continue reading mener a la baguette
Best tips for speaking in public–share them (or see them) here in the comments box and help those who plan to give a speech in the coming year! Photo, above: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to talk at Shakespeare and Company bookshop in Paris, in 2010. See the right-hand corner of the screen, where the video camera captured a part of the speaker. The video follows, after … Continue reading parler en public: video of my talk + bribing Shakespeare and Company bookshop
