Endless Beach

Cap de Carteret

Today we visit Carteret, on the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula, which has a salty, Atlantic feel. Flat sands stretch seven miles from Cap de Carteret, where we are, to Point Rozel or as far as the eye can see. The beach is wild and nameless (and protected), backed by miles of dunes, empty but for clouds of terns and a handful of walkers. It is almost our own.

Sonnet: "When I was your age, I had eight teeth pulled." [Dad's note: Sonnet had poor teeth]

Madeleine: "That must have hurt. " 

Sonnet: "I had lots of painkillers."

Madeleine: "I hate it when people collect old teeth."

Me: "They really do that?"

Madeleine: "Yes. I've seen it."

Me: "Well, you'll never guess what Gracie keeps. Above the fireplace."

Madeleine: "What ?"

Me: "Bateson." [Dad's note: Bateson was the beloved family dog, esp. loved by Grace]

Madeleine: "What!? I thought he was dead!"

Me: "His ashes."

Madeleine: "Oh. Aren't their two of them? Urns, I mean ?" 

Me: "And who do you think is in the other one?"

Madeleine: Eitan, Sonnet:

Me: "Your great Grandmother!"

Madeleine: "Oh My God!"

Sonnet: "Don't do that to the kids, really."

Madeleine: "Yeah. You can stop laughing Dad."

Utah Beach

bombs away

We visit Utah Beach, which was the code name for the right flank of the Allied landing beaches on D Day, 6 June 1944 - this is the 60th anniversary year. Utah was added late in the planning and only when more landing craft became available - Ike coveted the deep water ports at nearby Cherbourg which could take supply ships.

The non descript sandy beach is narrow unless the tide out, which adds 1 km (my estimate).  On a sunny peaceful day, like today, it is hard to imagine machines moving and men fighting for their lives.

The remembrances are simple with several statues and a plaque or two; a French and American flag are at full mast. There is a simple museum (groans from the Shakespeares).  Sadly missing are the Veterans. When Tim and I in Normandy 12 years ago we met a bunch of them, now many or most are gone.

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything."

--Dwight D Eisenhower

The Cows Come Home

Eitan: "And we're off for another Orenstein family vacation."

Somewhere In Normandy

Sonnet: "I remember a vacation in Ireland with the Orenstein family. Grace planned it for a year, and we went all around, staying in many beautiful places."
Me: "That was a fun trip . .. "
Sonnet: "My esteem for the Orensteins went up when we got a flat tire and - lickety split - Grace, Katie and Jeff got out and fixed it in 15 minutes. My family would have waited 3 hours for AAA."
Madeleine: "You fixed the tire?"
Me: "We did. We had a spare."
Madeleine: "What would happen if two tires went flat and you didn't have a spare ?"
Me: "You'd be out of luck."
Madeleine: "How about if the non-driving tires went out?"
Me: "You mean on a two wheel drive?"
Madeleine: "Yeah. Could you still drive the car?"
Me: "Probably not."
Madeleine: "How about only one then ?"
Me: "Well, the car might tilt a bit. It would be pretty uncomfortable if you were sitting in the back seat."
Madeleine: "So you could do it then."
Me: "If a four-wheel car, then no. If a three wheel car - yes."
Madeleine: "Thought so."

Astorg Partners

Dinner at the musée Jacquemart André

School's Out

Madeleine and Zara at Kew Gardens.

Me: "'The Women In Black' is not scary." [Dad's note: Eitan thinks the movie "The Woman In Black" is a scary movie.]
Eitan: "Well it's scarier than Psycho. Or Jaws."
Me: "Yeah, that's because you watched Jaws in the living room and not in the ocean."
Madeleine: "What?! You watched Jaws in the ocean?"
Me:
Eitan: "It wasn't scary."

Sarko

Me and Aneta

So I meet President Sarkozy last week in Paris and he is remarkable. Sure, one expects the charisma, but Sarkozy able to site history inter-twined with the leaders and events he knows or has influenced. Further, he is direct in his comments, no wishy washy here : Putin and Russia humiliated in the 20th Century and Sochi a slight too far : the Ukraine crisis a total misunderstanding of history.  Crimea is Russian, let them have it. The euro will last, the alternative is war, even if Europe's growth anaemic .. . France will collapse before she becomes better, perhaps social upheaval.

Plus the guy loves California.

What's not to like ?

And The Mini Marathon

Birdcage walk

Eitan runs a hard race placing somewhere in the top 30 (my estimate). His unofficial time around 17:30 for three miles.

Wilson Kipsang of Kenya wins the men's race in 2:04.29 (London course record) and Edna Kiplagat, also of Kenya, the women's in 2:20.21.

Mo finishes in at 2:08.20 - not a bad debut - but he says moments after ward interviewed by the BBC (barely in a sweat): "Bit of a disappointment. But you try new things. Live and learn." Just another day at the office.

London Marathon

Today is Marathon Day and Eitan and Zac line up for the "London Mini Marathon" which is the last three miles of the long race.  The boy picked up in Twickenham, 6:30AM sharp, and delivered to the start-line with Team Richmond.  His goal to be in the top 10.

Today's race includes Kenya's Wilson Kipsang, the marathon world record-holder, Ugandan world and Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich, defending London Marathon champion Tsegaye Kebede, of Ethiopia, and Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai, the London course record-holder and our very own beloved Mo Farah.

Paris In Springtime

Tuileries

I'm in Paris for the season's change and it is lovely.

Astorg's annual meeting takes place at some marvelous places: the Automobile Club on the place de la Concorde (Wednesday) followed by a gala dinner at musée Jacquemart André; Musée des Arts Décoratifs overlooking jardin tuileries and the sun takers  (Thursday) then dinner at la Tour d’Argent offering a magnificent view of Notre Dame from five stories up. Splendid.

And what have I missed at home? Madeleine: "Nothing."

"When spring comes to Paris the humblest mortal alive must feel that he dwells in paradise."

--Henry Miller from 'Tropic of Capricorn"

Streamline

Eitan, 200m freestyle

Following five weekends of competing at Guildford and Crystal Palace in individual and relay events, WSC finish 3rd in the medals and 5th in Tinlin Trophy.  Not bad for a reasonably small club (ca 150 swimmers) and achieved by just over 30 swimmers competing at the Championships.  The team scoops 31 medals including Eitan's bronze in the 200m fly.  The boy also set PBs in the butterfly and freestyle events.

Aneta

At the NPG

We join Tab and David who host the Sapersteins in Bath.  Now I am in Paris.  Eitan up at 4:30AM for a class trip to Barcelona, where he will be until Thursday.

Madeleine organising afternoons with her friends.

Peaches is dead.

"Peaches has died. We are beyond pain. She was the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us. Writing 'was' destroys me afresh."
--Bob Geldof

Me And Andy Warhol

Photo by David Bailey

And so it is Friday, an exhausting exhilarating week for Sonnet whom I and we could not be more proud of.

Stan, Aneta and I meet Jeanine, Sunny and Leon+Westlee for lunch at the Portrait Gallery Restaurant.

Leon continues to take beautiful photographs using swaths of light; his studio set up in Oakland while he keeps a foot in Paris.

Beforehand, Guy and I have lunch with Diana, a sworn progressive who was heavily involved in Obama's first campaign and on the Council of the Holocaust Memorial in Washington DC.  She is a force of nature, too, and perfectly matched with Guy on politics, insider connections and a desire to make things better.

Pre Show

The private viewing and reception fills the museum with the great and the good. Stan watches over the Shakespeares who mill about perfectly awkward, the little dears. They blitz the exhibition in two minutes and ready to split at 9PM.  We stay until the end then dinner with Spencer and Alex. Top evening.

The Sapersteins arrive from Northern California and we are honoured that they are with us. Guy wears Armani.

On The Board

Madeleine, Aneta and I sit around watching Modern Family and eating ice cream (thank you, Aneta). Before dinner. Madeleine has seen every episode of Modern Family, too - she says, 'more than a hundred ' - and never gets bored (today the first day of Easter Break so plenty of time to go comatose)

Me: "Do you have any gay friends?"
Aneta: "Like five of them."
Me: Men or women?"
Aneta: "Men."
Me: "Cool, every girl should have a gay friend. Sonnet does. Madeleine do you have one?"
Madeleine: "Huh?"
Me: "A gay friend. Do you have one ?"
Madeleine: "No."
Me: "How would you know?"
Madeleine: "I have no idea."
Me: "Right answer. Let's keep it that way."

Man In The Grey Flannel Suit

Stan

Me: "What did you think of mom's show ?"
Madeleine: "Great."
Me: "Anything else?"
Madeleine: "it was amazing."
Me:
Madeleine: "It was really creative and imaginative and a lot of thought went into it."
Me:
Madeleine: "And I liked the Vespa" [Dad's note: a Vespa 125 from 1949 on display].
Me: "What was your favourite?"
Madeleine: "The red dress with the big front bow."
Me: "Good one."

Red Dresss

Germana Marucelli, 1950

I imagine this dress sashaying along a bombed out block in Milan, post Second World War, suggesting the Italy's first spring in ten years.

Celebs

Eva Herzigová

Valentino at our table and barely says a word. His partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, however, is charming and smooth, with powdered white hair and an orange tan. His style impeccable and he glides thru the crowd - there's Liz Hurley and over there Naomi Cambell. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are at the next table while the Italian PM, Matteo Renzi, is in the house (he, with entourage; Sonnet with him for 45 minutes).

Sonnet in Versace.

The Glamour Of Italian Fashion

Sonnet's exhibition opens Tuesday with a bang and the red carpet, leading us to the Raphael cartoon gallery and the patron's dinner (Sonnet in sponsor Bulgari jewelry on loan). Yesterday it is a private viewing and cocktail reception underneath the Chihuly.  And today it goes public.

It is a week long party. Or wedding.  In between Sonnet is interviewed by the press, shows various designers, funders and dignitaries around the exhibition, and generally holds it together.

We are surrounded by friends and family who have gone out of their way to support our wonderful curator.

Me: "Are you going to join us at the museum Friday?"
Madeline: "No way.'
Me: "I thought you were a cultured little dude."
Madeleine: "The last thing a kid wants to do is go to a museum."
Sonnet: "It pains me to hear that."
Madeleine: "None of my friends would be caught dead at a museum."
Me: "What do you guys like to do for fun anyway?"
Madeleine: "We like to go places and eat frozen yogurt and be crazy."
Me: "Sounds fun."
Madeleine: "That's just the way it is, Dad."

Golden Couple

NPG

Spencer and Alex in town for Sonnet's exhibition which is happening this week. We are friends from business school and spent the first two years in London together.  Back then, Friday evening cocktails de rigeuer.  Now they are in San Francisco, enjoying the good life, and raising their three fabulous children.

This is my 3,800 blog.

"It is to the curator’s credit that the exhibition can raise questions for the fashion cognoscenti about the state of the Italian industry, while allowing a more general audience to appreciate La Bella Figura."
--Suzy Menkes in the NYT on Sonnet's show