The Lady and the Unicorn rained magic upon me. A Mon Sevl Desir – According to my will only. There she stood—a queen, a goddess, emerging from her royal pavilion. She planned to return the magnificent jewels once bestowed upon her to a faithful servant for safekeeping. Fantastical bestiary of the forest ensure her passage…
Preparation for my upcoming trip was littered with travel expectations and extensive, more like obsessive, planning. France owned me. The kids made it clear they were over it. “All you think about and talk about is France,” my oldest repeated, deservedly irritated with a lack of parental attention. “What will you do when you don’t have…
My ancestral family name is de la Rivière, Of The River. When I traced those ancestors back to the time they arrived in Canada, more than four centuries before this moment, I hardly understood. Of The River. A very straightforward translation. Land owners in Burgundy and further north. Farmers in France at a time when…
With about forty days left before I hit the skies for France, the pace of preparation is picking up. And so are the travel jitters. It’s no mystery that I’m excited for this research trip. Hiding my enthusiasm isn’t a thing. Nor is it something I attempt to muster the capacity to achieve. I let…