FRENCH

report

#1

L'AQUITAINE

It was an inauspicious beginning

misadventures, wrong turns, mysteries, and mayhem, awaited around even seemingly innocent turns in the road

my five week voyage in 

FRANCE

beginning.....back in BIARRITZ

Cool Day Chez Catou

It was brief, my COOL day, 

I should have been forewarned when I left my coat, not once, but TWICE while boarding the plane, on my way to Biarritz....and when I arrived in the RAIN, again, it felt as though I had never left, 

BUT 

things were not the same at all

 and all the omens were there....I just didn't recognize them

first  

though

a COOL short film

about my five week artist residency

Winter 2014

at BoiSakré productions in Biarritz France 

 film by Caroline de Otero & Catherine Guillaud

It seemed to be status quo in the Pays Basque
the fromage,
the Grand Plage with plow
croissants
 Café Mokafina 

Les Halles 
the chiens

 

But much as they seem the same, they're not, or you're not

What was I expecting anyway?
of course, another super spree of painting

I was happy to be back but rudderless, washing up and vanishing on shore like all those waves I'd painted the year before

 besides that, it was 
RAINING

and gloomy
SO
with my paints and me languishing I was wondering....
can you ever go back??  

UNTIL

the

 SUN 

came out,

and the

   COOL  

 returned

I went back to observing

 Sundays aux Halles

where the food is an excuse for getting out, looking good 
and gossiping about everyone else

Le Grand Spectacle Chaque Dimanche Aux Halles

then the `' "``rains ""``/'`'''returned
A L A S
but still it's better than snow 

RECETTE  

for all the  

COOL DAYS

COOL DAY by Catherine Guillaud

PETIT DEJEUNER

un grand crème

et

un croissant BEURRE

 DEJEUNER  

CHEESE

Saint Félicien Tentacion

ou

Pigouille lait cru

ou

 Laruns de Pyrénées

ou

Vache du pays

 ou 

Laguiole 

 avec

Jambon de Bayonne

ou

Txirula au piment d'Espelette

et

 une baguette

et bien sûr

a glass or two of

Marsanne, Louis Cheze

ENSUITE:

adventures on the road 

in 
PETIT

the "smart" experience

to be continued......

WAVE 
REPORT

 #2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

nder   

   U      T ow  

 

no whale

Still on the same wave......length

swimming in the same palette and fighting the undertow
though coming to the end of my rope

4 Blocks

Fog all over

Lifting Fog

Zebra Hybrid

French Press

I do take some breaks

like going to Gaviota 

Where Ric surprised a baby seal sleeping in the rocks

and to 

MIRI MARA'S

ceramic studio

click here for more info

Miri

 or 

 Refugio Ranch

click here for more info

Ranch Trees

The Girls

 and then I'm back

Fog, Seal, Salt, no bugs

Bird Guardian

4 Seals + 1/2 Channels

Splashy

There's been fog

Lightening Bird Line up

Unsafe

and there are always pelicans

Recipe 

for 

8 

more days of 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 a stiff drink

and a tamale from 

Taqueria El Bajio

plastic fork and all

and then for fun 
 Twin Danger
click here for info

 WAVE 
REPORT

from the

SAND BERM

SPLASHy

It's the same painting spot as last year, I just wasn't done with it.

The same sand berm, about the same time of day,

 probably the same seabirds, seals and dolphins,

 and

 the same bad coffee

9:45 am  1.2.15  more undertow

8:58 am  1.2.15  very calm

9:28 am  1.4.15  wind up

9:05 am  super annoying seagull  1.6.15

8:33 am  same calm  1.6.15

1.8.15  le debat francais  9:57 am

Whew, let's rest the eye

9:24 am  1.9.15  Cloud Horizon

after the rain  1.12.15  8:47 am

cloud bank  8:40 am  1.12.15

10:26 am  1.13.15  radioland

1.13.15  9:51 am  tide

obviously things weren't really the same

1.14.15  9:53 am  change

RECIPE 
for when the painting is done

It seems like it's been non stop party land on the left coast, starting with the holidays and practically every weekend since.....and without going into details about all the other delights that have graced the tables, here's one of the faves

FRESH GINGER CAKE 
with
WHIPPED CREAM
(by David Lebovitz)

4 ounces fresh ginger

1 cup mild molasses

1 cup sugar

1 cup vegetable oil, I use canola

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

(I bumped up the spices a bit)

1 cup water

2 teaspoons baking soda (not the dead king that's the deodorizer in the fridge)

2 eggs at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350*F

place oven rack in the center of the oven 

line a 9 x 3" springform pan with a circle of parchment paper and grease the paper and sides

peel, grate and chop the ginger, very fine

in a large bowl mix together the molasses, sugar and oil

in another bowl sift together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, and pepper

in a saucepan boil the water, stir in the baking soda, then stir the hot water into the molasses mixture

add the ginger

gradually whisk the dry ingrediants into the batter 

 add the eggs one at a time and continue mixing until everything is thoroughly combined

pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the cake springs back and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

cool the cake for 30 minutes

lightly dust with powdered sugar

Whipped Cream
whisk heavy cream until it's firm!

perfect with the sunrise

or the sunset