Bonjour! I can't wait to attend my first-ever WordCamp this weekend (September 21-22, 2019) in Sacramento, California. I'll be live-tweeting as an attendee. Find me on Twitter (@bonjourdarlene) and follow along using #wcsac! What is WordCamp? According to the WordCamp Central website, "WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress. WordCamps are informal, community-organized … Continue reading I’m Going to My First WordCamp #wcsac
Author: Darlene
I’m a mom, writer, Francophile, and serial comma lover from the San Francisco Bay Area. I write about family-fun events, food, music, and travel. Never Stop Learning is my motto!
Wednesday Postcard: Bastia and Saint-Florent, Corsica
Bonjour! This week’s carte postale is from Corsica (la Corse), the French island in the Mediterranean Sea. My dear friend in France sent me this postcard featuring the cities of Bastia (top photo) and Saint-Florent (bottom photo), which are located in northern Corsica. In the top photo, you can see the Old Port and the … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Bastia and Saint-Florent, Corsica
Wednesday Postcard: New York City
Bonjour! This week's carte postale features Times Square in New York City. The city is made up of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. According to NYCgo: the official guide to NYC, there are over 8.5 million residents! Did you know: the Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from France … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: New York City
Behind the Scenes of a Senior Portrait Photo Shoot
I got to be a fly on the wall at my daughter’s senior portrait photo shoot 📸🎓
Wednesday Postcard: La Conciergerie in Paris
This week's carte postale features La Conciergerie and the bridge, Pont au Change, over the Seine River in Paris
Mail Art Exhibition at SFMOMA
At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), a recent exhibition featured the work of over 20 international artists to illustrate how images have been created and sent out to the world from the 1880s to the present day. Here are a few snaps I took that I'd like to share from the "snap+share: … Continue reading Mail Art Exhibition at SFMOMA
Wednesday Postcard: Santa Cruz, California
Bonjour! This week’s carte postale comes from Santa Cruz, located on California's central coast, about 75 miles/ 120 km south of San Francisco. Points of Interest include: Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (California's oldest amusement park operating since 1907) Santa Cruz Diner (featured on Guy Fieri's show, "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives") UC Santa Cruz (The Grateful … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Santa Cruz, California
Meaningful Photos: a Mindfulness Practice
Meaningful Photos is one of many science-based practices for a meaningful life curated by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. For this mindfulness exercise, the how-to states: “[Take] 15 minutes per day for one week to take the photos.” Instead I did the following: From my phone's camera roll, I selected nine favorite … Continue reading Meaningful Photos: a Mindfulness Practice
Picnic By the Pond at Marin French Cheese in Petaluma
The Marin French Cheese Company is located on a dairy farm in Hicks Valley, near the city of Petaluma, California, about 40 miles/ 64 km north of San Francisco. Since they have been at this location since 1865, Marin French Cheese has earned the distinction of being the "longest continually operating cheese company in America." … Continue reading Picnic By the Pond at Marin French Cheese in Petaluma
Two French Bakeries and the Blue House in San Francisco
In my blog post, "If You're Going to San Francisco, Be Sure to Watch These Videos Filmed There," I described how a blue house in San Francisco inspired Maxime Le Forestier to write a French song entitled, "San Francisco." I recently got the chance to see the house on 18th Street made famous by the … Continue reading Two French Bakeries and the Blue House in San Francisco
Wednesday Postcard: Catalina Island
Bonjour! This week’s carte postale features the old Hotel St. Catherine, which was located in the city of Avalon on Catalina Island, off the coast of California. The elegant hotel on Descanso Beach was open from 1918 to 1966. It was a popular vacation destination among celebrities and foreign dignitaries. For more information: Hotel St. … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Catalina Island
Wednesday Postcard: Place de la Concorde in Paris
Bonjour! This week's carte postale features Place de la Concorde in Paris. Over a thousand people were executed by guillotine at this spot during the French Revolution, most notably Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette The Luxor Obelisk was a gift from Egypt and placed in the square in 1836 Between 1836-1846, the square was redesigned by … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Place de la Concorde in Paris
Good Vibes Only at the Seaside Town of Capitola
In Capitola, California, a seaside town about 76 miles/ 122 km south of San Francisco on the coast of Monterey Bay, you can imagine you're somewhere in the Mediterranean! Look at these colorful houses! This picture was taken from the Capitola Wharf. The colorful houses are on the left. Only a few steps away from … Continue reading Good Vibes Only at the Seaside Town of Capitola
Salesforce Park: San Francisco’s Newest Rooftop Park Reopens
Pictures of plants, flowers, and trees (plus a little birdie!) you can find at San Francisco’s newest rooftop park
Wednesday Postcard: Zurich, Switzerland
Bonjour! This week's carte postale features St. Peter's Church in Zurich, Switzerland. Of all the tower clocks in Europe, St. Peter's has the largest clock face measuring 8.7 meters/ 28.5 feet in diameter! Fun fact: Since there are four national languages, the city's name is spelled several ways: Zürich/Züri/Zuerich (German) Zurich (French) Zurigo (Italian) Turitg … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Zurich, Switzerland
Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again Exhibition at SFMOMA
Andy Warhol would have been 91 years old today (August 6, 2019)! Before he became better known for his involvement in the visual art movement called Pop Art, Andy Warhol was a successful commercial illustrator! I was familiar with his Campbell's Soup Cans, Brillo Boxes, and self-portraits, but I recently learned he also produced a … Continue reading Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again Exhibition at SFMOMA
Wednesday Postcard: Alcatraz Island
Bonjour! This week's carte postale features Alcatraz Island, which is located in the San Francisco Bay! - Alcatraz is the Spanish word for pelican - This small island was once a fort and a military prison - From 1934 to 1963, "The Rock" was a maximum security federal penitentiary For more information: Alcatraz Island - … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Alcatraz Island
Wednesday Postcard: Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris
Bonjour! This week's carte postale features the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris. A big Thank You to Carolyn of Hawkfeather Stories who found this vintage postcard in a little thrift shop and sent it to me. When construction began in the late 19th century, this basilica broke tradition. While other basilicas being built at the time … Continue reading Wednesday Postcard: Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris
Oh, Snap! You Can Experience the 90’s at This Pop-Up Museum in Oakland
A nostalgic mixtape of 90’s jams gets the party started inside the former office space (no pun intended, Mmm kay?) while energetic staff members highly encourage visitors to snap pictures with fun 90’s-themed displays
Watching Apollo 11 on the Moon Landing’s 50th Anniversary
Today, July 20, 2019, is the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. Many celebratory events are happening this weekend, including special screenings of the 2019 documentary, Apollo 11. I’m not sure why, but coincidentally, the three theaters near me had the same showtime of 3 in the afternoon. Could it represent the three astronauts: … Continue reading Watching Apollo 11 on the Moon Landing’s 50th Anniversary
