June 2025 List
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The window is wide open, and the summer sounds are drifting in. I’m two stories up, but it feels like I am right in the middle of them. Kids are screaming as they splash each other with improvised water guns—plastic bottles with holes in them. As an elderly lady hurries to catch the bus, a few drops from the "guns" land on her. Without even looking at the water-spraying boys, she yells, "Merci, merci!"
The sky is blue with a few white, whirly clouds and a couple of apricot-colored, plumper-looking ones. Everything feels and looks like a canicule (a heatwave in French), but I’m excited about the warmth, the sun, and the lush green trees still resisting it.
I was lucky to guide another tour to Giverny last weekend—just around the summer solstice. It’s hard to worry when you’re surrounded by flowers. The world stops, and you only see colors and textures and what happens when someone cares. The crowds are intense, but I still think Monet’s garden is one of the prettiest places on the planet.
This weekend, we’re moving. Just around the corner, but still—it’s a move. I feel every move so intensely. I’m happy with our organization this time, but life is packed away in boxes and vacuum-sealed bags, and it’ll stay that way for a few weeks. The apartment is currently a construction site, but we’ve managed to get one room ready—where our furniture will live until we can live there too.
Here’s a list of my favorite things in June—it was a June that looked exactly like I imagine a June should.
A fantastic dinner at Orgueil in the 11ème. My favorite dish was asparagus with olive crumble.
Hydrangeas everywhere (also in this newsletter).
This SPF stick that smells heavenly: Kreme 50+
A ride on the Marne River, organized by the Musée intercommunal de Nogent-sur-Marne
I got a really good book a couple of months ago from a friend who knows how much I love the Danube. It’s about a café in Vienna, and it’s beautifully written—every page is a pure delight. Merci Robert Seethaler.
One beautiful evening, I wanted to grab a drink at a cool microbrewery where I celebrated my birthday years ago. The brewery is gone, but in its place is now a music appreciation society café—with good design and amazing kombucha. Here’s the place: Notre Dame Music Bar
Making more notebooks. I made one called dos-à-dos (back to back), and I can’t wait to fill it with paintings, sketches, and thoughts. Soon soon!
Watching Carême.
A cheese quiche (probably the best I’ve ever had) at Maison Vérot.
Once again, the tones inside Monet’s house—blue and yellow and happy.
It was a busy month, full of decisions, project-building (and finishing), and moving. I moved a lot—trying to get everything wrapped up before the big move.
I’m getting better at blocking time for my art practice and creativity, and it helps keep my heart and my mind in balance. It also helps me find inspiration for my maps in places where I hadn’t noticed it before.
I hope that in July, you find something that keeps you grounded—and your intellect fresh in the heat.
Thanks for reading.
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