Sunday, August 31, 2008

End of the Summer

It occurred to me at some point this summer that it has been 25 years since I had the opportunity to visit the land of my peoples, France. As I am still heading back from the beach, here's another nostalgia story until the recap appears, trust me, it's worth the wait!

I could recount for you the intimate details about the trip, but as there is nothing worse than other people's vacation stories (or pictures), I won't do that to you. I spent six weeks in France that summer, visiting Paris and its environs for a week on either side of the trip and the middle weeks were spent at the family homestead in Bretagne. There are many memories that to a 15 year-old seemed so much different now to someone approaching 41. Let's just say that I had a really good time and can't wait for the opportunity to go back some day.

Tomorrow will mark the 25th anniversary of the shooting down of Korean Air Lines flight 007 by Russian fighter jets. I have this distinct memory of sitting on the plane coming home reading about the incident and being a little freaked out at being on a plane.

Additionally, tomorrow the United States will observe Labor Day. I am going to try and celebrate by hanging out in a pool somewhere and then perhaps doing some grilling of hot dogs and hamburgers, for that is the best way to celebrate the waning days of summer.

Between tonight and tomorrow, I will likely tune in to watch a little of this. I can't help it. Say what you will about him, but when he closes the telethon with this song, I get a little moist eyed.

Hey, I'm French - does that explain it?

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I've met the man in person. All I can say is that he's a complete old fart. I don't get why the French like him so.

Anonymous said...

KAL 007--That brings back memories of my first week of college, and we all thought that incident would be the beginning of the end (then again, we also thought that when the movie The Day After was aired...to our "sophisticated" young minds, it would seem like the perfect opportunity to nuke us, when we were watching a movie about getting nuked.) Ah youth. Ah the mass consumption of alcohol in the face of imminent danger.

Philly Girl

Brave Astronaut said...

C - "Vive La Difference!"

Philly - there is something to be said there about our generation defines our existence by popular culture. That and the alcohol.