Sometimes when I reach the weekend, the events of the previous seven days seem far behind.  We celebrated Independence day this week, with a picnic in the courtyard, beneath the sprinkler.  Nearly all partook of the spray in the 90 degree heat.

We had coffee with a friend in our old neighborhood early on the 4th.  "Have you seen the Thomas Jefferson statue?" we asked.  We thought the unveiling might coincide with the US holiday.  We walked over to the site, and just as we arrived they were arranging the strings for Jacques Chirac to pull.  Blair took a photo of the white draped bronze.  The coordinators fussed and arranged, and suddenly 1-2-3, Thomas Jefferson stood with building plans in hand.

Thomas Jefferson resides on the left bank of the Passerelle Solferino, perpetually studying the Hotel de Salm, which inspired Monticello.  He's an "impressionist" statue of sorts, in painterly bronze, hand on hip.

The city is agog with the Coup de Monde Football Tournament.  Tonight we will know if France is the best.   All week has been a volley of car horns and hollers as we inch closer to the trophy.  This morning every cafe bore a poster proclaiming "big screen TV" and "air conditioning" for the match which begins at 8.  I hope my guests still plan on eating here.

We've had lots of visitors, although the numbers of Americans in Paris is way down.  My classes are floundering, with nary a painter in more than a week.  I am contemplating tours to more exotic venues, like Arles where Van Gogh and Gaugin painted, or Mt. St. Victoire, a la Cezanne, in the off season.  There's always the Gaugin-Fiji tour to work toward.

We went to the newly opened Orangerie this weekend.  It has the best collection of Cezanne, Matisse, Modigliani.  We were somewhat disappointed at the result of the near eight-year renovation of the building.  It is a cold, passionless shell.  But of course, Monet's water lily series, commissioned by Clemenceau for this building, are fabulous.

Every color in the rainbow can be found in the enormous panels.  Filtered daylight illumes the work -- eight vistas in two rooms.  It takes my breath away when I enter, humbled by his fireworks.

Laurie (painting and text) and Blair PESSEMIER
Thomas Jefferson in Bronze   acrylic on wood  5 x 13 inches