The Roaming Stevens

Yes, a bit more of a whinge regarding Wi-Fi.  I DO wonder how people living out here manage.  Good connectivity - bad connectivity...and you never know which side of the coin you'll have any given morning.  When I see I'm connected, I type like the wind. Past Sunday...back in church with my daughter.  No steeple, no religious paintings, no heavenly portraits, no stained-glass...a big, open auditorium with an enormous stage and even bigger, flat tv screens.  HOW did the morning begin?   WOW and Lordy - Freddy Mercury's song BLASTING:  'Find Me Somebody To Love'. REALLY?  I can still feel the vibration of the bass and perhaps the drums in my ears.  Riveting.  Astounding.  The songs kept coming and I did not feel like sitting when they finished!  WOW - again. If I remember the message of the service while being entertained by a precious dog (see further below!)... it was this:  O ne lightening-fast moment of instant grat...

Athens, Georgia... have YOU visited lately? We have all heard that in order to get to Heaven OR Hell...one has to pass through Atlanta (ATL) FIRST!  Boy, oh Boy...has Atlanta Hartsfield airport changed a lot.  I thought it was a small city before.  It is a BIG CITY now and you better plan for extra time, especially if you are in need of a shuttle bus to get you to a different destination.  Expect a LONG LINE through customs and design your connecting flight time with the benefit of knowing you will be delayed for a good while.  There.  I have given you advance warning!   Athens is super cool.  Breezy, wide open, and my daughter lives in a fabulous area that (in many ways) reminds me of Kapunda, South Australia.  You see deer instead of kangaroos, but you can see heaps of them at night and early morning.   Quite a few times my daughter has to drive cautiously and she has had to move out of the way or pull over to let a deer or two pas...

Bonjour!  Regrettably, within 2 days of arriving in the States...I am without ALL communication.  It was my privilege to take my precious and adorable grand-daughter, Summer Daye, to her high school early last Tuesday morning.  The sky was grey and overcast and it was unbelievably colder than usual.  Ice covered the windows of her car.  Frost and icy crystals were lingering on the grass, concrete, and asphalt.  I reached onto the car seat and knocked my very trusty 2014 Samsung on to the asphalt below.  Glass splintered, phone made a sad noise...the screen went to midnight black.  The entire European adventure is on that fabulous, old phone.  Isn't it amazing how our lives are linked to an electronic device?   There are NO reasons in my life for me to gave a whinge or a cry. Somehow, someway when Tinto and I return to Australia I shall find a repair shop that can help me retrieve the important stuff. IN the meantime, Athens, Georgi...

Paris is special because it is such a picturesque city.  There is something to see...literally...on almost every corner.  2 days, OF COURSE, not enough time to see the delights, but...enough to make you want MORE.  I am overwhelmed by the splendor and if Paris cannot capture your heart...well, I would not know what to say to you!??!  The 'out of the way' restaurants are still the most attractive to us.   Yesterday I landed in Atlanta, Georgia and headed to Athens.  My head is spinning with fond family memories and a precious gathering of the English Stevens' clan prior to my departure... I will leave you with a taste of a very romantic city - Paris, France. PINK building.  See how she  STANDS OUT??? SEE?????  She is brilliant. Pics AND words do not do justice to Notre Dame. I genuinely tried to capture details. Intricate and awe-inspiring. Please visit one day if you can. You will not be sorry.....

Sending Huge thanks to all outstanding human beings who have been with us and helped us along  the way. Gracias, Merci, and a heartfelt THANK YOU. Tinto and Blanco of  The Roaming Stevens 

WHY is Paris so completely precious to me?  My Great-Grandfather was French and named George Saron.  My French sister-in-law believed George's surname would have been spelled 'Saronne' before migrating to the States.  George (MY nickname!) lived in New Orleans for a while, then moved to Memphis.  George and his family had a little general store on Front Street by the Mighty Mississippi.  As a little girl I would stare into his eyes in his photo and SEE my Mother, too.  I have always felt a connection with most things 'French'.  This causes a bit of consternation with my VERY English husband.   Sorry to report I am not tech savvy.  Apparently, too many photos on my camera - need to download to my laptop. Paris has been a DREAM to me.  There is plenty for me to share; cannot wait.  Spending 2 days and nights here is like placing a toe in the Atlantic Ocean.  But...what a glorious start.   We are heading to Ca...

Yes, I realize I am older now, but does age prohibit excitement AND enthusiasm? I should think not.  Enthusiasm, hope, love, the love of learning new ways to absorb life and the world around us - - - keeps this planet fresh and vibrant.  I am still naive, though. Shocked to view vast amounts of graffiti on the way into this grand city - painted in spots that looked mighty treacherous, too.  Further below you'll find shots of walls and interstate barriers covered in colour. We arrived on the little, red scooter right in time for the cocktail hour.  NICE! Ha!  Look below:  INDIANA in PARIS! And Jupiter rises above on our way in... Much colder than we imagined, but time for a Tinto and a Blanco, some good conversation AND music. This was our first watering hole... Entrance into city centre. People getting off from work and city is beginning to buzz. Jupiter in all his glory again. First view of Paris from Mr. Horace... ...