Paris vs. West Coast Island*

Scrolling through my photos to find the delicious shoes for Wednesday’s post, I was momentarily arrested by this shot — brought back to the Paris trottoir where I’d looked up to recognize the more urban, and surely much more urbane, counterpart of the Monsieur le Coq we had shipped back from rural Quebec many years ago. Paul protested my purchase at the time and I’ll admit it took some commitment to drive around with it for the next week or so, then haul it to the airport, entrust it to the baggage handlers, pick it up at the other end and find room for it in the taxi — never mind wheeling it across the island in our trusty barrow.

 But could you resist this Gallic charm? And in our household now, we can always tell which way the wind is blowing. . . .

Paul has long since admitted that I was right. He even concedes we probably should also have bought, from the same artisan, wonderful cast-iron bar stools, made from the cast of a vintage tractor seat.

He’s not giving an inch, though, on my regrets about the cast iron goat I fell in love with on the Promenade Fluviale in Bordeaux last spring. Apparently, anything over 600 pounds is a deal-breaker!

*My title, of course, is a nod to the wonderful blog, Paris vs. New York: A Tally of Two Cities

22 Comments

  1. Unknown
    19 October 2012 / 5:35 pm

    It usually takes a little time for my husband to admit I was right about a purchase. Surprise! Love your Rooster and the leaves look gorgeous there.
    Coming back up soon, I miss my island. We actually are thinking of coming up permanently so I will need all your tips on the best spa's, hair dressers etc. Have a terrific weekend.

    • materfamilias
      19 October 2012 / 10:38 pm

      Oh, good news! I'll be happy to share, although you're a bit further up island, I think. Have a lovely weekend where you are — sunshine, I'll bet!

  2. Susan B
    19 October 2012 / 5:43 pm

    Oh, I would've wanted to bring that charming coq home too! And what a perfect perch you've found for him. Love the Paris vs. New York blog too. Thanks for the tip!

    • materfamilias
      19 October 2012 / 10:39 pm

      I thought of you — I know we share the fondness for the poultry!

  3. Unknown
    19 October 2012 / 7:08 pm

    Mr. Rooster does look charming in your garden.

    It sounds like life's been a bit hectic for you in recent weeks. Life's been hectic here too. I miss reading blogs!

    • materfamilias
      19 October 2012 / 10:39 pm

      And we miss you, Susan. Hope all the hectic is good hectic!

    • Unknown
      20 October 2012 / 1:11 am

      It is, for the most part. It's just that every time I get to Friday it's time to dig into the next week's approximately 200 pages of scholarly journal articles, summarize/synthesize readings, put up several blog posts (one per class), arrange class presentations with classmates, meet with students I'm tutoring and attend classes. I've not been able to do much of anything else!

    • Unknown
      20 October 2012 / 1:12 am

      I meant that I have a blog for each class.

  4. That's Not My Age
    19 October 2012 / 8:40 pm

    Monsieur le Coq looks fabulous amongst the autumn leaves and the bar stools sound great – though Paul is probably right about the cast iron goat!

    • materfamilias
      19 October 2012 / 10:40 pm

      Yes, sigh, but being right is not necessariliy always admirable, y'know? 😉

  5. Duchesse
    19 October 2012 / 10:02 pm

    Love your coq! When we moved, we left a cast-iron pair of squirrels chasing one another up the old apple tree in the back yard. We knew the new owners had young children and hoped they'd enjoy them. Some things just belong to the house, not the people.

    You know, still wish you'd bought that vintage navy coat when you were visiting TO!

    • materfamilias
      19 October 2012 / 10:43 pm

      Hmmm, I wonder if we'd leave our weather-vane in place — it does fit the yard, and our next move is likely to be to a condo. . . .
      The persistence, in our mental imagery, of those items we've walked away from (my goat, the coat) makes me wonder if, in some ways, we "have" the item enough just through having savoured it at the time. Not really, in some ways. The goat still me manque and yet I do still own it in memory. And, of course, we can't bring home everything that pleases us, or at least, we don't want to be that consumer.
      But sigh, I did look good in that coat, didn't I?
      Can't wait for our shopping excursion together in Montreal!

  6. Raquelita
    19 October 2012 / 10:55 pm

    I love the rooster. I have to admit to have carried around items that might have been more hassle than the actual price tag suggested they were worth. But I cherish them all.

    • materfamilias
      21 October 2012 / 3:50 pm

      I get this! It's not the price — the value is often beyond anything calculable.

  7. hostess of the humble bungalow
    20 October 2012 / 12:16 am

    It looks fabulous with the foliage!
    Shipping can be prohibitive…
    probably a wise decision to opt for the coq and not the goat.

    • materfamilias
      21 October 2012 / 3:50 pm

      Yes, and the goat can still forage in a pasture in my imagination. . .

  8. LPC
    20 October 2012 / 3:24 am

    Weathervanes!

    • materfamilias
      21 October 2012 / 3:51 pm

      yep!

  9. WendyB
    20 October 2012 / 5:15 am

    My nephew has gotten very into identifying and counting weather vanes! My father showed them to him. He was very proud to tell me that there was one shaped like a moose. That is, my nephew was proud. Honestly, my father would have been just as proud, because he's got a lot in common with four-year-olds.

    • materfamilias
      21 October 2012 / 3:52 pm

      Ah, my dad had so much in common with 4-year-olds as well! I can see that spotting weather vanes might be a really good activity for a traveling 4 — and finding a moose? Must have been very satisfying!

  10. Melanie
    20 October 2012 / 10:18 am

    Okay – goats, roosters, and tractor seats…am I seeing a trend here? The weather vane is fantastic. The effort definitely paid off.

    • materfamilias
      21 October 2012 / 3:52 pm

      Hmmmm, hadn't realized how agricultural I was trending. 😉

Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, all words and photographs in this blog are my own. If you wish to use any of them, please give me credit for my work. And it should go without saying, but apparently needs to be said: Do not publish entire posts as your own. I will take the necessary action to stop such theft. Thanks.