Bonjour. You will hear that frequently from me on these pages. And à bientôt which translates into “see you later”. For I shall be posting from Nice in the south of France and from Paris.

This return to France is my “getting back on the horse and riding again” after an almost five year hiatus from annual trips. I last went to France in December 2010. Prior to that I had traveled there at least once a year for more than ten years. Late in 2011 two in-home accidents in a three-month period of time forever changed how I walk and what I can do with my right arm. A return to cobblestone streets, deep and steep Metro steps, and miles of walking have been a daunting prospect. A five-pound weight limit for my right arm made me re-think suitcases and shopping. For goodness sakes, carrying groceries for a dinner and my handbag constitute the weight limit! All kinds of “what ifs” have crossed my mind.

An email from friends in Nice with an offer that their apartment would be available September 2015 was just the tweak I needed last December to meet the challenge and return to the places I have loved visiting for a number of years in the past. So I am off to Nice on the 2nd of September and will take a train from there to Paris at the end of that month. Perhaps there will be more rides in cabs or I’ll use Uber. I’ll learn how to use the bus in Paris to avoid so many Metro steps. And a rest on a park bench during lengthy walks will provide an opportunity to observe deeply what is going on around me and to provide thoughts and descriptions to record in my blog. I may even ask for help!! You know that is a mouthful coming from me! A lot of creative planning has been a part of the process.

I am excited and, yes, a bit nervous, too.

Serendipity is in play here also. I just returned to Arizona from a three-month stay in a chalet at the Running Y in Klamath Falls. My little house was next to a gurgling creek. When the doors and windows were open, the creek-sounds filled the space where my computer was stationed and I began to write. Stories have bubbled up; I have written nearly every afternoon and into the evening. It felt like a light came on and stories that have been tucked away in my head for many years were illuminated. I have reconnected with a friend from my past, a writer who has generously provided suggestions to help refine the process. No, I cannot call myself a writer yet, but I love the process. So, if you can and would like to follow this blog, I’ll be posting a couple of times a week…slowing down enough in France to observe more deeply than in past trips, taking in sights and sounds and translating mental pictures and reflections into words; practicing an art form that totally delights and enchants the creative part of my psyche.

Perhaps you can glean from these thoughts, a small part of why I named this blog BrightlySheGoes.

à bientôt Susie