From Louis

………………..In my previous post about Jac and her dear friend, ELENA, I mentioned this photo which is one of my most favorites, and was taken by Elena…..We were sitting at an outdoor cafe, in the shade of the trees, enjoying a cool drink and some ice cream…..We had spend the morning at the “PLAKA”, which is the Greek equivalent to the “Flea Market” in Paris……”The Plaka lies in the shadow of the Acropolis and its’ ancient temples, hillside Plaka has a village feel, with narrow cobblestone streets lined with tiny shops selling jewelry, clothes, local ceramics and sandals. Sidewalk cafes and family run tavernas stay open until late, and the Cine Paris shows classic movies al fresco…..Nearby, the whitewashed homes of the Anafiotika neighborhood give the small enclave a Greek island vibe”…..It was a brutally hot day so we started out early in the morning…..We went from one shop to another…..In one of the shops was a well know sandal maker. The wall of the tiny shop was covered with different style sandals all hanging for display, and pictures of ALL the celebrities and famous people who bought sandals from him. It was a who’s who of well know people. I recognized Jackie O’s picture right away…..I thought it was funny that he had it hanging next to Maria Callas! He made custom made sandals  for clients too, but we bought his ready to wear ones and they were great. Typical Greek sandals with lots of straps criss crossing the foot. After shopping and walking the streets of the Plaka it was time for some refreshments and a soft shoulder to rest my weary head upon………Elena caught the moment beautifully!

………………….One of Jac’s dearest friends was ELENA……….Elena was a Swedish model who moved to NYC. They often modeled together and were paired on the runway…..Elena is a beautiful woman with a deep Garbo-esque voice…….Must be something in the Swedish water!…LOL…….Elena became Bonnie Cashin’s muse towards the end of Bonnie’s career. Elena introduced Jac and I to Bonnie, and we were invited to her home. Through this introduction, Bonnie asked Jac if she would do her shows, and of course Jac said yes…….On a trip Jac and Elena took through the south of Greece, on the coast of the Peloponnese….They were traveling with Greek friends of Elena, a three piece band who had gigs at different tavernas…Jac introduced Elena to her future Greek husband….Angelo….At first Angelo tried to pick up Jac in at a taverna that their friends were singing in, but Jac explained she was already seeing someone, and thought he would love Elena, which he did….She introduced them, and it was love at first sight!….Of course Elena moved to Greece, and they eventually had a son……The distance was a great divide, and Jac rarely saw Elena, but we did pay them visits, and we went on trips to different Greek islands with them, and then with their son Yanni…..The photo was taken on one of those trips. Jac and Elena spoke on the phone at least once a month just to say hi, and keep up….When Jac passed away Elena was heart broken. I sent Elena a pictures of Jac and I taken in Athens, with my head on Jac’s shoulder. The photo was taken by Elena, so it had special meaning. It is, to this day, one of my favorite pictures of us. …Elena has told me she has it in a special place in her home so she can always see her friend…I am still in touch with Elena, and we e-mail each other quite often…She and her family are doing well, and Elena is now a grandmother to a little girl!……The years fly by!!

…………………….As the lights came up to the sound of this solo pianist…….the lights did not come up for him…..as he is blind……..Thomas Tvedt, this unassuming young man, began to sing his simple song. There were no dramatic highs or lows, but this melancholic , for me lullaby, hit me like a soft sledgehammer…….His voice completely caught me off guard……As he sand his song, “Endelig Heil” in his native language, I didn’t understand one word….it didn’t matter. His wistful song tugged at my heart strings. One by one each judge turned their chairs to see who was singing this pensive captivating song……One by one they fought to hold back their emotions, and the tears that were welling up in their eyes….but they too were caught off guard…as was the entire audience……and for this listener too…..Thomas had no idea the effect he was having, nor did he know as he continued singing his haunting song, that he turned every chair…..I listened to his song over and over and over again. When I was finished I typed his name in the search bar to make sure I could find him in the vast world of YouTube, whenever I wanted to hear him sing yet again……The melody and the cadence of this song….and his voice! is just heartbreaking. I don’t have to know the words…..I can imagine……..I must make you aware….when you listen to Thomas sing have tissues at the ready, because only someone with the most hardened heart will not be affected……I have listened to many singers who’s songs and voices have touched me deeply…….but none in the same way as Thomas Tvedt.

………………..Brian Justin Crum is one of my favorite singers of all time on “America’s Got Talent”……There wasn’t a sound in the audience when he sang his audition song. He sang “Creep” by Radiohead….You may not recognize the name of the song, but I’m sure you have heard it dung…I’ve heard many different singers sing this song, and none come close to him. Talk about gut wrenching and tortured…..It’s one of the most emotional auditions I have ever scene, and he sang it brilliantly………You must take a listen……Remember, it’s his “audition” song…..Just go to YouTube and search “Brian Justin Crum audition on America’s Got Talent”.

……………….VENICE……VENICE……VENICE……….What a MAGICAL CITY!!!!………Jac had been to Venice a few times for work…..Twice she did extravaganza fashion shows for Armani, and once for Frere……I had never been…..She said we must go to Venice! The first trip we took we called our “CANAL TRIP”…….First we spent a week in Venice, and then we spent a week in AMSTERDAM…….Two incredible cities built on canals…..and that was the only similar thing….On our first trip to Venice we stayed at the Danieli, an incredible 5 star hotel. We had a marvelous room on a high floor with a balcony overlooking the Grande Canal……It was splendid!….We walked all over Venice. We found a wonderful chocolate shop near the hotel which became one of our first stops of the day…..We spent a few hours on the glass blowing Island of Murano ,and watched them blowing the glass. It was in August so these furnace rooms were really hot!! We bought a gorgeous complete set of glasses, service for twelve, all were etched with grapes and vines. We used it once, and it remains packed away. It was just too delicate. I think we were carried away with Venice and Murano. We also bought three very thin glass decanters in different sizes, also beautifully etched with different designs. We both loved the movie “Summertime”, directed by David Lean, staring Katherine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi, When we saw “The RED GOBBLET” like the one in the movie, in St Marks Square, we had to have it!….It is perched on an open shelf in the kitchen for all to see….On another day trip we went to the Island of Burano [photo second in from the top right]…where  the rainbow fell. Each house is painted a different beautiful color. The Island is know for its’ lace making….I’m pretty sure we bought a few table cloths of different sizes and shapes…..Then we went to the Island of Torcello which has a famous restaurant in a garden setting where we went for a marvelous lunch……On our second trip we stayed at the famous Gritti Hotel. Again, we had a beautiful corner room with a wonderful view. We did all of the tourist things….antique shopping, going to the incredible cathedral in St Marks Square, the Doge’s Palace, the historic Cafe Florian, the infamous Harry’s Bar. and in the evening we sat at one of the cafes in St Mark’s Square listening to the wonderful orchestras….sipping Campari and soda……Our trips to Venice are some of my most cherished memories.