Open Window

A Beautiful Friendship

Barbara Andolsek and Claudia Ward

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" said Rick (Humphrey Bogart) to Captain Renault (Claude Rains) at the end of the movie "Casablanca" (1942) as they walk off into the fog - one of the most memorable moments in movie history. Rick and Louis were an unlikely pair to become friends - an American expat nightclub owner and a corrupt Vichy official, and yet, they join forces at the end creating a friendship that could make positive things happen.

After I was "retired" from my job in banking in New York, I was encouraged to start this blog and began to follow several others to learn and for enjoyment. Through these channels, I came to know a wonderful painter who lives almost 3, 000 miles away in California, named Barbara Andolsek. (Read the details in the "Someone Painted My Picture!" post.) Barbara and I chatted like pen pals for several years. We've shared our work and lives, reveling in the unlikely friendship that developed solely through the internet. In December 2013, we spent Christmas in southern California and afterwards drove up the coast to San Francisco to celebrate the New Year, on the way stopping just outside Los Angeles to meet Barbara and her husband Tim. What a treat that was for us all, to finally chat face-to-face - you couldn't shut either of us up! And here we are now another three years later, still sharing and caring, despite the distance between us.

This "unlikely pairing" between Barbara and me has also been serendipitous and productive. Over the six years that we've known each other, Barbara has used twenty of my images as the basis for twenty of her paintings. Being one who always wanted to paint but couldn't, I love seeing Barbara's paintings ... they fill me with immense satisfaction and joy. Recently, I created a slide show of my photos and her paintings for us to keep, and we agreed that I would share it here as well. We feel so fortunate to have this "beautiful friendship" and hope you enjoy the show.

 

Photos & Slide Show by Claudia Ward
Paintings by Barbara Andolsek
Music: "Friendship" from "Anything Goes" - Piper Tracks

 

Tempus Fugit

Peter & Claudia Spring 1990

"Time flies" and it truly does, especially when you're happy. I can hardly believe that Peter and I have been together 25 years today - the day the Oscars are broadcast.

Peter & Claudia Vancouver 1996

We learned early on that we had a common interest in movies, so I invited Peter over for dinner and to watch the show, and ... as many of you know, Peter came for dinner and never left. In the subsequent days, months and years, we've learned we have a lot in common - a similar view on the world, politics,and religion; interests in photography, food, and travel; and, a deep devotion to each other and our relationship.  

 

 

 

 

             

 

 

 

Peter and Claudia Greece 2007

Our time together - all 25 years of it - have flown by and yet made wonderful, indelible memories, ones cherished by us both.

Today, as in many years, we'll celebrate with a little caviar and crab but this year there's no chill in the air or fire in the fireplace as we're in sunny Florida, convalescing from Peter's out-patient back surgery. We extended our stay here to help him improve but more importantly to await a three to four day window when the weather along the east coast would be conducive to travel with our heavily laden trailer (still full of art). Well an opening appears to be on the horizon, and we'll be heading out in the morning following our night "in" with the Oscars. 

Happy Anniversary Darlin'! Time does fly!

 

Someone Painted My Picture!

One day when I was reading Comments in my favorite blog, French Word-A-Day, I read about an artist named Barbara Andolsek. Intrigued, I clicked over to her blog, then on to her Fine Art website and thus began "a beautiful friendship". I love Barbara's paintings and began leaving Comments on her blog, which led to email exchanges and my buying one of her paintings. Barbara and I have been "chatting" almost every day since giving each other support, encouragement and advice as well as sharing our respective passions ... painting for her and photography for me. The result has been rich and rewarding for both of us and I hope it will continue for a long time to come. And, I sincerely hope you find the results of this new friendship as delightful as we do.

Photograph by Claudia Ward, Child in the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris 2008

Painting by Barbara Andolsek, 2010, Urban Innocence, Oil on Board, 8 x 10 x 1

I have never been so proud. Let us know what you think! Click here to leave a comment.

Click here to reach Barbara's blog and to enjoy her paintings. 

Friends

Friends share and friends care - that we all know, and I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I've had one friend for 40 years (in September). We met our freshman year in college and have shared and cared our ways through at least one of nearly every life event - boyfriends and breakups, new jobs and career changes, new businesses and corporate takeovers, a couple of marriages (each) and the ensuing divorces, births and deaths, laughter and sorrow. These events and our friendship have played on the stages of at least seven states (she moved a lot) and numerous countries if you count her business travel and my vacations.

My longtime friend came to visit a week ago with her two daughters and a friend of hers; my friend lives in Rhode Island and I live in New York. We all have such a good time when we get together and pick up right where we left off. Over the years we've learned to respect each other's choices, to offer advice and never lecture, to critically support but never criticize, and to recognize that we each have our own separate path in this life, we're just lucky enough to share and be part of the other's journey.

These friends gave me some beautiful tulips during their stay and a week later I'm still enjoying them. They greet me every morning in the bay window in the living room, bathed in sunlight - and remind me how very lucky I am.

A Recipe for Relationship Endurance

Today is this first anniversary of the marriage of a very dear friend. Although I don't know her husband well, it's evident to me from hearing their long history and their obvious affection and respect for one another that they have the foundations for a strong and long relationship. I wrote this recipe for an Enduring Relationship last fall in response to a question posed by Kristin Espinasse on her blog French Word-A-Day and now offer this to Sarah and Bob once again in celebration of their first anniversary. The recipe combines what Peter and I consider some of the best ingredients for an enduring relationship, ingredients that this happy couple appear to have in near perfect proportions.

Enduring Relationship
Written by Claudia Ward 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

One Small Packet of Passion and Lust
1 Tablespoon Common Interests
1 Tablespoon Common Ethics
1 Tablespoon Common Values
4 Cups of Friendship
2 Cups of Respect
6 Fluid Ounces of Consideration
A Dollup of Honesty
A Liberal Sprinkling of Laughter
Copious Quantities of Please and Thank You

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• Start with a packet of Passion and Lust, the starry-eyed kind. Sprinkle it over a bowl filled with a Tablespoon each of Common Interests, Ethics and Values all at a temperature of no less than 110 degrees and watch the foundations of Love grow. 
• Vigorously mix the next three ingredients (Friendship, Respect and Consideration) with lots of Communication, both the listening and the talking kinds. 
• Add a dollup of Honesty being sure not to over do it or the mixture could turn acerbic and tough. 
• Add in the Love foundation and knead until thoroughly incorporated. 
• Cover with a blanket of Fairness and set aside in a warm place to rise. 
• Once double in size punch down the mixture, releasing the air allowing it to rise again. Note: it may fall on its own, but don't worry, it will rise time and again given the combination and strength of the ingredients. 
• Be encouraging, supportive and tolerant throughout the process to develop the best results. 
• Place in an oval baking dish (avoiding sharp edges). 
• Bake in a warm oven to near perfection. It will turn a lovely golden color. Remove it when it satisfies the two of you. 
• Sprinkle liberally with Laughter daily and serve with copious quantities of Please and Thank You.

Happy Anniversary, Sarah and Bob!

An Open Window

Our holiday letter this year began:  

“ ’When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.’ That’s what Maria said in The Sound of Music when it was concluded that her life would change directions and that she would not become a nun.  Nor shall I apparently - not even close – but a banker of sorts was my lot for the last 17 years and that door was closed on the 15th of June.”   

I, like so many others, was laid off, a.k.a. RIFd, made redundant, let go, canned, sacked, terminated, … which was the result of a merger, exacerbated by this “great recession”.  In all honesty, after over 25 years on Wall Street, it was a welcome relief, and my husband and I promised ourselves that this would be our "open window".

For years we have enjoyed and been the happiest when we've been together, of course, but when we were cooking, traveling or photographing everything from Christmas Eve dinner at the Jules Verne Restaurant in the Tour Eiffel in Paris to surfers off Montauk Point during Hurricane Bill.  My husband is retired from the restaurant business, once had his own photography business and is the only trained artist in the family. My careers have been split between city and country, in the city I was a Wall Street banker, in the country I worked in restaurants and ran my own bed and breakfast, and my education focused on Economics. Thus far, these have been sound foundations for a strong and amusing marriage peppered with lively conversations. We hope they will also be fertile grounds for providing entertaining posts to our new blog which we hope may also spark some lively exchanges along the way.