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Julie Ransom Fricke On the radio yesterday, all day, we heard with horror the reports of the disastrous fire at Notre Dame. We, like the rest of the world, were in shock. Throughout the day we heard commentators emphasize what a loss it was for those of the Catholic faith. While I'm sure those people are upset, the rest of us are only slightly less so. Notre Dame was an icon of not only religion, but also of history, architecture, and culture. More than that, it is a symbol of the great city of Paris, and the country of France. People around the world dream of visiting Paris, and that dream includes Notre Dame. The dream is a little sadder today.

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One fall, probably 2005, we hosted two different 22 year old French students in our home for about two months each. Both were charming and a good time was had by all. At the end of the visit, Alexis said to me, "I HEAVILY invite you to come to Paris." The following spring I had two weeks off for Passover and realized that if I didn't go then, I might not ever get there.

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L _ R: Eiffel Tower, Alexis, Clem, moi

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I'm branching out . My new user pic comes from this photo, taken when I hiked with my two favorite Frenchmen half way down the Grand Canyon in October 2005.

A few memories associated with this event. Both gentlemen wanted to see the sunrise over the canyon. However, being 21 yrs old, it took massive bombing to get them to wake up. Eventually we got started. Who needs a sunrise, anyway?

The first thrill was seeing bighorn sheep hanging out right at the beginning of the hike. As we hiked down, Clement (on my right in this picture, ie the shirtless one) spent a good deal of time calling out, "I'm so happy!"  I love enthusiasm! Alexis,  in the blue shirt, also eventually gave up on wearing a shirt. The guys indulged in repartee the entire day... tres amusant.

The two of them, both hearty athletes (Clem-rugby and Alex-soccer) wasted no time in relieving me of my pack when the heat started to kill me on the way up.  I've never had any other hiking partners pitch in so quickly to save a faltering  hiker.

Believe me, as we hiked back up the hill that afternoon, trading places on the trail constantly with other upward bound hikers, plenty of other young ladies looked at my situation with barely concealed envy.  Vive les Francaise!

r

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Julie R Fricke

September 2026

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