Serge the Concierge

How 'Citron Presse' led me to the wonderful photos of Loua

While helping my wife with a French Country Basket blog and looking for a photo of a citron presse, I discovered on Flickr the inspiring work of Loua (Marie-Louise Avery) a photographer based in the UK.
There is lightness and poetry to her shots. I found it very refreshing. The one I picked was taken at East Vang Cemetary in North Dakota in 2000. I picked it for its color and sense of space. Check her food and lifestyle catalogue of pictures.

French Lemonades by Lorina are my kids Favorite

Even though a bit pricey, french lemonade by Lorina is a favorite drink for my kids. I get it as a special treat for them. When I was growing up, limonade as we call it in France would be a standard feature in cafes rather than american style sodas. It would be a personal favorite on hot days. Started by Victor Geyer in Munster, Moselle over a century ago, the company was taken over in 1995 by french entrepreneur Jean-Pierre Barjon who revived the brand. For its 110th anniversary, the company commissioned french graphic artist Loulou Picasso to  design a label for a limited edition.

Week-end outings: Use Google Maps to find Wineries and Breweries you might like to visit

Planning a day trip this week-end and wanting to visit wineries or microbreweries and the like take a look at the US Google Beer Map or Wine Maps courtesy of the Wine Geeks and get in the car. As for myself, I have to pick a day to visit Gary at Lieb Vineyards on Long Island, even though I am partial to Reds, I really like their Pinot Planc.
I found out about the Beer and Wine maps on Coudal, always a good source for neat ideas.

Everything is plentyful, Chocolate & Zucchini displays (1946) post war rations coupons

While we have plenty to choose from, back in 1946, people in France still had to use ration coupons.
Clotilde displays a few on Chocolate and Zucchini. She also tells us about old potion bottles and the like that she found in her grandmother's treasure trove. My grandparents had moved to the countryside as they lived near a naval base and could not stand the nightly alerts. Being nearby farms allowed them to eat better. Coffee was hard to find though, a trip down memory lane.

In the mood for a Triple Cream, Organic Cow Cheese, Try Mt Tam from Cowgirl Creamery

After tasting Mt Tam, a smooth triple cream cheese made by 'Cowgirl Creamery' with organic cow milk from the Strauss Family Dairy, I decided to go and dig more information about them. This cheese is named after Mt Tamalpais near San Francisco.
Cowgirl Creamery is located in Point Reyes. They also have a store at Ferry Plaza in San Francisco and plan on opening a new outlet in Washington DC in the Spring of 2006. You can visit the Creamery. Just call or e-mail them in advance. You can also read this article by Kathleen Hill if you would like to plan a Sonoma and Marin County cheese tour.

Stunning Pictures of a trip to the "Etna' on 'Love Sicily'

I had to share these amazing pictures of a trip from Siracusa to the Etna by Katia Amore and Ronald Ashri of Love Sicily. I never went there but it sure makes me feel like getting on the plane and enjoying these vistas myself. I would like nothing more than a vacation right now. I could see myself hiking, eating and taking naps in the afternoon.

Love Food and Cooking, Visit 'Is my blog burning' and 'The Domestic Goddess' (for elegance)

If you like to discover Food and Cooking information, visit Is My Blog Burning which lists a number of upcoming events such as this week 'Sugar High(Low) Friday' and 'Use your Noodles'.
To stay on the topic of food, an elegant contributor is The Domestic Goddess in Canada.

Cover Article in New York Times Magazine reminded us of our 'Ape in the Corner Office' post in November

Back in November, we wrote about 'The Ape in the Corner Office' by Richard Conniff. Well last Sunday's New York Times Magazine cover article on 'The Animal Self' by Charles Siebert followed the same thread.
It just happened that the same day, Ben Ratliff on in Playlist in the Arts & Leisure section reviewed Apollo Nove, the Brazilian producer and musician whose album 'Rex Inexplicata Volans' we called Dreamy Pop from Sao Paulo on January 9. By the way Ben, the whole album is available for listening or purchase on Rhapsody (purchase price: $7.99).
Just to show you that we do not always follow the news.

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist is working on CarHarbor, a creative parking solution

Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist is one the people behind a new business initiative, CarHarbor. Its idea is based on the fact that whether we go to the movies or a restaurant or go shopping, take the bus or the train, parking can turn into a headache. The business model if I understand it well is that a person having a free parking space will list it with availability and price. People looking for a space will be able to look up these offers from their mobile phone and book it. Everyone benefits. The service will launch in San Francisco with the idea of having the service 'borrowed' (their word) in other cities over time.
I read about it first on TechCrunch, thank you Michael.

Daniel Nissanoff in 'The Future Shop' looks at how online auctions will change the way we shop

As online auctions such as E-Bay grow, entrepreneur Daniel Nissanoff in his book The Future Shop suggests that more and more we will stop accumulating stuff but rather say buy for example a stroller that we will later sell to get the down payment on a bicycle. Potential resale value will be key in our purchase decisions. It might overtime alter which brands get our attention and how they market themselves.
In their introduction on the book, the folks at InBubbleWrap mention how a whole cottage industry is being built around the Online Auction houses. For example, our services at Montclair Concierges and New Jersey Concierges could extend to being personal selling assistants for clients who want to clear their house of unwanted items. We could set up a blog page with pictures and prices of all the items and manage the sale process for our clients who are all busy professionals. Shopify located in Canada should soon offer tools to set up individual online shops, their ideas seem promising.