Portrait in Oil
by
Denis Pellerin
Thinking of you on your birthday with love,
Starr & Denis
Starr Style is at it again! Organizing and scanning photos from bygone days.
l’Hotel Aramis de Saint-Germain
Recently, I’ve been enjoying Facebook posts featuring Spring Break photos. So, if our favorite social network had been invented by a then 14 year old Mark Zuckerberg, I would have included these shots from Spring Break in Paris 1998…
Adrien & Nana ~ Traveling Buddies
Adrien was 7 years old and a first grader at the Atlanta International School where he studied French every day. Equipped with his Kodak instamatic camera, he documented his trip and later shared his adventures with his classmates.
Our first evening in Paris at a Cafe on the Ile de la Cite.
All lit up and counting down to the New Millenium!
It was a blustery day when we visited the Eiffel Tower. We made the mistake of getting on the wrong elevator and after a very long ascent, we were delivered to the entrance of the Jules Verne Restaurant. This was not in the plan (nor the budget), but we took it as serendipity and dined with the Parisian elite for lunch that day. It was truly an epicurean (vegetarian) delight not to missed!
Grand Maman Pauline had sent Adrien money for him to purchase a nice souvenir from his trip. Here he proudly displays his purchase! This monumental memory has always held a place of honor in our home. Just recently, Adrien requested for it to be shipped to him at college to be used as a prop in a film he is producing!
A sunny afternoon on the Champs-Elysees!



We spent one delightful afternoon at the Jardin Du Luxemborg, a large and beautiful park that was walking distance from our hotel. I remember thinking how wonderful it was that Adrien could play and converse with the French children in the playground. It was a great way to kick back and relax in between all of the busy sightseeing days.
A favorite activity was our rainy afternoon cruise down the Seine on a Batteaux Mouche!
An Afternoon in Montmarte
Adrien was still a train enthusiast, so he was keenly fascinated with the Metro – especially riding at night!
We spent our last evening in the Quartier Francais.
A bientot,
Starr
Recently, on a beautiful sunny day, Starr Style hit the road for a mini trip to Elberton, Georgia – The Granite Capitol of the World!
Armed with a Double Tall Soy Latte No Foam, we were ready for our escapade!
With the temperature feeling more like spring than winter, we enjoyed our open sun roof drive east of Atlanta. It wasn’t long before we started seeing evidence of this rock city.
In downtown Elberton, I came upon two goodies for my collections!
Nine miles from the center of Elberton, and located on the highest hilltop in Elbert County, stands a very kooky monument which was unveiled in March 1980, known as the Georgia Guidestones.
Constructed in Pyramid Blue Granite with a total weight of 237,746 pounds, this mysterious edifice complete with astronomical features in the form of notches and holes that correspond with the movement of the sun and the stars, is inscribed with 10 directives meant to instruct survivors in a post apocalyptic society how to reconstitute civilization. These tenets are repeated on each side of the four large vertical slabs in the the modern languages of English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. The 10 foot long capstone is etched with a shorter message in 4 ancient languages, namely Babylonian, Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
Ponder this. According to #1, in today’s state of affairs, we would have to bid farewell to 6 out of every 7 people on the planet. Coincidentally, while we were viewing Elberton, Georgia’s homage to Stonehenge, state prisoners arrived to blow leaves. There were 7 prisoners. There was one leaf blower.
The noisy leaf blower broke the new age mysticism of the place. Besides, it was time for lunch.
Serving up big ole, artery-clogging portions of cheese.
Rural Georgia’s version of a vegetarian meal!
Hey, it was yummy enuff!
After bonding with boulders all day, I was reminded of one of my all time favorite Scriptures…
“Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”
Matthew 7:24
Rock On,
Starr
A little tribute to vintage movie theater marquees as we prepare for Oscars Night!
Hooray For Hollywood,
Starr
Recently, I came across this tiny photograph in a timeworn envelope labeled “Joan – Family & Friends.” Capturing a happy gathering and noted on the back in pencil with only the year 1923, I decided to do a little sleuthing.
The Cody Gals
My great grandparents, Ellen Sarah and Richard William Cody, had 11 children (5 boys and 6 girls). One daughter, Annie, born in 1900, died at age 12. Pictured above are the remaining 5 daughters.
From the Left:
My Grandmother Emily
My Great Auntie Minnie
My Great Auntie Emma
My Great Auntie Victoria (Dollie!) she looks like a Dollie!
My Great Auntie Alice (only 17 in this photo and the one I got to know the best.)
Now, how about that little baby girl?
The ladies in the photo are not wearing coats on that London day making it sometime in the Spring or early Summer…
The baby looks to be about 4 months old…
She is dressed in a long white garment…
She is next to Emily and being held by Minnie…
Sherlock-Style has deduced that the baby is my mom, Joanie, born in February 1923. The gathering was for her Christening. And her Auntie Minnie was her Godmother.
…making this the earliest photo memory I have of Joanie Crown Stegemoen, my mom.
Thanks ever so much to my cousin, Pam, for her help with this.
Starr