Dear Delphine,
Like the movie Being John Malkovich, the doorway to your fertile imagination is waiting for me whenever I need an infusion of inspiration, and you never disappoint. I still find it astonishing that I can see the world through your eyes merely by selecting Paradis Express from my blogroll, where it’s been since my blogroll was only a few inches old. From the first click that found you, the craving to experience gardens and design through your discerning eyes has never abated. You find the most amazing things to inspire me. There is no other doorway that leads to enchantment as frequently as yours.
mysterious, delphic Delphine. I’m not at all surprised to learn that you have your own personal cave.
or that you are a designer of worlds within worlds. (So many new worlds you have shown me!)
or that you live in a jungle within the walls of your 300-year-old house outside Paris.
or that we can identify members of our tribe by their windowsills
I am not at all surprised by your kindness and warm welcome to Mitch, but must thank you anyway for calling him now part of your “French family.” There is only one word that describes how I feel about you, and it’s your word, but I’m stealing it anyway: I am passionated by you.
Warmest regards,
Denise
(Reasons to blog: Right up there with the fantasy that a blog provides of being the senior editor of your own little magazine, there is the mysterious transformation a blog makes when it moonlights as a passport. Blogs emit dog whistles for the gathering of the tribe, the ones we never seem to bump into in the workaday world, and help us find each other, no matter the distance or language. Photographer MB Maher had the enviable opportunity this past January to pay our respects to Delphine and her family, Lucien and Paul, at their home near Paris, France.)
Lovely letter Denise! I don’t remember how I discovered Delphine’s blog but it’s definitely been a must read ever since. She is generous with her eye for beauty and we are all the better for it.
My dear Denise,
You are going to make me cry ! I feel so honored by this post, it is a big emotion to read such a compliment ! First, i have to tell you that i love this Movie too, Being John Malkovitch ! I deaply appreciated the exchange with you, your eye, your tribe, our blogs and the many beautiful gardens that we can visit all over the World, together, thanks to Internet.
Internet is absolutly magical, it is a kind of speedway to meet the right people, everywhere on earth. What a dream ! Mitch and Jess are going to spent some time, here, in France, and i hope that you will miss them so much that you will cross the ocean. It would be so cool, to make a party, all together, dining al fresco in the garden !
And you know what ? After meeting Mitch, Lucien decided to make his passport renewal, “just in case” we could travel to the US in the next 24 months !!! It is just the beginning of the story and our friendship !
BISOUS,
Loree, and I seem to recall your beautiful garden catching Delphine’s eye too.
Delphine, that is so funny about Lucien. Yes, we should all have our passports at the ready!
What a beautiful tribute. I love Delphine’s blog. It always transports me somewhere else, with her keen eye for gardens, and art, and fantastical worlds. I don’t know her, but judging from the endless hours she spends finding amazing images and sharing them with the world, she has a truly generous heart. It was also a treat to see her personal space through the eyes of your talented, mysterious photographer friend, Mr. Maher.
Janine, it wasn’t supposed to be a mystery, just some professional distance, but as Delphine shared on her blog, MB Maher is my son. I love sharing his work, and he prefers this arrangement. It’s probably an attempt by him to keep rampant maternal instincts in check — obviously, unsuccessfully 😉
Dear Denise, dear Delphine,
i love too Delphine’s blog. C’est le seul qui continue à m’émerveiller, à m’inspirer et cela depuis de longues années. Continuez à nous réjouir !
Bien à vous.
Merci, mes ami(e)s.