Chartreuse, France, Feb. 17-19

My friends Dan and Lala invited me to spend the weekend in Chartreuse, 1 1/2 hour from Lyon. Denis, Dan's brother, was going to be there with his daughter Loulou. I haven't seen Denis in over 20 years. He's a musician and artist married to renowned French choreographer Maguy Marin. I used to live with Dan and Denis when I taught skiing in the Alps in the late 70's. Seeing him opened my heart to something new, something I may have forgotten-a love of men, especially those who are way off the chart! The kids convinced me to go skiing and I went with my street clothes! I had the sweetest time skiing in the old resort of St Pierre de Chartreuse. We stayed in a 100 year-old farm house that my friends' community renovated. Raclette, the typical melted cheese-over-potatoes dish from the region, was on our menu the first night. Carried away by my excitement of being with my old friends, I ate as I used to do 30 years ago and paid the price the next day! I could barely move and spent most the day lounging on the deck. Walking around the woods and fields was a delight. Being up in this pristine and serene part of France was a reprieve from the madness, stench and filth of Marrakesh where I was a few days ago. See Slideshow