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An Awesome Visit to the OCA Observatory on the Plateau de Calern

My partner and spouse Ralph Doggett and I are living the idyllic life in Grasse, France, where we enjoy exploring the region for the cultural and photographic opportunities it brings us. These opportunities are often an unexpected combination of adventures. On one recent occasion, we accepted an invitation that surprised us in a variety of ways – starting rather unexpectedly with one of those hikes that the French call a “rando” along the “Plateau de Calern” near Grasse on an unusually hot day in June.  Our hiking adventure, however, was only the beginning of several surprises – discovering a chapel inside a cave, for one, but most especially seeing for the first time a laser-driven telescope. This was, after all, an invitation to visit the famed Observatory of the Cote d’Azur (OCA) – an awesome learning experience for us in and of itself. But the visit proved to be a fabulous combination of unexpected adventures.  Here is a brief commentary with a photo collection  of the hike (“rando”) on the plateau, the cave and the observatory(plus a delightful dinner in the middle of it all). Continue reading “An Awesome Visit to the OCA Observatory on the Plateau de Calern”

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Doggett Sibling 10 Years After Reunion

We (six Doggett siblings and four spouses) gathered at Villa Ndio during the first week of July 2022 to commemorate our mother Trudy Doggett and father Clint Doggett on the tenth anniversary of their death in 2012. We reminisced and traded stories, and honored them in the garden at Lou Baguié and at Villa Ndio. It was a bittersweet time that gave us a chance to catch up as well as to review and divvy up archival materials left at Villa Ndio.

Here are some photos from our time together, taken by Kathy, Marti, Tony, our neighbors Caroline and Sandrine, and me. The thumbnails are in a random order that changes each time the page is loaded. Scroll down to start background music (optional; click on the right pointing arrow) then scroll back up to click on any thumbnail image to enlarge it and start a slide show. Use controls at the center bottom of the image to enlarge images. Each image shows for 10 seconds. Use the left and right arrows to reverse and advance overriding the slideshow automation. Click on the x in the top right corner to exit the slide show.

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PJ and Sarah Wedding 2022

PJ and Sarah were married on 23 April 2022 at the Upper Shirley Vineyards near Richmond Virginia.  Many Doggetts were in attendance as were many members of Sarah’s Boddy family and friends.  Peppy served as Best Man, Julian was a groomsman, and Kristina was one of the bride’s maids. Click below to see some photo collections.

  • Photos by the Professionals — Sarah Mattozzi Photography

(Scroll down to activate optional music background.  Click on any image to enlarge it.  Note the controls at the bottom of the enlarged image.  Activate the slideshow by clicking on the right pointing arrow. Click on the large X to go full screen.  Click on the x at the top right of the screen to exit).

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Vienna Philharmonic Haydn Symphonies
  • The Rehearsal Dinner and other Peripheral Events
  • Candid photos by and of family and friends on the  wedding day
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Grasse Naval Day September 2021

As Americans living in France since the 1990s, we have long had an interest in observing  where the parallel histories of the two countries converge, and especially where they have a distinctly local connection.  We have become acquainted with two annual events – one of which occurs just down the street from Villa Ndio in August, and the other of which is a September event called “Grasse Naval Day”. This is a photo essay on the September event, but first a few words about the August event. Continue reading “Grasse Naval Day September 2021”