Ages ago, a splendid writer named Amy Gesenhues wrote an excellent article in an Indiana newspaper about some wacky psychiatrist who packed it all in and ran off to France. Now, all this time later, she offers me another kindness.

This is Madame Amy reading the blook in front of a statue of King Louis XVI (I haven’t met him yet) in Louisville, Kentucky. The statue was given as a gift to the people of Louisville in 1967 from the French city of Montpellier. It weighs nine tons and is 12 feet high, coincidentally matching the amount of chocolate I’ve eaten since moving to France and my height, respectively.

After hanging with a king, I then found myself jetting about with a Duchess.

This was taken on a flight to Dublin. I think it’s only right that such a fine piece of literature has it’s own seat. Given Downith’s writing ability I suspect this is meant to symbolize the theme of Arse, so cleverly and subtly developed throughout the book. She’s a sharp tack that one.

Seriously now my friends, I really appreciate the time and effort required for these photos. I’m just picturing Downith, an elegant woman, strapping a book into a seat on a packed plane and asking folks to wait in the aisle while she gets it just right. People standing in busy NYC streets and in front of statues, posing at conferences, nagging award winning husbands, setting me up on their reading tables, dragging me down to wine cellars and taking time out of vacations to have their dog pose with the book.

You Finders are terrific, good sports the lot of you, you’re the best, go team, blah, blah, le blah — what else have you got for me?