The short story:

It happened in Paris! If a picture is worth a thousand words, need we say more? (Thanks for capturing the moment, JB! And thank you, iPhone.)

The long story:

The day dawned rainy in Paris on the twelfth of September, 2010. It was a Sunday, but it also a work day: this trip abroad was part of a Rebar project called PARK(ing) Day that would all but fill up the week ahead, but we were looking at our first full day in France together. Ben had been warned that these art/work/play trips usually tend to the work side, if in the service of art and play – we’d probably have just this one afternoon entirely free of project commitments. But he’s on board, day bag packed and ready to face the City of Light as an honorary member of Rebar, along with JB and myself.

(This is the point where everyone asks: Didn’t you suspect? Even a *little* bit? I mean, come on, it’s Paris! The honest, if naïve, answer is no: In the weeks leading up to this trip, I had been frantically preparing the props and plans for Blades of Grass, Rebar’s remixed PARK(ing) Day intervention to be deployed in Paris. You can read more about the project on the Rebar site, but the net effect in my life was that I cut and sewed nearly fifty 7-foot tall blades of grass – all while trying to finish up regular graphic design work so I could afford to leave the country for a week. I was focused inward at the time and wasn’t really paying much attention I guess. We’d always wanted to visit Paris together, but this opportunity kind of snuck up, on me at least.)

So, onward! Our official presentation was a hit, the Parisians excited about this crazy PARK(ing) Day thing, and our working obligations were over for the day. Our little band of three was free, and promptly book off up the Seine, with no stated destination except to stay along the water. And as we walked, the sky started to clear. The sun peeked out, people filled the streets, and before long we stood in the middle of the Pont des Artes, in the center of a bustling city but also pleasantly removed from it, traffic and street noise muffled by the water and breeze. Tour boats floated by. Couples held hands. Tiny locks left by lovers glinted in the sun.

“Can you take my picture?” asked JB. He handed over his iPhone.

“Sure. Can you take ours?” replied Ben. iPhones exchanged again. Did you know that iPhone 4 takes really good video?

We didn’t, until 30 minutes later when we’d already enjoyed our first glass of champagne in the courtyard of the Louvre. Imagine our surprise when amongst the already-stunning shots is a little video playhead!

To this day I still don’t know how JB pulled it off without knowing what was coming (really, he didn’t know!), and I’m still reeling from living in this digital age where such a thing can be captured and stored in a pocket, but a wholehearted thank you to our dear friend who shared that moment with us.

What happened next was the golden hour in every way – the three of us wandered through the streets of Paris in a bit of a daze, rosé champagne only partly to blame. As the sun set Ben and I parted ways with JB, heading off to the Marais for a lovely romantic dinner and hotel stay. Clever boy, Ben thought of everything, including a change of clothes for me and another bottle of champagne in our room. Magical.