Thanks, Sew Mama Sew, for the tutorial! I now have permission to roam the world, starting with Paris, in style.
Many moons ago, there was a weekly program on my hometown radio station. It was called Passport to Stardom. We would occasionally tune in on a Friday night to hear the locals belt their favorite country tunes from a bar in a neighboring small town. One woman alone kept the show rolling. Her name was Mary Butts. If there was a ever a lull in the entertainment (insert clinking beer bottles, the low hum of sleepy conversations and nervous laughter), it wouldn't be long before the host would exclaim, "And next up we have....Mary! Mary Butts! You are next on the Passport to Stardom!" She could always be relied on to come through in a pinch. Without a doubt, she sang more than any other person on the program. And though she may have never made it to stardom, she worked her way into my memory. And now every time I hold my passport...or hear a 1980s country song...I will tip my hat to Mary.
I was talking to my brother on the phone today, and the question came up...Is there country music in France? All I know is that if we end up in a karaoke bar near the Eiffel tower, I may start channeling Mary Butts while donning an American flag button-up rodeo shirt. All with the help of my new friend, Riesling, introduced to me by my camping friends this weekend.
Swank.
