"Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee." Michel de Montaigne

November was my month for trying new things. A milestone birthday for daughter #3 was approaching and we decided to celebrate with a trip. Although most people would elect to visit a tropical clime to escape the approaching winter season, we opted instead for an excursion to frosty Iceland for our adventure.

It was a week of "firsts" from the moment we landed at Keflavik Airport. Glaciers, geysers, waterfalls, hot springs, volcanoes, lava fields, black sand beaches, northern lights - the enchanting landscape was so unlike that with which we were familiar. Iceland completely captivated us with its otherworldly ambiance. Perhaps the most memorable "first" was a trip to the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

It was mid-morning and the sun was just beginning to rise. A cool, crisp wind blew over the warm waters creating a mist that gave the lagoon a surreal appearance. As I bathed in the warm, mineral-filled geothermal waters I let relaxation take over and every worry in the world wholly melted away. It was at that moment that I realized that this was, simply, living in the moment. I was focused on the present with all of my senses, thoroughly enjoying the experience without rushing through the process. How much more meaningful life is when we allow ourselves to seize the moment. The past is over, the future is never guaranteed, and all we really have is this very moment. All we have is right now.

In November I also attempted a new approach towards chasing Hubert. I came across an online expert question website that connects people with questions to an expert in a relevant field. After paying $38 I sent my question along with one of Hubert's etchings to an expert in Fine and Decorative Arts: Renaissance through Contemporary. Her response was "Hello, these are vintage 20th century views of European cities. They were generally sold as decorative wall art or to tourists...." Duh! Tell me something I don't know. I requested and received an immediate refund. In all fairness, perhaps it was naive of me to expect a resolution to my years of chasing Hubert in a simple email. I did, however, think that I would come away with something more than what's already been posted in this blog. I suppose I was in the moment or, more likely, having a moment...

"Whoever you are, I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers." Blanche Dubois, A Streetcar Named Desire

A series of unfortunate events intervened and hampered my search for Hubert and my resultant blog postings so I've been out of touch for a while. They say when you fall off a horse the best thing to do is get right back in the saddle. Obviously the best thing is not to fall off in the first place but life is full of surprises both good and bad. When I received an email from another Hubert seeker, her ending note to me "I see you haven't put out anything in a while - don't give up!" was just the catalyst I needed to climb back on that proverbial horse (or le cheval as they say in Hubert's world.) Oftentimes the kindness of strangers can be the impetus to help us through the day. Such was the case when I received L's email which made me realize that it was time to cease wallowing in self-pity and time to resume my search for the oh, so elusive, Hubert.

To continue where I last left off, my discussion with the graphologist, although fascinating, did not bestow me with any valuable new clues. A person's gender cannot be determined by their handwriting because we all have masculine and feminine traits that have nothing to do with physiology. Nor can we tell a person's age by their handwriting. What we can tell is that the distinctive downstroke at the end of his signature suggests determination, that once he starts something he will follow through until it is finished (as evidenced by his prolific work.) That long vertical line with which he ends his signature also implies isolation: this person is very private and desires to be detached from relationships. No wonder no one knows of him.

Upon doing a little internet research I found an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 1972 titled "Etchers of Paris: 1850-1900." This was years before Hubert came into my life and I wasn't sure the years between 1850 and 1900 would be applicable but it sounded so promising I contacted the museum and spoke to a curator who disappointingly was not all that interested in my quest and could not provide any new direction. While my interest lies purely with Hubert, here's the link should anyone be interested in reading about other French etchers.

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/exhibitions/2204/Etchers_of_Paris%3A_1850-1900

During a spur-of-the-moment visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art I found myself passing the MET's Nolen Library and impulsively dropped in to make my usual inquiries about Hubert. I stopped at the front desk to pick the brains of the attending librarian who proceeded to enter Hubert's name into their digital archive. After discounting the usual Alfred Hubert, Hubert Robert responses the archives did turn up the name Albert Hubert which sounded very exciting (Albert C. Hubert was the subject of a previous blog post and a definite possibility.) Unfortunately, the publication titled Les petitionnaires du Front populaire, Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine was written entirely in French and my best efforts to transcribe in English the single sentence that contained the name of Albert Hubert was "Special Mention must also be made of the Pyrtanee of the Arrow whose four soldiers-teachers: Jean Hugonnet, Albert Hubert, Henri Maugin and Emile Bottigelli sign in 1935 the answer to the intellectuals fascists." Not exactly the information I was hoping for.

I might be back in the saddle but at the moment I don't have a horse....