It had only been a few weeks since I had last seen Jane in Carmel. While Malibu is usually the destination of choice (especially during DQ Times reunions) this year, my friends and I had opted for a change of scenery and had chosen Carmel with its quaint streets and charming history as a location for our reunion. Although it wasn't Dr. Quinn oriented, it was still a 'reunion' of sorts, as some of us hadn't seen each other since Starweek. It was wonderful reminiscing, taking tours and strolling through the shops and as a bonus, Jane happened to be showing her art that weekend in a gallery, minutes from the hotel we were staying at. Who could ask for more? Sadly, photos were not allowed in this particular gallery but the champagne brunch was lovely and Jane seemed pleased to see our group, since with the exception of myself, she hadn't seen any of them in at least a year. The clientel was 'upscale' as was the gallery and Jane was busy with buyers but did take a few moments to chat with us the first evening of the show, even taking the trouble to correct one of the women who worked at the gallery who referred to us as 'fans' to explain that 'we all knew each other and that we were part of the group who had gotten her her Star on the Walk of Fame. Deb and I felt compelled to inform the woman that we had bought paintings in the past and Pam pointed out that she had several of Jane's works- three of which Jane herself had given her. Jane laughed at this commenting to Pam good naturedly' You didn't know what you had then did you?" We all laughed at that.

Now here I was in Michigan a few weeks later- this woman is going to think I'm following her' I thought as I imagined Jane's surprise at seeing me appear in yet another location on her 'tour'. Once again, although the trip had been in the planning stages for over a year, the timing had coincided with another of Jane's shows. I had come to visit a friend and Jane's show would, we agreed, be a nice highlight during the weekend.

Jane was in town showing her art to help raise funds for a crisis center called Common Ground Sanctuary, an organization which provides psychiatric crisis services to adults,children and families. The agenda had included a private reception at the home of a local art patron and a public showing of her art at the Parisian in Rochester Hills where her home design collection would also be displayed.

As we entered the Parisian on Sunday, we looked in vain for a poster or something indicating Jane's presence but were surprised to find none. We must have looked puzzled because almost immediately a friendly salesperson asked if we were "here for Jane Seymour" and pointed to a section of the floor a few feet away which had been sectioned off with black drapes and colored lights. We thanked her and headed in the direction of the 'makeshift' gallery where we were greeted by Jane, Susan Luks (Jane's art director) and another friend. In front of the entrance, a table had been set up to collect the $5 donation which would go toward Common Ground Sanctuary who was sponsoring the show. To my surprise as I payed for my ticket, I noticed that the highlighted poster for the event was the painting I had bought a few years back at one of Jane's art shows- the Grand Alee. It had been an 'impulse' purchase at the time but one I had never regretted.

I entered the show area and noticed that while many of the paintings were the same as had been displayed in Carmel, a few new ones had been added. I immediately recognized a colorful painting of the 'bistro' in Paris frequented by Monet, as the one highlighted on the ' Journey to Impressionism' DVD I had purchased previously, which Jane and James had made to chronicle their trip to Giverny, France.Some new florals had also been added. Jane was busy attending to prospective customers and so not wanting to interrupt, my friend and I headed off to peruse her home collection, which I was delighted to finally have a chance to view in person.

Everything from her new Grand Hotel bedding collection (furniture included) to the most charming musical eggs were on display. I had already recently purchased a bedset from Jane's Coral Canyon collection so I concentrated on the smaller items of which there was an amazing variety. I was incredibly tempted by a beautiful vase that was surprisingly reasonably priced, but regrettfully decided that it would be too fragile to try to pack in my luggage. My companion, had no such dilemma though and happily chose a frosted white one with fluted edges.

When we returned, Jane was still signing purchases and posing for pictures. Finally, noticing her exhaustion, the staff managed to convince her to take a break for a little bit and she headed off to the 'green' room for some refreshments which had been provided for her. The thought of 'sitting' at this point definitely sounded appealing and as we had been invited by one of the group to the 'green room' as well we followed Jane upstairs.

I had to laugh when we entered the room at the scene before us- While everyone else was happily eating and enjoying some downtime, Jane was seated at a table which instead of being laden with food, had piles of shoe boxes heaped on it! As I watched her alternating between bites of salad and slipping on the most gorgeous sandals,(she has the daintiest feet!)I couldn't help but think of an art show I had attended a few years back where Jane had quietly slipped away for a while reappearing in a full length burgandy coat she had just bought from a vendor at the show! Talk about multi tasking, this lady was incredible!

After satisfying herself that all was in order "shoewise" Jane turned her attention to her food and I had a chance to chat with her a little. We talked about her new spring line for girls clothes which I had noticed on display earlier. I told her I had heard one woman exclaiming over how cute the dresses were and how well made and she nodded pleased. I then asked about her adult clothing line which had previously been carried by Crossing Pointe. She informed me that for now she had decided to concentrate instead on girls clothes. We discussed her upcoming movie Wedding Crashers, which I pointed out was being touted as a summer blockbuster. (She smiled at that) and about the impending death of Genevieve, the character she played on Smallville as well as her plans for the summer. Then, although it had been no more than twenty minutes at most, Jane suddenly sighed, got up squared her shoulders and announced it was time to get back.

The rest of the afternoon we spent chatting amongst ourselves, meeting new friends and taking photos (which in my case, proved quite a challenge since my camera had an annoying habit of pausing before taking the picture until someone had stepped in front of Jane!)

One of our group had brought her young daughter, Daphne, to meet Jane and to see the art. Jane noticed the little girl thumbing through her art portfolio and came over. When informed by her mother that she had promised her daughter she could choose from one of the available posters, Jane proceeded to point out some paintings of ballerinas she had done which she thought might appeal to the youngster. Ultimately, to the adult's surprise though, Daphne selected a floral poster, happily posing in front of the original painting with Jane to 'seal the deal'. Although it would take a few weeks to order the poster, Jane promised to personally dedicate it easing the little girl's disappointment at not being able to leave immediately with her treasure.

As the crowd started thinning we said our goodbyes to Jane and Susan and took our leave. It had been a lovely weekend and as I glanced back at Jane, she looked exhausted but happy.