Bridging two continents, two cultures, and two unique lenses, Under the Sky of California and Normandy – Sous le ciel de Californie et de Normandie is a stunning celebration of the wild beauty that unites our world.
From the sun-drenched, golden meadows of Concord’s Lime Ridge to the misty, emerald-green forests of Normandy, this extraordinary nature lover’s book pairs intimate personal reflections with breathtaking wildlife photography. Join a spirited Californian writer finding peace after life’s storms and a veteran French forest ranger who has spent a lifetime listening to the heartbeat of the woods.
Discover the fiercely loyal hawks of the American West, watch stags spar beneath autumn moons, and witness the surprisingly human-like parenting dramas unfolding across the animal kingdom. A testament to patience, resilience, and the eternal love of nature, this book reminds us that no matter where we stand under the sky, the wild has a story to tell.
Summary
Under the Sky of California and Normandy – Sous le ciel de Californie et de la Normandie is a transatlantic bilingual exploration of wildlife, photography, and the profound parallels between human and animal lives. Authored by Susiani Djauhari Tan—a Californian-born Indonesian debut writer and independent insurance agency owner—alongside co-photographer Bernard Potaire (a retired French forest ranger often known as l’homme des bois), the book weaves personal memoir with breathtaking nature photography.
Part 1: California – From the Dance Floor to the Ridge
- The Healing Power of Nature: The author shares how her vibrant pre-pandemic life as a salsa and bachata dancer in the San Francisco suburbs provided respite from caring for her son, Stephen, who has Down Syndrome. Following the isolation and health struggles of COVID-19, she found solace and renewed purpose walking the local trails.
- Markham Nature Park & Lime Ridge Open Space: Chronicling her daily walks in Concord, California, she details the history of Lime Ridge (once a cement quarry following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake) and documents its thriving bird populations over thirty species deep.
- Avian Families: The narrative highlights local raptors—contrasting the fiercely loyal, lifelong co-parenting bonds of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks with the high-strung, solitary struggles of a mother Cooper’s hawk. It also captures the mysterious nocturnal presence of the Great Horned Owls (“The Grand Dukes of America”) that escort her out of the park at dusk.
Part 2: Normandy – Man of the Woods
- A Forest Ranger’s Childhood: Written from Bernard’s perspective, this section looks back at a childhood spent gathering firewood in the lush, rainy farmlands of La Manche and a lifelong career as a French forest ranger across Normandy.
- Seasonal Wildlife & Survival:
- Winter: Explores the frozen, unforgiving landscape of the Alps or Pyrenees and the playful cleverness of the red fox.
- Spring: Celebrates the great thaw, the courtship feeding rituals of the Eurasian Hoopoe (the countryside’s “health inspector”), and vibrant new growth.
- Summer: Explores the river kingfisher (“The Blue Arrow”) with its binocular underwater vision, along with territorial pheasants and bustling marshland duck families.
- Fall: Highlights the raw, electric adrenaline of the autumn stag rut—capturing stags dueling in the mist and a serene moment of a stag gazing at a full moon.
- Parenting Philosophies in Nature: The book closes by drawing fascinating comparisons between animal and human families. It contrasts the devoted co-parenting of European Robins and Barn Swallows with the brood-parasitic Common Cuckoo and the 50/50 split custody of the Common Snipe.
About the Author
Susiani Djauhari Tan, learned French Conversational in Indonesia for five years right before earning her lottery green card in 1989. Now in her early sixties, the excitement at speaking this beautiful romantic language reappeared when she met our mystery photographer, Bernard from Normandy at her local park. The event developed beautifully into a collaboration of magical photographs this book offers.
Living in Concord, California, Susi balances being a dedicated mother to her 30-year-old son, Stephen who has Down Syndrome, with running her own Farmers Insurance agency—a career that gives her the flexibility to care for him. Her rich life experience and free-spirited personality infuse every page of this book.
About the Co-Photographer
Bernard Potaire, the photographer who contributes to the nature stories in the Normandy section, is a former French forest ranger who loves nature tremendously.
