Sunday, 21 October 2012
What?!! No insects! So often I find an insect when I examine a flower/plant-photo like this on the big screen….
I found the sunlight in southern France quite compelling, although the last two days here I have found the light equally fantastic.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
No. That’s not our party.
We sat in the sun for a Piedmont Park luncheon that was something like French café-time. Minus the French, the street, and the baguette. Oh, and no nearby sycamores.
Friday, 19 October 2012
A few lights to honor the b-day of a favorite elder, initials TH.
I go to the BotGarden for the plants. That’s pretty radical these days. I sometimes struggle with the other elements the ABG incorporates into their displays.
Photo from the other day, when we saw trees caged in scaffolding as installation of these twinklies was underway.
I know the glitziness brings in more business. At least I hope it brings in enough of a bump that the costs of the glitzing are more than offset.
I suspect, however, that when the day length has closed in and the winter doldrums hover, I may enjoy the wee lights….
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Change of address at the USPS is now modernized.
You can do it online. For a dollar.
I’m not kidding. A buck. “For verification,” I believe the form noted.
Or…you can do it on paper, sacrificing a gazillion percent more trees than is necessary for…advertising. And packaging.
And, with the free option, you get to wait in line for fifteen minutes for the two employees on duty to take care of the four people ahead of you in line…. Because the change-of-address cards are no longer in the public area.
I have absolutely no doubt about why the USPS is in poor financial straits these days.
Wednesday, 17 October 2012
That season is upon us!
Love the fluorescent paint highlighting!
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Gingerly,* we’re returning to customary patterns. Exhaustion permitting. Today we made an afternoon run to the BotGarden, enjoying a low-key stroll. We found this conservatory steamy-hot, with the artificial fog enduring.
* Note that the yellow ginger was in full bloom in scattered spots around the garden, with blooms scented very like honeysuckle. Delightful.
Sunday, 14 October 2012
I know it’s trite to close with a fading light shot, but I found our last sunset on French soil moving as a signal of our upcoming transition.
Of course, one of the benefits of a daytime flight, cloud-cover permitting, is that you can see the ground below. This is our last view of France….
And, in our slightly-upgraded-from-coach seats, oh, yum. Really. AirFrance can do airline food. (I had the boeuf; John had the Parmentier—both excellent).
Special thanks to my FIL for the ride home. And to JPB for checking the house and dragging the mail-pile away from the door—and sorting it!
Fantastic trip. Just super. Sad to leave. Glad to be home.
One of those understandable paradoxes.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
You’ve already seen photos of the main gates, the façade, the mirror room, paintings, etc. And have a distinct impression of the immensity of the principal buildings and the grounds.
On a day where overcast turned into intermittent rain, then drizzle, I could not hope to compete with those images.
Instead, I give you visual asides.
For me, these little islands of quiet were an antidote to the tide of tourists crushing through the rooms, many with audio equipment held to their ears, which seemed to induce dull, unfocused looks on their faces. Whatever the language was they were listening to.
The squirrel embroidered cushion stools were in the Hall of Mirrors, as was the chandelier (I think).
Despite the rain, we moved on to the Trianon lovelies, as only a few hearty explorers did on this day. I found it well worth the time. And getting soaked.
I can also see why the hubbub of the main palace would make you want to have a retreat…from that retreat from the heightened hubbub of Paris. Still, how the place was provisioned remains a bit of a mystery to me.
* In French, it’s not referred to as a palais, but as a château.
Friday, 12 October 2012
We’ve been seeing the chestnuts in the road, and twice we’ve been struck by them as we drove along. Yes, the sound is…enough to make you duck.
This one is very special. I found it on the road right at Lascaux—the real one, behind the tall fence, right up the hill from the replica they let you visit as part of a carefully timed tour. Still, it’s pretty impressive. And you can see how the artists used the shapes of the walls/ceiling as integral to the designs they delineated with the oxide tints (manganese and iron, if I have it right).
We haven’t discussed one of our repeat “companions” on this trip—the toll roads and their attendant machines. Here’s one where we’re collecting a ticket. Only once, maybe twice, have there been humans to take our money, but the machines are fast—although they don’t take US-style credit cards (chip and PIN only).
Sometimes we’ve been enthralled by the fantastic daylight. We expected this in “the south,” but this was maybe 60 miles from Paris. This water tour is one of the typical shapes, with a flare at the top, and antennae hanging off it. There’s another dominant style that evokes the crenelations of defensive walls. We’ve found that rather strange in a super-tall, stand-alone structure.
One of the crops I did not expect…sugar beets. These people are sugar fanatics—with their espresso. Servers may present up to four packets with your cup. I hate to think how many go straight to the trash—or not. Still, in the interests of national self-sufficiency, it makes sense that they’d be growing/processing sugar beets.
