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Post by breeze on Feb 15, 2015 21:35:01 GMT
htmb, we'll be spending two nights with a friend in Hernando. Do you have any suggestions for that area? I think she has manatees on tap and lots of springs in the area, as well as a walking trail close by.
It'll be a quick trip, 5-6 days including 2 days' drive on each end. A woman I work with online is going at the same time and told me that 70s weather was predicted. I doubted it (but not to her) since winter goes wherever we go. I hope it warms up for you soon. If it then cools off, you'll know we are in the area.
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Post by breeze on Feb 15, 2015 20:15:23 GMT
Hoof it, Mossie! You want to be in shape so you can stomp all over Paris.
I hope on these walks you do see a fox and it winks at you, as one to another.
You say wintry, but it looks like early spring to me. Here it got down to 1 degree Fahrenheit overnight and we had blizzard conditions without getting much more snow. This winter I got used to being indoors all the time, thanks I think to the entertainment of the internet. (Thank you, anyport). I'm just kind of numb about having to stay in, but then if I see photos like yours something awakens in me and I feel like I'm not living my real life. I bet tonight I'll dream of primroses in bloom, thanks to you.
Luckily we are driving to Florida next weekend for a few days and I'll be able to go for long walks. It’s not Paris, but it’ll be warm.
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Color!
Feb 15, 2015 16:55:49 GMT
Post by breeze on Feb 15, 2015 16:55:49 GMT
Want to be closer to Paris, do you?
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Color!
Feb 15, 2015 14:23:26 GMT
Post by breeze on Feb 15, 2015 14:23:26 GMT
Isn't it wonderful when somebody shows their love for their house in a name?
My husband was driving that afternoon and I was checking the map on my lap. He said, "Did you see that?!" I hadn't, so he made a U-turn (illegal everywhere in France, so don't tell anybody) and we saw this house in its full glory. The owner came out and saw me taking a photo, He must be used to it. He made a small gesture I interpreted as "I appreciate your appreciation of my beloved house."
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Post by breeze on Feb 15, 2015 13:37:00 GMT
These yellow feet are such an economical way to express someone kneeling. If you look through to the front, you can see that the hands are held upright, which didn't seem right to me. I didn't have a photo taken from the front, but I checked and found one of the posters which shows this piece, and the hands, with long fingers and thumbs, are held palms up as though asking for or accepting a gift. This exhibit must have been tricky to set up--all those little hands and whiskers to protect--and maybe they never got around to positioning these hands.
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Color!
Feb 15, 2015 12:49:08 GMT
Post by breeze on Feb 15, 2015 12:49:08 GMT
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 21:01:08 GMT
This one is "Last call." If I'd known how much post-trip enjoyment I would have from this exhibit, I would have taken more and better photos.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 20:58:12 GMT
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 20:52:47 GMT
Head of a bull or maybe the minotaur. There may have been another figure attached to the back of this one.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 20:40:35 GMT
I think of this one as cats with wings. I can't read the title, which is just a weight in grams, either of the container or the amount it holds.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 20:38:56 GMT
This is Sideration or maybe Siderance. Supplication, maybe? If so, I probably shouldn't say that to me this looks like Al Jolson giving it the big finish.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 20:34:36 GMT
The artist tips his hat to Duchamp.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 20:22:57 GMT
Here's something appropriate for your grandson, Tod. This is Sisyphus eternally pushing a ball of plastic uphill.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 1:46:28 GMT
"Les joyeux flacons." Upright plastic bottles are smiling and waving their arms as they march single file, looking a little tipsy.
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Post by breeze on Feb 14, 2015 1:13:19 GMT
Here’s something we found wonderful, the more so because the sign outside the exhibit called it art made from recyclables, which led us to expect kids’ school artwork. This was at the headquarters of the Parc Naturel Regional de Normandie-Maine at Carrouges. But once we entered the former church and looked around and saw the dozens, maybe hundreds, of cleverly designed objects, we knew there was a witty accomplished artist behind these works recycling ordinary discards–takeout containers, detergent bottles, watering cans, shampoo bottles. His name is Claude Imhof. I’ve since looked him up and learned that he is a former professor of Decorative Arts in Paris. He says he responds to the colors and the plasticity of these objects. He turns them into mice, Sisyphus, waving hands, supplicants, the head of a bull, and happy marchers. He gets his effects by cutting into the shapes of plastic discards. I don’t think he’s done any drawing on them. I remember seeing some wire and some yarn on a few of the watering cans, but no drawing. If I saw a shampoo bottle on its side I’d think “fallen shampoo bottle,” but he saw mice. His mice have delicate tails, adorable whiskers, teeth, and paws. There’s a horde of these mice on a barrel head. They must be waiting for the Pied Piper to come back, since the label says “Hans, reviendra-t-il?”
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Post by breeze on Feb 13, 2015 1:59:57 GMT
Now that I look at it, it's not the same house, but they aren't far apart.
Casimira, every rose along the street has a hand-written label. I photographed a few of the labels but not the one that you (and I) think may be Mme Isaac Pereire.
There are so many gorgeous roses to choose from. I'll enjoy the research.
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Post by breeze on Feb 13, 2015 1:31:05 GMT
Here's another photo of that house from 2010. See that little sign on the gate? It is offering the house for sale. I can't read the print, but I remember it started out with something like "Yes, it's for sale!" I asked our B&B hostess if they'd get many takers, and she said Chedigny is such a sought-after village that just that small sign would sell it. no need to advertise. I immediately emailed friends and relatives attaching a photo. I guess you can tell since I still live in Pennsylvania that all of them were too short-sighted to chip in on the project.
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Post by breeze on Feb 10, 2015 23:45:01 GMT
Casimira, I would appreciate your advice. I'll look up my notes from our trip. I wrote down or photographed a lot of rose names I saw in Chedigny but I don't know if they are available in the US. Though with names like Rhapsody in Blue and Burgundy Ice you'd think they should be. Lizzy, I admire someone who's cheap and patient, because I'm only the former. Cheap and impatient is not a good combination, let me tell you. I'll try to attach another photo of Chedigny.
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Post by breeze on Feb 10, 2015 2:32:41 GMT
Wisteria plants from seed! I am impressed.
htmb, that's kind of my situation now. I'm an appreciator of others' gardens. I used to be a demon gardener and I have missed gardening these past few years. But one thing about losing my mojo is that I can really enjoy other people's gardens without extreme jealousy. I used to be jealous if somebody grew nice marigolds, even though I hate marigolds. So maybe I'm a slightly better person now even if not a better gardener.
Oh, I take that back. I'm still jealous when I see what grows in Florida and South Africa and Mexico. So I guess I'm not the new improved me I'd like to think I am.
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Post by breeze on Feb 10, 2015 1:24:51 GMT
Talk about garden aspirations! That is one ambitious wisteria cutting. My talk about wanting an olive tree is more about wanting to live in the kind of climate where olive and lemon trees thrive, which I don't now and do not expect to. Here's another thing I'd love to have, a really healthy climbing rose. This photo (should it appear at all!) is from a beautiful village in France full of roses.
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Post by breeze on Feb 7, 2015 19:41:54 GMT
I'd love an espalier. I think a pear one would be elegant but I'd settle for a fig. I'd love an olive tree too. I'd love a knowledgeable hardworking gardener!
Reading this thread has gotten me unsatisfied with my lot. But the year is young and I am optimistic.
Strawberries and tomatoes are on my mind today. I've been working on a seed order. The best strawberry we ever grew was Fairfax and you can't buy it anymore. It wasn't much of a bearer, but the flavor was tops. There's a variety of everbearing strawberries named Sarian. They will give fruit in July from seed sown in March, so I'm going to try them again (second time).
We need one early, one mid-season, and one late tomato. Stupice is the best early one for us. Can't make up my mind about the others. Brandywine has wonderful flavor but it's late here and is not very productive. Any suggestions? We're in USDA zone 5 if that means anything to anybody here.
Our basic garden, if we were to have to limit ourselves, would be tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, and strawberries.
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Post by breeze on Feb 3, 2015 3:16:36 GMT
Anyport is important to me, even though I don't contribute much. I check in every few days whether I need to or not. On a really slow day I'll check in just to see what bixa or kerouac have to say. Thanks not only to the two of them but to all of you who take such great pictures, write such profound or witty thoughts, and bring us a perspective that I don't run into in daily life.
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Post by breeze on Jan 17, 2015 16:02:58 GMT
Well sure, if you ask 34-ear-olds, they'll say 33.
It would take a lot of thought for me to figure out how to answer this question and I'm not sure I'd want to. My life has been on a fairly even keel for a long time, most of my past is a blur, but I do remember that when we grew a lot of strawberries I was very happy. I felt very rich then, but not in money.
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Post by breeze on Jan 15, 2015 2:55:57 GMT
Kerouac, it’s up to you now, since my usual sources, the BBC and Guardian websites, are slacking off on their coverage. I’ve also been checking Le Figaro, but maybe you can suggest a better online newspaper? Has there been any explanation of how the high school student’s identity card got in the getaway car? In the out-of-the-way part of France we go to most often, there were Je suis Charlie gatherings in several of the towns. There are local connections, it turns out. Today there was an article about the policeman killed at Charlie Hebdo. "Le policier chargé de la protection de Charb à Charlie Hebdo était Normand." He'd been a policeman in hot spots around the world for 30 years, including guarding the French ambassador in Afghanistan. He will be awarded the legion of honor. His widow is rédactrice (editor?) at L'Eveil Normand. www.le-perche.fr/35359/franck-brinsolaro-un-heros-si-discret/On another website devoted to Percheron horses, the author noted that Cabu was occasionally seen in a cafe in Mamers, drawing the life around him.
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Post by breeze on Dec 13, 2014 20:02:22 GMT
And when you played that LP, if you walked near the record player you stepped very lightly, because otherwise the record would skip.
One of the big advantages when tapes came in was that you could dance near the tape player with impunity.
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Post by breeze on Dec 12, 2014 20:53:43 GMT
Tod, I'm so sorry to hear that. I think of your photo of her at the hairdresser's where she is looking at you with such love and serenity. That is mother love that will last your lifetime, and that you are now passing along to your son and grandchild(ren?).
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Post by breeze on Dec 11, 2014 23:40:10 GMT
bixa, I've never seen such a floral display. Thousands and thousands of gorgeous lilies. All the foliage I could see looks like it's lily leaves--there's no other foliage added?
I have the same question as htmb. Is he intending to heal her foot?
Somehow I can love a simple white and blue church like this one, but I can't love one that is gilded and crammed with statuary.
The vendor in #8, wearing the checked apron, seems to glow. And then in #10, the photo of late-day light falling on the woman with long braids is a gem.
What smiles and modest glances you get from the people whose photos you are taking. When I look at photos I took in France this fall, any time there's a crowd, someone in it is giving my camera the evil eye.
Wonderful view of the hills. So many trees in your city, I'm glad to see.
I love the idea of you belting out Bad Moon Rising or Proud Mary on your way home. The end to a perfect day out!
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Post by breeze on Nov 23, 2014 0:54:00 GMT
What a beautiful setting for this ex-monastery. So many jagged hills in the distance.
The building has fine proportions, possibly due to being roofless. Even when a church or cathedral has soaring ceilings, I often find the interior a little oppressive, so rooflessness is a plus for me. As a ruin, this place is free from its religious associations and I can appreciate it more.
Also, no crowds! I can enjoy photos of crowds of people but I don't want to put myself in the picture the way I do with this quiet scene.
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Post by breeze on Nov 21, 2014 0:13:41 GMT
It's not enough just to let time pass for those missing items to turn up. You actually have to buy the replacement item and open it, damaging the packaging so it's not returnable, and then whatever was lost will pop up and say "Did you miss me?"
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Post by breeze on Nov 19, 2014 22:12:18 GMT
Well, it wasn't my intention to copy your post, kerouac, but at least it got me to a quick reply box.
Thanksgiving has changed a bit since Norman Rockwell painted your family. Nowadays even the guys help cook. Nobody drank on Thanksgiving when I was a kid, but for the past 20 years we've had wine, and finally beer, good beer, is making an appearance. We still have to prepare every dish our grandmothers prepared, and more. (But nowadays sweet potatoes may not be topped with marshmallows--a family law.) Football is followed by Seinfeld reruns, or maybe some TV series more current, but Seinfeld still has a potent grip on our family and I wouldn't be surprised to see Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer between lunch and dinner.
From my point of view the high point of the day is turkey sandwiches around 6:00. I've been lobbying to skip the big meal and go right to the turkey sandwiches, but I'm not the hostess.
If anybody has a suggestion of an unusual dish I could make to take along, I'd love to hear it.
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