Saturday, May 31, 2014

the rose arbor


The roses are in full swing now and this arbor on top of the levee is one example.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Thursday, May 29, 2014

la longère


This style of farmhouse is very common here.  As you can see, they are narrow and long, generally one room wide with a hallway connecting all of the rooms.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

danger !


I encountered this old sign on that local industry tour I took in March.  Today, the "X" indicates a dangerous intersection where you have to yield the right of way.  Yes, I'm still studying for my French driver's licence and I hope the signs of today don't look like this when I get it.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

the craftsman house


This house appears to me as a marriage of the craftsman-style houses found in the States and the classic local architecture.   I really like the craftwork embellishments.  Here is a wider view:


Monday, May 26, 2014

le belvédère


This tiny little "house" was recently renovated by the town of Amboise to serve as a lookout over the town.  Again, I admit to not knowing the history of this little one room building but the results of the renovation are wonderful and it is indeed a great view over the town.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

la Fête des Mères 2014


It's Mother's Day in France and this rose just outside our front door is one of my wife's "babies" wishing her a happy day.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Friday market in May


Here is some of the bounty available at the Friday market yesterday.

Friday, May 23, 2014

can I go too ?


The guy didn't seem to be unhappy in his pasture but at the same time he did give me a look as if he wouldn't mind joining me on my bike ride through the local farmlands.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

the country road


You can tell I'm still using up my supply of April shots.  This one was taken before the trees in the background sprouted leaves (assuming they're not dead which might be the case with the big one). I was fortunate to have the farmer happen by just as I was setting up the shot.  There wasn't really a lot of green (or "good" green), so I again opted for the B&W.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

the icing on the cake


This charming house is right across the street from the levee and the Loire.  For me, though, it's all about the roof.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

taking shelter


I have not been able to learn the history of this sign.  The word "abri" means "shelter" and the images would suggest it's a bomb shelter.  The sign points in the direction of the caves that were created long ago when stone was removed to build local châteaux and other important structures.  Thus deep underground caves would make for ideal shelters from any bombardments.  Amboise was in the occupied zone (by the Germans) throughout World War II, so depending on how events unfolded, I suppose it's possible bombing could have come by either side.  In any case, bombing fortunately didn't happen and Amboise was spared.  But back to the sign.  Since it has the dates on it, I must assume this was put up after the fact to note the history of the place, but I still find it a bit intriguing.  Nowadays, the caves are mostly used as family dwellings.  And very well insulated ones at that.

Monday, May 19, 2014

the old house


And while I'm posting old photos (with reference to yesterday's), I caught this old house in early April before the trees had sprouted their leaves.  I think it also has an old postcard look to it.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

look out


Even though these blossoms are long gone now, I couldn't resist showing one more explosion of spring color... this time at the base of the château (which seems to be keeping its eyes on it too).

Saturday, May 17, 2014

the high road or the low road?


One has to make a choice at this intersection of these two hiking trails near Amboise.  (I believe, though I cannot confirm, the "CR" stands for "Chemin Randonée", hiking road.)  This area is crisscrossed with these trails.

Friday, May 16, 2014

sunset sand


Sand along the Loire cast some nice warm shadows during a recent sunset in Amboise.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

the manhole cover


I found this cover next to the levee.  It doesn't appear that this cover is opened very often.  In any case, it adds to my collection of covers that I find interesting.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

the ram


If looks could kill, as the expression goes.  Although he does not look happy about posing for a portrait he didn't bother to get up and move away either.  I do like the double curl of his horns.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

homage to Helen


This is simply the work of nature on a stone wall.  It's abstract appearance though made me think of Helen Frankenthaler... one of my favorite artists.



Well at last I have returned from my road trip to the Swiss and Italian Alps.  Now to start catching up !

Monday, May 12, 2014

wisteria wave


This is the largest display of wisteria that I know of in Amboise.  To me it looks like a wave of purple crashing over the sea wall.





Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

back door to Saint-Denis


OK, it's not really the back door to the church but it looks like it should be.  The morning side light really emphasized all the textures brought on by centuries of wear.




Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

le pont à Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes


This graceful little bridge is in a park in nearby Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes.





Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Friday, May 9, 2014

the iris


Voilà.





Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

home on the hill


This home in stone is on the outskirts of Amboise.  I found it on yet another one of my bike rides where I was trying to find undiscovered (to me) treasures like this.  I would love to know the history of the place (le Chatelier*) as it is clearly quite old.


* Pour vous francophones, il semble à moi, un atelier pour les chats !



Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

footloose


This engine without any cars to pull must be feeling pretty frisky and footloose.




Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

the biggest dandelion field ever


On a recent bike ride I came upon the biggest field of dandelions I have ever seen.  This shot is maybe 20% of it.  It was too big to get in one frame.  Besides, I wanted to include the geese from the adjoining field... especially since one of them was strutting his stuff.  Anyway, these little yellow flowers were so densely packed in there, I wonder if this was just nature's work or whether they were being grown as a crop.




Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.




Monday, May 5, 2014

what are you lookin' at !?


For a change, I had my telephoto lens with me when I came upon this guy hanging out on the levee.  The lens is why he looks so big when he was probably only about 4 inches / 10 cm long.  The other good thing about the telephoto is that I didn't scare him (immediately) away by getting right up into his face (not to mention the nice depth of field effects).  Anyway, I try to remind myself of these luckily timed shots when I just miss one.



Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Sunday in Pocé-sur-Cisse


The little town of Pocé-sur-Cisse is just across the Loire from Amboise.  It is a charming place with a château of its own.  There are many cases where there are towns with same name, so to distinguish them, the name is often associated with a bordering river.  The Cisse is a little river that runs into the nearby Loire.  Thus the town is known as Pocé-on-the-Cisse.



Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

château de Pocé


This château is just across the Loire river in Pocé-sur-Cisse.  The grounds are open to the public but alas not the interior.

le mât


I thought this flagpole on top of the levee made for a rather stark abstraction.




Daily disclaimer: I'm currently on a road trip and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.

Friday, May 2, 2014

into the sunset


Well, I'm riding off into the sunset... but only for a while.  I'll be on a road trip for about ten days and while I can queue up my daily posts, I can't queue up my responses to your (most appreciated) comments nor to my CDP blogger friends' blogs.  I'll try to respond when possible of course.  Anyway, au revoir !

Thursday, May 1, 2014

City Daily Photo theme day - "squares"


The first of every month is theme day for the bloggers of City Daily Photo where each blogger posts an image that represents the theme.  For today's "squares" theme, I chose the confetti remaining from the Carnival Parade on the tiles of the town's main street, rue Nationale.  See how the other bloggers interpreted the theme here.

(This is what the good witch was sweeping up.)