street portrait

green gate and blue sky

96 tears

Well not really tears, but these tear-shaped trails resulted from an extremely hard downpour of rain on a stone wall lining my street.  You'll have to be from my generation to get the title reference.

I want this garage

stone and steel

This is an entry gate to a private residence that has a great view of the chapel Saint-Hubert.

Saturday shadows

entry in stone

shhhhh

These wine bottles are resting quietly in the dark as the wine inside ages.

how to make an entrance

This is one of the exterior doors to Clos Lucé, the home where Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years in Amboise.  As impressive as it it, this is not the main entrance.

this says it all

This restaurant sign on Place Debré summarizes in icons the pillars of the local cuisine... wonderful food, superb breads, and fine wines all served in royal tradition.

simple pleasures

Simple designs and embellishments, subtle colors.  Does it get any better than this?

the rose arbor equinox

l'école Rabelais-Richelieu - the schoolhouse

This schoolhouse was recently renovated, and I have to say that it's a bit classier than the one I attended.

la crécerelle - the kestrel

I have seen these amazing birds from time to time for years, hovering over open fields looking for a good meal.  Like helicopters, they fly stationary and patiently wait for their prey.  Alas, they have always been way too far away for me to capture on "film" but recently I encountered this one on the banks of the Loire right next to the levee as I passed by.  I had only a few moments before he saw me and flew away, so I didn't capture the "perfect" image.  However, these two shots manage to show his hawkish profile as well as his tail plumage.

Saint Patrick's Day 2016

what goes around

the ides of marchin' around here

Or, beware where you step.

man vs nature

Man-made beauty vs natural beauty.  I love them both.  Here, the embellished metal retainer is used to hold this wall "painted" by nature in place.  I've seen lots of different designs for these retainers, but this is one of my favorites.

la Chapelle Saint-Jean

According to the town's web site, this little chapel was built in 1099.  It is still used occasionally for cultural events.

a bumper crop of mistletoe

These cousins of the American mistletoe are very common here, but this is an especially dense growth of them on the Ile d'Or.

gettin' old ain't easy

hints of spring

skimming over the Loire

This cormorant was heading back upstream underneath the Leclerc bridge from which I managed to get this unusual view from above.  Another unusual aspect of this photo (for Amboise) is the falling snow.  Cormorants dive underneath the surface of the water in search of fish.  While under water the current carries them downstream under the bridge.  Re-surfacing, they fly back to complete the cycle.

the clock tower

I don't know the age of this clock on Place Richlieu, but it was still right on time on this sunny day in February.

not Hollywood

With dark clouds looming, this photo turned out a bit more brooding than I expected.  But I couldn't resist the angle on these three very disparate elements despite the weather.  The bandstand appears to be sheltering a model of the château of Amboise but it is in fact the real thing at a distance.  The old sign advertising the camping on the Ile d'Or reminds me of the old HOLLYWOOD sign in LA.  Which seems fitting for this film noir image.

Tour Hertault

This is one of two towers containing spiral ramps for access from street level to the château grounds on high.  After recent renovations it is now the main tourist (if you'll pardon the play on words) exit.

looking for lunch

Usually the egrets are so skittish that I can never get close enough to get good shot.  On this exceptional day, this fellow was so intent on finding a snack that I managed to get the snap before he swooped away.

life can be harsh

One day you're blooming in the sun and four days later you're freezing your petals off.

you want texture?

It helps to zoom in on this image to see all the wonderful texture in the wood, stone, and brick (click on the image and maximize your browser).

a wet winter

A cyclist and another hiker left this nice pattern in the muddy path for me to find on a recent long walk.

CDP Theme Day - where I belong

The first of every month is Theme Day for the bloggers of City Daily Photo, and today the theme is "where I belong".  Click here to see how it was interpreted by the other bloggers.  For me, where I belong is cycling alongside the Loire on a warm, sunny day.