sunset on September

wrinkled

cotton ball clouds

fireworks on the water

Water jets underneath the water produce these bubbling fireworks-like effects on the surface of this pool.

the co-op revisited

This is a classic old cooperative in the nearby town of Onzain.

using your imagination

I discovered this little wooden construction tucked away on the grounds of Château Chaumont.  It looks to be a very well imagined maintenance hut.  Were all "out buildings" so clever.

l'église à Saint-Martin-le-Beau

The construction of this church in the nearby town of Saint-Martin-le-Beau began in the 12th century.  It was enlarged the the 16th.  This town is along one my favorite bike loops from Amboise.

tall grass

the vanishing point

Attention all art students.   Also any magicians who want to know how to make a train disappear.

just a-ROUND the corner

I can't recall seeing a rounded home quite like this.  It certainly helps the visibility at the intersection.  And I'd love to see how the space has been finished inside.

apple season

Although it seems you can get apples almost year-round nowadays, it is truly apple season in France.  Last week I found this beauty in an open field near la Domaine du Château de Chanteloup (home of the famous Pagoda).

the find

On my last bike ride, I discovered a path I had never ridden before.  It not only kept me off the main road into a nearby town but also revealed an array of interesting finds including this one.

stick 'em up

This photo was totally inspired by a shot made by my 9 year old grandson when he and his family visited here in July.  I think this tree is right out of the Hobbitt.

twilight on the Loire

the photo op

This portal (ce portail) has everything a photographer could ask for: textured stone, weathered wood, and crusty roof tiles.

Ready and waiting

I took a bike ride through the vineyards surrounding Amboise yesterday.  I saw many fields that looked like they're ready for the vendange (grape harvest).  Some were being harvested while others have already been so.  Due to the weather situation throughout the growing season, it looks like most will be harvested earlier than usual this year.

the peppers

These gorgeous peppers are fresh from our neighbor's garden.

as close as I can get

Egrets (les aigrettes) are extremely skittish and this is about as close as I have ever gotten to one.  And this was with a telephoto lens.  They are such beautiful birds though.  Maybe one day they will inspire me to plunk down serious money for a longer telephoto.

when planets huddle

This model of the solar system is on the grounds of the château in Amboise and is known as Da Vinci's planetarium.  I like models like this one but they don't really convey the enormous distances between the planets and the sun or their scale.  I figured out that if they were to scale, an earth the size of a regular globe (around 12 inches or 30 cm in diameter) would be over 2.2 miles (3.5 KM) away from a sun that would be over 100 feet (30 meters) in diameter.

the lull

Taking a moment to savor the sunset from on top of the levee.

the bridge of gold to the Island of Gold

The early morning light gave the bridge Leclerc a nice golden glow.  Appropriate, as it leads to the Island of Gold (l'ile d'Or).

it's the season

One of our neighbors asked if we like plums and we responded "of course".  A few minutes later he returned with a market crate full of them that he had just harvested himself.  So my wife has been fully employed lately converting them to confiture (jam) and tortes. Some of which was happily returned to the neighbor.

a land I heard of once in a lullaby

Or was it a guidebook?  Anyway for us, the dream that we dared really did come true.  But it took a lot of work.

time to say goodbye

It's return-to-school-day in France today (la rentrée) and it's Labor Day in the States.  I guess it's time to say goodbye to summer and the beach.  Perhaps these little figurines at a brocante (like a flea market) in Amboise will bring back fond memories of sunny days and happy times.

the flip side

A few days ago, I posted my first photo of the year of the glorious sunflower. I think they are equally beautiful when viewed from behind.

another Saturday sunset

I should be paying modeling fees to the owner of this boat.

Theme Day - photographing the photographer

The first of every month is Theme Day for the worldwide bloggers of City Daily Photo and today's theme is "photographing the photographer".  To see how the others interpreted this theme click here.

As for me, I caught this photographer's reflection shooting a shop window on Place Debré back in March.