I hear the train a-comin'

 

sweet pea on the levee

 

a good year for cyclamen

 

Quatorze juillet on the heels of the 4th of July

 

  

double your pleasure

 

lucky day

 

This fellow appeared on our terrace this morning.  Some believe it is a sign of good luck.  Works for me.

blast off from the Loire

 

Best snow-op in a long time

 

sunset

 

the cormorant

 

les deux tours

 

April 14th was the first running of a local bicycle tour that ended in Amboise, la Tour de val d'Amboise.  The photo captures the racers as they begin to cross the bridge over the Loire and in front of the Tower of White Gold, la Tour d'or blanc (which celebrates the heritage of wine making in the Loire Valley). 

Of course the French word tour can mean both circuit (as in the Tour de France) and tower (as in the Eiffel Tower) in English.  Had the race ended in the nearby city of Tours, it could have been titled "les trois tours".

the search is on

 

equinox in Amboise

 

Perhaps a little gift from Iceland?

Seize the day with open arms

 

A good year for mushrooms

 

Lots of recent rain + Ile d'Or  =  lotsa mushrooms this November.

See more mushrooms here

blown away, twice

 

In recent months I would look forward to seeing the growth of these fungi during my daily walks around the Ile d'Or.  The biggest were over a foot (30 cm) wide.  They just blew me away with their numbers and size on the same tree.  Well, that came to a crashing end this weekend as high winds blew down the tree and all its sidekicks with it. It was sad to see.

Bridge. Clouds. Any questions?

 

It be October

 

Military exposition 2023

 

August surprise

In the rainy fall it's not surprising to get a basket full of mushrooms from our neighbor who knows well the forest of Amboise. But in August ?! Shows just how much wetter this summer has been than last, when we had a serious drought.