dawn on the levee

The good thing about the shorter days now is that I can easily get photos at dawn.  Today sunrise was at 8:03 am (Central European Time).

sawtooth roof

This is part of an old abandoned factory.  I find these roofs really interesting... and practical.

reflections on the Cher

The Cher is famously known as the river over which Château Chenonceau is built.  The stone structure marks the corner of the estate's property.  I took this shot from a wonderful path the runs alongside the river and behind the château.

sunset Sunday

Here's a departure from my normal sunset Saturday post.

Place Richelieu in autumn

It's been (and is) a really beautiful autumn here.  Lots of golds and even reds and sunshine.

take me to the river

All roads lead to the Loire.

pressing matters

I just recently discovered this 1875 grape press on display next to the vineyards at the local viticulture high school.  You can judge by the size of the beam how much pressure this press was able to apply.  This post is for all my friends in the States who have pressing matters to attend to today, election day.

the fly by

I had to scramble to grab my camera as this guy suddenly sailed by at low altitude over our home.  While it may appear that he is spewing white smoke behind, fortunately, they're just clouds.

Foulées Amboisiennes 2016

Recently the annual footrace in Amboise was conducted on a glorious, warm Sunday afternoon.  The start and finish is just in front of the château.  Alas, I wasn't able to participate this year but wait'll next year!  as they say.

foggy morning

We've had our share of them here lately.  The days are getting noticeably shorter and made even more evident as France "fell back" an hour last Sunday.  Sunset is now around 5:30 pm.

Leonardo's studio

It's been 500 years since Leonardo da Vinci left Italy to spend his final years in Amboise. He brought with him three of his masterpieces including the Mona Lisa.  His home here, Clos Lucé is currently commemorating his arrival with various programs and exhibitions.  Shown here is a recreation of the artist's workshop.

RGB

My neighbor's wall has the best red ivy I've seen here this year.  Throw in a beautiful blue sky and some vivid greenery and voilà.

Theme Day - "out of focus"

The first of every month is Theme day for the international bloggers of City Daily Photo, and today the theme is "out of focus".  What a dream for photographers everywhere to show a photo badly out of focus and have it be welcomed (or at least invited).  Click here to see how the other bloggers interpreted today's theme.

For ADP, I decided to go with this fuzzy shot from last November.  It's from the torch-lit parade through the streets of Amboise celebrating the arrival of the first batch of wine from last autumn's regional harvest (l'arrivée du Touraine Primeur).  Back then I didn't post any parade shots because they were all were out of focus!

now that's a costume

This fellow was strolling around the grounds of Clos Lucé when I snapped this shot.  He was quite shy and just didn't seem to want to pose for me.  Maybe he'll open up, so to speak, for Halloween.

the château and the gold

The shot was taken in the (currently golden) vineyards of the local high school for future wine makers.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  This particular school literally sits on high above the Loire river valley and has this commanding view of the château in the distance.

déja vu

No, this is not one of my trip photos from Japan (although I have lots of them).  Amazingly and coincidentally, on the day we returned to Amboise, there was a tea ceremony conducted in the mansion at Clos Lucé.  The visiting Japanese ceramicist agreed to introduce the concept to visitors as part of the regular tour.  She was just as astonished to hear I had just visited her home country as I was to see her here in Amboise.  The old cliché, it's a small world, couldn't be more applicable.

And due to all our travelling, home renovations, and various other projects, today, I am also announcing a bit of a change to ADP.  For the foreseeable future it will be more aptly known AADP, the 2nd "A" being "Almost" as I will not necessarily publish a photo every day.  With all of my "distractions", I find I cannot really produce enough shots of sufficient quality to continue on a daily basis.  However, I will post them as I think they are worth your time to view.

Theme Day - "abandoned"

The first of every month is Theme Day for the worldwide bloggers of City Daily Photo.  October's theme is "abandoned".  You can click here to see how the other bloggers interpreted the theme.  For ADP, I chose this abandoned office building of the enterprise Mabille.  Presses used in wine making as well other agricultural equipment were manufactured here under that name from 1835 to 1965.

Regular viewers of this blog may be interested to know that parts of this building were mysteriously posted recently here and here.  As a reminder, I will be away on travel for awhile but I'll be back.

off on another adventure

A shot from right outside our front door as these hot air balloons start their adventure shortly before sunset.

I know it seems like I just came back from a break from ADP, but here I am taking another one.  This time we're off on our own adventure to Japan.  However, I have queued up tomorrow's photo (CDP Theme day) to be automatically posted while we're in flight. So for now, au revoir.

the garden gate

This elaborate stone entrance is to the garden at Château de la Bourdaisière.  The stone bridge in front crosses the moat around the château.  It's good to own a château.

blazing in the wind

These grasses, backlit by a bright autumn sun, seem to be glowing.

picnic at Château Gaillard

The big finale for the weekend food festival was a Sunday evening picnic on the grounds of Château Gaillard.  There were strolling musicians to entertain us while we dined and afterwards there was a lively dance band.  The weather was perfect and the brightly lit château set the festive mood.

la promenade royale

This last weekend there was first festival gastronomic in Amboise.  Included in the festivities was a parade down "main street" (rue Nationale) by the local volunteers of the Renaissance spectacle.

bathed in the glow

The new lights on the château have been turned on after nine years of darkness.  These new ones (166 LED projectors) are so efficient that together they use about as much energy as a clothes iron.  I think it makes for a magical look.

complicated sunset

Saturday sunset time.  This August one was an intricate mix of high and low clouds.

mellow in yellow

Bon weekend tout le monde.

Autumnal equinox 2016

I actually got up a bit early to dash down to the bridge to grab this snap of the sunrise behind the château.  On this day of the equinox, that was pretty easy as the sun came up here a 7:41 am.

autumn explosion

This is the only type of explosion I want to see anymore.

the windmill like you've never seen

I don't know the purpose of this windmill at Château Bourdaisière, although I could speculate that it drives a water pump for the nearby gardens.  But even if it has no other purpose, it definitely entertains and amazes.  To me it looks like a design out of a Jules Verne novel.

talk about your glass ceilings

Alas, this old office entry belonged to a manufacturer that is no longer in business, but to many this may symbolize the job market these days.

wading in

Here's another shot illustrating how low the Loire has been lately (this shot was taken ten days ago).  Typically, these three little "islands" are underwater, and typically it would be very difficult if not impossible to wade into the river here to do a little fishing.  We've had one rain since then and this area is again all submerged.