Friday, April 19, 2024

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".

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Sunday, November 5, 2023

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.

Monday, August 14, 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. 


Saturday, July 15, 2023

quatorze juillet 2023

 


To see past years' fireworks click on the "fireworks" label at right.

Monday, May 29, 2023

the flower parade

 


It is a long weekend in France (Pentecost) and in Amboise flower festooned vehicles, people, and animals paraded over the bridge to the Ile d'Or.

Sunday, March 5, 2023

March marché

 


The tops of the vendors' trucks of the Sunday marché are just visible behind the levee that protects Amboise from flooding by the Loire.  The post title is an etymologist's playground.  The English word March is the 3rd month of the year.  Uncapitalized, it means to walk in a military manner.  The French word marché is market in English.  It also derives from the verb marcher (pronounced the same) that means to walk in English.  Don't get me started on the word levee.

Monday, November 28, 2022

Friday, November 11, 2022

breakfast of champignons

 


(champignons is French for mushrooms)  I'm still searching for the baconrooms.