the kids

Who wouldn't want to take these guys home from the marché ?!

the great wall of teapots

I have ridden past this house on my bike several times in past, but this last time I finally stopped to capture this unusual scene.  The owner has attached teapots (among other things) all along the top of the wall in front of the house.  This little panorama captures just a small section of the total length!  It's quite impressive.  But why?  Ah well, why not!?

a summer mix

The gardeners for the town of Amboise really know how to make an interesting bouquet of flowers.

put on a happy face

Or not.

Unfortunately the farmers who grow these beauties next to the bike trail have to put up with a bit of sunflower "graffiti".  I don't approve of this but I couldn't resist showing this one.

jardin et Eglise Saint-Etienne de Villandry

Here's a shot taken in June of the wonderful gardens of Villandry with the church Saint-Etienne in the background.

Saturday sunset

If anyone is getting tired of all these sunsets recently posted, I'll be happy to refund your subscription.  But I find them irresistible lately.  (And I've got more!)

helmets in the attic

Here I am back in the attic at château Chaumont.  I've already posted several shots from there.  It's hard to resist.  It's basically storerooms for old, and often un-restored, items not displayed in the renovated areas.  The low level light from small windows is perfect for capturing these scenes in black and white.

the banner

Recently this wonderful banner was hoisted up the flagpole on top of the levee.  Before, the pole was generally unused.  I think this is a nice addition for welcoming visitors to town and is almost always fluttering away in the wind blowing down the Loire valley.

coucher du soleil sur l'hôtel de ville

The golden light of the sunset on city hall the other evening was perfect.  I promise I didn't "juice" up the color!

window detail

This window at château Chaumont is constructed similarly to a stained glass window but each piece is round and is clear glass.  The outdoor scene behind gives it the colors.

le Citroën DSuper

While taking a little stroll through Place Debré with visiting friends, we came upon this perfectly restored Citroën DSuper, much to our great delight.  If I were the owner, I'm not sure I could leave this blue jewel unattended.  You can read about this classic French car here.

rowboats at Chenonceau

You want color ?

The color of this flower at château Chaumont was almost iridescent.

another view of the urns of Chenonceau

These wonderful urns surround Diane de Poitier's garden at château Chenonceau.  I really like their placement of the brilliant white urns against the dark green backgound and the mottled garden walls.

"Gardens of the deadly sins"

That's is the theme for this year's garden festival at the château Chaumont.  Lest I repeat myself about the festival, I provided a little summary in last year's post.

meet the beetle

Judging by the reaction to this photo by my wife, I predict this will not be voted the most popular photo on ADP.  But this is yet just another slice of life in Amboise and France that I think is worth sharing. I recently encountered this stag horn beetle just calmly walking down the street with his smaller friend (a female?).  This one was about 3 inches / 7 cm in length.  Although he may look a little vicious, these beetles are actually not threatening.  Those pincers are mainly for show and would not really hurt you.  In fact, these guys are the ones more threatened and are a protected species in France.



Anyone get the title reference ?  (Hint: 1964)

determination

This guy was determined to grow right out of the side of the stone levee.

feu d'artifice 14 juillet

It was a perfect night for fireworks in Amboise.

quatorze juillet 2014

you tell me

I was sitting outside on our terrace the other night and waiting to see if I needed to run down to water's edge to take a sunset photo.  Well, it didn't turn out to be such a photo-worthy sunset, but I did capture this rather interesting cloud formation.  I promise this has not be retouched.  Another Rorschach test for you.

the Loire, looking east

It seems like most of my photos of the Loire are taken towards the west.  But this day I took a panorama looking towards the east with the Ile d'Or on the right.  The water level is pretty low lately as evidenced by the sand bars you see on the right as well as the remains of the remains of the piers of an old bridge in the foreground.  Both are generally under water.


Disclaimer:  I'm still "on the road", so don't be surprised if I'm not making my usual responses to your comments or making my own comments on your blog!

4th of July eve

It's been a good season so far for sunsets.  I took this panorama (two shots merged into one) the evening before Independence day.  I knew it was a good sign.


Disclaimer:  I'm still "on the road", so don't be surprised if I'm not making my usual responses to your comments or making my own comments on your blog!

aging gracefully

This home on Place Debré seems to be aging, but I think with a certain amount of dignity.  Cosmetically, a little scruffy, but looks to be in sound condition.  I aspire to that.



A closer look:

Disclaimer:  I'm still "on the road", so don't be surprised if I'm not making my usual responses to your comments or making my own comments on your blog!

happy camper

Judging from all the new growth on this guy, I would say he is definitely a happy camper.


Disclaimer:  I'm still "on the road", so don't be surprised if I'm not making my usual responses to your comments or making my own comments on your blog!

what a railing

This railing (there must be a better word for this) lines the entrance to a home just at the feet of the château in Amboise.  I can only imagine what the place looks like inside.

Well, I'm leaving today for another little road trip this week.  I never know how well internet connections are going to work, so if you don't hear from me as usual, it's not because I'm not trying.

fireworks on the way

We were on our way to our friends' house to celebrate the 4th when these incredibly dark clouds appeared to the west.  Unfortunately the winds were blowing in our direction and this short but intense storm hit the party head on.  We even lost power for awhile.  But fortunately, it passed somewhat quickly, the power came back on, the party continued, and a good time was had by all.  Whew.

towers of the château

Here are two towers of the château at Amboise like the one reflected in yesterday's post.  The skies here have been very cooperative for photographers lately.

towering reflection

I found this reflection of one of the towers of the château at Amboise on the main square, Place Debré.

4th of July 2014

To get this classy American fire department pedal car, you would have had to travel to the June brocante in Amboise.  Fortunately, there happened to be a nice blue rug to complement the red and white of the car.  Happy Independence Day to Americans everywhere !

mystery solved

Here's the solution to yesterday's puzzle... a shot from the Isle d'Or over the Loire.  There might have been some cropping and inverting involved but no headstands !

from another angle

No, I did not take this photo of the château at Amboise while my camera was dreaming, but you will have to figure out my point of view to understand why it looks like this.

CDP Theme Day - "celebrating summer"

The first of every month is theme day for the City Daily Photo bloggers around the world.  For today's theme, "celebrating summer", I made a collage of moments from the recent fête de la musique and added some fireworks.  To see how the other CDP bloggers interpreted the theme click here.