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!

spring - down on the farm

This rural scene could be almost anywhere but is in fact just outside the town line of Amboise.

Marignan 2015 - the joust

Last night at Clos Lucé, there was another event celebrating the 500th anniversary of the ascension of King François I to the throne of France in 1515.  The evening was actually a re-creation of an event in 1518 to celebrate the victory in battle between the French and the Swiss near the town of Marignan (French spelling) in Italy.  This was only one of many battles fought during the Italian Wars from 1494 to 1559.  With this victory, France regained control over the Lombardy region of Italy (at least for awhile).  The 21 year old King himself led the French forces into battle and was hailed as a hero.

One element of both the 1518 and the 2015 celebrations was a jousting event.  I found it amazing to see these horsemen demonstrate their riding skills while in armor.

Here is a wider view of the performance on the grounds of Clos Lucé (Leonardo's home at the time of the 1518 spectacle).

the workhorse

After the prolonged holiday season, I'm guessing everyone is feeling a bit like a tired workhorse.