sunset on Spring

The solstice was yesterday and it's officially Summer!  Note that this shot was taken a 10:15 pm.  We are at the same latitude as Newfoundland.

water under the bridge

Shot from bridge Leclerc over the Loire, this shows how shallow the waters are now as they flow under the arches.  Only kayaks and canoes can navigate this part of the river while at its Atlantic mouth sea-going tankers can pass under the great bridge at Saint-Nazaire.

poppies on the Loire

The poppies are in full bloom here and these down by the river Loire have the perfect view of it.

drumbeat

Another view on the recent Brass Band festival orchestral finale.  This time a focus on the drum section.

rockin' reflections

This reflecting pool is at nearby Château Chaumont which specializes in outdoor works of art on a large scale.

youth orchestra on the plaza

The big finale to the 25th annual Brass Band Festival in Amboise was actually a full orchestra of youthful musicians.  Throughout the day, the smaller brass bands competed for top honors and also strolled around town entertaining the locals and tourists alike.

the bandstand in early spring

The area around the bandstand was renovated not too long ago and it now looks better than ever.

deserted

Walking around the streets of Amboise yesterday was a bit surreal.  It was the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci at his home Clos Lucé here.  His tomb is in the little chapel you can see in the background on the grounds of the château.  The presidents of both France and Italy came for the commemoration ceremonies.  So due to security concerns, the entire central area of the town was closed to traffic and parking.  And the routes taken by the presidents were even closed to pedestrians.  As a result, Amboise became a ghost town for much of the day in spite of this once in lifetime event.  Shops and restaurants were closed and everyone stayed home.  I find it sad that these days even a small town cannot get together to celebrate, participate in a foot race, or be able to see our elected officials without being overwhelmed by fears of terrorism.

E pluribus unum

There was a long row of fabulous trees like this in the parking lot at the Amboise train station.  As with most panoramic subjects, I just couldn't get them all into one shot.  So I decided to focus on this one.

Yowza, Colza !

The fields around Amboise are exploding with colza (the French word for canola).  To me, this field looks to be a roiling sea of yellow.  Click on the image to see a larger version of it.

Amsterdam comes to Amboise

On the outskirts of Amboise is a field where tulips are grown by the Rotary Club to raise money for community service.  I luckily managed to capture them just before they were harvested a few hours later.

Château de Saché

In this home of his friend, Honoré de Balzac was inspired to write a number of his celebrated works of literature.  It's a charming site and I too was inspired... to take many photos.

the bridge over the pond

free ranging

market day sunrise surprise

Last Sunday, the just rising sun bathed the plane trees in this wonderful pinkish-red glow.  The tops of the market's stalls can be seen behind the levee.

the golden ginkgo

golden triangle

It's the peak of the autumn seasonal colors this week.  By next week, it'll be streets of gold.

RG but missing the B

Red leaves.  Green Moss.  If only there could have been a blue sky.  Ah well, it is November after all.

100 years after the Armistice

Under a vaulted cathedral of plane trees, Amboise remembered the end of World War I with a moving ceremony.

waiting for the next show

river of youth ?

Bathing just under the surface of the shallows of the Loire, this fall leaf appears to be trying to regain it's youth of green.

subtle colors of Fall

Fall fishin'

sunset on Tour Féalain

is it too early

...to think about fall when the temperatures are hovering around 90 F / 30 C ?  Not for me.  I can't wait.

keeping the peace

And they're keeping it inside the police car just to be sure.

hangin' out on the levee

It's August.  It's hot.  What better to do than to sit in the shade and try to catch a little breeze off of the Loire on top of the levee.  Then add in some tunes.

les Deux-Moiselles de B

These two young women put on a spectacular show one evening this week on the main town plaza, Place Debré.  The name of the act appears to be a French play on words. The word demoiselle is a young woman and thus two (French word deux) of them make deux-moiselles.  (After a bit of internet searching, I think the B was shortened from Blanqui, the neighborhood where they live in nearby Tours.)  Anyway, they put on a very lively and amusing cabaret-type show to entertain the summer crowd in Amboise.

no kidding

The other day in Amboise there was a solo modern dance on BMX accompanied by cello !  Both, I would say, were virtuoso performances.  I kid you not.  To me the dance felt akin to an ice dance as he was able to glide so smoothly while performing his acrobatic moves.  The musician played classical pieces and at times acted as a foil for the dancer.  You would have to have seen it to believe it.  The audience loved it, as I did.

it was neck and neck

But what a race.  This is another in the series of sculptures that are on display in Amboise during this tourist season.  This one is really an unexpected pleasure on the levee as we don't see too many giraffes on the streets here.