I usually get a little melancholy when the days start getting so short and the night starting so early and look forward to December 22nd when it all starts returning to days of longer light. I love it when it doesn’t get dark until after 10 PM in the summer. But one good thing about the sun setting so early is that I get to see sunsets in the Paris sky. In the summer I am usually inside, if not in bed, and miss the whole show that nature is putting on for those lucky to be out and observant at just the right time. Here are a few shots of a beautiful sky along the Seine not too long ago.

I’m not sure if you could call this a recipe and I’m not even sure if it is French but today I wandered into an Oliviers and Co to have a look around and found samples of sliced bread toasted with olive oil infused with basil, flavored salt and tomato powder. It had a great flavor so I bought their little kit and made the toast for dinner.

I imagine these ingredients are available at Olivier and Co in the States but at a higher price. You can also buy salt here with white truffles which cost probably 5 times less than in the States so it’s always worth a look while in Paris.

I think it would be a great little apperatif maybe topped with a tomato or a slice of avocado. I made the toast and then made a simple salad along with some ravioli mixed with the same olive oil, some parmasan cheese and some fried parma ham. It was a great light dinner.

When I left Arizona yesterday the temperature was going to get up to 80 degrees. We arrived in Paris to gray skies, rain and temps in the 40′s. I was wearing a light jacket and cotton pants and had a few chilly moments there. We had a great time in the States. In a few days it will all seem like a dream. Right before we left we went to the beautiful town of Sedona, north of Phoenix. I always forget how gorgeous it is there.

Isn’t it amazing how fantastic red cliffs will suddenly appear in the landscape? The drive to Sedona is pretty boring to me but it is worth it when all of this comes into view.

A reflection in a puddle. They had a lot of rain there a few days before we arrived but look at those beautiful blue skies the day we were there!

Interesting desert vegetation growing right into the rock.

Smooth cliffs and rough. None of this geologic drama was caused by glaciers but is all due to rain, wind and the passage of time.

To get a really good look at the area you either need a four wheeler or a tour. We took the Pink Jeep Tour and we actually went down what you see here. It was scary and I tried not to scream.

Sorry this photo is dark. I took this behind our jeep to show what we just came down and what the car behind us is about to do.

Before we left Sedona we went up the hill to see this Chapel built in the 50′s up in the rocks. Frank Lloyd Wright has a hand in the design. As you might imagine, it had a fantastic view once you got up there.

Actually, in the air again. Tomorrow we leave Phoenix at the ungodly hour of 7 AM where we will then fly to Dallas, then NYC, and then Paris. It’s gonna be a long day. We’ve had a great time and eaten our way across America. Maurice loves those American breakfasts with pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast so we have had our share of those. I’ve had my Mexican food fix but somehow never got to a barbeque place. I’ve had too much junk food too. So, now back to France where I eat more healthily and more simply in many way. See you on the other side of the Atlantic.