Maurice and I are in Paris for a few days before we head off for the States for a few weeks. I was out in the city yesterday and here are a few photos I took here and there.

Passage St Andre des Arts. This is a little alleyway, an old ancient paved street that is fun to visit.

I rather liked these pillows with a portion of the Eiffel Tower image on them. I can’t remember the name of the store-TEO, I think, where I saw them but it was in the Marais.

A view of the St Paul St Louis church in the Marais from a narrow street.

An image inside an old hotel in the Marais on rue St Paul which is full of old images and objects from old movies. This is Charlie Chaplin.

The first time I went to the lovely Ochre toned village of Roussillon I was captivated by the paintings I saw in a gallery there by the artist, Francoise Valenti. They are full of vibrant color: ochre buildings with stretches of lavender in the foreground, or scarlet poppies in a field. I bought one of her posters and have it framed and hanging in our house.

Hard to see because of the reflection, but here it is. You can see more at her website:
http://www.francoisevalenti.com/

When my son who is living in Switzerland and his family visited me this summer the four year old, Holden, informed me that he was going to make a lot of money with his art. It turns out that he is very good at art. I don’t think I’m prejudiced. He’s really good with color and comes up with some amazing things.

This is his interpretation of the Brazillian flag. I’m not sure where he saw one.

So, when we took them all to see Roussillon I thought Holden especially would like to see the gallery of Francoise Valenti. I told him she was an artist too. She speaks excellent English and Holden started talking with her telling her he was going to sell his art out of their basement. She lives in the floors above the gallery in Roussillon and has a lovely garden that you can see from the shop. She was very sweet with Holden and told him he should honor his gift and she gave him a postcard that she had in the shop.
I love her work. One of these days, I’d love to buy one of her original paintings of Paris.

When Maurice and I went to Malaysia-when was it, 3 years ago?-we bought a beautiful batik scarf. I’ve been meaning to get it framed every since then so we can see it on the wall. I was going to take it to a nearby city here in Provence for framing but while I was in the shop someone came in to get something framed and the owner told him he couldn’t do it. That made me wonder if he would ruin my scarf. I did all sorts of google searches for framers but could find one within a somewhat handy distance so I took the scarf to Paris to get it framed there. Maurice couldn’t believe I did that because it meant we had to get it back to Provence. It turned out to be a large and heavy object. Luckily for us, some friends who were driving to Provence from Paris to visit us offered to bring it to us. We found out later that they also went to BHV where it was framed and brought it to their home on a crowded bus with much difficulty. But, anyway, it’s here now and we finally hung it on the wall.

It not exactly something in the Provence style but the colors are. We have an eclectic decorating style anyway.

I guess I can’t get enough of them. Like the others this year, this brocante was much smaller than the previous years. We didn’t get anything at this one. I found a table that I loved but it was way too expensive. This brocante was in la Tour d’Aigues, another village not far from us.

Another great setting-hard to beat a brocante in the shade of the ruins of a chateau.

I’m always drawn to plates.

I took this photo because I loved how they cups were arranged.

A look at the brocante in the reflection of some mirrors for sale.

Well, I guess it wasn’t really a party. Maurice has two sisters who rent a big place every August for two or three years and all of their children, grandchildren and friends of same arrive to enjoy the last gasp of summer. Many of this same group were at our home last week. This year they were at a city called la Ciotat and we were invited for lunch. I didn’t remember the name but it turns out that Maurice and I made a stop there once and he did a little swim in the sea while I sat in the shade with a Diet Coke-my usual position. I’m one of those pale, easily sunburned individuals, one who gets sick if in the sun too long, who peels with the inevitable sunburn. It took me all of these years but I finally learned the secret to avoiding sunburn-stay out of the sun. Duh.
So although the house was rented in la Ciotat, we never did see the sea as there was a swimming pool at the house which was seldom empty. A large table was set up in the shade and we spent hours there eating and drinking. I never left the shade not even to enter the pool.

Some pink champagne glasses on the table waiting to be filled.

Remember that question asked when celebrities are interviewed on that TV show-What is your favorite sound? My answer would be, the sound of a cork coming out of the champagne bottle. It always means you are celebrating something it seems to me. They opened a bottle of the bubbly to celebrate my passing of the written portion for the French Driver’s license. Wasn’t that nice?

I must have taken a dozen photos of champagne being poured or bubbling in the glass. It’s so pretty. Sad to say, said champagne gave me a hell of a hangover the next day. I mixed drinking it with rose which I can’t do. I am starting to wonder if I shouldn’t drink it.

Some cheese served with a Cote de Rhone red wine.
I took many photos of people too but I just don’t feel comfortable showing them here although Slyvette, Maurice’s sister, said she wouldn’t mind. I think I’ll just send those photos to her.

Four more photos from the brocante at Cucuron.

I liked the framing of the photos of this couple and wondered how old they were. You know there must be a great story behind them.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a little stool to go with a garden chair.

Isn’t this an interesting little chest?

I thought this was so sweet. If the initials had been LM I would have bought it.

There is another brocante in la Tour d’Aigue next weekend and we will be there.