The Pont du Gard

Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

As this post is published, we're flying home from France.
Le sigh.
But we had a fabulous time and can't complain about an 18-day vacation.
While we were in France, we visited the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct. We had just been in the village Uzes where the water ran across the aqueduct to the more southern town of Nimes.
The sun came out at just the right time.



We have never gone to the top of the aqueduct, but apparently you can take a tour and go to the top level. I did take a picture of these stone steps that lead up to it.
   
Although the steps look ancient, they were built in the 1800s. You can see where they are worn away in the middle.
 Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Please leave you link below and visit each other's blogs to share your love for France.

Saturday Snapshot -- Baby Mitten

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend of family member) have taken. Then leave a direct link to your post on West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online
I think this photo is a harbinger of spring.

A pink baby mitten hanging in a tree with the snow melting in the background. 

The trees are all still bare, but the sun is offering hope.

I hope spring is coming where you are, unless, of course, you're in the southern hemisphere!

Spring Forth

Look what I found at Trader Joe's today. 

My own, personal sign of spring. 

I so needed something sunny to sit on my counter as a counter action to the relentless snow and cold. 

Spring has to be close, right?

Saturday Snapshot

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend of family member) have taken. Then leave a direct link to your post on West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online

This was such a glorious  morning that I wanted to share it with you. I was torn between photos of the beautiful colored leaves and the show-stopping blue sky with contrails across the sky. 

Here's a mix of both.

Some of the red leaves are truly beautiful. The yellow ones are too but they are harder to capture on my iPhone camera.

Some round bushes have gone an amazing red. I don't know if they do this every year and I just never noticed before, or if this is an especially good year for these bushes.

Also this week I am announcing the winner of a giveaway for Mike Dixon's book Wolf Wood. Thanks to everyone who entered. I entered the names of everyone to a Random Name Selector on my phone then pushed the button and Valentina came up as the winner. So Mike will be sending her a copy of his book.

Saturday Snapshot -- Glorious Morning

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
One of the best things about getting up early is that the morning is oftentimes gorgeous. 
Here's a shot from a morning run with my friend Najah. 

Please come back to visit this week because I'll be posting a review and interview of Seduction by M.J. Rose for France Book Tours, and there's going to be a giveaway of signed manuscript pages, plus a chance to win the necklace on the cover of the book. 

Saturday Snapshot -- Poppy

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on West Metro Mommy. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

This week has been a tough one for me, so the morning sunshine on this pink poppy is about the most hopeful thing I can find. 

I'm trying to jump start my mood. I ran this morning and stopped at Starbucks for a mocha with caffeine (I usually drink decaf.) On my walk home, I saw a number of yellow finches flitting along and landing on the side of a brick building. They made me smile, so I know all hope is not lost. 

Hope you are all having a good weekend. 

Dreaming of France -- Montmartre

Please join this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Maybe we can all satisfy our yearnings for France, until we get there again.

For today, I'll share some photos from Montmartre that Grace took last fall when my blogging friend Linda Mathieu of Frenchless in France took Grace on a tour.

 

Here are some of the traditional artists.

I wonder if the couple on the left side are French or tourists?

 

I love the sunbeam shining down on this artist.

I'm anxious to see what you all have to share. I know that Esme from Chocolate and Croissants just got back from a trip to France.

Sunshine

Today is the coldest day yet this season with temperatures in the 20s, but don't tell the sun.
The sun is brilliant today.

How is it at your house today?

Saturday Snapshot -- Nature

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

As the hectic holiday season is upon us, we all need something to steady us, help us remember the improtant things in life. So I've borrowed a picture from my husband's winter camping trip.


Doesn't this look peaceful?
What are you strategies for staying sane in the holiday season?

Saturday Snapshot -- Water and Sun

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post on Alyce's blog At Home With Books. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.
Earl took a lot of good shots on his weeklong trip to France. I loved the sunshine on the water in this one as he took a boat tour along the Loire near Nantes.

Photo Effects

I've got a hectic day, teaching at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. today, so I'll share this photo from a time when the sun shone in Ohio. It was brief, but we enjoyed it.
Here I am enjoying a cosmo on the terrace of a local restaurant. I took the picture with my phone and was delighted to learn that I can use different techniques, like changing the photo to a cartoon. So, here's my Cosmo Cartoon photo.

Here's wishing everyone a sunny day with cosmos on terraces.