Saint-Savin

Oh, Shut Up, You'd Take Pictures, Too!

just a tree, near Chateau de Pruniers

church steeple in Saint-Savin

Driving Back from Bourgueil/Chinon

Was driving alone and so wanted to share it with friends. Listening to Patti Griffin, windows down, and such a big sky. Kinda reminds me of back home in Illinois.

Zen Proverb

When the flower arranger arranges the flowers, he also arranges his mind and the mind of the person who looks at the flowers.

                                    Zen Proverb

Chinon, I Love You

Made a trip to Bourgueil and Saumur, and passed through Chinon again. Still love it the best. Here's some grapes from Baudry-Dutour, where had promised to go back to. EXCELLENT stuff.

Just Because

Some church in Bourgueil

Sunset across the river

French Efficiency (l'efficacité française)

I'm not sure if anyone's ever noticed this...but a few years ago they built a new retirement home, here in St. Pierre de Maillé. They could have been a little more tactful.

Streetlight. That's It.

Water Lilies out by the Swing

Monet who?

Road Trip to Montmorillon, Playing with Hipstamatic iPhone app

Church in Montmorillon

Ed/Liz on the street

Don't Swim Here

or Here

Chateau in Montmorillon

View From the Bridge

I've posted pictures of the bridge here before, but here's the view from the bridge.

La Distillerie

Went to a jazz concert at La Distillerie tonite. It's an old alcohol distillerie that the Germans used to convert beet sugar to ethanol for their tanks in WWII. It's an event space now, right here in St. Pierre de Maillé. And very cool. This is a metal sculpture in the courtyard, taken with my new toy, the Hipstamatic app for iPhone. Yes, I know.

Shepherd Moon

...What are you doing, moon, up in the sky?...The shepherd's life is like your life. He rises at first light and moves his flock across the field. Then, weary, he rests at evening and hopes for nothing more....

Came across that in "2666" by Robert Bolano, which I'm reading right now. And tonite's a full moon.

Cherry Tomatoes with Balsamic Glaze and Rosemary "Handles"

Dessert

French yogurt cake (by me) and elderberry confiture (by ed) and raw crème fraîche. Not bad...

Our Lady of Bedoué

On the way to Vicq-sur-Gartempe, just down the road, I have passed this grotto many times but never noticed. Just off the side of the road. Strangely, if you stop RIGHT next to it you'll likely be killed by a car racing around the corner. So maybe it's a trap, set by the Virgin Mary herself!

Kinda pretty, kinda tacky, very cool. Click on the pic to enlarge.

Not exciting, just nice.

Only Three Today

We have four Black Copper Maran chickens so we usually get four eggs...

Jesus Everywhere

Crosses at every corner around here...

Should I Do It?

2400 Pages in French...

Chinon

Finally getting up my pics from a trip to Chinon with my high school chum Linda who'd come to visit.

Chinon and the Loire Valley is mainly known for Cabernet Franc. It's not a widely-known grape, and usually used in Bordeaux as the ugly step-sister to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I find that it gives those wines a faint trace of eucalyptus and usually try to search out a Bordeaux without any Cab Franc.

In the Loire it's a whole different thing. Ripe and juicy and needing lots of sun, it tastes of earth and ripe forest berries. It's a big wine and reminds me of a steak in a glass for some reason.

Anyway, Chinon is also known as a fortress town where Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lion-Hearted hung out. The movie "The Lion in Winter" takes place here and I just watched the 2003 version with Glenn Close, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. It's really a great film, very political intrigue and armor and kings and such.

Here's the fortress where it takes place, or what's left of it:

But I came for the wine.

First I came upon Phillippe Alliet who, according to Eric Asimov in the NY Times, makes the best Chinon. It's supposed to be hard to find, but we just happened upon it. They were either closed or don't have a tasting room, but I found a bottle of the old vine (vieilles vignes) good stuff in town. Just amazing.

Another great wine is from Baudry-Dutour, but again, they were closed. Do NOT go wine hunting on a Monday. Classy sign, and beautiful winery, out-buildings, and chateau. Definitely going back for this one.

I also visited Fabrice Gasnier and bought a bottle of his vielles vignes, which I decanted and we drank on Bastille Day after the fireworks. Truly one to look for.

We had a great lunch, found a beautiful map of Chinon, visited Chateau d'Ussé, and had a perfectly beautiful summer day. I will be back!

For Margaret

We found a nearby farm that sells raw milk, or lait cru. And crème fraîche; you can see how thick it is by how it stands up in the spoon. It's like frosting. Delish.

Angles sur l'Anglin

This is the next town over, rated one the of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Truly.