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We have lost our wi-fi in the house so there won't be any posts for few days. I'm sure you'll all get on.

Leaves, Saignon

Borie and lavender, Lioux

A borie is a rock outbuilding used to store grain, farm implements or anything needed on the land. This is halfway up the road to the cliff.

Falasie de Madeleine, Lioux

This is a giant rock formation that we go to every visit. It is a very hard climb, followed by a 2 mile walk on top and a long climb back down. About 4 miles in all. A great workout, with great views.

Soupe au Pistou, altered

Soupe au Pistou is meant to be purely a vegetable soup. I had two chicken carcasses on my hand so I made a great chicken broth and then followed a good recipe to get this, which was good for two whole meals.

Apero time.

Fall field, Saignon

Garbage chute, Saignon

The town redid the parking lot in the year between visits. They eliminated an area where people put their recycling and garbage. They moved the recycling down the hill and made a large garbage area that is fed by this chute. No odor and no garbage in view.

One of our party believed that there was a man living down there. Not saying who, but he fills teeth.

Happy pig, Apt.

Why are all the animals in butcher shops so happy?

Graffiti, Apt

Alternative head lice cure.

Subtle but effective.

Catching up, Saignon

There is a lull at around 5:00. The kids are home and at work on schoolwork and the streets fill with neighbors. The woman in white pants is Christine of Chez Christine.

Weeds and Hollyhock, Saignon

Wall art, detail, Coustellet

This is part of a mural that covers three walls of a small building in Coustellet.

Chicken suit, Coustellet

Luckily for everyone who knows me, they didn't have an XL in the chicken suit.

Scarves, Coustellet market

These are all made in India and are very light and soft. Janie loves them.

Shutters, Saignon

9/11 2011

On September 11th this flag appeared in a square. A wonderful gesture by someone.

Shadows, Saignon

Tables, Bonnieux

These just had to be black and white.

Descent of Le Rocher

Coming down the rock for the last time this year. Took some Moxie to climb it.

Old cement mixer, Saignon

I love old, well-used stuff.

Ivy, Casseneuve

Nice Fall color.

Swiss Chard, Banon

All of the planters in this square were planted to chard. Very good looking and great tasting. Just grab some leaves on the way home from work.

Church, Saignon

Very nice light tonight.

Window and door, Banon

Our courtyard ar Rose Cottage

On the left, our house, on the right, our local restaurant. We're eating there tonight, the 23rd.

View from de Sade's castle, Lacoste

The castle is above the whole town. It seems a rare set-up as the church usually occupied the apex of the village in the old days. I don't believe that the Marquis de Sade was the most devout Christian in those days.

Art installation, Lacoste

This is a view from above of the second installation we encountered in the museum of de Sade's castle in Lacoste. We all immediately walked into it. It is about ten by twenty feet in area and about ten feet in height. All it is is strings of hollow blue rubber tubing hanging from a frame. So simple and so wonderful.

Within the installation.

The piece just invited you to walk into it. It was like being underwater in a wind. Magic.

Harvey in Wonderland

Art installation, Lacoste

This was the first installation we encountered.

Almond tart at Christine's

Sooooo good.

The perch for the previous shot.

Saignon from above.

Harvey and Carol discovered a trail through the woods and onto a large shelf of rock above town. This is the main town with Le Rocher on the left and the church to the right. This was our last walk on this trail as Janie encountered a large snake on the way back to the car.

View from Christine's at breakfast.

There isn't a bad seat at Chez Christine

Janie in Casseneuve

Our renter, Henrietta, recommended this restaurant highly in her local guide. We tried for three visits to eat there and it was always closed. This year we caught them and the meal was worth the wait. It is run by a young Brazilian chef who really knows his stuff.

Janie and wall, Banon

Window, Banon

This was a startling find. I looked in the window and saw that the room was filled with stage props.

Flowers, Banon

Banon is a very pretty little town that is also the center of chevre making. Chevre being goat cheese. For you Vermonters, it's sort of the Cabot of the Luberon. Their best cheeses come wrapped in chestnut leaves. Of course, cheese makers from other areas wrap different leaves around their cheeses to try to cash in. The locals are not fooled.

Perched porch, Banon

I love to find the little places people sit to be comfortable. This little terrace had about a 100 foot drop just over the little wall. But what a view.

Roussillon Ochre

This is an obligatory shot if one goes to Roussillon. These were the pigments used in painting for centuries.

Assiette de melon, Roussillon

This was a fabulous meal that I didn't get one taste of from two different people! By all accounts it was a delight of melon.

Wedding/Advertising shoot, Rue Cilly, Saignon

Rue Cilly is the street that we rent on. We came out of the house one morning and found this scene. We assumed it was for an upcoming wedding. The next day the same guy was shooting the couple with a different wedding dress involved, so it may have been a fashion shoot. He was very good at relaxing the models.

Janie descending a staircase.

This staircase leads down from a parking lot to our nearest market, Intermarche. It is the oldest supermarket in town, and the smallest, and arguably the most worn; but it is the easiest to shop in and has very good meat, produce and specialties.

Old pear and dill.

Two things I picked up during our walk. The dill plant was 5 feet tall.

Looking up at lunch at Christine's.

There are very few bad views in Saignon. I just sat back from a great salade and saw this.

Blackberries, Saignon

On our daily walk we nip to the side of the road in one place to have a handful of fresh wild blackberries. It's like being a kid again.

Dinner at Gary's

Our neighbor across the street, very kindly invited us to dinner in his house. This was all done by him! We had a wonderful apero, with many tales of Saignon and then a truly lovely meal. Rack of lamb, cooked perfectly and large slices of potato, sauteed in duck fat, rich and decadent but soooo good. As a starter we had this light spinach soup with cauliflower. Gary is as good a cook as he is a raconteur. (apero is an aperitif)

It's still out front Harvey!

Harvey finally found the right walking stick.