He walked along, his mind unburdened by thought.

Green and red, Lacoste

Sun room and garden, Lacoste

I have always been drawn to this garden in the middle of Lacoste. I'd love to sit and read in that room.

Student art, SCAD, Lacoste

One of Martina's people, Lacoste

A nice portrait;-}

Tree and walls, Lacoste

This tree had rooted in an alley and was quite healthy. I thought it was hiding.

A feat of driving. Lacoste.

This man backed this machine, with a load in it's scoop, down about 100 yards of street, not more than two feet wider than the machine. He never touched a wall and barely looked back. If I had attempted this the town of Lacoste would be reduced to rubble.

Fig leaf, Lacoste

Back street, Lacoste.

Statue, Lacoste

This seems to be a fitting statue to be outside the restored castle of the Marquis de Sade.

Provencal light, Lacoste.

All visual artists and most keen observers find that there are places on Earth that hold and reflect the light in a more beautiful way. Near where we live, in northern Florida, St. Augustine is one of them. Provence is that way, as is Paris. When the sun bounces between the lovely old honey colored walls it is so soft and warm, almost a physical presence.

Filler cap, Lacoste

Lacoste is being rapidly gentrified. Between the school, SCAD, and the museum, the buildings are being beautifully restored. I am of two minds about this. The results are wonderful but I feel the town loses a little of it's ancient feel with every perfectly pointed stone wall. This is a nice peice of whimsey that reflects on a drain hole in a wall in Saignon from earlier in the blog.

Lacoste

Lacoste is a fascinating town. Very hilly, very old, with an art school adjunct from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). It is the home of the Marquis de Sade's castle that has been purchased by Pierre Cardin and restored, then turned into an art museum. All of this in a tiny hill town. Great fun to walk around.

Fig leaf, Saignon

These started to really fall in our second week.

The last hollyhock.

I swear, honey, that this was the very last hollyhock of the year in all of Provence....I hope.

Olives below Saignon

On the last part of our walk. There were green and black olives on most of these trees. They were twigs when we first came here years ago.

Baby showing, Saignon

As we came into town one day we ran into this group admiring the twins, grandchildren of the owner of the Balthazar, one of the restaurants in town.

Beginning and end of out typical walk around Saignon

It's a nice walk that starts through the woods and ends coming up the hill into town from the east.

Changing vines, Saignon

 I love the daily changes in the Autumn.

Mailbox, Saignon

Statues, graveyard, Goult

View from Goult.

Carving, Goult

Goult has a lot of carving done by the same person I would guess. There are a number of dead trees that have their branches transformed into nice sculpture. This is on a little side street.

Shutter and vine, Goult

Colors, Goult

Poster, Apt

We missed this exhibit. I love the idea of a young couple bringing their apples on a walk.

Hydrant moderne, Saignon

Now this is a poor excuse for a hydrant. No spirit, no romance. Pah!

Stairs and bench, Saignon

For a town of under 1,000 people, Saignon has more little side streets than it should. They all connect and are great fun to explore.

Vine on our deck, Saignon

Truffle statue, St. Saturnin les Aptes

Now I am not sure if this man was the father of all truffle hunting in France, or the father of Provencale truffle hunting. Either way he is a very important guy. I thought that most of the truffles were in the Dordogne area, but that may be because I have read the Bruno: Chief of Police mysteries that take place there.

Wall decor, St. Saturnin

I love it when people put up little decorations, probably on a whim. It makes the oldest wall intimate. (Another wall in need of repair, Martina:-)

Salmon, potatoes and veggies, L'Estrade, St. Saturnin les Aptes

One of the best meals I had was this dish. The exterior of the salmon was as crisp as could be. The interior melted in my mouth. The potatoes were simple but cooked perfectly and the veggies took to the bearnaise sauce perfectly. What a meal. With some Sylla rose, it was my best lunch.

Rustrel

 This is, obviously, the same picture. I love the colors and contrasts of the color but I also love seeing the textures and shapes that come out in monochrome. I couldn't choose, so you get both.

Pigments, Colorado, Rustrel

These are three different shots from our walk in the Colorado Provencale, near Rustrel. It is a much more intimate way of seeing the pigment deposits than the more famous one in Roussillon.

One of our favorite walks, The Provencal Colorado.

This is about an hour and a half to two hour walk through a constantly varying, in both view, flora and fauna and elevation. As any hiker will tell you, the uphills are the easy part. Going down a path like this in the morning, when the rocks are wet is a test of concentration......and your knees.

No entry sign, Apt

The people who deface all of the stop signs in Jacksonville Beach apparently made a trip to Apt.

Shutter and smile, Apt

Pure and evil on one wall.

Provencal colors, Apt

Varied graffiti, Apt

 The layers and techniques are growing. I notice that, like Jacksonville Beach, graffiti artists are trying to stay within frames sometimes.

Architectural detail, Apt

The old and the new don't always blend smoothly. (Wall in need of repair #1, for Martina.)

Janie's crocuses (croci?)

Every year we go to Saignon these little bulbs bloom for Janie along our little walk.

Manhole cover, Saignon

So many different designs.

Manhole cover, Apt