Back From France...

...Well, my body's back, if not my spirit.  I just keep looking around for a baguette. 

mont- saint-michel

This is the only image I've really worked on since I've been home, but it looked so "storybook" that I knew exactly how it would look after I edited it.  And indeed, it was a magical place, as was every single place we visited.



For once Paris took a back seat to quaint


medieval villages, a vast patchwork of wheat

and corn fields, and the romance of Mont-Saint-


Michel. I have many posts in my head, and I

will tell you all about the wonderful trip that


I took with my two favorite men, the Polis


brothers. But, I just can't wait to share this,


the highlight of our trip, the pièce de résistance,... our stay at 

 le Château de la Verrerie 

the allée

My heart was racing as we approached through the allée of plane trees. Had I built this up too much in my mind? Would this be as wonderful as I had imagined it?

the approach

And as soon as I saw those silver balls,I said "Uh huh. oh yeah." And I knew it would be.

the front of the Chateau 

If ever a chateau could be called "storybook", then this is the one. Just look at those proportions!  I had dreamed of this petit chateau ever before I saw it, and when I laid eyes on it, it was a true coup de foudre.

the view from our chambre window

The chateau belongs to Bruno Dujardin, and he and his partner bought the estate in 2000.  At the time, Bruno was living in Paris and was the still life photographer for L'Oreal cosmetics. Every weekend for 8 years he came down to the chateau to renovate and restore what was then an empty shell of a building. Three years ago he left his career and Paris, and moved down to run the Chateau full time as a bed and breakfast. Bruno is quick to say that he is a photographer, not a decorator, but it is apparent that he is an artist in both professions.  Every room has been uniquely painted and stenciled by his hand, and every piece of furniture is an antique purchased at local brocantes, antique stores and monthly flea markets in a nearby town.  His photographer's eye serves him well in the mise en scene that he creates in each room. Balance, harmony, coupled with whimsey and luxury, all combine to reflect the impeccable taste of a host who offers only the best to his guests. 

This is what greets you as you enter the reception hall.

Is it coincidence that Bruno and I both have  a goose in our foyer? [Okay. So mine is a plastic light-up goose and it's in our mudroom. And she isn't sporting a diamond choker. But we're both thinking fois gras bienvenue:))] 


Right off this room, in the lower part of a turret, is Bruno's office.  I'll risk a bit of humiliation and show you the little iPhone video I made of it. [ You might want to take some dramamine before you watch this.]

Tomorrow I'll try to post the photos of our bedrooms, où nous avons eu de beaux rêves!

Au revoir, mes amies,

dawne

Off to France!!

bicycle in front of le meurice, paris

took this in 2009, and I hope it's still here!

WE leave tomorrow!!!!

My darling husband, his brother Bob, and I are off to drive through Normandy, Brittany and a dip into the Loire Valley, ending up in Paris for a couple of days before we come home. I've been to the Apple genius to learn some more about my iPhone [ and I DO have Verizon, which does not work in Europe! But I can connect if I find WiFi], have a new gmail email addy, have downloaded my Facebook app, as well as downloaded my French TripLingo with 100 phrases!

Our first stop will be SENLIS, where scores of movies have been filmed [ just saw 

Séraphine  

SEE RANK

again last night. 

Then on to the precious village of Gerberoy,

 the former home of one of my favorite French painters, Henri le Sidaner .

We'll do Honfleur, Trouville, and Deauville, as well as the D-Day beaches, but not spending as much time as we'd like anywhere.  Then to Saint Malo...  

I took this also on our trip in 2009

And then to Mont-Saint-Michel, where we'll sleep on the rock! Can't wait to wake up in the morning and watch the sunrise from the ramparts!

In addition to all this beauty, I'll be meeting up with two of my beautiful artist friends that I met online!

I won't share our whole itinerary here, but I just have to leave you with one picture of the 

Chateau that has been in my head since last winter...

Chateau de la Verrerie

I started my obsession with French chateaux about two years ago, and have been on an internet hunt for one that just felt like "home".  This is it.

le Château de la Verrerie is the prettiest chateau I could find in the Loire valley, and our night there is our Anniversary present to each other.

There's a cool gallery of pix, and I hope you'll picture us walking in the garden at dusk.  We're in the Parma room, and Bob is in the Blue room.

I hope to come back with lots of scrumptious pictures, and will share them with you all.  But mainly, I just pray for a safe and joyful  trip. As one of my dear friends says " I pray the Lord will bubble-wrap you, there and back again!"  [ He always has :)]

Vive La France!!

Bisous, mes amies,

dawne

A Weekend in the Big Apple

The view from our hotel room

I just returned from a delightful weekend in Manhattan with my dear friend.  The weather was perfect, with a balmy breeze, and we two country girls played like City Slickers.

First, we went uptown to Henri Bendel [or Bendel's, as everybody calls it]on 5th avenue and had the total face make-over.  Ummm, that felt good! My friend's daughter is getting married next week, so a fancy new look was in order.

Then we watched a very special demonstration in the window...shoemakers making custom shoes while you wait!  But no, not for us...


We saw young lovers, just like in Paris

And pretty girls, out for a night on the town

Then we went up a block to my favorite store, Bergdorf Goodman, to see the artfully designed windows...

...which were okay, but nothing to write home about...

I did like the background paintings by this artist 
John Gordon Gauld

Inside the door we were greeted by this installation.  hmmmm.  Not really my style.  What do you think?


Saturday night we had dinner at the closest thing to a real French restaurant that we saw. And it was fantastic!  I will definitely go there again. And I can find it, because...

It's right next door...

To Sardi's. [ I hope she didn't get stood up.]






But the best part of the trip was Sunday morning, when we went to worship at the Times Square Church, right across the street from "Mamma Mia".


This huge church  is headquartered in a theater building originally built by Warner Bros. in 1930 as a movie palace, the Warner Hollywood Theatre, which was later converted to a Broadway venue, the Mark Hellinger Theatre.Upon its purchase, Pastor Donald W. Wilkerson, brother of David Wilkerson and one of the church leaders, declared that the theater would not be altered, saying "The theater is landmarked and it will remain the same."
-from Wikipedia

I wasn't sure I should be photographing like a tourist, but I had to just grab one shot as I entered the building.  The inside is even more beautiful, but once we entered the sanctuary, I forgot about everything but the worship and the music and the beautiful Spirit that was present there. Everyone stood and sang for 45 minutes, and Jesus was the center of all praise.  It was such an uplifting experience, and quite a change from our own little country church of about 75 people. As the hundreds of voices raised in "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name", I really heard for the first time that verse that says 

Let every kindred, every tribe

on this terrestrial ball

to him all majesty ascribe

and crown him Lord of all

And indeed, as I looked around, I saw the Face of Heaven in those worshippers...black, white, hispanic, asian.  A young Korean lady next to me, two elderly Mennonites next to my friend, two arabs in front of us, an African in her homeland dress...every kindred, every tribe, and all part of the Family of God.

à bientôt, mes amies

Dawne

Happy 235th anniversary of Our One Nation!

I'm Red, White and Blue...

through and through...

but I still feel French at Heart

Please join me on my new Facebook page

and click "Like"!

French at Heart

The 4th of July is such a special holiday in small town America.  Picnics and Parades, fireworks and fireflies,

 sunburns and s'mores...

This year we shared it with our little 6 year old Fresh Air child visiting us from the Bronx.

Smart as a whip and quite a little character, he'll keep me busy in the coming week as dear Hub goes off to Habitat. I see a lot of pizza in my future over the next week.

How did you celebrate the 4th?

à bientôt, mes amies

Dawne

A wonderful week, despite the rain...

Tendre Charolais

Summer's in full swing here on the farm, with good times, sad times,[ and only the Lord hears about those] productive times, and some lazing around, just enjoying the fresh green smells of June.

I worked on this digital painting above, using French cows and wonderful textures from Lenabem, Playing with Brushes and the ever generous Jerry Jones, all on Flickr.  It loses something when reduced to 660 pixels.

Good times were had this week as we saw the opening of our talented daughter's first solo show at Southern Vermont Arts Center...

the proud dad checks out his daughter's work...

Congratulations, Crickett!  Dad and I think that you're amazing!!!! And we love that you give God the glory for all your gifts!!!

And last night we finally got to see the best movie of the summer!

Don't miss this one!!!!


I posted the trailer to this several weeks ago and I knew then that this was a must-see.  As a former Art History teacher, I thought of how my  former students will love this, as well. 




 And there's another one I MUST see this summer...

100% Teenage Chick-Flick, But I am SO THERE!!!!

à bientôt, mes copines!
Dawne

It's a Slippery Slope...

It's a slippery slope when you first discover Pinterest, like I did this week...






AND...

Get your first iPhone, ever...




On the same day!!!!!!




Oh!  The Apps!  

I've just begun to explore them...

around the house...


But the real time-bandit has been Pinterest...


        Oh!  the imagery!
  
And now I can store all my favorite images and not have to fill up my hard drive. And I get to find out that this chateau, my favorite, and everybody else's, I guess...

From swedishantiques.blogspot.com

 is owned by the Deleuze family in Southern France...




And, found a sweet gite to rent for next year...

mysweetgite.com




...also found a lot of Fairytale things...

thefrenchmouse.blogspot.com

elementsofstyleblog.com


...and began to define my style [haha!]

But I'm probably preaching to the choir, as I'm sure you all know about Pinterest and find lots of your gorgeous photos there. Well, as the head of our family, our dear Father's Day hero says, "Honey, you've always been a late bloomer."


Have to go water the potager now...

Mine???...Nope...PINTEREST!


à plus tard, mes amies!