Back in Boston

Well, it has been almost two weeks now since I returned to Boston from France, but it has taken me that long to re-assimilate.

The weather is beautiful  & it has been such a joy to see my grandchildren again. 

Now it is time to refocus my energies & embrace my life here in Boston. 

Merci !

Just a way to say thank you for a wonderful summer in France!

Also, I want to say thank you to all of you who followed along. I have appreciated your interest & encouragement & all of your kind comments. 

Coming to an End the Colors of Summer

Although the days are still warm & sunny here, the nights & early mornings are growing cooler.





The colors of summer are beginning to fad & the colors of autumn are starting to appear.




I have been surrounded by so many beautiful colors this summer.




I can not help but be inspired.




I love both crisp new colors & the fading patina of the old.




I love the subtle hues of autumn grapes.




As well as the happy party colors of summer.




I came upon this colorful scene the other day, tucked into a quiet corner of St. Antonin. Everything seemed ready for a fête but with no sign of the partygoers.

This photo seemed appropriate, since this will be my last post from France. The party is over. I will be leaving in a few days to return to Boston. I am sad to go, but I will take all these lovely memories with me.

Colorful Windows

Just a few bright & colorful windows for the weekend!


























Happy weekend everyone!

Lavoirs

One finds that every domestic chore has a history in France, & washing cloths is no exception. The village I live in, is by the river, & this is where the laundry was done. There are a set of stone steps, still visible, down the bank of the river, to a series of large flat rocks, & this is where the women of the village did their washing.





Towns not on a river, however, had lavoirs. These structures were built as communal laundry basins & although no longer in use they are for the most part lovingly preserved as an important part of a towns history.




They almost always consist of at least three tubs, one for soap, a rinse, & then the final rinse. Some are older than others, but each has a beauty & charm all its own. When I first came to France twenty years ago, the lavoir in St. Antonin was still used. On certain days of the week, it was filled with water & women of the village came & did their laundry. Oh, how I wish, that I had thought to take a photograph then.




Some of the older ones are truly beautiful with their stone walls & old beams. There was always usually some means of hanging things, larger items like sheets I presume.




The tiny lavoir above is one of my favorites, in the equally tiny town of Espinas. Once fed by a spring, it sometimes still has water, with each basin stepping down from the next like a waterfall.




However, the most beautiful by far, that I have been able to find, is the one pictured above. Still fed by a cold mountain source, this lovely lavoir is hidden at the top of a town built into the walls of a cliff. It is truly a magnificent discovery when you suddenly come upon it, after making the steep climb up the many winding, narrow roads.




Just for a bit of fun, the photo above is the more modern version of a lavoir. Standing in the middle of the parking lot of a large supper market, this out door laundry offers a quicker solution to the age old task of washing cloths.

Hardware

I am a lover of details & the hardware one finds on old French doors is one of those details that intrigues me. There are so many different shapes & styles, one always finds something interesting to look at.




I could not resist the intricate handle below on the most unusual purple-red painted door.




Another bright color door with double knockers caught my attention below.




The knocker below is of an interesting design.




As is the one on a blue door.




But here you get a whole assortment of beautifully rendered hardware.





Hands as door knockers are also very popular. I am not sure of the significance of these, but I believe they came into vague in the Victorian era.




The door below with these amazing hinges has it all, old knocker, handle, letter drop, everything.




There are simply as many interesting & unique pieces of door hardware as there are beautiful old doors.




Just another detail that make France the wonderful place that it is.

Water

In the United States we seldom think about where our water comes from. Generally we just turn on the tap & take it for granted that there will be water. Here in France, however, there is a greater sense of awareness of the water supply. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that here in the countryside, indoor plumbing did not even exist until the late 1950's & in some cases even later. Really, this is shocking but true. In my village there are people much younger than me, who remember going to the town square to get their water in a bucket for household use.




This area has a long history intertwined with water. My little village & many others in the area were originally Roman towns founded because of an excellent source of water. The photos above & below, are of a beautifully preserved Roman source in the town of Varen, not far from here. The spring that feeds it continues to flow freely from the lovely ancient spout. Although, the town has now posted a sign reading "non potable" for legal reasons, people still come with bottles to fill, believing in the superiority of the water.




In the early 19th century, people started coming as "tourists", to "take the waters". There are also many old wells still to be found in the village, like the one below. It is on the grounds of a what was once a convent that took in the ill, the pure water filled with minerals, being part of the treatment. Although no longer in use, these wells are lovely reminders of a time gone by.




At some point, more modern water sources were put in the town squares, where villagers could continue to gather for their water & to connect as a community.





Replicas of these older faucets can be bought & installed as decorative elements in gardens of today.




There are any number of interesting old water receptacles, like the old pump below, to be found & admired.




I love the fact that they are appreciated & preserved in all of their forms.




The formidable town pump below, is found in the the town of Cordes sur Ciel.




While, in a hill top village, a cool mountain spring still feeds the lovely fountain below.




I could not help but finish with this sweet little well house, spotted recently on one of my adventures. I hope these photos may give you pause, to consider your water source, & how valuable pure clean water is to all of us.