pic of the day for wednesday, 03-16-11

lake, plaisir, france, 10-28-09

i'm baaaccckkk!!!

landscape shots don't normally blow the wind up my skirt, but the sky here in france is nothing short of rapturing!  this particular scene unfolded at our local lake, a mere 15 minute jaunt from chez piron.  a spot normally reserved for sport enthusiasts, fishermen, picknickers, strolling families complete with high heeled ladies pushing strollers, & of course the trysting lovers, on this particular evening it was just me & les canards.  and no, they were in no risk of being captured to make an appearance on my dinner plate (shudder!), rather i was busy trying to put food on their table, hurling chunks of bread their way with my freakishly long arms :) :) :)

i'll keep this short & sweet, like yours truly ;)

wishing you a supercalafragalisticexpialidocious day!!!

little miss excuse me while i kiss the sky

pic of the day for monday, 02-14-11

ispahan, jc gaulupeau, versailles, france, 02-13-11

happy valentine's day, kindred souls!

it's a silly holiday really...i believe every day should be focused on giving & receiving love, in all its forms :) :) :)  it does, however, give me an EXCUSE (as if i need one!) to eat even MORE candy & desserts ;)  in fact, i've had so many that we may need to devote the entire week just to sweets!!!

as for this particular delicacy, it goes by the name of ispahan.  we giddily snagged it from jc gaulupeau, an extravagant little shop that has been in existence since 1769!  it was wickedly decadent...rose "biscuits" filled with rose petal cream, fresh raspberries & litchis...blissful bellies & rampant tooth decay quickly followed ;)

i'll post more sugary madness tomorrow, but until then, neil & i remind you to:

turn on your heartlight, let it shine wherever you go, let it make a happy glow, for all the world to see :) :) :)

live in love,

little miss sweet tooth

pic of the day for thursday, 02-03-11

lunch, la rochelle, france, 08-08-09

welcome back to la rochelle!  hope my history lesson yesterday didn't put you to sleep ;)

as i received not a single response regarding my proposition suggesting YOUR preference for today's depiction from the seaside city we previously visited together virtually, you're stuck with this!  it required minimal thought/research/effort on my part, & hence is the perfect selection pour aujourd'hui :) :) :)

and for those of you shocked to see leafy vegetables on my plate, i DO (sometimes) partake of foods that actually provide nutritional value, but only if they're blanketed in cheese ;)

this broad is beat...

à tout à l'heure, alligator!  (see ya later, alligator seems to lose something in the translation, 'eh?)

pic of the day for wednesday, 02-02-11

la rochelle, france, 08-08-09

another day, another church in france...ho hum, ho hum...

no, really...despite the inordinate amount of churches in this country, i have yet to tire of their magnificence!  each architectural masterpiece manages to cast a spell on me, & i am left in awe, drooling under every bell tower ;)

this particular stunner resides in la rochelle.  the area of la rochelle has been around since before christ, (hayzeus, for my latin friends), first inhabited by the gauls & then the romans, during these ancient times.  in more recent history, la rochelle was "officially" founded in the 10th century & became an important harbour in the 12th century.  the following couple hundreds of years found this city bordering the atlantic ocean repeatedly flip flopping in occupancy between the english & the french as a result of sieges & wars & treaties & the like.  peace was short lived, & subsequent centuries were again filled with riots & revolts & lions & tigers & bears...oh my!  wait, that's another story...

ANYWAY, intense triangular trade involving slave trading with africa, sugar trading with the plantations in antilles, & fur trading with canada led to great prosperity with a period of high artistic, cultural, & architectural achievements for this city.  alas, it was not to last, & the city lost its trade & prominence during the decades spanning the seven years's war, the french revolution, & the napoleonic wars.  (WAR, huh, good god, what is it good for, absolutely nothing, say it again ya'll!!!)

in more modern history, the second world war saw germany establishing a submarine naval base at the main port of la rochelle, complete with u-boats & bunkers & men speaking in a deeply guttural manner.  this was the last french city to be freed at the end of the aforementioned war, when the germans were finally capitulated on may 7, 1945.

and voila!  there you have the tale of this seaside city!  i didn't intend to get drawn into a lengthy historical explanation, but my fingers could not be deterred once wikipedia was consulted ;)

as for my own experiences, i found this dwelling in the southwest of france absolutely charming!  i encountered delights around every corner, including street artists of various types, architectural wonders, & gastronomical pleasures!  so what do you want to see next?  photos exist of all of the above, & much, much more!  should we have a poll?  cast your ballot, friends, & tomorrow will bring another glimpse (& a less winded editorial) into la rochelle :) :) :)

before i depart, i will leave a couple bonus shots, just for fun, of the original capture.  one brings to mind an etching, while the other would be classified as the comic book version ;)

sooo...thanks for joining me on this adventure called life!  there are still so many places i want to explore, & yet the revisiting of these photos & the subsequent blogs that follow are compelling me to reexamine firsthand these previous escapades...hmmm...what's a girl to do?  decisions, decisions...not my forte ;)

until next time,

little miss francy pants

pic of the day for monday, 01-31-11

sint-salvatorskathedraal, bruges, belgium, 05-29-10

goede dag mijn vrienden!

since today's photo comes to us from belgium, i thought i would get all fancy & throw in a little dutch introduction for you (courtesy of google, naturally)!

i caught this rusty treasure just outside of sint-salvatorskathedraal in bruges.  it was raining & i was rather in a rush, but i'm still kicking myself for only snapping 2 shots of this magnificently corroded beast!  SURELY (don't call me shirley!) you realize by now that not only do i see beauty in everything, but that i have a special affinity for items of a rustalicious nature...???  thump, thump, thump!!!  perhaps another visit is in order, so i can glorify meener draak by photographing him from every angle under the sun :) :) :)  anyone up for a (lengthy) road trip?  save your guilders & i'll bring the snacks ;)

speaking of snacks, i've been left unsupervised (it's hubby's weekly poker night) & there's a bag of chips & a box of cookies both clamoring for my immediate & undivided attention ;)  what's all the noise?  no need to shout...keep the pushing & shoving to a minimum, please...i won't let you down little snaaaccckkks...here i come!!!  let "operation rehoming in my belly" commence!!!

veel liefde :) :) :)

pic of the day for sunday, 01-30-11

jardin des tuileries, paris, france, 10-17-09

hello, hello, hello!!!

i know i'm consistently inconsistent with my pic of the day, but let me give you a glimpse into what goes down before i complete a post:

first, i excitedly start rummaging thru my online vault of digitally immortalized images.  i get caught up in memories & the minutes turn to hours...

second, i once again realize that i have THOUSANDS of shots.  this is about the time that i am subjected to an onslaught of panic as i try to narrow down my selections...

third, with a handful of potential candidates, i start my scrutinization of each photo.  i continually find flaws & imperfections, & dismay slowly rears it's ugly head...

finally, i shut my wee computer in disgust, with intentions to tackle this overwhelming task mañana, mañana, mañana...

and there you have it.  a look inside the roller coaster ride otherwise known as my brain!

but, i digress...as for the photo, i found this installation piece in the tuileries garden in paris.  i randomly stumbled upon it after a day spent gorging on chocolates at the salon du chocolat, which is an entire trade show of, you guessed it: chocolates!!!  for those of you who know me well, you certainly can imagine the heaven i was in as i sampled one after another of these sugary delicacies!  they even had a cat walk for models to parade upon in gowns made of chocolate...ooh laa laa!!!  haute chocolat couture!!!  oh dear...i've managed to digress again...doh!

ok, ok...THE PHOTO.  this bed was just floating aimlessly in a pond within the garden, without an explanation provided.  i didn't feel i needed one, as my imagination is usually preferable to reality ;)  as i'm writing this, however, i googled a search & have found a link for those of you who prefer to uncover the mystery:  http://parishotelboutique.blogspot.com/2010/06/mystery-of-floating-bed.html  i could have brightened up my shot a bit, but i rather enjoy this darker version of the fairy tale ;)

so, until we meet again, i'll just be skipping along in my little red hooded cloak as i follow this trail of breadcrumbs into the forest...

little miss sleeping beauty

pic of the day for saturday, 01-22-11

opéra de paris (palais garnier), paris, france, 11-23-09

i love this night shot taken outside of the opéra national de paris :) :) :)  it's a tad blurry, but what's a girl without a tripod to do?

the palais garnier is a photo blog unto itself, so i'll have to owe you a rain check on that!

my bed is calling me, so without further ado, i bid you adieu ;)

pic of the day for friday, 01-21-11

self portrait, château de versailles, versailles, france, 01-09-11

i'm not feeling particularly chatty this evening, so i thought i would throw up something that didn't require a lot of thought or explanation...

and voila!  c'est moi!

and to my peeps in the 305:  YES, stilettos are possible on cobblestones...especially when you're as talented (and/or as crazy) as i am ;)

sweet dreams, ya'll :) :) :) 

pic of the day for thursday, 01-20-11

château de plaisir, plaisir, france, 10-29-10

i'd like to send a huge moochass grassyass to the 3 gentlemen who let me play doctor by submitting their responses to my rorschach test yesterday!!!  in protecting their anonymity, i won't reveal their names...unless they declare otherwise, & then i'll sing their praises from the rooftops ;)  and while i'm on the subject of giving props, a special shout out goes to jay sugar britches for continually motivating me to blog :) :) :)  he's even started penning his own, regarding his upcoming cookbook...YAY!!!  check it out here:  http://chefjjs.tumblr.com/

anyway, back to the results from shrinky dink land: one of the aforementioned lasses correctly observed that this is indeed moss growing on water!  give the man a prize!!!  clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!!

i see beauty in everything, & yesterday's capture is no exception.  the thump, thump, thump of my heart definitely quickens upon viewing...what can i say?  maybe i need my own psychiatrist ;)

tune in tomorrow for more fun from planet mo...

toodles!

pic of the day for wednesday, 01-19-11

rorschach test, plaisir, france, 10-29-10

well, well, well...fancy meeting you here!

after months of being pounded by the inconsistent (yet relentless) waves of depression, apathy, stagnation & inaction, i have managed to paddle safely to shore!  i'm wearing my cape of courage & am ready to re-engage in this game called life :) :) :)  i am woman, hear me roar & all that yadda, yadda, yadda ;)

as for the photo, i don't want to spoil all the fun by blurting out the details...instead, let your mind wander & hit me with your best shot!  i eagerly await an insight into your imaginations, (rorschach, anyone?) & promise to reveal this same scene from a more traditional perspective tomorrow...deal?  i'd rather not spit & shake hands on it, if it's all the same to you...perhaps a pinkie swear will suffice?

until then, i remain admirably yours (despite my shameful negligence & insufferable abandonment...boo on me!!!),

little miss motography