Well, summer has come to a close. Time to stock up on tea lights . . .Okay, these gorgeous tea light holders ↑ are Lexi’s, not mine, but trust me, I use tealights. Bags of them. This is me just getting warmed up for the season . . .↓

But before we move on to fall, I can assure you this last bit of summer has been jam-packed. We’ve helped our daughter Brittany move into her new house. We’ve celebrated babies and weddings and even helped a bit with a rehearsal dinner. . .

Here’s David confirming the quality of the wine and our friends’ new deck before the guests arrive . . .

I’ve had my turn to host both Book Club . . .

. . . and French Club (so busy concentrating on speaking French, I forgot to take pictures). We’ve been to neighborhood BBQ’s and hosted friends for dinner or wine and cheese on the deck. One night our friends Tom and Lexi agreed to be guinea pigs for a trial run of the mini-grill dinner party, like we had at Pascale and Jacky’s, and I’m happy to report, not one of us sustained any injury from inexpert tong usage.

We even had a mini-visit from our Minnesota daughter Courtney . . .

. . . who was visiting Brittany for a long weekend. So summer has not been wasted. We’ve appreciated radiant evenings, full moons, and lots of sparkling sunrises out our back door.

We’ve toasted and tasted and shared and enjoyed it all (well, maybe not mosquitoes, but most of it). So now fall is here: more plans, trips and projects, and best of all, new opportunities to celebrate life with those we love.

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend. 

Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words. ∼ Plautus

To all of you, both near and far, those we see regularly and those for whom a face-to-face takes a bit more planning, you have a place in our hearts. We celebrate you.

I’ve been feeling nostalgic for France lately, so have been trying to find bits of la belle France wherever I can. Our stone fireplace surround is now installed and looking fabulous and very French . . .

. . . and I had another appointment recently with my Longmont doctor (who helps me keep the skin cancer at bay). This allowed me to revisit one of my favorite shops, the very excellent Cheese Importers, where there are so many French things–books, linens, jams, shopping baskets, knives, butter and cheese (of course)–it’s all I can do to keep speaking English while I’m in there. Bonus, I found a wide selection of French butter, not Beurre aux Cristaux de Sel de Noirmoutiers, I’m sorry to report, but a couple of brands of butter with semi-noticeable sea salt crystals, so that’s a plus. Definitely taking a larger cooler next time so I can stock up!

Closer to home, here in downtown Fort Collins, there is a wonderful shop called EsScentuals with all kinds of fabulous products for body, bath and home. The whole place is a treat for the senses, even the entrance . . . ↓

The owner, Meg DeWeese, has lived in France and is married to a Frenchman, so the French flavor of the shop is no accident. The main floor is full of oils and lotions and soaps and other temptations, but my favorite part of the shop is downstairs, called 142 Bis, where you can browse and discover all kinds of arty, beautiful French things. Love it.

Also here in Fort Collins, this weekend saw another running of the annual Tour de Fat, which has almost NO connection to France except the obvious play on words with Tour de France and the fact that bicycles are involved.

And yet, it did remind me of a few of the crazier Saturdays in La Rochelle, which you can revisit here and here and here and here. It was clearly an opportunity to celebrate the joy of friendship.

So today, I’m very grateful for our many stateside friends and family, but I’m also missing Pascale and Jacky (La Rochelle), who took us on so many adventures and opened their home (and la cave) to us for so much delectable wining and dining; Dany and Francis (Tours), who actually interrupted their vacation, returning home for a few days to take us wine-tasting in the Loire Valley; and Natacha (La Rochelle), my patient and encouraging tutor, without whom my ability to have ANY French friends would have been severely limited. Merci mille fois à tous! S’il vous plait, venez nous voir bientôt!

Let us be grateful to those who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. ∼Marcel Proust

Wishing you warm connections, French or not!

Once again, I apologize for neglecting you for so long! The creative part of my brain has been a bit like this . . .

. . . not quite clear, specifically in landing on a subject for this post. I have been bringing my camera along as much as possible whenever I’m out and about, in hopes of inspiration. Mostly I’ve noticed it feels a bit weird to be basically a tourist in your own hometown, but in fact, a number of things did change while we were on our adventure.

There’s a fun new cheese shop and bistro close to our house . . .

. . . that sells fabulous cheese from all over the world, including France (Woohoo!) and my new favorite sandwich called the Figgy Piggy: prosciutto and whipped chevre with arugula and fig spread on a baguette. Yum.  Just YUM.

And there’s a new shop downtown called Crescendo: The Symphony of Taste, that sells oils, vinegars, spices and . . . um, I’m not sure what, but they have this funny sign that makes me want to go back when they’re open . . . .

A few things in Fort Collins are the same, like the alleys that have been progressively beautified over the past few years. This one, from this angle at least, almost looks French. Love it. Downtown is all decked out for the summer, just the way I like it, with flowers everywhere . . .

But definitely different is the daily rain, that is still very much with us. This has actually in some ways been a good thing, because it has kept me inside a bit more, so I could make some progress on the drapes . . .  → which are WAY MORE WORK than I had any idea. Now I understand why they’re so expensive when you have someone else make them. But three of the four panels are done (with completely new, maddeningly frustrating errors on each panel, just to keep things interesting). Fortunately, the end is in sight.

So although David and I miss France and especially our French friends, we are enjoying discovering and re-discovering this place. Whether it’s a new shop or a new task, our new-to-us house or even a new way of looking at a familiar alley, we’re trying to keep the spirit of adventure and discovery alive.

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance – it is the illusion of knowledge. ∼Daniel J. Boorstin

Wishing you fresh eyes this week. I’d love to hear what you discover.