Le livre de lecture

I would love the time in Paris to be able to sit at the Palais Royal and read.

Les souvenirs II - Paris Dirt

Yesterday I shared a photo of Eva and Davis, along with our Wilson friends from Birmingham,   as they shared a great afternoon at the Palais Royal,  doing what kids do.... even in Paris.  Later, they decided that the white, powdery Paris dirt in the gardens would be a good place to make a little village. I have a feeling Eva and Davis now feel the same way as their Mumsie about the Palais Royal!

Ethan

It's no secret that I dearly love photographing children in Paris.  Meet Ethan.  Ethan and his family are Birmingham friends who just happened to be in Paris while we were there in June, 2009.  Their flat faced the gardens of the Palais Royal ( jealous???) and this summer afternoon we joined them there.  Eva, Davis, Katherine and Ethan had a grand time building a village in the white powdery dirt, marching around the Pol Bury Fountain, poking sticks in the fountains and racing through the allée of trees, just like so many Parisian enfants have done.  Oh, and the grownups took pictures and drank wine of course.

L'homme et son chien

Palais Royal

This next trip,  I might just sit myself there for an hour or so and just photograph to my heart's content. That would make me very happy.

Reconnaisant

Sometimes the photographer has to lay the camera down and savor the moment.  There wasn't much water in the fountain, but the rain had stopped and the sun was out at the Palais Royal.   I was exceedingly grateful to be in that place on such a beautiful Sunday in Paris.

La Petite Enfant

You met these two ladies as they walked slowly through the gardens at the Palais Royal here.  I promised another look.  Peter and I pulled up our chairs next to them to enjoy the fountain, and this little one entertained us all.  I think she brightened their day as well as ours.

Reading In Paris - Palais Royal

Quietly reading in the parks of Paris is a gift that Parisians give themselves.  When in Paris, I always feel like I'm on the proverbial hamster wheel, with so much to see and so little time. An hour or so of reading in a park is a luxury.

I will be teaching FROM SNAPSHOTS TO PHOTOGRAPHS at Samford After Sundown again beginning October 16th for 5 weeks.  Join us!

Writer's Block?

She had a notebook and pencil in hand. Who knows what she was thinking, but she was oblivious to those of us around her.

Capture the Colour

My dear blog friend Francesca in  Australia has a delightful travel photoblog, Postcard Pictures.  Recently she entered Travel Supermarkets Capture the Color photography contest.  Each entry posts five photographs featuring the colors red, blue, yellow, green and white.  In addition you then invite five other bloggers to participate.  She kindly included me so today my offerings.

RED

January 2011, we arrived in Paris on a chilly, rainy morning.  I flung open the windows of our apartment on rue Saint Roch to have a look and spotted this lady with her rouge umbrells coming my way.  I will admit that I had to stand in the window sill to get this shot. It was worth it.  If this photo looks familiar, it's because it is of course the cover of my book, Paris Rouge Through My Lens!

BLUE

Twilight shoot at the Louvre is magical. The reflection of the sky and the pools took my breath.  An evening in Paris I won't forget.

GREEN

The rose gardens still blooming in late November, as seen through this interesting window at the Musée Carnavalet.  

YELLOW

Café Nemours at Place Colette is one of my favorite places to sit outside and people watch.  In January, it proved to be a cozy spot for a hot cup of tea.  My favorite table has this wonderful view of le Louvre just down the street.

WHITE

La neige.  Oh it snowed the first night we were in Paris in 2011!   That morning, we awoke to the city blanketed in white.  As we walked through the gardens of the Palais Royal on our way to catch the Metro, I got this shot. It remains one of my fondest Paris memories and favorite photographs.

Now I must invite 5 bloggers who may choose to join the contest:

Maya at Maya Photography

Grace at Perth Daily Photo

Daryl at Out and About in New York City

Luis at One Photo a Day

JM at Oeiras Daily Photo

C'est Irrésistible!

Little boys and water.  These handy green fountains, found in all of the parks in Paris are a kid magnet.  This petit garçon was spotted at the Palais Royal bien sûr ! 

Art et Legos

It is not often that you will visit the Palais Royal and not find some wonderful art exhibit in progress.  This snowy day, the bright Lego display in the shop window behind this piece made for an interesting photo.

Performance Enhancer

Vive le Heineken !

Champagne Pour Tout le Monde

A late summer afternoon, friends gather at the Palais Royal and share some bubbly.  C'est Paris!!

( Je voudrais un verre de champagne aussi!)*

* For those who know me well, you will cackle at this.  I put that sentence together without ANY help! 

It's all about priorities when you're learning a language, n'est-ce pas?

Enjoying a Good Book

Yes, we're back at the Palais Royal today. I snapped this photo of these ladies just enjoying a warm summer afternoon with a good book. A Parisian pasttime that I plan to enjoy on my next visit. I can hardly wait!

Walk With Me

"Let's grow old together......and look back on life and smile."

Braxton Brown and Peggy Smith

A very special Paris moment pour moi.

Just Playing in the Dirt - Palais Royal

I've told you how delightful it is to find photos from trips gone by that were "hidden" and I've

just discovered. Today I have three for you. Last summer we met our dear Birmingham friends, the Wilsons at the Palais Royal late one afternoon. Eva and Davis had great fun digging around in that white powdery Paris dirt!

Les Chaises - Palais Royal

Encore une fois vous demander? Certainement! At the gardens of the Palais Royal a photographer can find endless delights. Forgive me for returning again and again. On my last visit we stayed very close and of course there was la neige to make it even more delightful. This photo was taken last summer.

I've had a fascination for these chairs you find in many parks in Paris. They are so condusive to sitting, reading, napping? I'd love four for my patio back home!

Today I again join the Monochrome Weekend group of great photographers. Have a look here.

Blanc

Palais Royal Gardens

Could anything be more beautiful? The Parisian photography gods were truly smiling on me this day! I am forever grateful.

I'm thrilled to announce that I am a cowinner of Richard Nahem's Marais Photo Contest on his great site: Eye Prefer Paris. I win a copy of Murder in the Marais by Cara Black!

Wednesday on the Left Bank

St. Sulpice

Galerie des Gobelins

The Bird Feeder - Palais Royal

This morning we gave ourselves a break and slept in. As we walked across the gardens of the Palais Royal, we saw that the light snow we had overnight was still on the ground there. The gentleman feeding the birds did not shoo me off today when I took his photo although he did turn his head. We were off then to my old "stomping grounds", Place Monge and rue Mouffetard where we met Mary's Parisian friend Anne for lunch. I had the most divine cassoulet of potatoes and ham I've ever tasted. Following lunch we walked to the Galerie des Gobelins for an exhibition of Louis XV tapistries. Amazing. We followed this with a trip to a patisserie and bought some delightful sweets. At Anne's apartment we were able to chat with her parents and have tea!! Very full and a bit tired, we walked up Mouffetard and stopped a few times to shop. Around the Pantheon and down to Luxembourg gardens we went but had to stop for wine at Saint Sulpice to gain our strength! We ended the evening with dinner at a hip little cafe and met the cutest couple from Sydney! Bonsoir!

Parisian Pastime I

Reading, a Parisian pastime. Back in May, I wrote about my fascination with the number of people I spotted sitting in parks, cafes, even on the Metro, reading. Now I regret that I didn't put my camera down more and find a nice chair in the park and read as well! Today a few readers I found at one of my favorite spots, the gardens at the Palais Royal. ( I'll be staying very near the Palais Royal this trip. I'm smiling from ear to ear!)

Today I join Aileni's Monochrome Weekly gang. Click here to see their interesting images.

If I'd had my new longer lens I'd have gotten a better shot. As it was, I had to practically sit in his lap to get this!