Scenes from the Bastille

On my first trip to Paris, it was this scene that finally triggered the "Yes, we are in Paris" reaction from me. I knew then exactly where we were and that we were approaching our hotel.

Once we narrowly missed witnessing a manif here. Another time I was so tired from all the eternal walking we do in Paris that it loomed as big as the Sahara Desert and I whined and dragged my feet as we crossed it.

Very soon, we will cross it again a time or two. Not long to wait now. I will take full advantage of this trip, because who knows when we will go back again.

When I was a teenager yearning to visit Paris, I imagined how she would teem with life in the morning when delivery trucks made their rounds. Intrigued as I am with French grocery stores, I had to shoot this FranPrix truck. It was a dull and overcast Monday morning. Paris was indeed a gray lady on our last trip.

This photo hardly needs a comment. This dessert looks wonderful, and I was dying to buy it. But as you can see, it is a bit pricey. To my dismay, I have found that often, Paris desserts look better than they taste. Too rich, too sweet.

When we returned from Paris, my husband began taking his bike to work. It's no easy feat, because the trip requires that he climb two hills at 4 p.m., often the hottest hour of the day here. This year, our summer has been cooler so far, and he is driving. Go figure!

We've been taking advantage of the cooler weather to work outside, rebuilding a porch and clearing out our little forest of cedar trees between the house and the horse barn. Now I can see my little overgrown garden from the kitchen window again!