Do dogs sulk? This is "Ulysse", or Ulysses, who lives on a beach near Hyérès. You can see a good photo of him here (youll also see a story featuring my Mom. Dont miss it.) Provence V...
Panneau de publicité. An advertising signboard placed on an old cabanon. Click here to comment. To skip the debate, you might talk about the pretty flowers instead :-) à suivre (ah swee-vrh) &...
Todays moving post is by guest blogger and author Nancy Rial (pictured here at the American Cemetery in Lorraine). Monday is Memorial Day in the US. The next post goes out Wednesday. la journée du so...
Name this photo! Click here to add a picture title or a thought bubble. (Photo taken near St Cyr-sur-Mer). "Meet Chief Grape in Copenhagen . He will be pouring his wines at...
Thanks, Marsha and Dad, for such a nice visit! I hope you will enjoy this story that I wrote about it... (and here is that photo taken during our stroll in Villedieu "Town of God"). "M...
A child care center in Flayosc. Seems like yesterday that my son went to the crèche... read on in todays story column. Sign up a friend or family member to French Word-A-Day -...
Le Point Rouge, in Marseilles. Nothing to do with todays story, these are photos I took in 92, when I moved to Marseilles to live with this young accountant. Turns out Jean-Marc wasnt cut out for off...
Hollyhock and Wet Dog. Smokey volunteers his mug to illustrate todays expression "les chiens ne font pas des chats". Does he look disappointed by the news? No worries, Smokelicot, you can s...
The old mulberry tree and a mis-mash pistache of chairs beneath. Big, small, creaky and tall--unstable as the weather! Jean-Marc was right -- everything would work out fine. So when the rain drops be...
France is on the road again, with a new Président de la République française, though some wonder where we are headed. Photo taken at le Girocèdre restaurant, in Puyméras. mésaventure (mayz-avo...
A creative "lid" mask and a cheerful fenêtre in Richerenches, town of truffles, where the local church holds une messe aux truffes. During this unique mass, donations are ...
Fresh flowers and fresh perspectives. Photo: at a strawberry, wine, and olive-oil vendors in Tulette. ravissant (rah-vee-sahn) : lovely also ravissante (rah-vee-...
The French name for poppy? "Le coquelicot" Smokey has his own term of endearment for this one. Read on! The next wine-tasting here at the vineyard is tomorrow, May 1st! If you can make it t...
"Vignettes from the Var"? Such a book title might not win any awards, but it would clearly suggest the books content! All of the stories in this next collection are from 2006, when we lived...
I wanted to title the previous book "Character-building in Provence"--a reference to the "character" one builds when adapting to a foreign land... as well as a reference to the wr...
"Blossoming in Provence Volume Two?".... Would this photo work for the next story collection? The title could be written across the blue sky... the picture, bordered by a green cover...
"Pink Corners". Photo of a childs vélo and a bougainvillea taken in Ventimiglia, Italy.Good news: UK readers, you may now find our Domaine Rouge-Bleu wines in your area. For store loc...
"If these chairs could talk" Photo taken after last years wine harvest... when we stole away to the restful southern coast of Corsica. When Chief Grape isnt picking grapes... hes busy looki...
Just a goofy tale at the beach (in Bandol!) for you today... and a little rush, which happens while trying to write on a deadline! Thanks for overlooking some of the "missing things" in thi...
A black-and-white photo for a change and some frissons in todays edition. (Picture taken five years ago in Brignoles, during a moody balade with Mama Jules, who was trying to wean herself off cigaret...
Squint your eyes and you might see the whimsical warning (beneath the flowy jasmine); the door sign reads: "Attention, Chien Bizarre!"/"Watch out for Strange Dog!" (Notice the lit...
La Vie en Lomo. I used Picasas free "lomo" filter on this snapshot of a favorite cabanon here in our neighborhood. Click on image to enlarge it. cabanon (kah-bah-nohn) : a l...
Maybe Anne got sidetracked at the neighbors? Who could blame the animal lover for lingering before this scene? Read todays dual-language missive written by Chief Grape! en retard (ahn reuh tahr) ...
The garden hose, The Tongue, and many other things to try and hide (or tuck back inside...) before tomorrows guests arrive! Meantime, the wallflowers—les giroflées (f)—look welcoming. Well, thats a s...
Recently, while editing photos in Picasa (Googles free photo-editing software), I noticed they offered a newer version. After hitting the update button... I tried out a tool called "effet lomo&q...
Père et Fille. Jean-Marc and Jackie (did you read her letter on maquillage?). Tomorrow, March 29th, is Chief Grapes 45th birthday! To wish him Joyeux Anniversaire, click here... Follow French Word-A-...
Through thick and thin. Photo of Braise (pronounced "brez") and son Smokey--or one of his five sisters? Photo taken over two years ago. Braise still cleans her 30-month-olds face, still let...
"Demure" and une demeure, or dwelling, in the town of Richerenches. Photo taken last February, during truffle season (the outskirts of this modest town are loaded with the pricey fungi! (No...
From time to time, I like to share this snapshot, taken in the Aosta Valley (Italy) during our 2007 family vacation. We were going through a particularly upheavaling time... when I stumbled across th...
Max and Smokey. Photo taken last year. Meet Chief Grape in California and Oregon soon! Check out some of the cities he is visiting on his USA wine tour, click here. la liberté (lee-behr-t...
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