Clafoutis + Whipped Cream = YUM!

Pêche et myrtilles clafoutis avec crème : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Recipe for complete and utter gastronomic bliss: clafoutis with cream. YUM!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Finished Product

Finished clafouti : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

This the clafoutis right out of the oven! (Those are my petunias in the background. I got them because they reminded me of my maternal grandmother and my mom. The tablecloth is a Provencal design purchased in the town of Ribeauville in the Alsace-Lorraine.)

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Summertime, and the living is easy...

Summertime goodness : Peach and Blueberry Clafoutis : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Summer produce is out and it's fabulous! This is a clafoutis of peaches and blueberries about to go into the oven. (Thanks, Virginia, for the inspiration!)

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 8/10

Maison du Village?

Real or imagined? : Tromp l'oeil : St. Genis-Pouilly, FR

Is this a narrow townhouse on the end of that building or does the eye deceive again? Another tromp l'oeil in St. Genis. This one, across the street from the one featured in yesterday's post.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10

The Paintbrush is Mightier than the Eye...

Magie/Image : Tromp l'oeil : St. Genis-Pouilly, FR

I love tromp l'oeil and Europe is full of it. The great thing about that is, you don't have to go to a museum to see it. A lot of the time, all you have to do is drive to a neighboring village and there, against the wall of a building, is a painting meant to deceive your eye into thinking it's depicting a real-life scene. This is the case in the village of St. Genis-Pouilly in France. Everytime I go to France's finest bakery, Sebastian Brocard, I pass this mural that shows us the magic of images.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10

Service Fiscal

Service Fiscal : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

This is the French part of the border crossing near where I live. The stations--there's a Swiss one about 100 yards further up the road--are rarely staffed by French or Swiss border guards. Occasionally we see the local police, but rarely. As a result, the locals call it the Smuggler's Route. With the Schengen Agreement, travelers in the EU can cross borders without presenting passports. Even though Switzerland isn't part of the EU, they participate in the Schengen.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/10

Blé

Wheat fields straddling France and Switzerland : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Between us and Switzerland lies a field of wheat. I'm not sure how the farmer who ploughs and plants this field manages that. Does he have to pay duties and tariffs to the other country? Is the Swiss side of his wheat better than the French? When he ploughs and plants, does he have to show a passport? Things like this keep me awake at night. Well, not really, but I do wonder.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/10

Poppies

In Ferney's fields the poppies grow... : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Spring means newly ploughed fields means new crops means poppies. Along the edge of the field across the street from the apartment and on the edge of Switzerland are bright, red poppies. I love the paper-like quality and creping of the petals of these flowers. These poppies are the Papaver rhoeas variety and are considered to be a common weed in Europe, where they are also a symbol of Remembrance Day and are worn to commemorate the dead of World War I. They were immortalized in a poem by Canadian Lt. Col. John McRae titled, "In Flanders Fields."

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 6/10

Réflexion en Rouge

Réflexion en Rouge : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

I can't remember what I was shooting when I took this (I think it was this), but I was looking out of the kitchen window and when I looked down, I noticed the tree in the garden reflected in the red glass of the table. Kind of cool, huh?

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

Through a Veil, Darkly...

Through a Veil, Darkly : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

I took this through the sheer curtains hanging in the living room. I liked the effect of the girl, taking a picture and her dog, waiting patiently. The dog's name is Vulcan and he lives next door.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

Skywatch Friday: Clouds, Clouds, and More Clouds...

 Cloud over a field of rapeweed : Bossy, CH

As is common in springtime, the weather is warm and sunny one moment, then cold and overcast the next. I went walking the other evening and took these photos of the clouds. I'm also featuring this as part of SkyWatch Friday. To see photos of the sky from all over the world, visit SkyWatch Friday.

Clouds... : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

And more clouds... : Ferney-Voltaire, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

Lines and Angles

Geometric lines : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Just some random shots of some of the details on a school building on the Swiss-French border. This is on the French side.

WC : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/10

Promenade

Promenade : Divonne-Les-Bains, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

Esplanade

The Esplanade : Divonne-Les-Bains, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

French Chic...

French chic on a Sunday afternoon : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

Sunday afternoons in Divonne-les-Bains are for walking around the lake. Apparently, this is a French custom: you go to church or the market in the morning, have lunch with your family or friends in the afternoon, then go walking in the late afternoon. Doesn't matter what you're wearing either, you go walking. We saw people in everything from athletic gear to Sunday finery. This couple constituted the latter. What struck me were their shoes.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

100 Friends: Laurent and Daughters

 Friends Laurent and daughters : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

The other evening, we had to run an errand in Divonne-les-Bains, so we met with friend Denise and her husband, Laurent. Denise is a dual-citizenship American with a French passport (is that American-French?); her husband, Laurent, is French. They have two lovely girls. I took this photo of Laurent and their girls checking out Lake Divonne. Problem is, I can't figure out which shot I like better. What do you think?

Different perspective : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

For Janeen

 Cherry Blossom Birthday : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

Today is my sister's birthday. She likes Thomas Jefferson, Joan Jett, and cherry blossoms--hence the photo of cherry blossoms as seen around Lake Divonne the other evening. Janeen also likes a new coloring book and crayons, is a huge fan of the Twilight series and Harry Potter, and works with the youth in her church in Virginia. She's wise beyond her years, wicked funny, and one of the most well-read people I know. Janeen is one of my very best friends and I'm excited to see her in a few weeks!

Happy Birthday, Janeen!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

Lift off?

Lift Off! : Divonne-les-Bains, FR

We went walking around Lake Divonne the other evening and I noticed the clouds and this electrical tower. It was another Debi Cates moment.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

PUPPY!

 PUPPY! : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

This little fellow was accompanying his human in the market last Saturday and I just couldn't resist taking his picture. Cute little bugger!

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10

100 Unnamed Strangers

Waiting : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Continuing another series featuring people: last weekend, we met friends Kim, Faith, and Carl in the market for croissants, coffee, and tea. I shot a few pictures of random people in the market. These two, in particular, stood out.

"People who tell me zhay are happy make my ass twitch!" - Kevin Kline in French Kiss : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/10