What? Arches again?

Gothic vaulted ceilings are constructed with columns, arches, and butresses that work together to channel the forces of the loads they carry, thus creating a usable space below them.

Vaulted ceiling in the abbey at the Mont Saint-Michel, June 2006.

We're expecting a contractor to come by this week to look at our automatic garage door. They (brothers) installed the door back in 2018, and it's been great. The problem is that it has recently developed a rather annoying tick that causes it to reverse itself before it closes. We can't identify the problem, so we're hoping the guys who installed it can do so and fix it easily. We're also going to ask them to work up estimates the replacement or installation of new shutters on various windows around the house.

Even more arches

This is probably the last of the arches photos from the Mont Saint-Michel. I took all of them back in 2006 and decided to re-work them a little. The originals are what they are: taken with my old Panasonic bridge camera, my first digital camera. I was just learning to use Photoshop for the most basic of post-processing, mostly cropping and straightening. But now, except for the smartphone camera, I use a full-frame DSLR camera and Lightroom for "developing."

More columns and arches in the abbey cloister, Mont Saint-Michel, June 2006.

I successfully placed our order for a chapon de pintade (Guinea fowl capon) yesterday. I was lucky that the rain moved out just as I was heading out to the market. Soon after, the wind picked up and it's been blowin' a gale, calming down a little over night. I'll pick up the bird on Christmas Eve at Saint-Aignan's special Christmas market.

More arches

More views inside the abbey at the Mont Saint-Michel.

Columns and arches. Mont Saint-Michel, June 2006.

The wind and rain seems to be moving off. At least the rain. I think we're going to have wind most of the day. And dropping temperatures. I still plan to go out this morning, mostly because I need to get a prescription renewal.

Cloister

This is the abbey cloister at the Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy. I don't know the identity of the woman posing for a photo.

The abbey on the Mont Saint-Michel, June 2006.

Mother Nature is going to try to meddle in my weekend plans to go to the market and order our holiday bird. I may have to put it off for a week if the weather gets ugly.

A new tradition

Chocolate snails! We've been enjoying them around the holidays for a few years now, so I guess that qualifies as a new tradition. This year, instead of sticking with the basic milk chocolate and dark chocolate snails, we tried almond and caramel. They're all good. Neither one of us is a big chocoholic; a little goes a long way. But these rich snail-shaped chocolates hit the spot!

Individually wrapped bursts of chololate. Perfect for the holidays.

The walnut tree

This was yesterday's sunrise from out by the lone walnut tree among the grape vines. It was brief; soon after I snapped this shot the sun rose up behind the clouds and the color faded.

Our hamlet is visible just right of center.

I've just realized how close Christmas is. On Saturday I'll go to the market in town and order our holiday bird. We're planning on a chapon de pintade this year, a male Guinea fowl, as the main course.

The outside

This is one of the few photos that I took of the Sées cathedral's exterior. It seems this cathedral has burned, partially collapsed, and been rebuilt numerous times over the centuries. 

The spires of the cathedral at Sées in black and white. June 2006.

The weather forecast is now revised. It seems that it might not get as cold as originally predicted this week. We'll still see single digits, but won't get very close to freezing.