The bloom is off the rose

Almost. They're still blooming, and probably will through November. But somehow they look different from summer roses. For one thing, the flowers don't seem to last as long with the petals falling off very quickly this time of year. Then, wind and rain take their toll.

End of summer roses in a neighbor's garden. They're still pretty.

We drove through a doozy of a thunderstorm yesterday on our way to lunch with friends in Loches, a town about forty minutes south of us. We could see the dark clouds and crisp lightning bolts ahead of us as we drove, then it began to rain very hard and the car was pelted with small hail stones. It lasted less than ten minutes and the skies turned blue again. We were a little frazzled, but lunch (delicious!) calmed our nerves. The wine helped, too.