Chambord

If this image looks familiar, just look up to the banner photo at the top of this blog. It's the Château de Chambord, King François I's "hunting lodge" built just south of the Loire River, not far from Blois. It's one of the most ornate roofs that I think I've ever seen. I believe that the tower in the photo is the roof over the castle's chapel, given the cross at the top (it's on the right in the banner photo). Of course, I committed a photographic no-no by cutting the top of the cross out of the picture.

The black and white version. Chambord, digitized color slide, Fall 2000.

I found conflicting information on the internet, but Chambord is among the most visited, or most beautiful, or most liked of the Loire Valley castles. There are so many to choose from.

La Chapelle Saint-Hubert

The Saint-Hubert chapel was built onto the western ramparts of the Amboise château in the late fifteenth century. Inside is the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, who spent the last years of his life in Amboise at the invitation of King François I.

I like how two gargoyles are visible on either side of the chapel. Chapelle St.-Hubert, Amboise. Digitized color slide, Fall 2000.

The chapel is built in the flamboyant gothic style, near the time of the transition between gothic and renaissance architectural styles. Of course, I'm not showing you any of the detail, just the silhouette of the chapel against a late afternoon sky.

Somebody's having a bad day

Here are a couple of gargoyles at the Château d'Amboise. There's probably a story behind the one clasping his forehead, but I don't know it. Most of the time, gargoyles depict fantastical, and often scary, animals. Many resemble lions and serpents.

It could be worse. Rain water could be pouring out of your mouth. Digitized color slide, Amboise, Fall 2000.

Our new refrigerator is operating smoothly. We're adjusting to a smaller capacity, but it's not a hardship. The shelves are closer together than those in the old fridge and they are not adjustable. In fact, we took the horizontal bottle holder shelf out to make a taller space for bottled sauces, like ketchup and teriyaki. We've gone from four crisper drawers to one, so I picked up a few plastic bins to hold some items in the main refrigerated section.

It seems strange to be talking about a refrigerator with all this mess going on in Ukraine. I hope it calms down sooner rather than later.

Roof tops

This is the view from up in the Château d'Amboise, the top of the tour des Minimes I think, looking more or less west across the center of town. The Loire River is just to the right of the trees on the right edge of the image. The roofs in Amboise are made with slate tiles. Les ardoises d'Amboise, if you will.

The round tower is the Tour Garçonnet at the Château d'Amboise. Digitized color slide, Fall 2000.

We're back to flirting with freezing temperatures for the next few mornings. High pressure is building in, so the night skies are clear. It will be interesting to see if the predicted sunny days materialize or whether we'll be under an inversion layer through the weekend.

Today is a day of errands for me. I'm going to the vet's office for some more dietary kibble for Tasha. I have to go to the dump again -- they're issuing ID cards to show we're residents and I needed a piece of paperwork that shows my address along with my normal ID, so I'm going to turn that in. Then a stop in the housewares store for a couple of little things and, of course, a quick run through the grocery store. An exciting life, indeed.

Banners in the breeze

Most of the royal château at Amboise was demolished long ago. What remains are the logis royal (royal residence) and the chapelle Saint-Hubert where Leonardo da Vinci's tomb is. Whether he is in it or not is still an open question. Also intact are the castle's ramparts and towers. The grounds have been turned into gardens.

Part of the logis royal. On the left is the tower des Minimes, one of two with spiral ramps that made it possible for horses and carriages to ascend to the castle grounds from the city below. Digitized color slide, Fall 2000.

Our refrigerator arrived as promised late yesterday afternoon. The appliance guy and his assistant made quick work of bringing it in, unwrapping it, and setting it up. They also took the old fridge away. It's a smaller fridge than the old one, so we have to work on what goes in and where. I also have to take some photos and sign up for a manufacturer's rebate of a little less than 10% of the price.

Amboise

Let's spend a few days at Amboise. It's a small city on the Loire that's very popular with visitors. Shops, restaurants, a lively weekly market, and a beautiful château attract the crowds year-round. Not mention Leonardo da Vinci's final residence and tomb. Lots to see and do.

The Château d'Amboise seen from the city below. Digitized color slide, Fall 2000.

Well, the refrigerator was not delivered on Tuesday as expected. Something to do with scheduling. It's been promised late this afternoon. We have no choice but to wait. At least the kitchen floor is clean.

Chaumont

The Château de Chaumont sits on a bluff high above the Loire River as this image shows. The castle is fun to visit; many of the rooms are furnished. The grounds are beautiful, including art space and a special annual international garden festival. In the old days (like when I took this picture), visitors could wander around the grounds without paying an entrance fee. Those days are gone, but the fee is worth it if you've never been, and maybe even if you have.

A little slice of the Loire River below the château de Chaumont. Digitized color slide, Fall 2000.

Today is the day we're expecting delivery of our new refrigerator. Keep you fingers crossed! I plan to take advantage to wash the kitchen floor before it arrives. I lead an exciting life. It will be nice to move the food out of coolers and the old chest freezer in the garage (which we've been using as a interim fridge by turning it on and off to keep it cold but not freezing) and get back to a little normalcy.