Échafaudage

Scaffolding. The last time I visited Chenonceau, back in 2011, a three-year restoration project was under way. Because the bulk of the building sits in the river, the project scaffolding had to be anchored under water. It would be interesting to know how, but I haven't a clue.

Scaffolding in the river. Château de Chenonceau, September 2011.

Do any of my readers know something about eyeglasses? I'm going over to an optical shop in a few days to ask a question. Can the lenses in an existing pair of glasses be re-cut to fit a new set of frames? I have a pair of glasses that are about a year old and it turns out that I don't really like them. I also have another set of frames that I'd like to have fitted with my prescription. The frames I like are smaller than the existing pair.

I'm not opposed to just getting new lenses, if that's the way it works. But I wonder if re-using the existing pair would be less costly.

La rive gauche

The left bank of the Cher at Chenonceau is home to a small walled-in forest. Visitors to the castle can exit on the left bank and wander around. They need their tickets to get back inside the building. However, other visitors can walk freely on the left bank without a ticket. There are parking places just downstream from the castle and a well worn path along the riverbank. The views are pretty nice.

The left bank of the Cher at the Château de Chenonceau. September 2011.

I did build a fire in the wood stove yesterday. I'm not sure it was necessary, but it does keep the central heating from clicking on and off during the day and that saves on fuel. I noticed, though, that the wood pile is getting rather small. Fire season will be over in a month or so. I think we'll make it.

Seule

Alone. It's unlikely that this woman was alone, visiting Chenonceau. But she was the only person in the shot, looking over the Cher River near the castle's front door.

A big pot of geraniums in the center of this forecourt.* September 2011.

I haven't been motivated to build a fire in the past couple of days. The weather's been relatively warm. Today it's supposed to be chilly again, so maybe I'll get it together to clean out the stove and split some wood. Ken's making a poule au pot (chicken in a pot) for lunch. That will warm us up if nothing else does.

* I don't know what a forecourt is or if this is one. Just go along.

Paratonnerre

That's "lightning rod" in French. This one is atop the Château de Chenonceau, seen through one of the castle's windows. The shot looked mostly black and white, so I took out the remaining bits of color. I also rotated the image so that the roof and the rod were vertical. I don't know what I was aiming for, but the original photo had them at a curious angle.

Lightning rod at Chenonceau. May 2007.

Today marks twenty years since the sale closed and Ken and I completed the move out of our San Francisco house. We, with our dog Collette, stayed with friends in the Bay Area, then southern California before heading east to Illinois (more friends) and North Carolina. We stayed at Ken's mother's house in coastal NC until we received our visas and headed to France, via Washington, DC, on the first of June.

The other garden

The smaller of the two main gardens at Chenonceau is that of Catherine de Médicis. She took over the castle when she became regent after her husband, King Henri II, died. She's the one who had the galleries built on the bridge over the river. The king's mistress, Diane de Poitiers, had the bridge built when she occupied the castle.

Jardin de Catherine de Médicis, Chenonceau. May 2007.

The garden has a central water basin with a single jet spraying upward in its center. In the times I've been there, I got the impression that the Médicis garden is more intimate and is planted with more colorful flowers than the larger Poitiers garden.

Once more, with people

Here's another shot of the gallery at Chenonceau that spans the river, this time with people in it. I crouched down toward the floor to snap it. A simple change in elevation can make a big difference in the feel of a photo.

People add some scale to the room. Chenonceau, September 2011.

The "empty" gallery photo that I posted previously was from March 2006. This one is from September 2011, more than five years later. I think that was the last time I was inside the château.

Keep it clean

I guess I thought this was interesting. A wastepaper basket bolted to a wall on the grounds of the Château de Chenonceau. People do need a place to get rid of wrappers, tissues, brochures, and maybe even newspapers. I can't believe there are people visiting the castle who would throw trash on the ground (except for maybe small children who haven't yet learned not to litter). But, if you don't want trash on the ground, then you've got to provide receptacles. Et voilà.

Put your trash here. May 2007.

We had a few spring-like days. Trees and shrubs are starting to flower. Bulbs are up. Birds are singing. This morning it's cold again, but not below freezing. I know the grape growers are starting to worry about April. Early warm weather starts the vines budding, and damaging April freezes are not uncommon. We'll see what this season brings.