From one arch to another

This is the La Défense business district just outside Paris and the Grande Arche, arguably the centerpiece of the complex. I was standing on the observation platform atop the Arc de Triomphe, just under five kilometers* (about three miles) away. Ah, the wonders of a zoom lens.

Those little dots along the top edge of the arche are people. La Grande Arche de la Défense, Paris, April 2009.

The arch is essentially two forty-or-so story office buildings connected at their tops. Visitors can take the glass elevators (visible inside the arch) up to an outdoor observation deck and exhibit space. Ken and I did that back in the eighties. Since this photo dates from 2009, that building under construction on the right is most certainly completed by now.

Why is one called un arc and the other called une arche? I dunno.

*As measured on Google Maps.

Downtown

I know I posted this photo back in 2016, but what the heck. I'm not getting any new shots while it's this cold and dark outside. This is downtown Albany, NY, the state capital. You can see the red-roofed capitol building at the top of the hill and the green-roofed Alfred E. Smith state office building tower rising behind it.

State Street at Broadway, Albany, NY, May 2016.

Today we're expecting a delivery of home heating fuel, fioul in French. Our delivery window is between 07h00 and 13h00. It doesn't get light until about 08h30, so I'm hoping the truck doesn't show up before then. Once the fuel is pumped into the tank, it needs to settle for about an hour before we can turn the boiler back on. I hope to get a fire going in the wood stove by then.

Saint Mary's Church

For no particular reason, here's a shot of the church of Saint Mary's in Albany, New York. The Italianesque revival building was completed in the late nineteenth century.

The blossoms of spring and Saint Mary's Catholic church, Albany, NY, May 2016.

This shot is from 2016 during my last trip home (except for the short trip in 2020 for a funeral). I remember several days of beautiful spring weather during that trip. I've never been inside this church, but I'll try to see it the next time I'm in Albany. Who knows when that will be?

Galette de rois, 2023

I used the DSLR yesterday to get a better photo of this year's galette des rois, the traditional tart for celebrating the Epiphany (les rois in this case refers to the three wise men, kings of Orient). I used the smartphone for the first round of pictures, but I didn't like the results at all. This one is okay.

Galette des rois et sa fève.

The fève this year is a ceramic duck (looks like a mallard to me) that came in either a bakery or supermarket tart many years ago, before I started making my own. Naturally I saved the little trinkets and now use them in my tarts. The tradition says that whomever gets the hidden fève in their slice is king for the day and gets to wear the cardboard crown that comes with the tart. This year, Ken got the honor. But the only crowns in this house are shaped like teeth.

Two years ago

It's already been two years since Tasha tore a knee ligament in one of her back legs. She had surgery to replace the ligament and needed to be confined (with short, leashed walks) for several months. Local friends lent us a corral and Tasha took to it right away. We ended up getting two corrals of our own; one for the living room and one for the loft upstairs. Tasha wasn't allowed to run, especially on slippery floors, until the leg healed.

Tasha in doggy jail wearing the cone of shame, January 2022.

Early on in her recovery, while she still had stitches, Tasha needed to wear the "cone of shame" to keep her from pulling out the stitches and licking her scar. She hated the cone and pulled it off a few times, but she got through it and didn't have to wear it for too long.

So now it's been two years and it's almost like nothing happened. She's been going leash-less on daily walks for a while now and enjoys chasing birds in the vineyard. We use a panel from one of the corrals to keep her from flying down the main stairs (and possibly slip) when cars and pedestrians go by, but that's pretty much the only remaining restriction she has. She goes up and down those stairs normally otherwise, with us both reminding her to "go slow." She won't climb the steep stairs to loft, though. I think that she thinks she's not allowed to since it was blocked off for months during her recovery. I still carry her up at bed time and down each morning.

A few steps back

To get an idea of how high above Paris the church of Sacré-Cœur sits, you have to put a little distance between you. One of the best places to do this is the top of the Arc de Triomphe, just under four kilometers to the west, as the crow flies. If you don't have wings, you'll have to walk. Or take the métro.

Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, April 2009.

The landscape guys did come back yesterday and finished the hedge trimming. The hedges always look terrific when they're done. I'll get some photos soon. Morning low temperatures are getting lower, heading for negative territory by Monday. It's going to feel very different from the mild weather we've had up to now.

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre

This church, built on the Butte Montmartre, is probably among the most recognized and most visited of Paris monuments. I've been inside (many moons ago) but I've never climbed up to the dome. But you don't have to for good views. The plaza and stairs out front offer pretty good, and free, views of the city below without the climb.

Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, Paris, April 2009.

Our weather is cooling down again. If the forecasters are correct, we should see some negative temperatures next week. Oh! And the landscape guys showed up yesterday afternoon and started the hedge trimming. I assume (always dangerous) that they'll be back this morning to finish the job.