Wonders and Delights

The season of wonders is upon us, and so swiftly arrived, too, as it often seems. As the days of the waning year begin to rush ahead of themselves in an accelerated whirl of activities, we have little chance, really, to reflect upon the months just passed. We’ve each had trials, we’ve each had triumphs, and some may seem to outweigh others, but balancing it up waits for less festive days to fill the calendar.

These wondrous moments remind us that the magical awaits around many corners, in many forms, as long as we stop and listen and believe.

And a great gift of this season is that it’s all right to believe. To believe in magic, in miracles, in our own truths as well as those of others.

May your last days of this year be filled with wonders and sprinkled with fairy dustings of delight.

In fact, I’m sending you some right now.

There.

Did you get them?

I hope so.

with love,

– g

p. s. a bit more magic for you at ParisByTwo.

I Dreamed I Was in Paris

I dreamed I was in Paris, bathed in rose-colored light.

Where roses are necessary to life, and even the most petite chambres have a chandelier.

Where tea rooms are as glamorous as palaces, and shops adorn purchases with fresh roses.

Where confectionary rainbows tempt from every street.

And presentation is as important as the creation.

Where the ghosts of the Belle Epoque gaze out from elegant windows.

And the quality of life flows as it has for centuries.

In Monet’s Garden

How does one photograph a legendary place, an iconic garden, known and loved the world over? A location that has been painted to perfection by the brilliant artist who created it, and photographed from every angle, in every season so that even taking a single image of a single red poppy risks redundancy?

If you’ve been there, you know. It is breathtaking. The garden design itself is as stunning a creation as the artworks inspired by it.

I felt very humbled, and uncertain, in attempting to capture its atmosphere.

Often, when I share location images here, I include record shots – what the place looks like if you were standing there – as well as images that capture more of how it makes me feel, less literal and more atmospheric.

Here, truly, only a purely impressionistic style seemed appropriate.

Is this exactly what Giverny looks like? No, not precisely. But then again, perhaps. And possibly how Monsieur Monet imagined it, over the course of nearly 40 years, but who am I to presume?

I can only share my interpretation, of a warm June afternoon, riots of color and bloom, drooping willow and bamboo. And everywhere, poppies.

There is, with certainty, no place like it on Earth.

We felt so fortunate. And here, because otherwise without it, this might seem too fantastical, is the magical water garden, the well known bridge and the most famous waterlilies ever grown.

Taken by D, among the roses with my camera, a sunny day in June. Nothing more need be said.

Thank you so much for your visits, comments and for following along. Each of you is very important and special in our lives. And D and I wish you a most joyful weekend!

xo – g