sun and last paint

july 7th, 2010


Well this is the last day where the Reporter could paint. Tomorrow things have to be dried and papered and rolled and
brushes put away...

:(

Today there are no pics as the Reporter just left the studio, at midnight, and her camera there..

Her sister-in-law came with her great-daughter from Lyon and both were pretty adorable.

The Mont Blanc was highly visible and sublime, but the camera is still in the studio. so you will get pics only tomorrow.

That is all Folks, it is unbelievable that this enchanting painting seminar is drawing to its end.

With love and best wishes to everyone, everywhere, from this Alpine retreat,
the Frog

paint the plain

july 5th, 2010


So this post will be short and full of photos of paint, as the Reporter has very little to report
except painting and more painting.

What is more, the Reporter misses her children, and usually, heartless as she is, she doesn't.

So here are a few pics,
one painting,








two,









and plain 3,









new view, and beginning of new paint :D
















so that's all folks !!!

with love from the alpine plain !!
the Frog

rain on the plain and paint

july 4th, 2010

Happy 4th of July !

So the Reporter did celebrate July 4th in style but more about that later.

First here is a view of Mont Blanc from the terrace,






If, you can't see it, your vision is NOT 20/20.
Well to help a bit it is right behind the pale purple last mountain.]






If you still can't see it, you have to start eating blueberries as they help to restore vision.
Then it started to rain,









and a litte more,

















Then it was dusk,











then it was time to celebrate, and the grand Catherine had provided grandly !



















and then it was time for a hike after dinner, and the Reporter had to switch shoes,










It was a grand day !!!!
Thank you Ada and Barb, and Catherine, and the whole gang !

Much love from the Alps,
the Frog

back to painting

july 3rd, 2010

Well this was a very uneventful day with back to painting, which was in itself great fun.

Everyone worked hard with renewed energy and spunk.

So hoping that everyone else in that 3rd of july had a good day too despite cleaning up the gulf or trying to live a peaceful life in far away Pakistan or Afghanistan or anywhere.

With love,
the Frog

the lake, at last, again

july 2nd, 2010

So the Reporter went with her group of courageous painters, by the cool temperature of 104 to visit Annecy and Talloires.

It was awesome.

In Annecy, we visited the old town,















the jail,






different dwellings,



















Then there was the old pastry shop where the Reporter's mum would take her daughter, Le Fidele Berger, [ the Faithful Shepherd ] which had those chocolates with candied orange peel inside. The Reporter, stupidly, never liked much pastries
but it was a great place for fresh squeezed orange juice, unfortunately Le Fidele Berger was in acute restoration,



Then next to Le Fidele, there was still the old well,











Then there was of course the old italian church and the boat on the major canal and the swan bridge,






















And to leave we took the wide street,






then we got to Talloires, the bay @ l'Abbaye where the courageous group had a quick lunch,














and Le Pere Bise and le debarcadere were still there,















and then we went up St Germain, and there in the tiny church, the courageous group who had walked under the sun without ever whining, had the nicest reward, in the tiny adorable church a woman was singing Bach with the most exquisite voice as a rehearsal for a sunday concert,







The group felt pretty blessed and we left Talloires with elation and sadness,
:))

the Frog

lyon or not cold at all

july 1st, 2010

Where the Reporter gets a little late on her report.

So she visited Lyon on july 1st, a fateful day where one of her meanest nephews gets his birthday, and she calsl him and of course they got to talk and say all these horrid things to each other, [ he never fails to call her nine days later for her own birthday, and say horrid things too, so she always invites him for the holidays ]

And then she called a sister-in-law who lives in Lyon and was wisely away for the day and said to her on the phone, " Mais qu'est ce que tu fais dans ce cagnard ? " which could be translated somewhat by " But what are you doing in this stupefying oven place ? " and even that, is an elegant way to translate " Cagnard ."


So the Reporter went to Lyon, and it was awesome and she got all these pictures of interesting little places.
First a general view of the city inside the oven,








then a little museum shop,







then the chapel,









then a cute little bar,




then they had a wonderful Austrian guide who spoke a nice austrian accented english and was really interesting to listen to,






Then they went down to the old district and saw a herb store,










Then a delightful traboule,









and then the Reporter got to her obsession, photographing windows,














And then there were no more windows and the Reporter was really sad,

With love and sadness from Lyon,
the Frog

hectic

july 1st, 2010

Ok, the Reporter, due to a hectic and wonderful day in Lyon, and great evening meal and very little wine in St Jean de la Porte, is postponing report till early tomorrow. [ France time ]

With much love from the Alpine retreat,

the Frog