Dreaming

I am dreaming today of Provence. Remembering all the sights and sounds.....the joy in your company; idle hours of bliss in washed in the most beautiful light. Do you remember it? Do you remember the Les Beaux Des Provence, the Provence of Provence - Les Anciens where steep cliffs hide ancient castles and cicada's hum in the the trees.

Tonight I am remembering the light and the warmth. Van Gogh loved the light in Arles and spent years painting there; my favorite, Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum. We sat at that very cafe, just to relax and have a coffee and read the paper. It was not a history lesson to be observed, it is still a cafe to relax and enjoy. I left you there while I went to pick up the quilted bags I had made for my mother. What a beautiful memory we had had - just being, wandering around the small village while waiting towards late afternoon to drive the short distance to experience the horses of the Camargue at sunset.

The wild horses of the Camargue, a beautiful, silver white breed of horse that lives in the marshlands of the South of France alongside beautiful flamingos - there origins in this region are prehistoric. What a display it was to see them running along the marshes that lined the route from Arles to the sea coast. I will never forget that as long as I live.

As I sit here in Atlanta tonight, fighting off the chill in the air, I remember our wonderful lunch at the Oustau de Baumaniere. Three hours we sat on that beautiful patio surrounded by groves of trees that caused the light to dapple across our tabletop. Every attention to detail was evident from the hand pressed Huile de Olive to the clay birds that adorned our table. You snuck away to buy one for me - it now sits on my coffee table as a reminder of that day.

As I head inside to prepare for my evening out with friends, I will take the images of those days with me - to keep me warm, and make me smile. Steve, I will see you in Paris soon!!