I was lucky enough to spend the first Saturday of May in France! That’s right FRANCE! It was a Pink Saturday for sure! Now I’m back home and lucky enough to celebrate this special anniversary with Beverly and my Pink Saturday friends!
This shot was taken on May Day when flower vendors were on every corner selling little bunches of Lily of the Valley and other small bouquets. I purchased a handful from this lovely lady pushing a cart and a colorfully clad doll. May Day is the French Labor Day and it’s very political. She was talking excitedly with great passion, but my French was sadly lacking and I never figured out her cause or agenda or her message…but her flowers lasted most of the week!
The real Pink of the trip was out at Giverny, Monet’s home and gardens. They are breathtaking.
My little tourist Kodak could not come close to capturing the Pinkness, but his artist’s eye was perfection! It was one of the most beautiful beautiful places I’ve ever been.
The lilies in his ponds were not blooming yet, but you can see the colors in the mix of trees along the banks. He planned and planted the garden himself (along with a staff of gardeners because he, unlike so many painters of the era, was financially successful. in fact, he bought the extra land for the ponds with the sale of TWO Paintings!)
Again, Kodak vs. Monet’s eye…
It still gives me goose bumpy shivers to realize that I was actually there walking in his footsteps and looking out his bedroom window sharing the view he woke to every morning.
And by the way, our French guide really did say, “Ooh La La” repeatedly…so I guess that’s not just in the movies, unless she was hamming it up for better tips. Well, I’m headed out to visit Beverly and take the weekly Tour de Pink…Happy Anniversary to one and all. http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/
