Best Intentions

Time is passing quickly and my good intentions for the new year to write a monthly blog fell by the wayside. Life is like that here as we immerse ourselves in the community. "Winter" was cool and rainy but compared to most other places, passed quickly and by late February, we could see the first signs of spring.  We are now into full spring mode. This week the Tourism Beziers office posted a contest for the best picture that represents spring. We were astounded to see that our house and staircase was one of the contest pictures. What was even more amazing was the it won the prize for the most votes. We thank K. Gregoire, the photographer, for so beautifully capturing the spring scene.

Life continues to be full of surprises here. Last week, a friend and I sat on the back terrace of the Grand Cafe for some morning art practice. With our paper and paint spread out before us, we discussed the "paysage" and how we could best re-create the scene. Before long, we each had an emerging image on our paper and were working diligently when we were interrupted by a local woman who leaned over us and made admiring comments. 

I had seen her around for several years but had never been introduced. It turns out that she is a portrait artist from Paris who has lived in the south of France for many years. She gave us tips for our work, told us about her work as an art restorer and then quickly drew a sketch and handed it to me. It will soon be framed and will hang in a prominent place.