Windows onto and into La fête de la musique

This lady and her cat had a nice view of events going on below for the annual Fête de la Musique, which takes place all over France -- and now, all over the world.

What a way to kick off the summer! I take back what I said about writing my last post before my trip to the USA. I need to do just one more, to share with you some of the more serene moments of yesterday's festive festival.

A restaurant with a coveted view onto the Place de la Cité waits for customers under the watchful eye of Aubrac cattle:

An unusually colorful (for Rodez) window catches the eye of passers-by as dusk falls:

If anyone had been looking out of it, he or she could have watched this group of musique folklorique having some informal fun:

A piano shop brought in an excellent pianist from Toulouse to play within the confines of his small boutique; a large crowd gathered on the sidewalk to watch and, especially, listen:

Of course, there was plenty of bustle, noise, and beer. But it's the quiet corners of La Fête de la Musique that draw my attention.

My thoughts are many miles away

Between a two-day trip to Paris next week for work and my departure for the USA in less than three weeks, my mind is racing over a lot of ground besides the fetching Aveyron countryside and weird parts of Rodez.

And in looking over my last months of blogging, I am surprised how many posts haven't dealt with Aveyron at all. Since la rentrée, I've spilt a lot of virtual ink about Albi, Paris, Montpellier, Paris again, Toulouse, encore Paris...

Soon I will be writing from even farther afield, reviving And So Forth to blog all summer from Olympia, Washington.

Is my mind elsewhere? Possibly.

Is this my last written post for France Profonde before next September? Could be.

See you on Wordless Wednesday! And if you're bored on Sunday, you can create an image of yourself like my new avatar here.

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(Photo courtesy of Thierry Jouanneteau)

Taking a closer look

One of the joys of digital photography in general, and photo blogging in particular, is getting the chance -- and taking the time -- to look more closely at sights that have caught my attention.

Rushing off to a professional engagement in Rodez on Thursday, I noticed this striking green gate and made a mental note to take a shot of it on the way back from the appointment. And rushing back to catch my bus, I allowed myself no more than 15 seconds to take the photo.

I had barely even looked at the object in my objective -- I was just struck by its color, which is not that common in the area's exterior decoration.

But examining it at home on my computer screen, I saw so much more: the overflowing plant that prooves what a green spring we're having; the contrast between the old stone on the right and the rather less attractive material used to cover the building; the fact that the gate doesn't seem to be attached right -- or at all.

It reminded me of Aveyron: green, full of contrasts, and a little off-kilter.

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