Lavender fields forever!  Since I never was able to get my blog "up and running" while in France, I'll post a few pictures now.

I am home now.  Flew to Florida on Friday, July 18th.  I'm all unpacked and will start packing on Sunday for the next trip, to WI till September.  It is very easy to unpack when you don't take many clothes.

Wow, what an amazing time, wonderful new friends and did I mention how much food there was?
Dinner usually was from 6:30 for appertifs and 7:00 to 9:00 for the usual four course meal.  It is light out till 10 pm so we had enough time to go for a walk around the long block.

Our last night reception was done in style.  The Lady Mayor of Fraysinnet even attended.  Our dinner was lit by candlelight everywhere and flowers fresh from the gardens.  Also, no walk tonight as the meal was 7 courses plus appertifs!  I am exhausted from all the eating!!

Bonjour!

We are staying all day at the Couvent to paint and eat and paint some more!

Saturday we visited Cahors, the largest village we have been to.  It actually was a small city with ATM 's!!  It was Market Day so that was quite an experience. The afternoon was spent painting till appertifs and dinner at 7:00. We are usually finished by 9:00 pm then head out for a walk to visit the local sheep, donkeys and horses!  Oo la la... The smell of French poopie is quite strong!!!!!

Since Internet is so slow, pictures are not uploading on the blog. But, good news!  Go to Le Vieux Couvent. Com. Their website has many pictures of our week so far. What we eat for lunch, what it looks like with artists all over the grounds painting and , yours truly,  modeling the new painting shirts from here.  I'm not sure why, but they asked me to show off their shirt!!

This has been incredible. The group of women is so much fun.  There are so many funny things going on all the time that laughter is heard from all over the grounds, but yet you can't see anyone!

Tomorrow we will go over to a French Flea Market!  Wonder what great  finds I'll have to bring home:)

Check out the pictures on Facebook too.

A Message From France

I'm on the internet finally!!

Arrived on Sunday with no problems. We had appertifs, welcome reception and dinner after arriving at the Couvant. This place is amazing. So many nooks and crannies to discover about the whole complex.  Everywhere you look there are flowers in bloom,  Lilly ponds, gardens and blue doors.

Monday we visited three different villages. Each one offered so many photo opportunities that it was hard not to take pictures.

Tuesday we visited a larger village, Gourdon,  which is built into the hillside. The pastries are amazing!  I came home with a meringue bigger than my hand!  And the chocolate walnuts are pretty tasty too.   In the afternoon,  we had an oil demo by Dreama.  In between our outings and studio time,   we paint or sketch.

Wednesday we started the day with another Dreama demo in oil. We traveled to a wonderful village called  Saint-Cirq Lapopie. It is also built in the hillside and one of the most beautiful villages of France.

As the week has progressed, we are now knowing names and personalities are beginning to show.
I guess mine must be as I was told I look like Loni Anderson but I thought they meant Pam Anderson !!!  Who knew:)

The dinners are amazing. Appertifs every night before the four course dinner. The meals are all made by the chef here  and you can taste France in every bite!!
Last night we went out to eat. The white fish we all ordered was awesome.  It was Lott which is like monk fish. It actually tasted like lobster!

Thursday.
Bonjour USA!
Headed to the lavender fields today. It is Purple Beret Day too!  Should be a fun photo op.
Yesterday the fields of sunflowers  were  all along our route.  Our drivers were kind enough to stop in the middle of the road for some serious picture taking. Who says you have to go to Tuscany for sunflowers?!

Pictures are really hard to publish. I'll keep trying. Just use your imagination and picture  me with my purple beret on standing in the lavender fields.

See you soon.  

Fly Away With Me Little Birdie!

How many people do you know that could pack ALL this

And that...........

Into these?????

And the two together weigh  53 lbs!

I arrived in Chicago on July 4th.  I went to bed hearing fireworks till midnight and woke up to lots of chirping outside my window at 4 am.  The top of the tree is right next to the window.  I guess it is home for all the little songbirds of Chicago!  What else is there to do but sing in the dark as they wait for the sun to shine!

I will be "people watching" this afternoon while waiting for a 5:30 pm flight to Paris. 

Yes, there is actually a lot to do in an airport.  You can walk, eat, sleep, read, sketch and laugh!  If you really watch what is happening around you, there are  plenty of  funny moments to supply you with a smile or two :)  and you can get a great sense of the newest in fashion for 2014!

So, when I arrive in France on Sunday, July 6th,  you will all still be sleeping, and I'm sure all  your  little  bird friends will be too! 

Au revoir till next time!

LIVING LIKE A LOCAL IN FRANCE ONE MONTH FROM TODAY!

So, how many times should I unpack my suitcase....and repack it with less clothes and more art supplies?
I'll be wearing the same thing for 10 days if I'm not careful!  But, I NEED my Viva paper towel and all my little gadgets!

I leave Chicago O'Hare on July 5th.  I'll arrive in Toulouse, France on July 6th by 11 a.m.  There will be some other ladies arriving at the same time for our trip to Frayssinet, where we will be staying at the LeVieux Couvent, our home for 10 days.

Le Vieux Couvent is like your aunt's B & B in the south of France.  It is very historic in nature, once being a monestery, to a convent and now a home for wayward artists. The group I am with will be the only group there for the ten days so it will really feel like home.  The three/four course dinners, lunches and breakfast are all served by the owners and their staff.  I know there are bigger, fancier and newer places to stay in France.  But, I can tell the Couvent is going to be better than all the rest could ever be!

We will paint at the Couvent and in the surrounding villages.  All we have to do is hop in the van with our camera and paintbrush and "away we go"!  No worries about getting there, no worries about cooking (like I EVER worry about that!) no worries 'bout nothin'!!

We do have internet (maybe a bit slow) but hopefully fast enough to upload a few pictures from the day and write a post each day about my adventures.

Come along with me!!  It will be great fun.  I'll even try to teach you a few French words, well, don't expect a whole lot of that:)

30 Days and Counting...............

Less Than Three Months Away!

Final payment- check Flight- check New paint brush-check Easel-check Few clothes-check Purple beret-check All Ready to Go! I am now an official member of Dreama's Purple Beret Club! Not quite sure what that all includes but guess I'll find out once I get to France. There will be 18 new members in the July trip. The group of ladies(yes 18, can you imagine!) have been corresponding since February. We are coming from all parts of the US and Canada. That means there will be lots to talk about! I do know there is one person I have to meet right away. Linda Thompson!! Now, you all know MY Linda Thompson from Indiana. Imagine my surprise when I first saw the list of people going and the name right after mine was"Linda Thompson"! My first thought was "how did she get on this trip without telling me" and " when did she sign up"! Even a bigger coincidence is both Linda's have a gmail address! After checking that out, I knew it wasn't my Linda! Wow! What an Event that would have been! Dreama is very organized and has kept us very informed about the ins and outs of our trip, right down to sending us a picture of the cafe in the Toulouse airport where we meet! If you know me and how I like to travel, then you know this is right up my alley. Probably the only "happening" while at the Couvent that I'm not too sure about are the church bells that ring every HALF HOUR all day and night! I'm planning to take noise canceling headphones that are small enough to wear at night since I don't have very good luck with earplugs staying in my ears. Hopefully, I'll get used to the bells and won't even hear them eventually! So, that is about it for now. Must get back to reading my French dictionary! Wish me luck.

Pinching myself!

For one week I have been pinching myself and continuing to have an "ear to ear" grin! I have the awesome opportunity to be in Southern France in July for 10 days painting, taking pictures, touring the countryside and making new friends, seventeen of them, in fact. I will be flying from Chicago to Paris and then on to Toulouse, where we will meet up with everyone to travel to the tiny village of Frayssinet. Ok, so far, I'm flying solo on that Chicago flight! I know there will be English spoken on the plane since we are leaving Chicago. That is part of the United States, right? Once in Paris, who knows! If I'm lucky, I'll find a few others at the gate awaiting the trip to Toulouse. Once in Toulouse, my 17 new friends will be there, course I won't know what any of them look like. I'm thinking about wearing a floppy pink hat, letting everyone know ahead of time, to look for me! We are staying at a place called Le Vieux Couvent in Frayssinet. It has seen 40 generations of life which include being a monastery, to a convent, to its present day home for artists. The owners, being artists themselves, had a dream to build a place for people to come to and feel like they were at home. This little gem of a place has its own website if you want to check it out, Le Vieux Couvent.com. The village of Frayssinet is very small and walkable. Our adventures to other small villages are all about 35 to 40 minutes away. July 5th is my departure day. My plan is to keep you updated and have you travel with me. So, for now, I will just keep pinching myself!