Autumn hint

This morning was so crisp and cool and inviting. Gracie and I went for a walk and is felt so good.You could almost see your breath. I don't like it too cold, but it was near perfect today. It put me in the mood to bake a loaf of Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread. It is one of my favorites and at this time of the year, it is a hit at work. Doesn't it look good? Can't you just smell it....if only you could! Gracie was going nuts trying to get at the batter. Must smell good to her as well.

I mentioned in my last post that I would share more photos from my recent Europe trip. There are so many that it is difficult to know where to begin. We started our journey in Nuremberg, Germany. I saw so many textures in signage and windows. The first one is from a huge sign on the side of a building. The second one is from a window covering. It was like a silk fabric with the holes almost burned in. Very translucent yet very cool, very modern.

Even the tile roofs have a great texture to them. I like the variation in colors from repairs or damage through the years. We also spent time in Luebeck and Berlin. Some are pretty light-hearted. This one is from a puppet shop in Luebeck. The next one is an alter in a church there. I am amazed at the craftsmenship that it would take to do that. Can you imagine if more people did that type of thing today?

Then we were in a place near Berlin called Walhalla. Funny, we had a little town near where I grew up with that name. Pictured is Ute, our guide there walking by the columns. It is like the Parthenon from Greece and built on a hill so has a fantastic view of the valley below.

Berlin has some cool architecture. This shot is just looking up from a chair in the hotel lobby. Pretty geometric. They have lots of cool textures as welll. The next one is from detail on a building's side. I saw so much that it was hard to not get excited. It looked like something metal but almost organic.

And then there was this organic shot of something in a bush. Makes you wonder! It was actually a little creepy. What do you think? I don't think the people I was walking with even saw it as it was almost hidden. Reminds me of a death mask. I guess I enjoy seeing things that are differant to photograph :)

Next stop was Paris. Now that was way cool and my first time there. We went to a little church that had fantastic stained glass. I was surprised that there was a gargoyle creature carved into an alter there. Then there are the doors. I focused on them more than usual this time and the details would be cool to put together in a photo montage. We took a day trip to Versailles. Now that was just over the top! The oppulance was difficult to imagine, almost impossible, especially for the day. I liked this color combination in a room there and the gardens were well manicured. Many shapes and repetitions make it interesting. They were so large. Actually, everything was on the large size there.

We used the subway instead of taxis in Paris. I saw a lot of signs there and perhaps will share them another time. There was this cool green tile in one of them. It almost reminds me of bamboo. And I know that it is ceramic, but the color and line and shape make me think that.

The Arch de Triumph was pretty huge, pretty impressive, pretty high and just soo cool. It was Ken's favorite on the trip. We walked up a long circular stairway to get to the top. Needless to say, the view was worth every huff and puff. We enjoyed looking over the entire landscape. It was fun to make out landmarks of where we had been and our next stop.!