Moret-sur-Loing
This medieval riverside village with stone bridges, quiet lanes, and painterly light. This one. It was famously captured by Impressionist Alfred Sisley who lived here at the end of his life until his death in 1899. We went here while we were staying in Fontainebleau, but you can also take a day trip from Paris. Highly recommended. It’s uncrowded and gorgeous, at least on the day we were there.
The Bridge of Moret-sur-Loing, 1887 by Alfred Sisley
Alfred Sisley 1893
Moret-sur-Loing, 1902 by Armand Guillaumin. A self-taught artist and an early impressionist – the most colorful one!
The last night in Paris at our airport hotel.
The Eiffel Tower as seen from Line 6 Metro that goes above ground for a gorgeous view of Paris
Our dining table in Fontainebleau.
Look closely and you’ll see a super cute Art Mammal in the photos above. That’s Christine. She makes incredible lamps! I loved meeting her in Paris since she happened to be there at the same time as Sister and I.
I’ll just be home for the foreseeable future making coffee and tea in my new glass teapot and writing in my journal.
My kitchen table spoke and said two French tablecloths were called for after returning from France, not one.
Day 351 of my retirement. I walked into Chapter 3 at the end of April. For the record: Chapter 1 Swimming. Chapter 2 Art Mammals. Chapter 3 France (still living here).
My sister and I have been having sketchbook FaceTimes to work on our pages. We’re painting the blanks we came home with and it’s terribly fun.
I received my order of 3×5 Mpix photos as seen above. I did a trial of about 25 photos and they came out great. Super pleased with their service, quality, and ease of use. I love the border and the ability to add text. Now I’m deciding what to do with them since I’m not adding photos to this travel journal — it’s too small and I want all the remaining pages to be gouache paintings. They looked great on this black sketchbook and it might be nice to combine photos with paintings. I’ll definitely add some to my writing journal. I usually make a Blurb book of our trips, but this time I’m thinking a black paper sketchbook instead.
I have to go. There are people still sitting at Parisian tables begging to be painted and cats who need attention.
Let me know your whereabouts and whatabouts. I want to know everything. The end.
p.s. our Fontainebleau toilet room on the spiral staircase in photo above not recommended for nighttime visits for anyone with vertigo.
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Hello From Lewes, East Sussex! It’s been very hot here, 90 on some days. Not much AC here. I bought myself a little fan in the grocery store. A lovely spring otherwise.
I’m enjoying your French adventures! Working in my TTV-style journal. I like the photos you had printed also. Take care XO
I’m so happy for you Sandra. I’ll keep checking Facebook to see what you’re doing. I saw one of your posts yesterday. Sorry about that heat. You made it!
I love your photos interspersed with the paintings!
O my I am drooling over you pictures! I first picture reminds me of the Garden of Ninfa in Rome which I am dying to go there one day, so where is this Park, Garden of Eden? It may be a possibility while I’m in Paris. The picture of your cat is how I look every morning when I get up lol! And that spiral staircase to the bathroom in the middle of the night, Oh no where’s the bucket!
This is the village of Moret-sur-Loing and it’s gorgeous. go to Parc Monceau in Paris and of course The Luxembourg Gardens. Neither to be missed. Yep. the bathroom at night with slippery socks. Thankfully no one took a tumble!
Dear Mary Ann,
Your first BIG trip since retirement!! It looks like it was fabulous and you timed it perfectly. My brother lives in France and says it is absolutely awful right now with the heat and no AC… Did you notice how it felt that you weren’t rushing home to get ready to go back to work? I find travels so much better knowing that when I get home I’ll have all the time I need to readjust to the time and unpack and putter along in my travel journal until I finish it. Summer for me (in Houston) is about trying to escape to areas not so hot and humid. I keep thinking about relocating but I like my house and it’s paid for. I can pay for a LOT of time in a cooler location during the summer without having to sell, buy, renovate, move, etc. so for now that is my solution. Planning for a couple of weeks in Berkeley, a week in Pennsylvania, a week in San Diego and a couple of weeks in Seattle to escape this summer. May visit LA in January. Currently deciding on our next international location. Paris is on the list and your postcards make me really want to choose it. I just love it there, but also on the list are Prague and Vienna. Also thinking about Sweden. Hard to decide!! In the meantime working on a bunch of art projects. I’m about to complete the 100-day project for the first time! I did art on playing cards for a hundred days and I’ve actually made it through! Also have recently taught myself to weave seedbeads and I’m working on a tapestry! Still haven’t finished my Italy travel journal from April so I need to work on that. So many projects! I LOVE retirement. Plus just finishing a book titled Mrs. Everything which I have greatly enjoyed. It’s about sisters!! Always look forward to your posts Mary Anne!! And LOVE all of your classes… I’m still hopeful that you’ll decide to make some more! You really are the best teacher!
I agree with your house sentiments so so much. I’ve never been to Prague or Vienna, but have heard they’re marvelous. I can vouch for Sweden. Loved Stockholm and it’s blissfully cool for us hot-weather haters in the summer. Thanks for this yummy dispatch, Susan. Enjoyed xo
p.s. can’t get over my retirement euphoria. Sigh.
We are so excited to go back to Paris next year and I’m jotting down possible places that we’d like to visit, some of them after seeing/reading your trip impressions and photos.
I also ordered two of the mini square paint boxes you shared and they arrived yesterday so I am filling them this weekend… at least the gouache one for now. Once they dry, I will be able to take them out and about to paint. It’ll be nice to get out of the Florida heat and take my little set along with a water brush to paint at the library or a coffee shop for a bit. I have a bigger gouache palette I made years ago during your gouache course but it’s much easier to have a small one to take along and paint on a whim. I’m now back to painting daily and I leave my setup in a place where I can get back to it several times a day. Small bits of time add up and I’m loving that it’s easy to dive in when I see it.
that set up you describe helps me immensely. a table that’s always ready for a sit-down-and-paint session. YES!
Wow! So glad you had such a lovely trip. Your descriptions make me want to go. I’ve just been to Italy with friends and had such a perfect time. Rome, Florence, & Umbria. Thanks for your postcards.
ahhhh that sounds lovely, Anne. I’ve never been to Florence! I imagine your trip was delicious and memorable.
Oh my goodness, your photos have always captured my attention. I’ve been trekking along quietly behind you, reading, taking your classes and imagining I’m with you when you take all of these amazing photos! Anyhoo, I am so excited to have booked our flights to France today! Hi Paris! Here I come, I am trying to figure out the clothing to art supply and embroidery projects ratio?! And do the rooms have fridges? Can I eat cheese and bread, look out the windows and do art, or do we need to leave the room?? Did your do touristy things or more of an artistic park and garden wander? Can you just come over for tea? Bring your cats, they can play with mine and you can tell me all the things I wish I knew 😃, I am in Victoria, Inn Vancouver Island? Lemme know, I’ll start the kettle and get out my gouache.
Tammy
You too?
I’m still enjoying your images from France, both painted and photographed! Life here on the Central Coast is good. Getting reacquainted with buying locally all the wonderful produce grown within an hour of here, and sitting in the sun like a lizard at least once a day to make up for 8 years of gloom in Oregon. My son is getting married in Yosemite next weekend, husband is on the hunt for a new job and we are on the hunt for our forever home. Just life moving at the speed of, well, life. Hope your kitties are happy to have your time and attention again, I’m sure they missed you! (Once we find a house, finding a couple of cats will be the next big search! Hoping for a couple of siblings like the ones you found.)
I just saw 2 bonded siblings at Petco and wanted to bring them home, but remembered I already have O & I. you’ll find just the pair who need you as much as you need them. Can’t wait to see where you land. A June wedding in Yosemite sounds close to perfect. xo
Enjoying your post. Back in the art game, and I appreciate the inspiration.