HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween!  I am back in Belgrade, but this is a photo from Gorbio, France, believe it or not.  This jack o'lantern was perched on someone's windowsill a few days ago when I was visiting Jilly Bennett.

Gorbio, France--des olives

Olives on a tree in the village of Gorbio.  My last day here visiting Jilly Bennett of MENTON DAILY PHOTO. Thank you, Jilly, for a super stay and for showing me around your lovely village and Menton.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"P" is for "perched on top...."

A view of the beautiful little village of Gorbio, France, perched on a hilltop above the city of Menton. I'm here visiting Jilly Bennett of Menton Daily Photo for a couple of days.


 Check out other Ps on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

Aix-en-Provence---pottery

Pottery as sunny and bright as the weather.  Notice the olives on one olive tray; lots of olives here....!

Off to Marseille tomorrow, then on to Menton/Gorbio to visit Jilly Bennett, who has several blogs, including her photography site.

Cezanne's atelier

Visited Cezanne's atelier. You're not allowed to take photos inside, but of course I sneaked a hip shot.  (Thanks to Roger for coughing and covering up my click...)

I enjoyed seeing the real items Cezanne painted from.

Des bolets

Boletus mushrooms on a market in Aix....there are sooo many kinds of mushrooms available here now.  I love just about all kinds of mushrooms.

Aix-en-Provence: the santon maker

Santons are little figures (literally, little saints) that are typical of Provence.  Originally they were made to represent the nativity, but expanded into local characters, such as women in Provencal dress, men carrying loads of sticks, and so on. In the bottom photo you can see that there's even one of Aix's well-known painter, Paul Cezanne.  The top photo shows a worker in Fouque's famous santon workshop working on a figure.  Santons come in sizes usually ranging from about a foot tall to tiny 'flea' santons, all beautifully hand-painted....and very expensive.

Pain au chocolat

Still in Aix and getting up early to walk around taking photos before most people hit the streets.

All this of course makes me hungry....cafe creme and a pain au chocolat...

Aix-en-Provence.....

I am currently in Aix-en-Provence, France, where I studied 46 years ago....  Several of my classmates came over for a mini-reunion, including our director and his wife.  We are having an absolute blast....  More photos to come, of course.

Caught this chic French woman at the market...note the earrings, scarf, lavender beret, rings...  I love her expression.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"O" is for "Original"

This fellow is wearing what I think is an original hat for a guy, along with his maybe not so original pigtail.  At first I thought Coke might have been the original carbonated soft drink, but not so.  Carbonated drinks have been around for quite a while, it seems.  As far as classics are concerned,
root beer was mass produced in 1876, 1881 brought us the first cola-flavored drink, Dr. Pepper was invented in 1885, Coca Cola in 1886, and Pepsi in 1892.

"Osveži se"  (another O) on the Coke machine translate as, "Refresh yourself."

See other Os on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

A friendly selfie

Well, it IS  a friendly selfie, but I'm not sure if these young people really know each other.

I came across a photo shoot for a local mobile phone company, and they're 'actors'.  But maybe they hang out together anyway, or will.

Hanging out with friends is what I am doing today....I am in Aix-en-Provence, France, where I'm meeting up with some friends I studied with in.....1968-'69.  Youth is a state of  mind.

White (?) roses

Someone placed these white, but now dirty gray roses, on this metal grill around a tree.  Why, I don't know.

Joan Baez live

I'd have been so sorry if I hadn't gone.  Joan Baez has only improved over the years, and at the age of 73, she's better than ever. Her concert last night here in Belgrade brought the audience to its feet several times, and just when I'd given up on her singing Donna, Donna, she came back and sang it as one of her three encore songs.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--Gavrilo Princip

Gavrilo Princip was a Bosnian Serb who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo on June 28th, 1914. 

 See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--puff clouds and birds

Not sure what kind of birds....

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Making an impression

I am not sure whether this shoe print was intended to look like a tennis racket...sort of....but it looks like one to me.  Caught my eye anyway.  And I guess that's the maker's point, if anyone really cares if their soles make an impression of either kind.

ABC WEDNESDAY "N" is for 'nosey'

Peeping Tom flowers near the neighbor's window?

See other N's on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

Dancing the kolo

Two weeks ago in Tasmajdan Park there was the annual Honey Fair.  There's always music and dancing, too, as you can see by this group of young dancers performing traditional dances, including the ever-and-most popular kolo.

No time to talk?

People have lots of time to talk, but probably few use these 'real' phones anymore...

I don't even have a fixed phone and can't remember when I last used a phone booth.  How about you?

SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY - "LAV" MAKES THE WORLD GO 'ROUND

Shadows of leaves, stubbornly still clinging to a nearby tree, seen through the canvas umbrellas advertising LAV (lion) beer.

See other shadows on SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY.

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--broken....

Not only a reflection, but a broken window, too.

See other reflections on James' WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--the Modern Art Museum

Snapped this sunset behind the Modern Art Museum in New Belgrade from across the river from the same vantage point about an hour or so after I took this photograph.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Extra-large

Ice cream!  The bigger, the better.  The swirled buds on this huge plaster ice cream cone resemble the ornaments on the roof of the National Theater behind it.

Those 'rocks' you see really are rocks or something similar, but are meant to resemble the little crunchies you get on this cone....in a smaller size.

ABC WEDNESDAY--"M" is for "magnify"

I think this fellow may have forgotten his glasses and is using....what, exactly, to read his paper...

See other Ms on Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC WEDNESDAY.

NOTE!  I've added a contact form to the right, just above the clock...see?  Makes it easier for you to contact me. 

(Special  note to Tomas of Madrid:  if you want me to answer you directly, you need to change your settings, since when I click 'reply' on your comment, it comes up "noreply@blogger.com".) With the form, you'll be entering your email anyway, so that would work.

Belt, anyone?

While sitting at a cafe the other day, I observed this woman trying to sell belts to men seated at the same terrace.  I was wondering to myself if she ever got lucky, but as I watched, she sold two  belts to these gentlemen and to two more nearby.....  You know, I don't even own a single belt.

Park Patrol

The man and woman with the blue folders are members of Belgrade's street/park patrol, and cite persons for various infractions.  This man didn't have an issue, since his 'dangerous breed' dog is muzzled. He was asking exactly which breeds were considered dangerous.  He received, from what I was able to hear as I putzed around taking this photo, a very unclear answer.

Which breeds, in your option, could possibly be dangerous and should  be muzzled?

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS--the Russian Church

This little Russian church stands in Tasmajdan Park, adjacent to Saint Marko's church, part of which is visible on the right of the photo.


See other reflections on James'
WEEKEND REFLECTIONS.

SKYWATCH--shooting the bridge or a selfie?

Judging by the angle this man is holding his camera, I'd say he's shooting the bridge, but he could also  be shooting himself  (!) with a panorama of part of New Belgrade behind him.

I was too lazy to climb up and ask.

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Ethno-sheets

Aren't these sheets and cover wild?  They're a reproduction of a certain style of a certain style of Pirot carpets, a craft which reached its peak in the 18th century, but is still popular today....as you see.

I think they'd be fun, but they don't match my bedroom....

THEME DAY--Movement

Here it is the first of the month again and I was hunting frantically among my recent photos for a "Movement" shot. I'd over looked this one several times, but then I saw that the little figures are indeed 'moving', perhaps to some musical movement. Seek and ye shall find! See other interpretations of Movement right here.