This will be the second to last post to showcase some of the
reasons I love France (I could do a whole month or more on the amazing people
who make France shine for me). Bittersweet to end this A to Z challenge this
year because I’ve spent the last month revisiting placesand people I haven’t seen for a few years
now. Nostalgia and also, surprisingly, a feeling of wonder and awe that I’ve
been so lucky to have seen so much, done so much and met so many people who
have made France a giant wonderland for me. Talk about a theme park! This is
one I’d visit anytime. So, sharing one last blast through before we hit Z. Come
and see France through my eyes…
Salad gésier, gizzard salad
Making crepes at a village fete...
The church in Marsas
Door knockers all over France are unique and usually interesting. I could do a blog just on French door knockers!
A door and rose vine in St. Bertrand de Comminge.
Le drapeau Midi-Pyrenees, The regional flag for Languedoc.
A lovely planter at the entrance to an inn
Lining one of the streets in St. Bertrand de Comminge
Lovely building in the Pyrenees
Finding gargoyles in the strangest places.
The larger of the two churches at St. Bertrand de Comminge
A decorative red door in the Gers
Lunch at my mother in laws house, chicken, vegies, potatoes with bread, cheese and wine
A misty day in the Gers
A tiny car that was so cute I had to have a photo, not to mention the Celtic medallion on the hood.
One of those houses you know you could live in, in the Gers
A friend's welcoming doorway into their home.
My husband taking a moment to relax at my parents in laws.
On the Canal du Midi...
I did this once upon a time! Yep, biked the whole way...
Peniches, barges, along the canal.
A chateau seen from afar in between Toulouse and Bordeaux
A "vide grenier" meaning emptying the attic, is a French version of a yard sale or "Marche au puce, a flea market
A restored barn and house in St. Michel
Heading back into Toulouse
Need I say this is Paris?
Didn't think so!
At the air show, Salon du Bourget we saw the A380 fly...
The view from where we were staying
One of the many different "fountains" in Paris
A pedestrian bridge with style
Pres. F. Mitterrand's Library, yes, both buildings with a garden in between on the lower level Built to resemble two open books facing each other.
All over Paris one finds the old and the new "ensemble" together.
One of the newer "Metro" stations, looking like something out of a Sci-Fi movie
Waiting for the metro in another part of Paris
Sunset over Toulouse with the Pyrenees in the distance
At the "marche" in Cornebarrieu, getting a paella. What a choice!
My favorite, CHEESE, in all shapes, kinds and colors!
Cornebarrieu's police car... Isn't it cute?
The view from the bedroom my husband grew up in, in Blagnac
Christmas decorations in Blagnac
La Place Capitole in Toulouse with the Christmas market in full swing and the decorations exciting everyone.
His name is Jean-Louis Toutain and his sculptures took my breath away the
first time I saw one, this one, “MATERNITÉE,” Motherhood, which only seems
right as you can see in the photo, that the children were playing on it and no
one told them not to. Toutain’s art is like that. Inviting one in to play. Inviting one in to
remember childhood, or love, or standing in the rain, or dancing, or running. A
round and juicy “derrière” peeking out under a short skirt, flirting with our
senses and making us smile. That’s what drew me to him and kept me following
him. I found his art in small towns and large and each time took a photo. Because
his work makes me smile. Makes me content to be of his race, human. I hope you
enjoy his works in this post because to me he is unique. The fact that he came
from Toulouse makes him all the more special to me. We lost him in 2008 but his
works remind us that he would want us to smile when we think of him. I will try
to make this bio of him very short while hoping you’ll follow some of these
links to learn more about him. Sorry, but a lot of them are only in French…If
you go to this LINK, it will show you the adorable artwork he has on his biography
page of his site…
Jean-Louis Toutain was born in Toulouse, France May 17, 1948. His passion
for art began very early on and at age 14 he entered the Beaux Arts de Toulouse
school. He apprenticed to learn to work with ceramics and worked for ad
agencies for the experience. On October 21, 1972 he got married and they had
their first child a year later. He decorated, he worked in printing, and in 1976
he and his wife had a second child. He dallied in a mélange of different work,
even brick laying, and industrial design as well as ergonomics. In 1987 he
decided to only spend his time at work on the ART laying in his heart. In 1991 he was given the medal of Best Workers
in France “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France” for his sculpturing and decorating
talents and in 1995, the city of Toulouse bought his first large sculpture, “Maternitee.”
He was always involved in every step of the process in building his creations
because it all came from his head. He left nothing to chance. To accompany an exhibition
of his sculptures, he began to paint seriously, and so presented at his first personal
exposition drawings and painting in the theme of the circus. Whatever art he
created Toutain gave us the familiar, the human, the essence of us, and he made
us smile. He died in 2008… (translated as best I can from his site.) You can find a good collection of photos of his statues HERE...
Maternitée, (Motherhood), with decoration!
This one we found in Martre Tolosane near Toulouse.
Serenade Nocturne (Nocturnal Serenade)
Le Maître Nageur ( The swimming teacher)
Serenade en terrasse (serenade on the terrace)
With his medal: “Meilleurs
Ouvriers de France”
Bisou sous la pluie (Kiss under the Rain)
The master at work...
Came upon the lovers on the couch and their company in Blagnac's park...
The smoothness exudes quiet. The Bear.
The flirty skirt seen often in Toutain's work.
Majesty and passion all in one.
Not only do I love his sculptures, but I also love his colors.
