A Sweet Ending

It's always good to end with a little something sweet, right? So let's end this two-month buffet of French delights with - what else - chocolate!

M. Charles Bataille is the artisan chocolatier of Belleme, who creates chocolates so beautiful that it seems a crime against art to eat them... however, we've managed to get over our guilt and bite right in... indescribable. Made of the freshest cream, the most voluptuous chocolate (up to 80% cocoa) and only-in-Normandy butter, these delectables are meant to be savored, like a long, lazy afternoon.

We walked over to M. Bataille's today after our last visit to our local Thursday morning market in Belleme. We're already feeling nostalgic for it, as it gets livelier every week, as summer deepens and more visitors arrive. Now it's not only the butchers, cheese vendors, produce stands and boulangeries, but also wispy cotton clothing, summer-y bangles, watches, and flowers, flowers, flowers... all in the shadow of the old eglise.

We have a very happy ending as far as Dick is concerned as well, since we went on a highly successful photo safari on Tuesday. The sky was dramatic - it was raining off and on, but very warm and sunny (figure that out)... we came upon a herd of Percheron mares and foals, which is particularly striking because the mares are white, but the foals are born dark. He finally got what he considers to be a Flickr-worthy Percheron photo - at last.

Through the grace of Frequent Flier Miles and the generosity of our friends, we haven't yet spent all the severance, so we'll be enjoying another month in the Bay Area, starting Monday. So we'll be Back in the Good Old World in a week or so... to be continued!