Play it again!

We work seven days a week.  But we did take time for an evening stroll and Sunday dinner out at Le Tipaza.  We sat under a chandelier, much closer to the front of the restaurant than usual because the evening was cool -- no air conditioning required.

A table in Le Tipaza, a great place for Sunday dinner.

We dined simply and elegantly on grilled meats and ratatouille, plus fries for Tom.  Ratatouille is one of those things I will make myself when we return to Sanibel.  I have the urge to do it.  I want to make it the way it is served at Le Relais de la Tour.

As part of working on my book, I've been going through previous years blogs.  There are so many!  Obviously, I photograph some of the same things year after year.  Is that a problem, I wondered?  Definitely not, I now know.  Because the unexpected can happen, I know that those favorite things that I record year after year can suddenly change, or even disappear -- as much of Notre Dame de Paris did this year.

Where we work.  This is how books are made.

A journal is not just a journal; it is a record.  Play it again, Sam!

And so yesterday, after working, we greeted our Sanibel friends, Jane and Marcel, who came to our place for a glass of wine.  Then we all walked up to dine at La Gauloise for dinner.  The place was more crowded than we've ever seen it.  September marks the rentrée; all the locals are back from vacation, but they haven't necessarily gone back to work yet.  They want to dine out with friends, and many traditional French restaurants are not open on Monday nights.  But La Gauloise is open every night; the resto staff did their best to cope with being swamped, but there were signs of strain in the timing and quality of the cuisine . . . .  Yet the professional, friendly service and lovely ambiance remained the same.

After dinner, the four of us walked up to the Champ de Mars, arriving just in time to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at the top of the hour.

Thanks for taking our photo, Marcel!

Sky view from the kitchen window.