lock it up

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Over my morning coffee, I was thumbing through a regional magazine when I came across an article on a talented, swiss-italian designer, Luciano Dell'Orefice.  How perfect is his bike lock? It's a glorious marriage of form and function and so beautifully fulfills the needs of a cyclist.  It appears only to be a prototype for the moment.   I hope it goes into production!

jam and jelly

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We're big time Bonne Maman consumers over here.  I always reach for the apricot jam and my husband has a weak spot for the strawberry. I came across this adorable painting by Laura Manfre on the always inspiring Miss Moss.  Wouldn't it be perfect framed and hanging in a kitchen?

fever pitch

It seems like we are at the peak moment where the colors are so vibrant.  Little dots of fire are speckled across the hillsides. We took a stroll to Chamonix and had an amazing lunch on the Brasserie de l'M terrace. Even the vulgar service couldn't detract from the deliciousness of our meal, the Salade de l'M essentially a salade de gésiers, served with the biggest slab of foie gras and a sprinkling of rose salt. The presentation was beautiful.  And for dessert, since Clover was a little to antsy to stay on the terrace, we walked around Cham and stopped in for macarons.  A caramel au beurre salé marcaron was a perfect ending to a divine meal.  I love days like this - blissful family time, amazing food and ideal fall weather.

La fête de Toussaint

Yesterday, November 1st, was la fête de Toussaint, a Roman Catholic holiday, celebrating all the saints, known and unknown. People are encouraged to place flowers on tombs and spend time thinking and praying of all those that are deceased.

Coincidentally, this weekend we visited  la chartreuse du Reposoir, an abbey founded in 1151 by the order of the Carmel,  celebrating the Sainte Thèrese d'Avila and Saint Jean de la Croix. It's still a working monastary with about 20 nuns residing in the immense and immaculate grounds.  The Carmelites take an oath of silence that they will spend many hours each day in silent prayer. It certainly is a calm and peaceful place  surrounded by mountains, trees and alpine lakes.

It was a lovely adventure for a beautiful, fall day but in the sepia photo, a little spooky... kind of fitting with the Halloween holiday so close.