Cut branches of Japanese quince, Forsythia or other spring flowering bushes and trees may be brought inside for forced blooming in January and February. At this late date the buds burst into delicate blooms in just a few days.

The branches in my living room are white Japanese quince from the back yard. This is a yearly tradition for me and I am always in awe of the Asian flavor of this dramatic arrangement that brings early springtime into my home and my heart.

Mont Saint Michel, a tiny granite rock island off the coast of the border between Normandy and Brittany, is one of the most famous and enchanting sights in France. It is home to a preserved Benedictine Monastery that dominates the summit with surrounding village houses.

Its humble beginnings were in the 6th century when Christian hermits settled there and by the 10th century it had evolved into a Benedictine Abbey. It has had a dramatic history of ups and downs and now has evolved into a national monument that attracts almost a million visitors a year. It really is a must see if you are touring the west coast of France.

When we arrived on the island by bus along a raised road, we climbed the steep steps up to the monastery in the rain and then toured the medieval monastic buildings circling and climbing up to the abbey church. The interiors were at once monumental and spare, grand and gray. There was certainly an eerie almost transcendental quality that impressed and oppressed.

Relief from the gray stonework that dominated the interiors and exteriors were the outside pockets of green. The cloisters around a garden created an emerald jewel in the gray and cold stonework.

The views of the bay from the windows, cloisters and other outdoor spaces were amazing. You felt as if you were viewing the bay from the eyes of a sea bird.

*First photo is from the Mont Saint Michel guidebook cover.

Every few blocks in Paris and in every small town in France there was a pâtisserie. It’s a good thing we were walking a lot everyday because there was no way I could resist the luscious displays of fresh handmade tarts, pastries, breads and cakes. They were sooooo delicious…made from authentic and high quality ingredients. Fresh batches came in from the ovens in the back of the shops.

I was delighted by the artistry and attention to design in each mouthwatering confection and how beautifully they were laid out in the windows and cases.

One of my favorites was a poire (pear) tart; it was fun to buy one from different shops and compare the subtle differences.

An iconic image of France is a straight road with a row of evenly spaced trees on either side. These classic images of tree lined roads and lanes have always fascinated me and traveling the country roads of France fulfilled my yearning for more of these images. It was a feast!!! Most of the photos I shot through the windshield of the car. It was as if we were driving into a painting.

Wow! what a design lesson to observe in the physical world the simple repetition of one element to create the most pleasing and intriguing composition.

During the day the vistas down the roads were stunning. In the late afternoon and up to dusk the shadows and shadow patterns added drama and intensified the beauty of the tree lined roads of France.

On December 31, the last day of 2013, we left Paris.

We took a cab to the car rental office, claimed our black Peugeot and off we went into the Paris traffic. Oh my, the roundabouts were like carnival rides; no one stayed in a lane, each car wove in and out to make their getaway out of the intersection and onto their chosen street.

Our saving grace was Allen, one of the best drivers I have ever ridden with. He had the driving skills of a race car driver and the navigational instincts of a homing pigeon. Never having been in Paris before, he drove right out of Paris and connected to all the right highways on our way to the west coast of France. It was actually fun.

Because I was the “assistant navigator” in the passenger’s seat, I wasn’t able to shoot too many of the views as we left Paris. I did however have time to shoot La Grande Arche in the business district on the western edge of Paris. The immense arch seemed to hover on the horizon line for so long as we were speeding down the expressway. The arch was dramatic and spare and modern with a huge hollow center creating a powerful focal point among the skyscrapers.

La Grande Arche was built in 1989; the hollow area of this enormous cube-shaped frame is large enough to hold Notre Dame Cathedral. The arch is on a direct axis to the Arch de Triumph so far away in the middle of Paris. What a connection and contrast between the old and the new in this famous city of history and design.