A full weekend....

Alicia with Rudy after his brief swim in the lake

le tang de la Bonde

"Hey Bud, I think I've figured out your vision problem."

Sheep, sheep and more sheep

 Yes, a full weekend of seeing and photographing the areas we traveled to.  Once again, the weather cooperated quite nicely and gave us another very nice 2 days to get out and enjoy.

Mane - photo taken in the wooded hills just south of the town. (Smoke drifting in the valley below.) 

Saturday we traveled to Mane and Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire which is about 45 minutes east of where we live. We just happened to arrive in Saint-Michel right when they were starting a small Christmas program featuring some kids from the area. The kids performed some singing and dancing for those in attendance while Santa watched with approval. From Saint-Michael I took some photos to the east and you can clearly see the beginnings of the French Alps with some fresh snow on the peaks of the mountains.

In Mane we didn't have any particular place to go or see so we just took our time to check the area out. We took some roads just to see where they would take us and to find out what was just around the next corner or over the next hill. Our dog Rudy particularly enjoyed seeing the flock of sheep in a pasture close to town....he wanted very badly to get out of the car and play with (chase) them. I declined his request..:-)

Santa's helpers putting on a show in Saint-Michel-l'Obervatoire

Sunday we loaded up Rudy again and headed south over the Luberon Mountains. We passed through Lourmarin and Cucuron and ended up stopping at a very nice lake called l'e tang de la Bonde.  L'e tang in French means pond but in the U.S. we would call this "pond" a small lake. Whatever its proper name it was very nice and the water was very clear. By afternoon it had warmed up nicely and many people were out walking with their families. I would like to say that we walked Rudy but since this was a new area for him he mostly walked us instead. He did enjoy drinking and taking a dip in the clear and cold water....he loves to be in the water no matter what the temperature is.

From Saint-Michel looking east towards the French Alps

Rudy isn't the only one who likes to swim in this crystal clear lake

"Chateau" on the lake

Well, time for me to study my French as I have class tomorrow. I'm planning on getting out one of these evenings to take some photos of the Christmas lights in Apt and Villars. Night photos are still difficult for me, but similar to my french speaking ability I am slowly getting better....at least I hope I am.