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It has been a while since I last posted some graffiti photos, but not for lack of interest. I still travel through my favorite back streets in Bayshore a few mornings a week, but nothing has jumped out at me. Nevertheless, industrial neighborhoods are ever-changing, and I found some new shots this weekend that caught my eye.

But I suppose the big news of the weekend is the unexpected demise of my beloved Audi A4…a car I have enjoyed driving for the past nine years. It seems that the hills of SF are quite a wear on an aging manual transmission, and this week my A4 cried out “Uncle!”. So, rather than pay exorbitant cash to temporarily band-aid my aging car, I test drove a few replacement candidates and took the plunge. This time around, I decided that look for a city-sized car…but still keep a sense of style. I instantly fell in love with the zippy Audi A3.

One of my favorite aspects of wandering though Europe is noticing the layers of civilization–one era folded carefully (or not) into another. For the most part, the U.S. hasn’t had to fold back in on itself yet, so our re-purposing of old structures is less noticeable.

For example, the Musee de Cluny. In the 3rd century, it was a Roman Bath. Then in the Middle Ages, an abbey was built on top of the foundation of the baths. Along the way to becoming a public museum, the building was a religious college, a private home, and a “dissection room”. Today, those overlapping purposes are exposed to create a home for Medieval art, including famous unicorn tapestries (below).

The Tomb of Napoleon was constructed in a prominent location in the grand Dome Church within the Invalides.

My favorite museum in Paris is probably the Musee d’Orsay, which is a breathtaking transformation of a beautiful train station built for the 1900 world exposition. Prior to becoming a museum in the late 1970’s, the building was a WWII package center, a movie set, and a hotel.

On the opposite side of the Seine from the Musee d’Orsay is the recently remodeled Musee de l’Orangerie, which houses several of Monet’s famous Nympheas paintings. The building was formerly a greenhouse for orange trees.

Finally, one of the coolest blendings of old and new is the brand new Musee du quai Branly, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. As you can see in the photo below, the museum has a classic Parisian frontage which melds into newly-built modern design wings.

This weekend, Jeff and I hit the annual Flower and Garden Show at the Cow Palace. We have come to really look forward to this event. The creative exhibition gardens seem to feed our desire to get outside and make changes in our own garden. Unfortunately, this year was a bit of a disappointment. Unlike last year (photos here), we found the exhibition gardens to be a bit lacking in creativity. (Hence the flowery pooch to the left!)

Nevertheless, we really did enjoy the show. We each found a favorite garden. Jeff’s was an “undersea” theme, with succulents of all shapes and sizes to represent coral and anemones and other ocean floor sculptures.

My favorite was a simple “urban meadow”, that made seemingly unruly plants look beautiful and effortless.

One thing that didn’t change was our annual chat with the obsidian wind chime artists…Richard and Deborah from Portland. We’ve seen them each year, and always have a fantastic time talking about their latest creations.

Versailles is definitely the height of grand excess. The main Chateau is enormous, the grounds are expansive, and even the secondary buildings are opulent.

But in the winter, Versailles is quieter and more personal. In contrast to the throngs of visitors we encountered last June, February tourists seem more reverent…or perhaps just muffled by heavy coats and wool hats. This Versailles is still glittering inside, but the rooms are more accessible, allowing us to spend more time envisioning the life of the occupants.

Outside, the ornamental gardens sit awaiting spring plantings. The famous fountains and Grand Canal are still. The sculptures stand covered–protected from the elements.

I love the hustle and bustle of city streets, but my favorite time of day is dusk. At this time, shop windows really jump out against the faintly lit buildings. The windows become living dioramas, busting with color.

One of my favorite views was watching this young baker at work. I will probably cross-post this on Strangers, but I like the image so much that I had to post it here as well.