Finally, a beginning...

I've been procrastinating on blogging about the class  I took in France, and now that I finally made myself dive in, I realize it was a case of overwhelm.  There are just too many aspects of the class for one blog post, though in my imagination, I had them all as one big story to tell.  Too big a story, judging by the fact I've stalled for three weeks.  Sometimes I am such a ninny, scaring myself before I even look closely at what's scaring me.  Sifting through the photos tonight, categories became obvious, chapters arranged themselves, and without further ado or avoidance, here's the first of a series I'll do over the next couple of weeks.  

Although we could drive up the street to unload, cars are parked in a little lot about a block away.  The trough in the center of the street was to bring cool water to the many coppersmiths who once inhabited these ateliers.  

Our destination, La Cascade (CLICK here and peek at the website)

Our generous, kind, talented, creative instructor, Dayle Doroshow (CLICK here to see Dayle's website).

A table full of inspiration from Dayle's own hands.  Books, dolls (some with books inside), and jewelry, made in a mix of techniques and materials, including a lot of polymer clay and textiles.

The classroom before the swarm descended. 

Class in session.  There are eight students, though a few are hidden, and one is behind the camera.  Don't worry, you'll meet them all in the next few posts.

The class was titled "Capturing Ancient France", though I'm not sure many of us delved back more than a few centuries.  Still, even if it didn't always show up in our art, the ancient spirit of the place surely seeped into our souls and was captured forever in our hearts.  

In upcoming posts, I'll share photos of my classmates and some of our adventures, both in and out of the classroom, and in so doing, hopefully give you some sense of just how magical a place the little village of Durfort is, nestled in the hills in the south of France.  Warning:  Reading these posts will make you want to go, and letting me hear you say you can't follow that dream is likely to get you an earful of Tenacity Jane.  Return here Friday morning at your own risk!

There.  All blogged, and it didn't kill me, after all.  Like I said, sometimes I am such a ninny.  I mean, really, I'm not overwhelmed at the apparently impossible prospect of finding the means and money to fly off for a class in a country whose language I do not speak, but sorting seven hundred photos and tracking down a handful of websites nearly does me in.  

My only real glitch tonight was that my old computer, which had my familiar photo editing program, has been behaving erratically, and tonight it seems to have gone dark for the final time.  Thus, I've had to face another thing I've procrastinated on, and have just learned the first steps of Photoshop.  (I know, I know, about flamin' time.)  Not to worry -- everything in these pictures was there the day the shots were taken.  The only difference is that my shots have been cropped and brightened, to enhance (enable?) your viewing pleasure.  The three at the bottom of this post were gratefully borrowed from classmates who got better versions than I did, and were kind enough to drop them into a pool we could all access, though I don't know who shot what.

Hope your Monday was fabulous, and that the rest of your week follows suit.  Catch ya back here Friday morning!