Lessons From Van Gogh


While we were in Saint Remy we walked the Van Gogh Trail up to the hospital where he lived in 1888 and 1889. I spent a lot of time thinking about his paintings and made a few observations that are helping me, so I thought I would pass them along. These are in no particular…

Some Things About France I Would Miss


If we ever left France and returned to the USA, which would not be a bad thing since we love the PNW, there would be things I would miss. Here are just a few that come to mind. When we first moved to France we spent a lot of time visiting châteaux and old churches…

Following Van Gogh to Saint Remy


Just as Van Gogh went from Arles to Saint Remy, so did we. He spent much of his time there at an asylum at the Monastery Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. We met up with our friends from Mukilteo in Saint Rémy, one of their favorite places – for good reason. We walked the 1km road from Saint Remy…

Arles Inspired Van Gogh, I Get It.


The last 10 days have gone by fast, and we have not even come close to being tired of Arles and the Camargue. Van Gough painted at a frantic pace while he lived here – about 300 paintings and drawing during his stay from February 1888 and May 1889 – me, I just sketched a…

An Appetite for Arles


After five days in Arles I can confidently say that the food here does not disappoint. Well, except for the one time I ordered a small steak cooked saignant, which in the US would be considered bloody rare, thus the name. As is common here, once they hear my accent, she said, in English, “medium”,…