Finishing the sculpture garden

Our job as landscape architects isn’t just to place the sculpture: it’s also to make sure that it’s integrated into the overall design. Since this is a three dimensional piece, we’re thinking of putting a path around it for strolling. It will need to be placed on a concrete pedestal – a place to addContinue reading “Finishing the sculpture garden”

French Country Inn, Castelnau sur l’Auvignon, Gers

In France, what we might call a bed & breakfast is a chambre d’hôtes. These places are more adventurous than hotels, since you typically interact with the host, stay in a place not originally designed to be a hotel, and typically eat dinner with other guests and the host. If there’s a dinner, it’s homeContinue reading “French Country Inn, Castelnau sur l’Auvignon, Gers”

La Guerre aux mauvaises herbes!

L’ultimatum est lancé! Je suis en train de récupérer mes zones de transition entre plantes existantes et cheminement. Adieu veaux, vaches cochons… et mauvaises herbes! Au fur et à mesure de mes arrachages effrénés je tente de creuser afin de retirer le maximum de système racinaire. Ensuite, je recouvre le petit carré de terre soigneusementContinue reading “La Guerre aux mauvaises herbes!”

Gatinais landscapes, France

Small villages perch atop low hills, surrounded by rolling fields of sunflowers, wheat and beets punctuated with blue flax and other crops. This is the Gatinais region, not too far south of Paris. Nestled among the fields are river valleys, punctuated by pine and heather forests growing in almost pure sand interspersed with rounded, weatheredContinue reading “Gatinais landscapes, France”

Mechoui – the big grill event

Summer in France is mechoui time. The word comes from North Africa, and used to mean an entire barbecued lamb cooked over coals on a spit, constantly basted with flavored butter until it develops a crispy exterior and is moist and tender. The technique works well for chicken, or anything else that’s grilled and bastedContinue reading “Mechoui – the big grill event”