Emblems

After three weeks in the south of France, we're finishing up our trip in the Alsace region, my home, through the end of the week.

Geraniums are the emblematic flowers there.

It's a bit late in the season to get the full effect, but in the late spring and throughout the summer, they adorn all the houses and streets -- even lamp posts are decorated with them. They come in different hues, but the reds and pinks are particularly beautiful; they give a burst of brilliant color against the huge wooden beams and creamy 'crepis' of the houses.

These are on my mom's balcony and she tends to them religiously every morning, trimming the dead bits of flower, so that only the best remain.

Tomorrow, we're off to the mountains for a bit of a hike. Haven't been there in several years so I'm looking forward to it! :)