Photographs of Paris peniches or houseboats lined up along the River Seine. My husband, who typically doesn't notice many details, took these photos of the boats' names while on a solitary stroll. He walks to and from work every day. While he notices some things that are out-of-the-ordinary and tells me about them, he doesn't often photograph them.
Seeing these photos reminded me of a passage from Julia Cameron's book Finding Water. "...Walking, the simplest of tools, is among the most profound. It makes us larger than we are. When we walk, we wake up our consciousness. We enliven our senses. We arrive at a sense of well-being..." "...That still, small voice is automatically amplified a footfall at a time.""Solvitur ambulando," St. Augustine is said to have remarked. "It is solved by walking."
And while I'd prefer to be out walking or at the horse races at Longchamp with David, I am spending the afternoon trying to clear more space in the cave (wine cellar, currently filled with furniture and collectibles, leaving little space for the wine!).
3 Gebroeders - Borekas - Three brothers, according to Merisi's Vienna for Beginners.
Eleanor - That last letter barely fit!
Houbi - Houba - Arabic names? Read Marie-Noelle's comment for a possible explanation.
L'atelier - Perhaps an artist's studio?
Like the boat's name, see you manana with another post! Hope you're having a lovely Sunday.
Photos by David Holmes
HOUBA is a Czech word - it means mushroom
:-D
Posted by: cerannla | 18 May 2008 at 10:24
hi tara, beautiful pictures of boats, melodious names written so elegantly and the sky all blue and the light bright, yet not dazzling! what more do u need for pictures that soothe the mind! i remember standing by the canal side of my ancestral home watching the country boats sail by loaded with cocounut husk! also their names and the bells they are fitted with ringing in the wind!
u r so precise on walking! nothing so sensual as a quiet walk!
Posted by: Shaji.k | 02 November 2007 at 14:01
Could David's surname be Bailey?
Posted by: Di Overton | 30 October 2007 at 21:06
wow! that's a nice route to walk every day!
Posted by: designdna | 30 October 2007 at 19:29
Beautiful pictures
Posted by: Gimme A Dream | 30 October 2007 at 02:32
Just this weekend I was checking out the boat names in the Vancouver harbor. Glad to see I'm not the only one who does that. Great post.
Posted by: Carla | 29 October 2007 at 21:34
I love visiting you, and have no idea how I get too busy to make the short journey over here.
As usual, your pictures are wonderful!
Donna
Posted by: The Decorated House | 29 October 2007 at 19:03
Well isn't this a cute post!!! I've never gotten to name a boat :(
Posted by: phyllis | 29 October 2007 at 14:17
What wonderfully bright and cheery pictures! I have been seeing very grey pictures of Paris on other blogs recently, and this is a nice change. I also love the houseboats in Paris - when we were flathunting we saw a couple of ads looking for houseboat-mates, but we resisted and have stayed on dry land...
Posted by: Sarah in Marrakech (soon to be in Paris!) | 29 October 2007 at 12:32
Lovely photos on a beautiful and sunny Paris day. Thanks.
Posted by: My Melange | 29 October 2007 at 12:26
Love all that you post.........
Blessings my lovely friend.
Jeanne
Posted by: Jeanne | 29 October 2007 at 12:11
One of my best New Year's Eve was on a peniche in Paris!
Posted by: meredith | 29 October 2007 at 11:42
Fascinating! Beautiful photos, and loved reading the comments as well!
blessings,
kari & kijsa
Posted by: kariandkijsa | 29 October 2007 at 03:32
I love to "boat watch," and I'm always particularly interested in their names, so this was great fun :)
Posted by: Becca | 29 October 2007 at 03:25
Amazing photos. Your husband has a good eye, just like you!
Posted by: January | 29 October 2007 at 03:13
Houbi! Houba! I agree with Marie-Noelle.
Very nice boat tour, merci beaucoup! xox
Posted by: Colette | 29 October 2007 at 02:42
How summery the light and color in these photos look! You must be having one splendid end-of-October! I miss my October in Paris and my meeting you and David, but I'll be back in a couple of weeks and can't wait to see you.
Xoxo,
Louise
Posted by: laura | 29 October 2007 at 01:36
Got some problems with posting. Try again.
Wanted to say that I love these boats. Since I make pictures for my blog once a week my observation skills improved enormously. My son is very good at it.
Funny the name gebroeders is old Dutch for brothers.
Posted by: marja | 29 October 2007 at 00:41
What a beautiful boots. I didn't use to notice many details in my environment. Since I am taking pictures for my blog once a week now I see suddenly a lot of beautiful things. I have a son who's observation skills are amazing.
Funnie the name gebroeders is old Dutch for brothers.
Posted by: marja | 29 October 2007 at 00:36
what lively photos! Really enjoy the shapes and colours of the boat noses. :)
Posted by: awareness | 28 October 2007 at 22:13
Merci, Tara! :-)
Posted by: M erisi's Vienna | 28 October 2007 at 20:09
I like these photos. I imagine that, just like cats, the naming of houseboats is a difficult matter! ;-)
Posted by: Ally | 28 October 2007 at 19:52
Isn't it humbling, that even when you live in paradise, it still takes cleaning out to keep it liveable. I'm always totally amazed at what a time eater the everyday stuff is, and to some I do and have lived in various paradises. Somehow, thinking of you slaving away in the cave as I do the same in Rockies is comforting and serenitity giving! Go to it Tara!
Posted by: Mary t. | 28 October 2007 at 19:06
I like the tradition of naming boats and sometimes even planes - but it makes me wonder why we don't name other vehicles? Though I have secretly (well, now that I've told you, not-so-secretly :) given names to my cars.
Hope you accomplish all that you wish to this Sunday - don't get trapped down there in wine cellar!~xOx
Posted by: tinker | 28 October 2007 at 18:57
Manana 111 is my fave!
111 is my favourite number of all time. Perfect!
Enjoy your Sunday in Paris, Tara! (Gillian will go to Agape with Tara! Gillian is rich rich rich! ;D)
xo
Gillian
Posted by: Gillian | 28 October 2007 at 18:54
I love how David focused on the names of the boats - what a wonderful series of photos. It reminds me of when you take pictures of doorways - there's something powerful about picking a subject and focusing on it. Peace & love, JP/deb
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 28 October 2007 at 18:49
What fun!
Please thank David for the tour of houseboats!
He is so lucky to have the opportunity to walk to
work!
Have a nice Sunday!
Posted by: rochambeau | 28 October 2007 at 17:43
David's photographs are brilliant...I love the colours...and I laughed at poor Eleanor who nearly became an Eleano!!
I love the quote as well..I love to walk for that very reason..to think, to notice things, to take in my surroundings...now of course, I must read this book!
Posted by: cherie | 28 October 2007 at 17:11
On this grey, rainy morning on my little island on Canada's West Coast, I feel very far from Paris -- but that white-and-blue of the first boat you show above gives me a connection. Our passengers-only (no cars) ferry is precisely the same colours! You can see for yourself in an August post on my blog: http://materfamiliasknits.blogspot.com/2007/08/hanging-onto-sunshine.html.
Somehow that really cheers me up as does the rest of the walk along the Seine that you offer me through the bows of these boats. Thanks again, Tara
Posted by: materfamilias | 28 October 2007 at 16:32
"3 Gebroeders" should be "3 Brothers".
Walking is my elixir of life. Anything bothering me, a couple of hours of walking is the right medicine for me.
Posted by: Merisi's Vienna | 28 October 2007 at 16:08
Taqra,
I like David's eye for color!
rel
Posted by: rel | 28 October 2007 at 15:33
I like to read names of boats... very creative and inspiring, at times...
To me, Houbi Houba sounds like Belgian FRANQUIN's marsupilamis.
These little beasts express themselves that way ... plus they're yellow and black... so my imagination goes that way !!!
Introducing you to the famous character:
http://mobius.inria.fr/twiki/pub/Sandbox/Genre/marsu.jpg
You can also see:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=XF9MLFOiaJ0
Houbi! Houba! et voilà...
Posted by: Marie-Noëlle | 28 October 2007 at 15:26