August in Lille

We haven't traveled anywhere since the early part of July, which is contrary to what most folks do around here in the summer. But it's been rather nice being here when the city is relatively quiet and slow paced. We've had a couple of visitors, which has been nice, the last of whom just left town today. We have just a couple more weeks of calm before the storm that is the Braderie happens the first weekend of September. 

Bailey and I have a small but pretty regular of dog friends that we see most days if I keep our walks on a fairly regular schedule. Temperatures have returned to normal and we had some much needed rain, with more promised for the upcoming week. 

Playing with a stick. She doesn't really fetch but wants me to watch her play with it by herself.

This handsome boy is Jacopo, a Bracco Italiano. He adores Bailey and she deems him to be a worthy playmate.

This is Hannah, an Australian Shepherd. She's a senior and her mom knows all the dogs who come to the dog park.

The husky is Aslan and he's a good playmate for Bailey.

That dense thicket is home to a lot of rabbits who come out to the grassy area around it late in the evening. One evening she saw and chased a dozen bunnies back into the bushes, harming none of them.

She looks for them whenever we pass by, but they are only out in the evenings. The bushes are thick and full of stickers, she does not attempt to follow them inside.

My favorite house in Lille, lit up at night.

These stones were once columns that were part of the old palace of justice (courthouse). Bailey loves to jump and climb on them.

Bailey wearing her lighted collar, late one evening, looking for bunnies.

No rabbits this evening, but a friend came by to play.

The fall carnival is setting up on the Champ de Mars. It opens this weekend and will run for about a month.

A screen shot of the program from a concert at the cathedral Saturday evening featuring sacred music from the 10th to the 17th century. Several instruments were featured that I've never seen or heard. The music was actually pretty good.

We spent this past Sunday with a friend from Clay's college days and his wife. They are now living in Spain. We took them to La Piscine, which is an old, art deco era municipal bath/swimming pool that was converted into an art museum. It's a beautiful building and they have quite an interesting collection.

My favorite sculptures, above and below, "Chien danois." If they had been selling reproductions of these in the gift shop they would have come home with me on Sunday.

A greyhound.

Swan and snake.

After dinner Sunday evening, we wrapped up the visit by stopping by la vieille bourse, the old stock exchange in the Grand Place in Lille, to see the weekly tango dancing.