Paris in July begins today

A New Month of Paris Memories

Paris in July is a blogging event that’s been going for over 15 years. It’s currently hosted by Emma: https://wordsandpeace.com/2026/06/23/parisinjuly2026-all-the-links/ and so far at least eight bloggers have put themselves on the list of participants. This is my first Paris in July post, which is taken from a posts in the past. It’s been a couple of years since my last trip to Paris.

Paris in July: Thinking about the Eiffel Tower

Viewed from Belleville in 2013

From the Quai Branley Museum in 2016

From across the river, 2013

Up close in 2016.

From Montmartre, 2018.

Viewed by Remy the Rat in Ratatouille, 2007.

Fireworks for July 14, 1888, launched from the partially built Eiffel Tower.

July 13, 1989. Bicentennial of the Revolution. We were there — but not this close.
(Photo from National Geographic.)

From the Centre Pompidou

Painting from the Centre Pompidou by Robert Delaunay.

Blog post © 2026 mae sander.

Original photos © 2013-2024.

Round things in my kitchen

In my kitchen this month I have many round and spherical things, and I don’t mean just round plates! Here are photos to share with the once-a-month link-up sponsored by Sherry at the blog Sherry’s Pickings, We cooked lots of good things for ourselves this month, and for our guests during the last week in June. Also, they cooked many good things for us. However, I decided to write and photograph something different for this month’s wrap-up.

Blueberries and Trader Joe’s candy — little spheres.

A somewhat rounded cardamom roll that Len baked.

Dough for the cardamom rolls rising in a round bowl and making a dome.

Cupcakes

Waffles

Candy (actually spherical)

English muffins and egg yolks.

Evelyn and Tom’s Anniversary cheesecake.

Half a tomato.

A muffin (from Trader Joe’s)

Pizza (technically this is in Alice’s kitchen).

Pots and pans

Water bottles

Pie weights for baking a shell to be filled later. I rarely use these.

Potatoes — not quite spherical.

Beyond my kitchen…

Ice Cream

A highlight of June has been a visit from several relatives. Yesterday, to wrap up, we had ice cream at Argus cafe with Alice and Miriam. All our visitors have now left Ann Arbor.

Blog post  © 2026 mae sander

Sunday with the family

 

Bonsai at the Matthaei Botanical Garden

Water lilies in the greenhouse.

Bonsai in bloom.

Inside the Bonsai Garden

Left to right: Tom, Len, Miriam, Evelyn, and Hayden

Alice in her living room.

Miriam and Hayden Cook Dinner

Chopped kale and kimchi.

Purple rice, mushrooms, cabbage, and sweet potatoes

Perfect easy-over eggs

Evelyn and Tom will drive home tomorrow morning, and Miriam and Hayden will fly home in the evening. We’ll be left here — though of course Alice also lives here in Ann Arbor.

Photos © 2026 mae sander

Birds at Kensington Metropark

 

Because people feed birds along the boardwalk, they are quite unafraid, like this dove.

The red-winged blackbird loved the seeds that several people were offering them.
Park policy permits feeding seeds to small birds like these.

A muskrat was very close to the boardwalk. (Not a bird)

This sandhill crane was missing one foot and part of a wing. He was right on the path.
We assume he survives because people feed him and protect him.

A crane family with this chick were patrolling the parking lot at the picnic area.

They closely approached our table, but we didn’t feed them as it’s not allowed.

Photos © 2026 mae sander

Visitors today

 Birds

Beside a small lake outside Ann Arbor: a kingfisher.

A heron near the water. We drove our visitors out to see them. Miriam has recently developed an interest in bird watching..

The swans again — the cygnets are growing up.

Miriam Cooks

After we saw the swans, Miriam cooked dinner.

Dinner: baked salmon, purple rice, braised cabbage, and sautéed cabbage.

Dessert that Alice brought from
Cannelle Ann Arbor 

Blog post © 2026 mae sander