poppies

van Gogh, Field of Poppies, 1890

I knew them from paintings, Monet, O'Keeffe, van Gogh, but I don't know if I ever saw a live poppy until I was in college during which time my mother moved in next door to a woman who cultivated a backyard full of them.  Prior to bloom it was impossible to anticipate that an unruly lot of "scrub" would explode into a shocking (backyard-sized) sea of red blooms that then faded into strikingly exotic pods.  It was a glimpse...

I was glad to be reminded of them and that coquelicots grow wild in France along roadsides and in fields.  The photos above were snapped last week by my friend in the Savoie -- just outside of a grocery store.  I have been meaning to share them for several days but it did not happen until today, and it was not until I was loading them that I made the connection.

In memory.

And with many thanks, MAel.