Picnics and a quest for ice cream

Day two

It was all about the picnic: sandwiches and scenes in a lovely walnut grove. We photographed then lovely Olivia holding a sandwich in a hundred different ways.  My ADD became apparent as the shots I was supposed to be taking were interspersed with photos of anything from flowers in the gardens to the cat that had little interest in playing with me.

Steph made the most beautiful Salade Niçoise for lunch.  The funny thing about our group was the sheer number of photos of everything we had to take before actually getting to eat. 

We picked walnuts as a prop, and snack, and photographed the scenes that Aran had set up. Let me say that by now everyone knew about my "thing" about going outside. I will say that enjoy "picking" things. I won't be owning an orchard any time soon, but it's an ok way to be outside.

 

When the shoot was over my quest for the ice cream began. Some of the group went to sample at the Jardins du Marqueyssac, but I wanted to go to the source. I had read of an ice cream alchemist in Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves in June not long after I'd signed up and couldn't wait to try this magically flavored ice cream-- flavors like poppy flower and daffodil or local walnut.  I called the number on the website and it was confirmed, albeit gruffly, that there was a "boutique and epicierie" in Saint-Geniès.  I forgot to ask hours but decided to take my chances -- mostly because he didn't answer the phone the other 5 times I tried calling.  Cursed caller ID.  

When you're in France, especially fairy tale-like Dordogne and someone says "boutique" immediately you get images of charming little shops pulled straight from the movie Chocolat, which was filmed there.  I was excited to be sure. Kim and Sanda made the trek with me to Saint-Geniès.  I was a cute little village, except for the Proximart in the middle selling anything from soccer balls to potato chips. 

We wandered around hoping to stumble on my ice cream wonderland,  but as it got later we decided to ask.  I went into the Proximart and was completely deflated to discover that this was the "boutique," AND they only had four flavors: vanilla, chocolate, salted caramel, and Rocamandour-cherry.  Rocamandour is a cheese from the region that I had had in its fresh and "sec" forms- both delicious. I bought the more, a-hem, exotic flavors and we went back to the Manoir where Ouafa was making dinner for us and two  other guests.  

Dinner was a delightful Moroccan tagine, a rainbow of fresh vegetables from that morning's market and a tarte aux pommes served with ice cream. We ate outside on the lawn, complete with floor lamp, and laughed a lot in French and English.