TIMMY AND HELEN

My brother Timmy and his wife Helen are here visiting. They arrived Monday evening from Nantes. Timmy drove a rental car using his new satellite navigation system to get here. The satnav took them through every little village along the way. A journey of a little over an hour took them three hours to accomplish.

MONTREUIL-BELLAY

La Belle Kristina
Kristina is Karen’s latest au-pair. She is from Chicago but was born in Russia. She came to America when she was 13. My nephew Andrew became very attached to her when he passed through here last week on his Grand Tour (France and Amsterdam, including a heavy metal festival).




Timmy and Helen arrived last night. They flew into Nantes then rented a car and drove to Montsoreau. They arrived at about 6 in the evening so we did very little except hang out and have dinner.
Today we took them to see the chateau of Montreuil-Bellay. Kristina dropped Nico off at school and came with us.
This chateau is in a town on the main road between Poitier and Saumur. It was built overlooking the Thouet River, a tributary of the Loire.
The guided tour was included in the price of admission. After the tour we sampled the wine made from grapes grown on the chateau lands. The chateau itself was an important winemaking center in the past but now the wine is made elsewhere.
We had lunch across the street from the chateau. I had a big bowl of mussels and French fries “moules frites”, definitely the best thing about Montreuil-Bellay.
After lunch we walked down to the river for a pleasant stroll along the bank. The temperature was about 90ºF so it was nice to be in the shade and close to the river.

BRATISLAVA

Last year we attended a concert in the Eglise-Saint-Michel in Fontevraud. The Chamber Orchestra of Bratislava performed the works of Mozart, Rossini, Vivaldi, and Saint-Saens among others. This year we went again to hear an almost identical programme.
Last year it was cold and wet on the last Sunday of June. We thought the Summer was never going to start. We huddled together in the cold church.
This year things were different, weather-wise. It was a beautiful warm day followed by a pleasant evening. The show was not a sellout, though, possibly because of the big football final between Germany and Spain (Spain 1, Germany 0). Even though there were fewer people I didn’t think there was the intimacy between performers and audience that made the music sparkle last year. It was still a very pleasant performance, especially the flautist.

RICHELIEU

STEVE AND TIM

We were invited to a picnic at the “new” house of Steve and Tim. They recently signed the papers to finalize the purchase of an old farmhouse out in the country, close to Lerné. The house is a mess – it hadn’t been lived in for more than ten years. And when it was lived in 12 people lived there in two tiny rooms and no bathroom (the equivalent of a $1.2 million fixer-upper in the Bay Area). They do have extensive caves on the property that were used for wine production and storage. There is also a barn and a pighouse. Their goal is to get the main house up and running as a temporary living space while they work on converting the barn into their permanent home. The long term goal is to have a gite (farmhouse vacation rental) and a catering and demonstration kitchen where they will be running a cooking school.
The property looks like a hopeless project but they have the vision and the experience (and the money) to transform it into a wonderful center for the culinary arts. Check back here next year for an update.




Karen Normandy took this photograph of “the boys” showing the barn, which will eventually be the main living quarters for Steve and Tim. In the background is the view of the Chateau from the farmhouse.

HOLLYHOCKS

The first time we ever visited Fontevraud the alleyway from the parking lot to the church was lined with tall hollyhocks. That was probably about five years ago. Now the hollyhocks are mostly gone, replaced by an avenue of linden trees (tilleuls). I could find only one remaining hollyhock. We tried to remember if the lindens had always been there in the background or if they have been recently planted. Either way, the tall stately hollyhocks have lost their place in the sun and are bypassed by a world that has found something newer and shinier to amuse it.

BOUNCING ABOUT

I got up early today for my first full day in France. I say that I got up early but the reality is that the bed is so hard that I hardly slept at all. Nevertheless, I was excited to see all the changes that Rich has made to the house. Upstairs we now have one large dormitory style bedroom. The ugly dark built-in closet is gone and the housing for the stairway to the grenier has also been pulled out, revealing a nice small space that will eventually house the shower and toilet. Rich also had part of the wall that formed the entry to the stairs torn out so that now there is a generous access to the upstairs without the door at the bottom.
After breakfast we took a ride into Chinon, lovely Chinon. It was lunchtime so everything except restaurants and bars was closed. We started to walk about. We came across an exhibition of works by a woman named Isabelle Thomas, a friend of Karen’s. She was in the shop arranging things. When she saw us peering through the windows she beckoned us in and offered us a glass of wine while we perused her work. She told us about a group of English and French people who meet upstairs from the shop to practise their respective languages. We went upstairs to meet them. They invited us to the next lunchtime meeting to practise our French (Mondays for French, Thursdays for English).
We continued walking around. We poked our head in to say hello to M. Wilbrun, the barber. He was excited to see me but a little disappointed that my hair is so short. We agreed that it would be at least two weeks before any trimming would be necessary. We stopped to have refreshment at the café in the square.
Later in the afternoon we headed over to Fontevraud. We went to visit the new studio of Gregoire, the stain-glass maker. He had a party of people in the shop and he appeared to be giving a lecture about hisw process and his art. After that group left we invited him to have a drink with us so that we could chat. He told us that he was born in Algeria during the war to parents of Spanish ancestry (his surname is Garcia-Pepin) then when his parents no longer had a country (the Algerians won the war, thankfully) they moved to Ivory Coast for his first seven years before returning to the motherland. He spent some time in London and New York and eventually moved back to Paris and pursued a career as a fashion designer. Now he is tired of the big city and lives outside Fontevraud. His interest in stained-glass has evolved from a hobby into a full-time passion.

CHAPELLE SAINTE-CATHERINE

I got a chance to see inside Karen’s latest project, the Chapelle Sainte-Catherine with its distinctive “lanterne de mort”. The chapel was built in the Plantagenet style and was completed around 1225.
Karen is restoring the chapel and creating a small living space adjacent to it. When everything is finished she is hoping to rent the space to a cultural foundation who could use it to showcase the work of local artists.

CHEZ-NOUS, MONTSOREAU

We are falling into a nice relaxed rhythm of jaunts around the countryside, meetings with friends, afternoon glass of wine at a café, and dinner in our backyard with a bottle of wine.

RECYCLE BIN OF HISTORY

I saw this bin in Eddie’s neighborhood. Obviously, some Sinners (Sinn Fein) live in this house. It’s good to know that the flame still burns in someone’s heart.
The vote on the Lisbon Treaty was quite a shock for the rest of the Union. Ireland voted to reject the treaty. We were the only country that had a plebiscite on the treaty. Now, the wrath of God has descended on the Irish for being so ungrateful for all that Eurpoe has done for us.
Personally, I can’t see why anyone ever thought Ireland would vote to approve the treaty. One major provision would reduce the size of the Commission, a sort of executive cabinet, taking away Ireland’s one representative and giving us a share in a representative instead. The other major issue involved the creation of a European army. Ireland has a longstanding policy on neutrality that prevents us from being part of military alliances.
The French are about to take over the rotating Presidency. M. Sarkozy is poised to visit Ireland to “encourage” us to rethink our vote and fall in line with the plans of the large member states to rationalize the government of the Union in the context of future expansion (currently 27 member states, but Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia are waiting for their invitation).

THREE SISTERS

I went to see Chekov’s “Three Sisters” at the Abbey today. It being Saturday I went to the afternoon matinee show. I was still a bit groggy from the long flight across the Atlantic and the attendant jetlag. The weather didn’t help – cold, overcast, blustery gusts with intermittent showers – a perfect Winter’s day.
The play is an adaptation by Brian Friel. In my mind I was expecting some kind of Irish theme, perhaps a retelling of the life of the Gore-Booth sisters and their part in the Irish Revolution. That was not to be. I could not figure out what it meant for the play to be adapted by Brian Friel as opposed to simply being directed by him. I thought the play was good but the acting was lackluster. I was never convinced that I had entered into a different world. It seemed to sprawl across the stage with no clear direction. I would like to read the play (I wished that I had done that before going to see it acted out) and see it again.

SFO - DUB

Vitaly came by to pick me up. Sharon was busy with Vladimir so I didn't get to see them before I left.
The flight was uneventful. I was sitting beside a Scotsman who was on his way to Glasgow via Dublin. He began to tell me his story but I feigned indifference so he didn't bother. Fortunetly he slept for most of the flight.
The flight was late getting into Dublin. Helen was waiting for me. She filled me in on all the family stuff - Joe, Uncle Victor, Aine and ex. After that I needed to go to bed. I slept for about eight hours. I hope I will be able to sleep tonight to get back on track.

DON QUIXOTE

Photos by Evan

POSTCARD FROM EVAN

Having a wonderful time. Your village is quite lovely and very much
fleurie in May. We have had coldness but its great today. We hope
it is tomorrow for the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. Seventeen people in the
house may be a bit much. Pray your husband can turn Old El Paso into
something better than it looks.


Here is a pet shot for you. A dog in a bar. On his own stool. This
was at the gay bar in Saumur. He was the only gay one in there
besides us and the bartender.

MORE OF EVAN'S PHOTOS

NEWS FROM LILY STREET

Hey Mairtin, . . .

Had a great day today. We had our annual block party sale on Lily Street here in my SF neighborhood. It seems that more people joined in this year. I did drag a few things out on to the street to join in. Glad I did. Made enough to cover a nice liquor bill for the weekend. ;-P

I snapped a few pics off the balcony.








Donna's house, the flat front building directly across the street from me had quite a bit to sell. I ran into my back neighbor, Devin. He and his brother are taking over the lease for a few months on the corner storefront at Page and Octavia to start a wine bar. They are now thinking of a name for the place and have secured a domain name of 201octavia.com. I will throw some graphics his way . . .

I've been watching Sparky for Evan while he is away visiting Rich in France. He's having a good time. He loved watching all the people up and down the street today. His head stuck out the window and meowed off and on.
Sparky ran into the back door of my neighbor Frank's place this morning while we were talking on the back porch.
I thought "oh no", . . . where will he go? so we eventually we found him under the bed, Frank's bed, . . . he would not come out, so I went over and grabbed his food bag, shook it up and down, - and zip, he ran out from under the bed and back he ran to the food dish in my kitchen.
Sparky loves sleeping at the corner of the farthest most point of my couch. Good vantage point of the street =^_^=

What an amazing day we had.

Rick

AT SWIM TWO BIRDS

These two ducks appeared today, swimming on the pool.
I shooed them away. They flew up over our house, though one of them looked like he wasn't going to make it. They are both males, something that surprised me. In the past we have had mating pairs but these two lads just like hanging out together.

ROSES ARE BLOOMING IN PICARDIE

The roses are blooming in Menlo Park.
Rich has been gone for two weeks now. He spent part of last week in the town of Beaune in Burgundy. He is back home now, waiting for Evan to arrive on Wednesday.

THREE SISTERS

Rich with my sister and sister-in-law at Airfield Farm in Dundrum.

BON VOYAGE

PRETTY HOUSE

After I got back to downtown Napa I hooked up with the boys at the Oxbow Market. Then we took a walk to the centre and had coffee at a sweet little cafe. We saw a cable car-like bus driving around so we decided to to take a ride. It was a free shuttle that looped around the downtown and the near neighborhoods. We saw some beautiful mansions before we arrived back at the COPIA parking lot.

EVAN

MEMORIES OF DAISY

NAPA CITY LIMIT

Today we took a ride to Napa. Evan and Rich wanted to visit COPIA but I had other things in mind. We parked the car in the COPIA parking lot and I hauled out my bike. I rode down along the river until I reached Napa Valley College and Kennedy Park. I rode around there for a while. As I checked out the photovoltaic farm (1 megawatt) a rabbit hopped out from somewhere and checked me out before hopping along on his merry way.
I went back to the main road and noticed a sign for the River-to-Ridge Trail. It looked a little funky, a narrow path between two chain-linked fences, but I decided to try it out. I started riding along the trail but it was so muddy and rocky I gave up and started to hike. The trail opened out to beautiful foothill countryside. It went up a thousand feet over a mile and a half. At one point I came across a brown speckled bird's egg with the yoke spilling out. I wondered if I had just interrupted some animal's lunch - perhaps a raccoon or a fox.
The trail ended behind Napa State Hospital. There was another trail that took me to Skyline Park. I consulted with a lady on horseback about the best way to get back to the main road.

RIDE TO SEBASTOPOL

I got on the road a little earlier today because of the threat of rain. On the way down the hill a couple of quail rain across the road in front of me. I parked at the same place on Sonoma Avenue but instead of going up the Parkway I headed west on Third Street then continued west when it turned into Hall. Today I was able to find my way to the main road that leads into Sebastopol. I got there about 1:30 in the afternoon and rode around a little looking for a Peets. To no avail. I did wave to a small group of war protesters including a little granny with a sign that said "We need a department of peace". On the opposite corner was a larger group of war supporters with American flags waving.

In Sebastopol I found the bicycle trail to come back to Santa Rosa. As I was riding along it started to rain. A rabbit (or perhaps a hare) hopped out in front of me and carried on his way. Further down the trail a heron rose up and flew beside me for a few feet.
When I got back into Santa Rosa I cycled along part of the Prince Greenway. I saw an egret hanging out waiting for his dinner to swim by in Santa Rosa Creek. My wildlife day was capped by a sighting of a falcon or a hawk (hard to tell in the drizzle) on the power lines along Petaluma Hill Road.

SONOMA COUNTY RIDE

I parked the car close to the Empire Cleaners and hauled the bike out of the back. I headed down the Prince Memorial Parkway that runs along the Santa Rosa Creek. After about 5 miles the cycleway stops and there is nowhere else to go except on surface streets. I asked this old guy with a dog where the street led to. He told me to go a little way then turn right, then turn right again and I would soon be cruising into Sebastopol. It wasn't like that at all. I followed his directions but I only ended up riding through rolling farmlands. Eventually I got tired of not arriving anywhere (the leitmotif for my life) so I headed back the way I had come, but instead of getting back on the Creekside route I continued on West 3rd Street. I stopped briefly at the Imwalle Garden farmstand to buy some things for dinner. The lady there told me I was only about a mile and a half from downtown Santa Rosa. She told me how to get to Sebastopol which I think I will try to do tomorrow.

THINGS SPARKY KILLED TODAY

PACIFIC TREE FROG

PACIFIC TREE FROG

MEMOIRS OF A PACIFIC TREE FROG

While we are sitting here waiting for THE WELL GUY Sparky caught himself a snake. I tried to discourage him from further molestation but he was not to be dissuaded. By the time I had my camera ready to photogragh the blighter Sparky had already chewed its head off. I wonder what kind of snake it was?

SANTA ROSA

Easter break in Santa Rosa: Always a crisis. The pump is not working so we have not had a shower. We have been up to the Quinta to check things out but we can't figure out what is going on. Evan has finally conceded defeat and called the well people. We are waiting for them to arrive.

RITE OF SPRING

BACK HOME (IN MP)

THE NEW (OLD) ABBEY

I went to see a matinee performance of "The Big House" by Lennox Robinson at the Abbey Theatre today.
I especially wanted to see the new interior. Last year the seating was redone so that now every seat is unobstructed. In the old auditorium (opened in 1966, the year of the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Revolution) the main part of the auditorium had seating that was pretty much all on the same level. There was also a balcony for better views of the stage. Now the balcony is gone and all the seats rise up steeply from the stage - a much better arrangement.
The play, first performed in 1926 very shortly after the events that it depicts, dealt with the history of a "big house" in West Cork during the period after the World War when Ireland saw its own war, first with England, then with ourselves, and then with the new Free State Government that tried to put an end to the Republican insurgency. The big house survives most of these challenges because of the respect the people of the (fictional) village of Baldoney had for the Anglo-Irish family that owned the house. But in the end the Irregulars (Republican fighters who rejected the treaty with Britain that gave Ireland a partial independence) torched the house, as they did many others.
I really enjoyed the show. There is something about live theatre that is magical. There is no amplification in the theatre, just the projected voices of the actors to command the attention of the audience. The Abbey is a really nice place now - it's hard to believe that the Government is going ahead with plans to build a whole new Abbey Theatre in the newly developed Docklands area. The Abbey is such a fixture of the inner city - it has been at this site in
Abbey Street since it opened in 1904 (The present building was built after a fire destroyed the original, but it was rebuilt in the same place in Abbey Street). I think we do need a new, modern theatre for spectaculars like "Riverdance" and that can be built anywhere. But the Abbey is the Abbey, the National Theatre of Ireland, and should stay exactly where it started in Abbey Street.

LAST NIGHT IN MONTSOREAU

We spent a wonderful day exploring the chateau and town of Azay-le-Rideau. When we got back to Montsoreau in the afternoon we found the Conforma people had already come to deliver our new mattresses. Unfortunately, we weren’t there to receive them. We had arranged for the delivery to be made on the next day, Friday. We tried to call the company but it was difficult finding someone who thought that this was a problem. Finally, while we were on hold, we went across the street to ask Gregoire, the guy who staffs the Maison de Parc Naturel Regional, to help us. He had no trouble rescheduling the delivery, but he never did get a satisfactory reason why they had come a day early. It seems that Tim Holland’s theory is correct!
With all that taken care of we could relax a little. Helen said she would like some rosé wine so we walked down to our local wine vendor to buy a couple of bottles. Between the three of us we were able to communicate what we wanted to the woman in charge and her teenage daughter who was helping out. I asked the teenager if she could speak English. She said she couldn’t even though she has been studying it for five years. We didn’t feel so bad about our feeble efforts to speak French when we heard that.
As it started to get dusky we walked down to the creperie for dinner.

AZAY-LE-RIDEAU

Rich had talked about how beautiful Azay-le-Rideau is, though he had never been inside the chateau. We decided to take Timmy and Helen there.
We had a late start. As we were leaving we saw that the mason’s car was in the driveway of the new chambe de hote that is being built/rebuilt. We stopped to take a look at the building and the progress of the work. They started this project last year when we bought our house and are slowly getting around to putting in an electrical system and finishing the walls. We had a quick consultation with the mason. He is going to come by the house next week to give us an estimate.
We drove the thirty or so miles to Azay. It is in the department next door, Indre-et-Loire (we are Maine-et-Loire). By the time we got there it was time for lunch. We walked around a little, looking for a place to have lunch that wasn’t too touristy (or full of Brits). We found a café on the square where the old market is. There is also an old church dedicated to Saint Blaise. The façade had carved statues of Christ and the twelve apostles (great name for a band). Inside the market hall there was an art exhibition of drawings and paintings by locals; in America it would be referred to as County Fair Art.
For lunch Timmy and Rich ordered the 11€ “formule” which was an Andouille sausage. They thought they were getting something similar to the American sausage of the same name but when it came they were confronted by something that was basically the same as chitterlings. They were not very happy. Lots of wine, water and coffee failed to wash out the taste of pig’s pee.
We made our way to the chateau. The castle was begun in the 16th century by a royal tax collector. Before it was finished he had been accused of corruption and was executed. The building and lands were given to a war buddy of the king who finished it in an Italianate style. By the end of the 19th century the owners were fallen on hard times. They sold the castle and all the furniture to the State who refurbished it.
From the front the castle seems very imposing. It is surrounded by a moat, probably fed by the Indre River. Inside, the original furnishings are still in place. The woodwork and stone carvings are very impressive. But the overall feeling is of a doll’s house. A walk around the outside confirms that it is small, certainly smaller than the chateau of Montsoreau.

AZAY-LE-RIDEAU: VISITE VIRTUELLE

THIZAY DOLMEN

We got a late start today. Karen invited us over to
La Blanchière for lunch. We were on our way when Rich remembered that the dessert we were supposed to bring was still sitting on the kitchen table. They left me off in Thiezay and drove back to Montsoreau.
Thizay is a very small community tucked into the hills above the Vienne River. There is a church, started in the 12th century, rebuilt in the 15th, renovated in the 19th, in the main plaza, but it was closed. There was a statue of St. Michael above the door so I think it must be the Eglise St-Michel. I followed the road behind the church. I wanted to find the dolmen. I wasn’t sure where I was going until I saw a sign – “Rue du Dolmen”, which made me think I was on the right track. I followed the winding road up the hill stopping only to fill my pockets with the bright yellow and orange plums I found in an open field (I made sure to taste the ripeness of a good many of them first!).
About a kilometer up the road I found the dolmen sitting on a ridge to the left of the road. There were several oak trees behind it (no rowan tree). The dolmen itself consisted of three kerbstones, two in front and one behind, with a massive capstone on top. A smaller capstone was beside it but it wasn’t clear to me if there had originally been two dolmen or if the whole structure was part of a court tomb or passage grave. I climbed up on top of the capstone to get a better view of what the dead had to look out at for 3 or 4 millennium: mixed forest, the river, the nuclear power plant at Avoine.
I took a quick look around the neighborhood. There were mostly fields of grapes, probably cabernet franc or pinot noir, and thick hedgerows of blackberries that were not quite ripe yet.
MORE PICTURES OF THIZAY

WHAT IS A DOLMEN?

JEAN-FRANÇOIS AT THE CAFÉ FRANÇAIS

Jean-François is the owner of the Café Français, a hip bar in Chinon tucked away on a side street off the Place de General de Gaulle. He has live music almost every weekend. We usually end up here in the late afternoon for a quite glass of wine before heading home.
The Café Français has a website where you can get more information about who is playing there and the other activities that take place there (There is a knitting group that meets here regularly, for instance).

TIMMY AND HELEN IN MONTSOREAU

Timmy and Helen are here in Monsoreau for a little visit of about a week. They had some adventures in getting here. There was no problem on the Ryanair flight from Dublin to Nantes (except for the 2km walk to the gate at Dublin Airport) but the journey to Saumur was more difficult. They came on a Saturday when there are less trains coming from Nantes to Saumur. They also found out that the shuttle from the airport to the train station is not as frequent on Saturdays. They had to take a bus to the tram line which took them to the centre of the city, then another tram to the train station. They had missed all the TGV’s for that day so they had to wait hours for a train coming from Quimper on its way to Geneva that was stopping in Nantes and also in Saumur. It was a sleeper train and also had four or five double decker loads of new cars, probably being delivered to Paris.
They finally arrived at 10:15 in Saumur. We had already called a restaurant in Saumur centre-ville, “Le Grand Bleu” to see if they would still be open but of course they had already stopped serving at 10. So we decided not to take any more chances. We went directly to the restaurant closest to the train station, “Le Case Creole”, a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of Reunion, the “French” island in the Caribbean. When we arrived there were still a whole lot of people there but when we left we closed the place behind us. Besides the food (shrimp in Reunion sauce, curried beef, halibut in a lime sauce, basmati rice and lentils) the waiter, a wonderful Reunionnaise, brought us a digestif of cinnamon-infused rum served in little glass jugs. What an experience!

RUES ET RUELLES

Pictures of the street signs in Montsoreau.

YVES DUTEIL CONCERT IN CHATEAU

Wikipedia article about Yves Duteil