Even cowgirls get the blue rope
Are we there yet?
Not quite. As much as I love my unlocked Verizon iPhone – and I do – my French travel experience has been frustrating. My SFR SIM card worked OK for surfing but not for e-mail. Their retail staff at 3 different outlets were uniformly ignorant. Now that I have wi-fi, Apple jumps in and tells me I can’t get to the iTunes Store.
Another few years, and my new data implant will solve all this.
On the one hand, France is the kind of place where a small agricultural village can undertake a big espalier project with 100-year old plane trees… The result may not be to my taste but is unquestionably bold and interesting.
On the other, France is the kind of place where the local council can see fit to post a 5-step instruction for picking up dog shit using a plastic bag… The result is definitely agreeable but the method seems downright silly.
The old and the new in Agen
Priorities
I wandered around a cemetery yesterday morning. In addition to being above ground, the cemeteries here are different than ours in that each person receives some number of plaques. Family members, friends, even clubs that you belonged to, make you a little granite remembrance to place on the grave, like photos on the piano.
The gentleman pictured here (or his widow who enjoyed 15 good — better? — years after he passed), chose to put his pétanque club in pride of place, in front of nieces, nephews, and even his children.
Frankly, I get that. Good on you, mate.
Life is just a really big bowl of cherries that you pick when Prov happens to spot the trees by the side of the canal
You must remove your white tiger shoes before you enter my house, because they will clash with my mosaic tile work.
Signs of the times
I like it when things are simple… All directions, this way.
Moonrise over Damazan
Last night, the full moon was coming up as I snuck over to the paying part of the harbor to borrow their dumpster.
In person, it was bigger and the most beautiful orange color, but with this camera the best I can do is embrace the digital noise and think of the impressionists.
Near Misses
We are in the middle of nowhere on this trip… surrounded mostly by cornfields. But, there’s a reason people visit France more than any other country…. There’s a lot to do. Or is there? You be the judge.
So far, actually just today, we’ve missed more than we’ve seen, including the following:
** the matchstick building museum, including a world-record 350,000 piece Cathedral of Reims… A little too far out of the way.
** the very first reproduction of the Venus de Milo… Actually nobody could even pretend to muster up the energy for that one
** a Rembrandt crucifixion painting, part of a series of 7 paintings of which the other 6 are in Munich… Closed on Saturdays.
** the museum of old farm equipment. Not yet open for the season.
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 