Of snowmen & Olympics...

I assure you that although this snowman on the left does look a bit like me after that harrowing trip from NY to Texas in Tillie, we did NOT bring it with us for NY. It is impressive that Texas had enough snow to make a snowman this time of year especially since the normal temperature for late February is 66.

The other two snowmen look a bit more jolly.

Perhaps they also think it a bit silly that school in Brady was closed yesterday and delayed two hours again today... Can't be too careful I guess.

With predictions of nothing but sun today and temperatures in the high 40's I hung laundry on the line. Pretty pathetic that all over France I had my choice of clothesline shots to include in the daily blog while here in the US I only saw clothes hung out three times on the trip down and have to take pictures of my own clothes on the line. However, it is my mother's clothesline and she still hangs out clothes when possible. (Rumor has it she's 88...) Perhaps we need to create an Energy Conservation Olympics with competitions in laundry hanging or garden digging or.... submit your suggestions...

The forecast for today is for a big melt

And now for the real scoop...

Our adventure from yesterday that I was too weary to post last night...

After looking across the Mississippi into Louisiana for two days, Tillie finally added this state to her map. And we began seeing signs for things perhaps you won't see other places. Crawfish - loved the sign at a restaurant advertising them "live or boiled" (no need for a comment here, your imagination is as good as mine...). Then there's the person with BBQ barrels in his side yard and a handwritten sign saying "Fresh Coons" with a painting of raccoon just in case you didn't think you read it right. It seemed a bit early for lunch (or dinner or...) so we just kept going. "Strange Stump Grinding" was another goody.

But even in Tillie on Louisiana back roads it doesn't take long to cross the narrow part of the state so before noon we were in Point Blank, Texas. Another blink and on we went with the temperatures dropping. John reconnected Tillie's "heat" (by the way she can really crank out the heat when the outside temps are above 60... As the temperature outside falls so does her heating capacity.). Early afternoon we were in Huntsville the home of Sam Houston and his statue which is the "World's Tallest Statue of an American Hero". (Give it some thought. I suspect even where you live you could come up with being the world's something or other...) While we did take the time to find Sam, we passed on visiting "Old Sparky", Texas' first electric chair, at the Texas Prison Museum. (Was that just Tillie or did we all shutter as we drove by?) We were intrigued by the sign outside the working prison by the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice for their "Horse Development Program". (Is this for horses gone wrong?) But time was short because of the approaching snow so we decided to "bite the bullet" (seems a most appropriate phrase to use in this part of the world) and drive on to Brady. The rest is, of course, history (please refer to yesterday's blog is you are unsure if we arrived...)

Natchez to Brady...

A quick post so those of you who are following us won't think we're stranded somewhere... again...
Even though we hadn't planned to drive this far today, the treat of snow for tomorrow at my mother's in Brady (what is with this weather?!!!) spurred us on. For once Tillie ran like a top up until... With only 11 miles to go she began to cough and the generator light came on. We turned off clock, unplugged the GPS, put the lights on low which helped some. Then John remembered he'd turned on the heater fan earlier. When he turned that off, walla, she returned to normal. Since we almost never drive Tillie at night we had forgotten how bad she is at multi-tasking. So we made it to Brady without incident!!! Then the most amazing thing happened. About 4 blocks from my mother's we pass a VW just like Tillie coming out of a side street. He was amazed too because he followed us the rest of the way and we're now "in the know" about area mechanics should Tillie feel "the need..."

A Day in Natchez...

Oh, the joy of sidewalks beneath your feet without the anticipation of "breakdown"! We woke up this morning to find Tillie tucked snugly in the parking lot so we were left to explore Natchez uninhibited by the limitations of a certain yellow vehicle. Using the suggested walking tour we walked the river front and "below Natchez" as JE suggested. Very pretty (but I think we're still panting - strolling downhill is one thing after several days of sitting but going uphill is another story...). At Rosalie Mansion John was allowed to run his hands across the keyboard of the piano which, I'm to point out to Terry, is a Chickering, the same year & maker as ours at home. (However, even tone deaf me can tell you there's a world of difference in how they sound.) In this same parlor room were also two ladies spittoons (not that that has anything to do with anything...)

Several churches, walkbys of many other beautiful "homes" & a visit to the Natchez Coffee Roasters (no roaster in sight and our coffee was served in a paper cup. Now really, they should be able to do better than that!) found us wanting more so it was off to Longwood, the largest octagonal house in the US. Our tour guide pointed out (for our benefit I'm sure) that NY state has the most octagonal houses - 130. This one was started before the Civil War and the project abandoned when the war started with just the exterior and the "basement" completed. We should all have such basements. Very elegant so don't take pity on the Nutt family who were "forced" to live there without completing the upper floors. Although a bathroom was in the plans for the second floor using rainwater collected off the roof, the family "made do" (sorry...) with a 5 seater outhouse, 2 rooms, one with seating for 3 and one for 2, no waiting. Amazingly, there were to be 6 floors (in the house that is) plus the basement. The person who bought the property from the family and gave it to the Pilgrimage Garden Club stipulated it was never to be completed. We understand a ghost wanders the building and they have a great Halloween party in case you are interested. Also, amazingly, that is Tillie you see parked outside. Longwood was just a bit too far out of town to walk. Even more amazing, Tillie didn't require a mechanic today either!!!!!!!!!

Dinner tonight was at King's Tavern, thought to be the oldest building in Natchez (late 1700's) where the food is good and the ghosts are renowned, especially Madeline. She apparently had been having an affair with King, the tavern owner, and his wife had her killed. Her body was discovered bricked into the fireplace in the 1900's and she still haunts the tavern (or so says the Enquirer). Two other bodies were also found but I guess they keep a low profile. Supposedly if you take a photo in Madeline's bedroom you'll see her aura. (You do see it, don't you?)

Tupelo to Natchez

Look familiar? And just so we get this out of the way because I know you are wondering... the "mechanic of the day" is Chris Moak who came to our assistance, roadside no less. (His friends from just across the road from where Tillie decided to stop gave him a call.) For a real job Moak repairs huge Caterpillar generator motors on oil rigs in the Gulf. For kicks he plays around with a friend who is a VW guru. (The guru, although Moak is certainly no slough, was off digging an outhouse for artifacts... for fun...) At any rate, the guru has the part we need but we have to wait until he gets home so we left Tillie beside the road and Moak brought us to a hotel he recommended. He'll fix Tillie and deliver her to us later. Mississippi folks are the best!

Now that that bit of info is out of the way... we started the day at Elvis' birthplace in Tupelo. This is John age 65 next to Elvis age 13. Age is only an illusion. It also turns out Tupelo's shimmering and shaking is not limited to Elvis. It's also the home of America's first fish hatchery which we chose to bypass. Instead we hopped onto the Natchez Trace Parkway again and headed to Natchez. 260 beautiful miles through Mississippi countryside with no traffic lights or stop signs and almost no traffic. I counted 11 vehicles in the last 33 miles we traveled. Along the way we saw turkeys, deer, hawks, heron, daffodils, armadillos, cotton fields, Spanish moss and had a picnic lunch beside the Pearl River. It's a great way to cross Mississippi and enjoy one of our National Parks.

The one off the parkway stop we did make was at the little town of Kosciusko for gas. By chance, it turns out to be the birthplace of Opray Winfrey so of course we had to go take a look... Obviously no one has caught on that if they were to capitalize on this and open something for tourists on the site they might go a long way in bringing in some added jobs and revenue to the low income folks on this back country road. PS - This was the first stop of the day where Tillie had to be "defibbed" to get started again.

Given Tillie's fickleness, we dare not push our luck by traveling on a Sunday so we're staying put in Natchez for a day. Monday we have a better chance of finding someone new for Tillie to meet.

Tupelo, Tupelo, Tupelo

Today dawned bright and sunny, warm at last with blue skies. Tillie started right up and we headed west across the rolling red clay hills of north Georgia into Alabama. My only notes from this morning were lots of fishermen doing their thing and spotting the first clotheslines with clothes hung out to dry. And, just in case you're interested, there's a zoo for sale near Paint Rock, AL.

Finally (we gained an hour and are now in Central Time), it was time for lunch so we decided to find something in the neat downtown section of Athens, AL. As we were rounding one corner of the square there was a loud snap and, E-gads!, no clutch (so much for lunch...). While John was once again groveling around under Tillie, I put on my "sleuthing hat" and went in search of info regarding a VW mechanic. Tillie must have the luck of the Irish because, sure enough, Hill Automotive was only 4 blocks away, and downhill at that so we could actually roll her there. Bruce (the beloved mechanic for today) did not have a new cable but was able to splice it with another one he had. Now let's be honest. You're thinking what a pain in the butt this all is and how it must be costing us a fortune. But that's not really the case. We get to meet a lot more people than you probably would zipping by in a nice new car. And, I suspect, if any of these things went wrong with your car you might still be waiting on parts. These old ones can get going again with practically nothing other than a little ingenuity. And the mechanics like them (and take pity I suspect) so never seem to charge the going rate. (The total of all 4 emergency stops with parts is still under $200.) There are some really GREAT people out there!

While Tillie was having her afternoon "fix" with Bruce the mechanic, I went exploring Athens. Loved the Limestone Drugstore (photo above) in the old bank building so wandered in to see what it was like inside. Turns out while you wait to have your prescription filled, you can get an ice cream at this beautiful old soda fountain. There is absolutely nothing on the outside to indicate it's there so if Tillie hadn't broken down I would never have gotten my first ice cream cone of the year. Cost me all of 81 cents I might add. Maybe I'm the lucky one!

Mid afternoon we were on our way again. Saw signs for Ivy Green, the birthplace of.... Helen Keller but decided to pass it by. About 5 miles beyond that was a sign for "Coon Dog Cemetery" but decided to skip that as well. I know, I know, we've just got no sense of adventure sometimes. But eventually we hopped on the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway and made our way at a leisurely 50 mph Tillie pace to Tupelo (I just love that name). It's the birthplace of.... Elvis Presley so we'll probably be dreaming of hound dogs, or maybe coon dogs, all night.

A tribute to chickens...

Today was a GREAT day for driving & enjoying the scenery. No snow, moderate wind, a relaxing time to take some notes for you as we traveled into South Carolina. Loved the NC license plate that read "S*NSHINE"; and the billboard for a motel that advertised "Fresh, new bedding" (as opposed to?...); Blenheim world famous ginger ale (now you know if you didn't before); a truck towing a container that read "Rain for Rent" (expect this is a low time of year for them). You can also tell it's getting warmer inside Tillie as well. John left his snow mobile boots in NJ and we shed our hats in NC. In SC we unzipped our coats and in Georgia I put away one of my lap robes. Things are looking up!

Tillie must sense that this may be her first and last trip through the south so seems determined to check in at least once a day with one our nation's backyard VW gurus. Today when we stopped at the Georgia welcome stop, Tillie refused to start again. John worked on her while I chatted up the personnel to locate "Hooker" who turned out to be only about 10 miles away. I also called AAA for a tow, but John got her going in time so that little "excitement" could be canceled. Hooker worked her right in and after putting in new timing stuff, she's running like a top again. (Can't wait to see who she'll find for us tomorrow...)

We didn't make it quite as far as we'd intended today so tonight finds us in Gainesville, Georgia which as luck would have it, is the Poultry Capital of the World, a fact that the tourist info office at the border fails to mention in its info but which we think is pretty neat. Never, ever have we seen a monument dedicated to a chicken, one of my favorite birds.

Of Bluebirds & BBQ

Much to our amazement, Tillie started right up this morning. Guess the hot wire/jolt last night acted like a defibrillator and set her to rights. However, (why is there usually a however?) she absolutely refused to go into reverse and only begrudingly went into second. So it was back to our now favorite mechanic at CJ Buggs. A little adjustment to the clutch (plus, I suspect, a good talking to her by Charlie that if she didn't shape up she'd be sitting in a snow bank until spring with her cousin who is waiting on a new motor...) and we were on our way down the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.

Lunch found us in Union Grove, NC the home of the oldest old time Fiddler's Convention in North America and also the home of the Cook Shack. That's the kitchen to the right with the cook who makes the best cheeseburger in NC. And to the left (with me) is LW Lambert who has been world banjo champion 11 times in his career. He's now 84 but still plays most Saturday mornings along with other bluegrass bands at the Cook Shack. So if you're in Union Grove on a Saturday morning stop by for some great pickin' and some great cookin'!

Then it was on to Hickory to George & Vicki's where it is sunny (YES!), above freezing (YES!), the snow is mostly gone (YES!), the robins & bluebirds are everywhere (YES! YES!), the pork BBQ is just as good as we remember (YES!), and George & Vicki & the cat kids are looking great (YES!). While "the guys" were out doing guy things, I spent a relaxing afternoon seeing some of the wonderful things Vicki is doing in her photography classes at the college. She's on the high honors list - no surprise.

Tomorrow we're off again, to where? is yet to be determined.

And we're off... again...

Braving the snow and the cold, we start Tillie up and we're on the road again, heading south.

We had forgotten but were reminded today how much VW's hate the wind. Between the winds and the trucks, traveling on 81 south certainly kept us awake. Plus it gave John a good shoulder workout trying to keep her in our lane. As for myself, I was just trying to keep warm.

Trivia question... What do Woodrow Wilson & the Stadler Bros. have in common?

Making it to our destination mid-afternoon we decide to fill up with gas before finding a place to stay and doing a bit of sightseeing. No problem except.... Tillie forgets how to start or turn over or even make a noise. I suppose you (not me) could say it is lucky that I have not forgotten how to push. Where oh where is Mary who was with us when Tillie had to be pushed on our last trip west?! For some reason she thinks studying jellyfish in Japan is more exciting than going with us on this trip - go figure! The first photo is the auto parts store who diagnosed the problem as a dead battery and they happily sold us a new one which John (not so happily) put in and which did NOT solve the problem.

However, as with all good VW's of which Tillie is one, they never break down unless they're in reach of a "VW guru". Sure enough, CJ Buggs was only two miles away and even though it was almost quitting time, Charlie took us in and got us going again. Diagnosis - a dead starter motor. None in town so he jury rigged a "jump start" system to bypass the starter so I don't have to push (I love that man!). Of course we still have to get a new starter but hopefully our friend George will have that situation well in hand by the time we get to Hickory tomorrow.

Oh yes, the answer to the trivia question is Staunton, VA (pronounced without the "u"). We had planned to walk around their pretty Victorian town and visit the Wilson library and.... but I guess that will have to wait for another trip south.

Waiting out the clipper...

Let's see... Judy's wonderful blueberry almond french toast for breakfast; an outing to fill up Tillie's tank before the snow comes (it's evening and it's just arriving...); cousin John repairing John's band saw; a bit of grocery shopping followed by a stop at the Habitat Store (just our luck, it's closed on Mondays). Time? 10:15 a.m. Task left? A picture for this blog.

While it may appear John took up employment in a workshop style tavern, it's actually the new bar cousin John has in the works, complete with bar stools, for their home. It's made completely with wood from their own property and an original design by cousin John. The bar is almost done - needs a bit of finish that he'll do in their auto body spray booth. The stools need some steam bent wooden circles to hold the legs together - thank heavens! When I first saw them I knew there would be no way I'd ever dare sit on them as they are. Can't you just imagine those beautiful curved legs going splat?! And, of course, if we all come to visit, they're going to need a lot more than two!

Although hanging out at the bar has been a lot of fun, we hope to be on the road again tomorrow!

The Plan - Go to Texas for a little warm weather???

The reality - well, your guess is as good as ours...

Add to that - we're driving Tillie, the VW. There are several things we knew (had forgotten but now definitely remember!). VW's HATE cold weather and particularly snow but where is there NOT snow in the US right now? This is Tillie "warming up" in our driveway in NY and the scene in NJ is not much different.

So what else had we forgotten? The inside of these buses in the winter are COLD! Except that they have motors, they are not unlike a buggy - bumpy, breezy, and invigorating. You bundle up with everything you have own (note John's driving apparel including the felt lined boots). For myself I added a lap rope (they aren't just for old folks' homes), then another... An hour into the drive the engine had finally heated up to almost normal although that does nothing for the inside heat situation but does make it run a bit smoother. Old VW's are also a bit breezy - no chance of carbon monoxide poisoning you will be relieved to know. Next - Tillie always draws a lot of attention making us feel rather like royalty on parade. This time of year, however, we did begin to think they were just wondering who let those two old crazies out? Then there is the issue of "wimpy" windshield wipers and John's groveling at my feet (we're stopped, of course) trying to get the windshield wiper fluid working. This involves finding the fluid hose, connecting the bicycle pump and giving it 15 pumps for pressure (who thought that one up?!). From my perspective under the lap robes, it was hysterical. Who knows what folks who passed thought John was doing at my feet that caused the lady to be laughing hysterically. Of course, this was followed sometime later by a discussion on where to buy a spray bottle so John could stick his arm out the window periodically to spray the windshield to clean it... (Mercifully, the road dried and this tactic did not become necessary...) And finally there was the air leak we could hear when we arrived, only to finally realize it was only static from the radio (static being the only station available on a VW radio - no surprise). But we're here at cousins John & Judi's in good spirits and, from the sounds of the weather forecast, likely to remain for a couple of days... Stay tuned...

Friday - Back in New York State...

Actually, the first shot is Belvidere, NJ (my favorite town in NJ) at the best breakfast place we know - Thisilldous (to pronounce it, separate the letters... this 'ill do us - I'm ashamed to tell you how long it took me to figure that one out!). At any rate the cook makes really interesting and great tasting American breakfasts (cousin John had today's special of pumpkin stuffed French toast crusted with pecans). When we were talking to him about our trip he shared he had graduated from the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. While there, he had lived on one of the boats under the Eiffel Tower. Small world!
2) One of our first views coming back into NY. How beautiful is that even if the umbrella of sunshine that has followed us around is missing?!!!
3) Pat "expected" to be on the road to Buffalo by noon but... dead battery... jump start... garage... lunch... new battery... She hasn't shown up back at our house so we hope that means she's on the road...
4) Clothesline shot (my own) sans clothes. It is raining here after all!

If you want to bear with me, we came up with a few "un-photographed" items, in no particular order, of our trip to share with you.
- There are 55 stairs from the entrance hall to Lizzie's guest rooms in London. Little did we suspect she was just trying to shape us up for those stairs in France!
- The walls of Zelda & Brian's cottage in Brittany are covered with his wonderful, colorful paintings of French country folk. (He doesn't sell or show his work - you are left to imagine.)
- On our second day of driving in France, cousin John was flagged over by a policeman at a round-about and given a breathalyzer test. Even though it was 1:30, we had not stopped for lunch so John was "clean" as the whistle he had to blow into. He did get to keep it for a souvenir.

- American music was everywhere we went. If you're into the music scene, the US is obviously the place you want to be.

- The French only use debit cards. No credit. If you don't have the money for it, you don't buy it. (Draw your own conclusions...)

- The public toilets are generally marginal and best left to our memories including my getting locked in the toilet in Vannes... (I'm home so obviously, I'm out...)

- In spite of several "near misses" where the collective sharp inhalations of our car's passengers about emptied the car of oxygen, the two driving Johns returned the car without a scratch and all of us without a heart attack.

We had a GREAT time!

And we trust that blur of red that passed us on our way home meant J&J did too!

Thursday - zigzagging our way home

Our plane tickets - leave from Bordeau at 6:15 a.m. (Yes, you read it right. That's a.m. as in morning. Arg!) The general accepted rule for international flights is to be at the airport 2 hours before departure. Let's see... 6:15 minus 2 hours (it doesn't even bear thinking about - arg! arg!).

However, in Bordeau one cannot get a cab until 4:30 a.m. (they do have some principles...) So 4:30 it was. (Of course that meant getting up at... arg! arg! arg!) We, the passengers may have been at the airport a little after 4:30, but the check-in staff were not. So we waited, and waited, and waited until about 5:00 at which time staff began drifting in. By 5:20 we'd checked our luggage and gotten our boarding passes. However the security staff weren't there. They showed up about 5:45. (What's the big rush after all?) The cafe/coffee vendors? Who knows what their hours were. At any rate, by the time we got to the gate we were able to board promptly.

Then came Amsterdam. By that time we felt a bit like these guys who greeted us. Only a 5 hour layover there. To "allow" you to go home without any euros left the airport has shops for just about everything except beds. (If you want to start a new business this might be just the thing...)

Finally, we were on the plane for our flight home. It only took 6 hours to get to London so we were all thinking the same to get home. Forgot Amsterdam was a bit further away. Duh! Forgot it takes longer to fly into the wind than with a strong tailwind. Duh! Duh! So... 8 hours later...

New Jersey and Joe in the Suburban never looked so good!!! Thank you Joe!!!

And, it's true, our luggage (not to mention all of us) would never have fit in that red Corvette. But, where oh where could it be? As we came into Newark we had a great view of NYC and I thought I saw something red buzzing along a street in Brooklyn. Any sightings, Kathleen?

Check tomorrow for one final blog about the trip. After all, we aren't all home yet!

And sorry, no clothesline shot of the day. Bleary eyed travelers at airports may need to have their laundry done but...

Wednesday - Moving on...

1) Amazing, but true - In spite of another week's worth of "expanding" we were able to pack all our luggage and the six of us into the car.
2) The "guys" - brothers, cousins, double cousins - too confusing...
3) The "gals" - simple friends (leave it to the women to keep things simple)
4 & 5) The red stone village of Meyssac on the way to Bordeau. Red or not, it was again lovely, interesting and built on a hill so we could get in a few last steps.
6) My clothesline shot of an upper balcony packed (if you can make it out) with drying racks.
7) Even a clothing store had a clothesline painted on the window.
8) One last photo of Meyssac. I actually had tried to capture the two little French women coming home with their baguettes, but these hill women are speedy and you only see a glimpse of the them to the left.
9) The land flattens out around Bordeau and is also a bit warmer so the fields switch over to vineyards. The new highway to Bordeau lets you zip right along.

Speaking of zipping right along, did Vicki & George and Sherm & Linda see that red Corvette passing through North Carolina in a BIG hurry?!!

Our last day in Peyrissac

1) Rita moving her horses from a lower pasture back to the one by the house. These horses are worse than walking a dog - they have to stop and sniff everything plus they have to stop and munch newly fallen chestnuts and fresh grass along the way. (At least they don't lift their legs...)
2) The tree in the middle of the photo, the one with the thickest trunk, is within a hundred feet of Frank & Rita's. Admittedly, at first glance that doesn't look very interesting until you learn that it is sequoia/giant redwood planted in 1889 by one of the village women. Saplings were given out at the World's Fair in Paris which she went to - the same fair for which the Eiffel Tower was built. Moral of the story - you're never too old to plant a tree as someone will be along at some point to appreciate it. The lady who planted this one I'm sure never imagined YOU would be looking at it.
3) The view out our bedroom window (also the entrance to Rita & Frank's home).
4) The hound dog who barks all night and sleeps all day. (Where are those hunters when you need them?!)
5) Ladies in waiting (probably to appear on someones dinner table).
6) The post office in Mercoeur, the next village over and the town Peyrissac is in. You might also note the clothesline in the patio just before it. I suppose if you spoke French well enough you could probably negotiate to have your clothes washed, dried, and mailed home.
7) Off to Argentat for a last bit of sightseeing and lunch and, what else?, stairs, stairs, stairs. To take one's mind off the stairs you might note the clothesline with clothes hanging on the balcony.
8) The crew outside the Le Saint Jacques restaurant where we had lunch (after climbing so many stairs one does have to fortify oneself you know) - another GREAT meal I might add. For once we were close enough to our beds to actually enjoy an afternoon siesta.
9) In case you want to learn just a little French, the word for trash can is poubelle (pronounced poo-bell). This one is reserved for tourists. So polite the French! Merci!

Back in the states we learned that J&J always wanted to visit the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. I understand a red Corvette was seen in their parking lot. Keep an eye out, Joe...

On the roads less traveled...

1) This photo is especially for George. It's hunting season here and because Frank & Rita give permission for hunters to hunt on their land they are rewarded with part of the kill. Rita is holding yesterday's delivery of the rear haunch of a deer. In case you're wondering these deer are much smaller than we're used to in the states - only about 4 feet high.
2) Pat & I found buried in her guide book a reference to a flour mill that has been in operation since the late 1200's (that is NOT an error in typing either). The next time you're near Cales, it's well worth a side trip.
3) The owner explaining how it works.
4) The flour "sifter" sorting the flour into different areas of fineness.
5) And, he saves the best for last, the upstairs where people have lived for centuries. It looked like he still does too as it had a modern stove and washing machine behind where I took the photo. He's showing us how folks used to use the walk-in fireplace. Also notice the bottle and small glasses on the table. Other than a wine tour, I think this is the first tour where I've ever been served a sample of the local brew. This one happened to be plum alcohol that you consumed with sugar cubes. You could also crack and eat some of their local walnuts if you were so inclined. (Bob had two shots of the plum liquor and treated us all to lunch. I looked in the grocery to see if I could find more of that liquor, but no luck - or perhaps it's Bob that's lucky...)
6) Parking - Yes it was under a cliff and more or less in the road, not that it mattered. Believe me, we were the only traffic there abouts.
7) John, Judy & Bob with Rocamadour, the cliff village, in the distance on the left. We chose to just view rather than walk dooooooown and uuuuuuuuup. Besides, it really is very touristy.
8) The entrance to Gouffre de Padriac, a huge cave that has a river running through it. That speck you see on the path down there is actually a person. For once this French site had a series of 3 elevators that take you down to the opening. Then (after going down a few more stairs) they take you by boat on the river deep into the cave where another guide takes you by foot deeper into the cave. It really is huge and has beautiful formations. Then, surprise!, it's up 150 steps (believe me we counted every one!) ooooh-ing and aaaaah-ing and hufffffffing and pufffffffing over stalactites & ...mites until we came down another 150 steps before arriving back to the boats for the return trip. Guess what? Those "few" steps we came down after getting off the elevator suddenly seemed to multiply but at least the elevators were still running.
9) In the cottage Pat, John & I are staying in, we also have a walk-in fireplace with, you guessed it, a clothesline!

Where is that red Corvette? Did Jeannette & Don see one in southern Missouri? And perhaps that really was a Corvette Beni & her friend saw in St. Louis heading toward the Arch...

Move over Julia... & Julie...

Shots mostly from Peyrissac...
1) Pat "at home" enjoying a flat surface and her nightly read.
2) One of the trails that Rita, Mary & Frank cleared for the horses. It looks beautiful now but I can tell you it had to have been a LOT of work at the time.
3) A spring (they call it the source) in Rita & Frank's field. It's one of the springs pilgrims stopped at on their trip to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. They would stop at the spring and often spend the night at the monastery that's just over the hill and which still has monks. Rita & I were out walking this morning (the hills are STEEP so those pilgrims were in good shape, believe me!) when we heard the bells ringing. I listened but couldn't hear the monks chant. Next trip.
4) The ceiling continues to go up in between sightseeing, eating and drinking. Please note it's only the men in the photo that are related on this trip. Who knew so many women could put up with so many Grossmann/Keck's for so long!
5) After having just seen "Julie & Julia" and then coming to the heart of France, I felt obligated to make beef bourguignon for lunch to day. Bet Julia didn't have Rita's wild mushrooms to add to hers! It was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS even if I do say so myself.
6) Clothesline (really a drying rack) photo of the day with guard cat.
7) This is an alert to Pat's kids - that's Pat coming out of the realtor's office in Beaulieu. Your inheritance may be changing soon...
8) This photo is especially for Susann who sent Rita dye for her wool. Wouldn't you LOVE to have a studio like that?! (I do apologize, the collage cut off part of the building.)
9) The group enjoying the evening outside the cottage Pat, John & I are staying in directly across the road (all 8 feet of it) from Rita & Frank's. The dog with cats on top sleeps in the middle of the road - not a problem since they get one car once a week going by on the same morning each week. I gather the dog, sighs but gets up and moves for this car.

Back in Brady, Texas, my mother & sister (in separate houses) may have been wakened early this morning by the roar of an engine. It was the talk at the local coffee shop - could a Corvette actually make it from Arizona to the heart of Texas in a day? However, the pressure is on J&J to get back home because they know J&J will be flying back on Thursday plus... it is a Corvette after all plus... Texas roads are, well, flat & straight. Can J&J make it?

Sarlat & beyond...

From one of our last trips we remembered the Saturday market in Sarlat. All the markets are appealing but this one is particularly large & varied (probably because it's also a tourist town).
1) Somehow I managed to quickly take a couple of pictures of the market where there was a lull in shoppers (no reflexion on the vendors in the photo I can assure you).
2) Meat "vans" complete with butchers not only come to the markets but also visit on a weekly basis most of the little hamlets in France. Rita said the one that comes to them looks like this. (If Rambo, our old RV, wasn't so rusty I'd think we might look at converting it.)
3) A bateau on the Dordogne River. (Don't even think about it, John!)
4) The village of La Roque-Gageac where we had lunch. It's squeezed in and up the cliffs by the river leaving just enough room for the road.
5) Looking up between two buildings you might be able to see one of the paths that goes up the side of the mountain. In case you're interested, there's also a clothesline strung across the first patio. And, yes, real people live here, not mountain goats.
6) Are you sure we're on the right road, John?!
7) Strawberries being grown hydroponically. These are the small, ever bearing French strawberries that are a larger version of our wild ones. The best strawberries you ever hope to eat. You can buy them all summer long, even into the fall and, yes, we bought some and ate them all.
8) The Grottes de Cougnac (caves) near Gourdon are filled with stalactites and some prehistoric cave paintings made by Cro-Magnon man (the paintings, not the stalactites). In fact if you want to see cave paintings, this is the region of France to visit as there are several caves open to the public where you can view them. Those of our group that went on the tour said it was very interesting. Pat, John & I (we just weren't in a Cro-Magnon mood) enjoyed a cool drink at the cafe instead.
9) This is an odd photo but perhaps you can make it out. Our car has a huge sunroof (upper part of the photo). This shot shows the road (far too narrow) we were on out the front window (bottom part of photo) with the cliffs on the side and at times overhanging the (far too narrow) road. The 3 folks in the way back were especially cozy since it's actually designed to seat only 2. They were also very happy when we finally got on a wider, straighter road and even happier when we finally arrived home.

We understand Judy's cousin in Arizona just might have caught a glimpse of a red Corvette zipping by.

Friday... An assortment...

Everything around here is so photogenic, I just can't help taking lots of photos so you'll have to suffer two sets today.
1) One of the turns on the one lane road to John, Judy & Bob's cottage. The road is so narrow some trucks refuse to deliver there.
2) The stairs to Frank & Rita's front door & one of their out buildings.
3) Another clothesline - metal post.
4) The sign pointing to where J,J & B's cottage is (so you know it really exists and so I don't have to spell it).
5) A neighbor of Frank & Rita's out to feed the chickens. Unlike NY, France now has a law that you can't buy your neighbor's eggs unless they're an "approved" egg producer. For once we have less regulations than other places & I hope it stays that way.
6) A lovely fixer-up-er. Is that beautiful or what?!
7) Fun in the kitchen. Pat fixes her Polish ex-mother-in-law's fried sauerkraut. It was DE-licious! Add homemade applesauce & local sausages - we didn't go wrong.
8) Two wild parasol mushrooms that our car brakes for when we spot one (or two). Frank & Rita have harvested several using this technique. They look like...
9) John, under supervision of brother Frank, slicing the artisan bread purchased at the market.
1) The sign for the tiny place where Frank & Rita lives.
2) The home project for this trip - completing the sheetrock between the beams in the master bedroom. This may be a longer project than we imagined.
3) The start of the main road to Peyrissac. That's our car. It doesn't say but one can safely assume it's one lane.
4) Our visit to Chateau Castelnau-Bretenoux, the first chateau Bob had ever been to. This is very odd since he's traveled more than all of us put together. The only way to the top is by foot - up, up, up. Take special note of the round turret on the left.
5) View from one side of that turret.
6) View of Judy after she made it to the top of the turret.
7) On to Carennac - a beautiful little town on a river. Look hard and you'll see a clothesline in this lovely stone alley.
8) Even though it was right in town, what you see in the upper opening is a bee hive. There were lots of flowers in town.
9)Another photo of Carennac. The "penthouse" apartment on the right still looked available, just in need of a few repairs. If you feel up to stairs, make an offer.

Back in the states, cousin Carole flying out of San Francisco may have spotted a red Corvette on the Golden Gate Bridge. The Utah Salt Flats to San Francisco in one day?!!! It is a Corvette after all.

Thursday - Caught up!!!

We're spending the next few days with John's brother Frank & his wife Rita. Peyrissac, where they live and which is on very few maps is very, very beautiful with lots of trees, steep hills and quiet you don't find in many places these days.
1) Rita was out early this morning showing me her garden. That's a VERY healthy aster blooming in the background.
2) The kittens seem to think their older dog, Oxane, belongs to them.
3) One of the stalls at the market we went to in Argentat this morning. (Yikes! I hope pointy boobs aren't on the way back again.)
4) Enormous loaves baked in a wood fired oven. Of course we bought one. (How is your oven coming, Leigh?)
5) Lunch ala Rita - fresh veggies, local beef (which made Pat very happy), fresh fruit. And Bob surprised us with coffee flavored macaroons for dessert which he found at the market. They were to die for!!!
6) Another in my clothesline series - this time it's our clothes thank heavens. It had about come to the point where we wanted/needed to drive along with all the windows rolled down...
7) Another in the clothesline series. Stone walls in the sun are perfect for the final drying of jeans. This wall is outside the cottage where John, Pat & I are staying.
8) It is English walnut season in the area. And this is one of the big containers filled with walnuts ready to go to the processing plant where they shuck, dry and shell them.
9) The cottage where John, Judy & Bob are staying. Note the roofs in this area of France are mostly stone.

The Salt Flats of Utah? Could it be that J & J are running the Corvette through time trials there after the Alaska trip? Wow!!