Ahhh…..28 years of exciting marriage for Preston and I. Definitely not boring, not normal (what is “normal”?), not always blissful. But definitely exciting most of the time.
What better way to celebrate the beginning of our 29th year of marriage than to continue the tradition that we started on our 25th – horse camping in this secret little place called Euer Valley just north of Truckee. Extreme quiet. None of the trappings of civilization – no lights, no electricity, barely any running water and certainly no cell phone or email coverage. Just what we were looking forward to after the hectic craziness of the past few weeks.
It was a true Smith-style vacation; Preston, me, 2 horses (Baxter and Smarty), 2 dogs (Bracken and Abby) and 1 cat (Louise). We set up camp in our usual spot in South Meadow Friday evening then went for a quick ride before relaxing around the fire.
Saturday morning we went out for a ride – just a leisurely one because Smarty is still recovering from the injury she had in March. We were cantering slowly along the valley floor when Smarty stumbled to her knees and I catapulted off and landed hard head first on the road. Now, you gotta know, falling off is nothing new to me. You can’t ride horses and not separate company once in awhile. Usually, it’s a jump up, dust off, quick assessment of the body – nope, no broken bones, just some dust and bruises. Hop back on and back to the business of riding.
But, ouch, this one wasn’t a bounce-back kind of fall. First thing I noticed was that I couldn’t breathe – got the wind knocked out of me – but after a few gasps the air gets back in. I still wasn’t inclined to get up after I could breathe again. The meadow was spinning around my head and I had some serious ouches in places I wasn’t sure of yet.
Once I got up I told Preston I think I needed to go to the ER – not usual for me to say that. He wouldn’t let me get back on Smarty to get back to camp so we walked – me in circles some of the time – I was a little directionally challenged. By the time we got back to camp I had a good inclination my collarbone wasn’t quite intact. I couldn’t shut my mouth and my lower jaw was a little shifted to the right. And, I felt a tooth that was a bit jagged – don’t know where the top half went.
Preston put the horses up and got the truck unhooked from the trailer. I couldn’t move my arm without some serious discomfort. Preston asked me if I wanted to take off my helmet. I told him no cause I thought my brains might fall out.
We headed out of the valley….bump, bump, bump, ouch, ouch, ouch up the rutted dirt road. At the ER at Tahoe Forest they got me right in and took xrays of my jaw and clavicle. The best part was the warmed blankets they covered me with – I was so cold!
Yep, a fractured clavicle (collarbone) and slightly dislocated jaw. The jaw would work itself back in place over the next day or so. But the clavicle…..6 weeks in a sling. And, nope, no riding. That really hurts!
After a stop at the drug store for good pain meds we headed back to camp. Preston suggested we might want to break camp and head home but why waste a perfectly good camping trip because of a few bruises and broken bones? We stayed the night.
We had a modified 28th anniversary celebration with cocktails and pain medications. I asked Preston if he thought I was more beautiful at this moment than on our wedding day. He still hasn’t answered that question. Sweet guy, he didn’t want to hurt my feelings.
Since I couldn’t climb the little ladder to our gooseneck bed I slept on the table-converted-into-a-bed with the dogs and Louise. Thanks to the pain meds and wine I slept surprisingly well. Until I tried to move the next morning! Who took my 49 year old body and replaced it with a 90 year old one that had just been hit by a train?
I’m now on Day 4 of this latest adventure and you know what? A fractured collarbone $%^&ing hurts! I’ve found it does help to scream “OUCH” at the top of my lungs when a stab of pain hits. If the pain is particularly severe add an expletive of choice – that helps even more. For an even better relief effect let out a good laugh after screaming and yelling.
I can barely move my right arm and can hardly lift anything even with the left. The collarbone is a pretty amazing piece of engineering. It is completely connected to all upper body movements. For example, if I lift something with my left hand the lifting is balanced out by the entire collarbone – yes, including the broken right side. I can brush my teeth, eat, wash my hair and type with my left hand but not much more.
Preston has been a great nurse. He has even been cleaning litter pans – what a guy! He’s even helping me get dressed. I did find that’s he much more experienced at taking bras off then putting them on – today when taking my bra off I found that it was on inside out!
As much as this hurts and as lousy as I feel I know it could've been worse. I'm just grateful that in a few (short?) weeks I'll be back in the saddle!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
A $34k Boost in Funds for the New Shelter
Now that I’ve had a little over a week to recover I wanted to take a few moments to reflect back on FieldHaven’s fundraiser.
The first annual (hopefully) Classics, Cats and Cabernet fundraising event held at FieldHaven on August 29, 2009 was, from all sides, a fabulous success!
We were decidedly nervous about hosting an event of this scale given the lousy economy, the short planning time we had and just the format in general. If we hosted it would they come? Did the community really care enough about FieldHaven to support us? Would people come to spend an evening at FieldHaven?
Our first hurdle was attempting to secure sponsors. And, yes, that was a big hurdle. The board voted on moving forward with an event just a few short months ago in late April. As we quickly discovered, most companies put in their budgets for charitable contributions much earlier in the year. Combined with our poor timing and the general economy, very few had extra funds to sponsor our event. But several companies and individuals were able to dig deep and support FieldHaven. To them we extend our deepest gratitude!
Ticket sales were launched in mid-July. The emails and mailings went out. I waited for the flood of ticket sales. And waited. And waited. Finally, on about the 5th day I thought that Paypal must not be working. So, I bought my own tickets using Paypal. Bing! An email came into the FieldHaven Paypal email box almost immediately. That made my heart sink but we all kept the faith and if you were here you know that between 350 and 400 people showed up on party day so those ticket sales did pick up.
Many new people were introduced to FieldHaven through some great press. The Lincoln News Messenger published an article that really told the story of the new shelter campaign. Several radio interviews, including an interview on Insight at Capital Public Radio and a PR interview with Walt Shaw on KNCI, gave the event even more exposure.
The party was fantastic! What an incredible feeling of love and support we all felt. The attendees braved stifling heat – about 102 - to ogle over the very cool classic cars and wood boat, sip wines, sample some incredible foods, listen to wonderful music and bid on the wide array of auction and raffle items. And, of course, spend time with all our adoptable and sanctuary cats. Even a few kittens came out of their foster homes to charm the party-goers.
The first annual (hopefully) Classics, Cats and Cabernet fundraising event held at FieldHaven on August 29, 2009 was, from all sides, a fabulous success!
We were decidedly nervous about hosting an event of this scale given the lousy economy, the short planning time we had and just the format in general. If we hosted it would they come? Did the community really care enough about FieldHaven to support us? Would people come to spend an evening at FieldHaven?
Our first hurdle was attempting to secure sponsors. And, yes, that was a big hurdle. The board voted on moving forward with an event just a few short months ago in late April. As we quickly discovered, most companies put in their budgets for charitable contributions much earlier in the year. Combined with our poor timing and the general economy, very few had extra funds to sponsor our event. But several companies and individuals were able to dig deep and support FieldHaven. To them we extend our deepest gratitude!
Ticket sales were launched in mid-July. The emails and mailings went out. I waited for the flood of ticket sales. And waited. And waited. Finally, on about the 5th day I thought that Paypal must not be working. So, I bought my own tickets using Paypal. Bing! An email came into the FieldHaven Paypal email box almost immediately. That made my heart sink but we all kept the faith and if you were here you know that between 350 and 400 people showed up on party day so those ticket sales did pick up.
Many new people were introduced to FieldHaven through some great press. The Lincoln News Messenger published an article that really told the story of the new shelter campaign. Several radio interviews, including an interview on Insight at Capital Public Radio and a PR interview with Walt Shaw on KNCI, gave the event even more exposure.
The party was fantastic! What an incredible feeling of love and support we all felt. The attendees braved stifling heat – about 102 - to ogle over the very cool classic cars and wood boat, sip wines, sample some incredible foods, listen to wonderful music and bid on the wide array of auction and raffle items. And, of course, spend time with all our adoptable and sanctuary cats. Even a few kittens came out of their foster homes to charm the party-goers.
The music provided by the very fun group, Brazen Hussies and the Bad Boyz, was absolutely perfect for the setting and format. Even the horses appeared to be rocking out as 2 horses tried to dance with each other over the bars of their paddock causing me to make a mad dash to the barn to break up the equine rumba before a leg could become caught.
The food and wine turned out perfect in spite of some stressful moments in the weeks leading up to the day. We heard great comments from attendees that the variety of wines and different foods was extraordinary. A huge debt of gratitude to my close friend Jane Cozart and caterer George Carreras for coordinating the food offerings. And, to the restaurants and food vendors who served and endured the heat to cook their specialties!
Greg Patton MC’d the day, corralling the audience to bring in some very successful live auction dollars. Greg had some fun with a couple of the unique auction items we had including a sight-seeing Bayou trip and several wine-tasting and tour excursions.
FieldHaven volunteers really stepped up to the challenge and made the day a complete success. Being an inaugural event there were a lot of “loose ends” in spite of all of our best planning. The flood of auction items exceeded our expectations so we were up until the early morning hours of Saturday cataloging and displaying donations. We anticipated a lot of bottled water would be needed but an hour into the event we ran out. In the middle of printing last minute signage the printer cartridges ran out of ink. A volunteer picking up some of the wine found that the store had sold some of our put-aside wine. My cat Louise appeared to have escaped the house in the morning. Every person on the property was helping me search for her – until she was found snoozing in one of auction item boxes in my dining room! All of these challenges were met with a deep breath and a quick plan to take care of the situation. The volunteers in this organization continue to amaze me at how competent, dedicated and caring they are. I am humbled and honored by the very fact that they are part of FieldHaven. This day could not have happened without them.
During the entire day FieldHaven was bursting at the seams with the good will and love of a community who turned out to support a wonderful and worthy cause.
And, at the end of the day each and every one of the FieldHaven kitties was comfortable in their respective beds in the Cat Trailer……….dreaming of the new shelter we will be building someday soon.
Cats, Classics and Cabernet raised nearly $34,000 towards the new shelter fund. Many thanks to our sponsors for their support. Stay tuned for information about Cats, Classic and Cabernet 2010.
You can view photos from the event at
and
http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4326485#imageID=80449451
There's a great video also online at
http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4323992#imageID=80425505
There's a great video also online at
http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4323992#imageID=80425505
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Provence, France - Day 7 - Fitting it all in!
So glad that little bug I had lasted only a day as Friday, our last day in Provence, was packed with plans to fit in as much as we could.
First we re-started Thursday morning as Sarah, Vicky and I went into Goult for a morning walkabout with the kitties. We finally got to speak with Simone, a French cat lover, who we had seen all week but couldn’t talk to. So wonderful that Vicky was able to talk with her and get stories on the various cats about town.
Next, we headed to the last Market Day in Bonnieux . More treasures were found then we were off to wine tasting at Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri , the winery and vineyard of the owners of the mas, Alexandra and Allan Wilson. Allan poured us samples of their wines while engrossing us with stories of making the transition from a British banker to a Provencal vintner and the challenges of international wine sales.
The winery and vineyards were in the country village of Ansouis . Surrounded by lavender and sunflower fields and olive orchards, it was the quintessential Provencal countryside setting – so perfect for our last day in this heavenly piece of the world.
After leaving the winery in our Mercedes bus (the one with the scrape down the right side) with Sue, Sarah and myself on board with Preston driving, we attempted to follow Fran, George, Leann and Paul in the VW to another perfect little restaurant in a perfect little village. But, alas, the bus just couldn’t keep up with the VW and we lost the lead car. What was the name of the town we were going to for lunch? No idea.
We took a casual drive in the general direction of the unknown village. After a few “wrong” turns and few photo-op stops near the sunflower fields in full bloom we came to a(nother) darling village; Cucuron. This looked like a good candidate for a very Provencal lunch.
Preston started heading down a street when I saw a sign that I interpreted as “no trucks”. Preston didn’t heed my warning – we’re in a bus not a truck. OK but don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Less than a minute later our little bus was shoe-horned between ancient stone buildings with the street just in front of us narrowing even more. In centuries past the street could accommodate a horse drawn wagon. But in the 21st Century? This was definitely the sort of street those itty bitty SmartCars were designed for.
Our dilemma was that the only way out was to back out. We had already made 2 turns down this street so narrow I could wash the windows of the houses sitting comfortably in my bus seat. It wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that at any moment one of the above-mentioned SmartCars could come careening around the corner and slam right into the back of us. Please, we don’t need any more French Fender Benders! Even Preston, who is always boldly showing off his backing skills with our 30+ foot horse trailer, was a bit nervous in this situation. I knew this was so when, as we were backing out, I saw the most darling cat sitting in the most picturesque window sill just outside my bus door. I asked Preston to stop so I could snatch a few photos and he said “NO”! Darn.
We successfully backed out. Preston , once again, showcasing his backing skills. As we backed out I re-pointed out the sign with the picture of a truck with a red line through it. But what do I know?
The rest of our visit to Cucuron was incredible. We found an incredible town square with a large pond in the center surrounded by large shady trees and several restaurants with picturesque outdoor seating. We sat outside and had a lunch of the most incredible salmon.
After a leisurely lunch we meandered our way back to the mas, stopping along the way for some photo ops, to buy some wine and a quick trip to the lavender factory to get some take-home gifts.
That evening, our last in Provence, we were treated to another catered dinner by Helen. The dinner was preceded by a cocktail hour with a guest; our friend Laura from the French Fender Bender incident.
To say that Laura provided some color to our cocktail hour is an understatement. Laura is from New York City but spends 3 months every summer in Goult. Laura is married but she doesn’t live with her husbands nor does she let that fact keep her from…..exploring. She described how she lives her life by the “4-F principal;” Friends, Family, Financial and …..well, use your imagination for that 4th F-word!
After dinner we made one last trip into town to watch the sunset by the windmill. Back to the mas for packing……
Click here To enjoy photos of the day.
First we re-started Thursday morning as Sarah, Vicky and I went into Goult for a morning walkabout with the kitties. We finally got to speak with Simone, a French cat lover, who we had seen all week but couldn’t talk to. So wonderful that Vicky was able to talk with her and get stories on the various cats about town.
Next, we headed to the last Market Day in Bonnieux . More treasures were found then we were off to wine tasting at Chateau Saint Esteve de Neri , the winery and vineyard of the owners of the mas, Alexandra and Allan Wilson. Allan poured us samples of their wines while engrossing us with stories of making the transition from a British banker to a Provencal vintner and the challenges of international wine sales.
The winery and vineyards were in the country village of Ansouis . Surrounded by lavender and sunflower fields and olive orchards, it was the quintessential Provencal countryside setting – so perfect for our last day in this heavenly piece of the world.
After leaving the winery in our Mercedes bus (the one with the scrape down the right side) with Sue, Sarah and myself on board with Preston driving, we attempted to follow Fran, George, Leann and Paul in the VW to another perfect little restaurant in a perfect little village. But, alas, the bus just couldn’t keep up with the VW and we lost the lead car. What was the name of the town we were going to for lunch? No idea.
We took a casual drive in the general direction of the unknown village. After a few “wrong” turns and few photo-op stops near the sunflower fields in full bloom we came to a(nother) darling village; Cucuron. This looked like a good candidate for a very Provencal lunch.
Preston started heading down a street when I saw a sign that I interpreted as “no trucks”. Preston didn’t heed my warning – we’re in a bus not a truck. OK but don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Less than a minute later our little bus was shoe-horned between ancient stone buildings with the street just in front of us narrowing even more. In centuries past the street could accommodate a horse drawn wagon. But in the 21st Century? This was definitely the sort of street those itty bitty SmartCars were designed for.
Our dilemma was that the only way out was to back out. We had already made 2 turns down this street so narrow I could wash the windows of the houses sitting comfortably in my bus seat. It wouldn’t be so bad except for the fact that at any moment one of the above-mentioned SmartCars could come careening around the corner and slam right into the back of us. Please, we don’t need any more French Fender Benders! Even Preston, who is always boldly showing off his backing skills with our 30+ foot horse trailer, was a bit nervous in this situation. I knew this was so when, as we were backing out, I saw the most darling cat sitting in the most picturesque window sill just outside my bus door. I asked Preston to stop so I could snatch a few photos and he said “NO”! Darn.
We successfully backed out. Preston , once again, showcasing his backing skills. As we backed out I re-pointed out the sign with the picture of a truck with a red line through it. But what do I know?
The rest of our visit to Cucuron was incredible. We found an incredible town square with a large pond in the center surrounded by large shady trees and several restaurants with picturesque outdoor seating. We sat outside and had a lunch of the most incredible salmon.
After a leisurely lunch we meandered our way back to the mas, stopping along the way for some photo ops, to buy some wine and a quick trip to the lavender factory to get some take-home gifts.
That evening, our last in Provence, we were treated to another catered dinner by Helen. The dinner was preceded by a cocktail hour with a guest; our friend Laura from the French Fender Bender incident.
To say that Laura provided some color to our cocktail hour is an understatement. Laura is from New York City but spends 3 months every summer in Goult. Laura is married but she doesn’t live with her husbands nor does she let that fact keep her from…..exploring. She described how she lives her life by the “4-F principal;” Friends, Family, Financial and …..well, use your imagination for that 4th F-word!
After dinner we made one last trip into town to watch the sunset by the windmill. Back to the mas for packing……
Click here To enjoy photos of the day.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Michael Vick - Is He Sincere?
Much press has been given to Michael Vick's release from prison, his subsequent reinstatement to the NFL and, something that surprised many of us in the animal community - his affiliation with the Humane Society of the United States.
Now, many of you know that I am a strong advocate for the work that HSUS does. But that doesn't mean I need to agree with them on everything. This is one area where I'm really, really questioning Wayne Pacelle's decision to use Michael Vick as an icon the anti dogfighting campaign.
Frankly, with so much to tend to my own little corner (oh my, will kitten season ever end? will we stop uncovering hidden feral colonies that need TNR?) I have only been following the Michael Vick story from a high level. However, I just took a few minutes to watch the 60 Minutes Michael Vick interview.
Sorry, but I don't believe this guy has one sincere bone in his body. Watch it and tell me if you agree or disagree.
Wayne, I really hope you prove me wrong this one.
Now, many of you know that I am a strong advocate for the work that HSUS does. But that doesn't mean I need to agree with them on everything. This is one area where I'm really, really questioning Wayne Pacelle's decision to use Michael Vick as an icon the anti dogfighting campaign.
Frankly, with so much to tend to my own little corner (oh my, will kitten season ever end? will we stop uncovering hidden feral colonies that need TNR?) I have only been following the Michael Vick story from a high level. However, I just took a few minutes to watch the 60 Minutes Michael Vick interview.
Sorry, but I don't believe this guy has one sincere bone in his body. Watch it and tell me if you agree or disagree.
Wayne, I really hope you prove me wrong this one.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Provence, France - Day 6 - Cherries and Fender Benders
Thursday, June 24 – We wouldn’t appreciate all the perfect vacation days if we didn’t have at least one “not so perfect” day to give us a little jolt of the real world. Thursday was that day in a couple of ways.
Started out pretty good except I woke up feeling a little punky – maybe too much rosé? I didn’t have the headache to go with that malady but I sure didn’t feel right.
Ignoring that not-so-great feeling, I prepared to go into the Goult to get some early morning photos of kitties coming in from their night of partying. Preston had plans to spend a part of the day with a French co-worker, Celine, visiting some Daf (the European Peterbilt truck) dealers.
Here’s where I made one good decision. Preston was to meet Celine in the center square of Goult at 8 am. He could drive up there but how was I to get the rental car back since I wasn’t a registered driver? According to Preston, it was only a ½ mile back to the mas – I could surely drive the car back. Nooo….I didn’t think that a good idea – what if something happened. Stu said he’d drive us up so off we went.
Just out of our driveway on the narrow dirt road to Goult we passed a lady on her morning walk then suddenly in front of us – directly in front of us – was a little white pickup barreling around the corner. Stu reacted quickly and went up onto the bank but it wasn’t quite enough and the little white pickup slid right down the side of our van – ba-boom! Dang! A French Fender Bender!
Fortunately, our walking neighbor, whom we found was American, spoke French as the pickup driver didn’t speak a word of English. After much talking and gesturing back and forth Laura (our American neighbor) said Bruno (the pickup driver) wanted us to follow him back to his house just on the other side of Goult.
After dropping Preston to meet with Celine, Stu and I followed Bruno to his farm – a cherry farm. After a conversation with Bruno and his wife, if you can call gesturing a conversation (she didn’t speak English either), Stu and I left with an appointment to come back that evening with Vicky as translator and a crate of cherries. Yes, cherries! Bruno is a cherry farmer and wanted to give us a bit of an apology. Fender Benders French style!
We went back to the mas to share our story with all hopes of kitty photos abandoned. Good thing, too because shortly after we got back my punky feeling turned nasty and I went down for the rest of the day – fever, chills, aches, vomiting – what fun!
Talk about being pissed off – there’s nothing worse than wasting a day of vacation being sick! I kept trying to get up and get on with the fun and headed right back to bed.
Started out pretty good except I woke up feeling a little punky – maybe too much rosé? I didn’t have the headache to go with that malady but I sure didn’t feel right.
Ignoring that not-so-great feeling, I prepared to go into the Goult to get some early morning photos of kitties coming in from their night of partying. Preston had plans to spend a part of the day with a French co-worker, Celine, visiting some Daf (the European Peterbilt truck) dealers.
Here’s where I made one good decision. Preston was to meet Celine in the center square of Goult at 8 am. He could drive up there but how was I to get the rental car back since I wasn’t a registered driver? According to Preston, it was only a ½ mile back to the mas – I could surely drive the car back. Nooo….I didn’t think that a good idea – what if something happened. Stu said he’d drive us up so off we went.
Just out of our driveway on the narrow dirt road to Goult we passed a lady on her morning walk then suddenly in front of us – directly in front of us – was a little white pickup barreling around the corner. Stu reacted quickly and went up onto the bank but it wasn’t quite enough and the little white pickup slid right down the side of our van – ba-boom! Dang! A French Fender Bender!
Fortunately, our walking neighbor, whom we found was American, spoke French as the pickup driver didn’t speak a word of English. After much talking and gesturing back and forth Laura (our American neighbor) said Bruno (the pickup driver) wanted us to follow him back to his house just on the other side of Goult.
After dropping Preston to meet with Celine, Stu and I followed Bruno to his farm – a cherry farm. After a conversation with Bruno and his wife, if you can call gesturing a conversation (she didn’t speak English either), Stu and I left with an appointment to come back that evening with Vicky as translator and a crate of cherries. Yes, cherries! Bruno is a cherry farmer and wanted to give us a bit of an apology. Fender Benders French style!
We went back to the mas to share our story with all hopes of kitty photos abandoned. Good thing, too because shortly after we got back my punky feeling turned nasty and I went down for the rest of the day – fever, chills, aches, vomiting – what fun!
Talk about being pissed off – there’s nothing worse than wasting a day of vacation being sick! I kept trying to get up and get on with the fun and headed right back to bed.
When Preston returned from his morning with Celine to be greeted by a green wife he decided it would be more fun to go to the Lavender Museum than hang with me. Can’t blame the guy! But, the Lavender Museum? Well, that’s a place that Sarah and Sue wanted to visit so Preston generously agreed to be their chauffer for the excursion. So, next time you see Preston be sure to ask him all about Lavender and Lavendine – and how wonderful it smells in the Lavender Museum.
Vicky and Stu did meet with Bruno and his wife to get all the information about filing for insurance. And, they came home with another crate of cherries!
So, there’s the story of how we modified our unscathed rental van to match the swipe down the side of the 2nd van that was there when we rented it. Now we had a matching set of side-swiped Mercedes rental vans.
Here’s a few pictures of the day (none at the Daf dealer or the Lavender Museum?!) - http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4192290#imageID=74989962
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Provence, France - Day 5 - St. Remy
Wednesday, June 23 – An early morning call to head to the market in St. Remy, one of the biggest markets in the area. St. Remy was quite the bustling town and the market was very crowded. We got some great cheeses, sausages, pasta and mussels for Wednesday night’s dinner at the mas.
After returning to the mas in the early afternoon we lounged by the pool for most of the afternoon until we found out there was a tack shop in a nearby town. Sarah, Preston, Sue and I piled into the VW and went in search of the French tack store. Of course, we couldn’t leave France without finding one. Hey, at least I didn’t go in search of any animal shelters!
After another stunning dinner by Chefs Fran and Vicky we headed to Goult for our now routine evening walkabout winding up at the local terrace restaurant for after dinner drinks and dessert. We could certainly get used to this lifestyle!
For today's pictures go to http://fieldhaven.phanfare.com/4169569#imageID=74225385
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Provence, France - Day 4 - Gordes and Roussillon
Tuesday, June 22 – Preston elected to have a casual day at the mas while Sarah, Sue, Leann and I went to market Day at Gordes, a stunning Cliffside village that has become an “in” place for the rich and famous to buy houses. The architecture is incredible and the views unmatched but the crowds of people take away the charm of the village. While I was in awe as the tour bus drivers negotiated the narrow main streets and tight roundabout in the center of town, I couldn’t help but think how sad to see such a 21st century blemish mar the picture of the simple centuries-old village. With the possible exception of St. Remy (where we’ll go tomorrow) I think Gordes was the most tourist-spoiled city we visited in France. For the most part, all the villages we visited have been untouched by modernism. And, actually, to the credit of the French, even Gordes and St Remy have no lasting scars by way of fast-food restaurants, modern buildings and such. At the end of the day when the tour buses leave the village is returned to its sleepy, ancient charm with only a few discreet mentions of modern day marvels; an occasional ATM machine or a satellite dish hanging off the side of a 16th century home.
After partaking in the market in Gordes – and steering very wide of the kitten and puppy displays by the Gypsies – we went on to Roussillon for lunch. While Roussillon is just as breath-takingly beautiful as Gordes is best known for the ochre from local mines that is used as a coloring agent in some many of the buildings in this area of France. The red, brown and yellow colors in they are so vivid and spectacular. Even walking around Roussillon will result in some souvenir ochre collecting on your shoes.
We had a leisurely lunch in Roussillon before heading back to the mas for some serious pool lounging (with lots of rosé), a light dinner in and our evening walkabout in Goult.
For today’s pictures go to
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