First Jaunt

It's Friday, May 4th.
 Yesterday Elisabeth showed me how to work the chaise lounge. I decided it would work better for comfortable reading in the living room corner than to save it for sunning myself outdoors. The latter isn't likely to happen...I like sitting on my porch when the sun is warm. Outside the window can be seen the vine that provides privacy on the porch. It should be in bloom within a few weeks.

Elisabeth had invited me for lunch and suggested I bring all the maps and my dulcimer.

 She was watching one of her grandsons, Gabrielle, and he had helped her make a souffle. He thought it was really neat to beat egg whites into snow. We also had Jerusalem artichokes and fennel as our vegetables. After lunch Elisabeth had to run to the church for a couple of minutes so I got the dulcimer out. With "This Old Man" I got Gabrielle to say the numbers in the right places. He sang along with "Frere Jacques" and even knew the English version. Later the 3 of us played a memory game. I think it's called Battel. Then I got the maps out. My goal was to find the man who makes spinning tops.

I felt that I had to take the BB (my nickname for the car) on my own to someplace out of town or I'd keep stewing about whether I could actually do it. Elisabeth circled the town on the map. She even called to be sure he was there. Then I headed back up the hill to get the car. Fear is having to drive in a narrow space downhill between 2 stone walls!

On the left is a nearby hamlet. Fortunately no one was coming because I stopped in the middle of the road to take the picture. 

I goofed when entering Cluny and took priority when it really belonged to the other car, but he didn't get upset and later I figured out what I had done...won't make that mistake again. I pulled over twice to check the map and be sure I was still going in the right direction. Most of the time I was wishing for places to pull over to take pictures, but the best I could do was to just keep taking in the scenery while saying, "Oh my god."

Eventually I actually made it to Sigy Le Chatel!  Boy am I proud of this picture.

Philippe Dony was outside his shop working on his van. I quickly discovered that he spoke English and told him one of my students had lost my finger top and I've been waiting 5 years to get back here. He  opened the shop so I could browse while he went off to wash the grease off his hands.

I bought 3 finger tops. The most delicate one has 2 holes in it...placed to create balance, which is why it just keeps going...the holes also allow you to see through the top as it spins. 

Then Philippe invited me to see his art gallery...a beautiful collection of wood sculptures. None are for sale. This is art to inspire democracy. I explained my blog and asked if I could take a picture. He felt that that would change the experience, but he set up some lights to create a shadow so I would have something to share. I said I'd be back with a friend in a few weeks and again towards the end of June. (Margery, we just have to get there before he and his family go on vacation for the last week of June.)

Chatel is the old word for chateau. This isn't the chatel of Sigy, but it's a pretty house just the same.

A car with a white haired man and 2 labs passed by me while I was taking this picture. A little ways down the road I saw the car again and then realized that the man had brought his dogs down to where the road crossed over the narrow river so the dogs could have a swim! 

This is still in Sigy Le Chatel, which has fewer people than Blanot and takes up less than half a page in the telephone book. Church towers seem to be in every hamlet.

Then I was on the road again! Everyone passes me. I still think 70 kilometers per hour is fast, even though Bob emailed to say it is only about 44 miles per hour.

 I saw a big P on a road-sign and quickly pulled into a safe place to stop. At least I could stop saying Oh my god long enough to take a few pictures. The people who live in the house below get to see these views every day...I hope they pause once in awhile to drink in the beauty.

I missed the turn in Cluny, but then recognized the organic store from yesterday and was able to double back to the right road.

At 6:15 this evening I wandered down to the Blanot church for the concert. Anne sat down next to me and said she hoped it wouldn't be too long because no matter how well one is padded, the benches get hard in a hurry. She was right, but the concert was worth it...and the church was full. Towards the end it started to rain. Then it paused and I just made it home as the drops began again.

Dinner was salad greens with 2 tomatoes followed by that yummy multi-grain bread with goat cheese and sausisson. Delicious!