For a transition day, we had an early “ish” rise with Chris focusing on a bit of house clean up. I packed the car and downloaded some documents we needed to review for the new website, which is coming along great. Nothing beats a vendor who has great communication skills. I hope my customers say that about me and my team. We were sorry to leave the lovely home in Pau- and I think I should join Chuck and Tracy for a bit when they venture to France to explore our heritage.
We shopped a little and I managed to pick up a lovely new scarf all the more to accessorize (excessYOUReyes) with, I say. I found a cute little change pouch to hold all these god-dammed coins we get. A 2 euro, 1 euro and then what seems like 99 other coins for the occasion. Really, so you need a 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 piece? No wonder the Britts never took on the Euro. I also was able to buy a baguette and 3 pan au chocolate from a cute little hummingbird at the local Boulanger. Honestly, I meant only to buy two and I really didn’t want the baguette, it just seemed so un-French to enter the neighborhood store and not leave with one in hand as the others were doing.
En Route we saw acres and acres of corn and sunflowers and as mentioned in part 1, lunched with Martina. She started our conversation with a quick reference to the sweet Christmas she spent with us at dear Casa Sophia. Her eyes glowed when talking about it and it made me happy to see our California lives through the eyes of someone who has a house in the south of France. I don’t yet long for home, but I was pretty special hearing how important of a trip that was for her and what fond memories she had of the trip. As I ate the Foix and Pate mix, I looked back at how quickly she slipped into my heart because she covered the entry with duck fat. She’s quite special, so again it made me happy to know we were part of making a Christmas in California memorable.
Another upside of Cassoulet? More duck, sausage, pork, and bean – all confit – Hell at this point I’m “confit” and loving it. I have fewer wrinkles because I’m bursting at the seems ready to pop. I’ll bleed lard. Eat me.
The next leg of this trip – Collioure – was a sweet, complete surprise (to me). I didn’t have it in my AirB&B listing, so had not looked up the town nor walked the streets virtually with Google Earth. Chris is in love with this place and I may have lost him to a city like I did when we were in San Sebastian.
Check out street view of Collioure – it is worth the virtual trip https://www.google.fr/search?q=collioure+france&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS694US694&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=592&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwj__ObDp5LPAhWG0xoKHRnsBpEQ_AUIBigB
Dinner was lovely. I went light in a sorta Jamon-Iberico kind of way, which is to say pork me I’m eating fat, tasty pork. It thundered, rained and lightning struck during dinner and we were able to stroll home to a midnight goodnight to more thunderstorms and rain, all of which was much-needed on many accounts.
Merci for tuning in!
-Uncle Randy
randy marcotte - uncle randy writes here 