Soar-Dream-France

And Out Beside the Barn

This may look like just any other beautiful cliff to you, but in this magical place I seem to be able to see beyond. I looked at this cliff continuously while I was out clearing some of my land the other day. Pretty soon, it became a sweet spot for a seat. Those two stones at the base are perfect for resting a sturdy piece of wood. The trick was finding a piece that was sturdy enough and the right size, and then stablizing against tipping. Did I stop there? Of course not, I found two more spots that could have sported a sweet seat or bench but decided that only one was configured in such a way that it would work and meet the requirements. Now, I have two spots where I can rest, take a break, and admire my handiwork...there's even the beginnings of a new view!

Four-Legged Fun

 

Whether it's hanging out on the traintracks, shooting down the river road, or waiting to walk at the gate in Tour de Faure; my four-legged favorites are enjoying spring just as much or more than I am. Even though it is tempting to close up the fireplace, get out the spring/summer clothes, and begin planting flowers and such; I can't get over that it is still only March. I know it can still get cold in April. Hmm, I wonder-just how dangerously do I want to live?

 

 

 

 

Loving the Light

Not a moment goes by in this place of my heart, that I'm not reminded how much I love the moods and range of the light. Where else in the world, could I look out one of my front windows in the morning and see this? It isn't unusual here. On mornings when the mist and fog lie low along the river surface, you can see the sun straining to rise and break through just above the causse. And then in a little while-if you're really lucky...you get this! A special thanks to Wendy today for noticing how much I love the light!

Farm Equipment Heaven

Checking in with Evelyn on Sunday morning about our walk, she asked: "Did you leave a big piece of wood in front of the barn when you finished working yesterday?" I hadn't, so I wandered out and saw about a foot of it extending toward the train tracks and knew immediately...Willie had brought the 18th Century Plow (Charrue) over that he had promised me. He'd placed her gently in front of the door to the barn, resting her on a piece of iron on the side to hold her up and balance her. I'd seen her once before up at his place. But upon closer inspection, she is very delicate with a sleek wooden design that holds the iron plowing piece. She's a beauty...gently carved and artistic. We seem to be building an ancient farm equipment collection over here...a heaven and a haven for all.

Come And Get It!

Where is everybody? The Bird Ball Buffet is always open and ready for service here at the Chatette. I am amazed at how all these little guys swoop in, do their trapeze number hanging upside down from the balls, and have either waited their turn or go back to rest after mangé-ing up to the terrace gutters. One afternoon there were four of them just hanging out and having a good time. When I first moved here I bought this house for them and their bird balls. It's hanging in the plum tree, but just not as much fun as having them come to visit on the terrace. Hmmm, maybe house moving time-the porch-the walnut tree-somewhere close so I can continue to enjoy their antics beyond buffet! Happy Spring!

A "Beautiful Pebble" in Dégagnac

Last Friday, Evelyn and I headed out on a road trip to Degagnac and a visit with Clare Honan. Clare had been over to see me the previous Friday. We'd lunched at the President, made a brief spin through Figeac, and enjoyed catching up about our experiences. Clare has been reading my blog for a while and contacted me when she decided to buy a barn to renovate and restore in Degagnac. We've been emailing on and off for the last year, so to finally meet face-to-face was a lot of fun.

Evelyn drove, we brought the wine and the dessert, and Clare made a wonderful salad with soft goat cheese, and then chicken and vegetables. The sunshine danced in the yard, on the table and all over us. Pretty soon, I was peeling off my layers! Here we were, three American women living in France, each with our own stories and experiences to share. 

Clare has named her place "Beaucaillou" which means "beautiful pebble" in French. She'll be offering her beautiful pebble for rent this summer, so I'll be back another time with more information on that. But for now, I leave you with a few magic sunshine shots of our afternoon lunch!

A Place of Love, Fun, Memories and Very Good Times...

...that brings me back again to share the new information on Columbus Street with you. You can see from my photo-I'm not a professional real estate agent or property manager. I'm just a home owner who lived in this place and loved it for a very long time. And so, I'm back again to let you know what our status is.

At the moment, the property at 2617 Columbus Street (House 2617/Apartment 2617 A) is for sale at a new price: $139,900. If you or someone you know might be interested, they can contact my real estate agent, Toni Tanner at (504) 913-6888 or (504) 866-7733-the RE/MAX offices.

In the meantime, I am also listing it to lease. The apartment-2617 Columbus Street A is a newly renovated one-bedroom apartment, living room, bath, fully furnished kitchen, combination hard-wood/tile floors, ceiling fans, AC/heating combo units, shared laundry room with washer/dryer, large quiet and private fenced in back yard with ample off-street parking. $600/month, one month's security deposit. (See photo on left)

The house at 2617 Columbus Street is a spacious, newly renovated camel back, 2-3 bedrooms, 2 and 1/2 baths, huge fully furnished kitchen, hard wood/tile floors, ceiling fans, AC/Heating combo units, laundry room with a washer and dryer, large fenced in back yard and ample off street parking. $1000/month, one month's security deposit.

The property is located a half of block off of Broad Street on the Fairgrounds side. It is quiet, private, and near the Broad Street and Esplanade/Jackson bus lines. One mile from the French Quarter, in walking distance of City Park, Bayou St. John and the Jazz and Heritage Festival.

MUST SEE TO APPRECIATE...JUST IN TIME FOR THE JAZZ AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL. Contact John Von Hedemann at (504) 390-1438, or [email protected] if you or someone you know may be interested in leasing either pieces. HUGE MERCI for any help you can give! Happy Weekend!-Laury, Dali and Sam

Beyond Duding Up

Long before the barn was part of our "WE" and I was only dropping in from time to time for a month or two here or there; I would often spend a little extra money duding it up with flowers. There wasn't much more I could do than that. I liked to think that the color would move the positive energy, history and magic of the place and it did. I do what I can do and can afford. I do my best. I continue to dig inside to uncover the ancient stone floor. I keep the grass cut. I plant yuccas, flowering trees, hanging planters and flowers all around. Then there's the annual new coat of varnish and black iron paint where necessary. I talk to her and love her. But the last two weeks of watching a new roof go on next door, brought home the very obvious fact once again that we need a new roof. I knew it when I bought her, but for me it was more important for her to be part of our "we" and to possibly save her from being demolished for the stone, than worrying about how she would get a new roof. There's no doubt that we are so much more with the addition of the barn and funky parcels of land that came with her. There's a rounding out of us in a very sweet and beautiful way that blends the timelessness and boundarylessness into the reality of our present-day lives. I keep doing what I'm doing and hope that there's even more swirling here than even I can see. I have other ideas and things that could happen that might help the cause of the roof, but the reality of a close to 20,000€ price-tag is mind-boggling. I'll share our spring and summer with you. Who knows, maybe there'll be some barn surprises for us along the way. The photo below is one of the first photos I took of the barn back in 2002-she became part of our we in 2010! Happy Weekend!

 

Hard Working Girls

Determining the gender of various animals is not one of my strong suits. Sometimes you just can't get close enough to tell for sure! When my friend Yves called last weekend there was a word in French that I just didn't get. When I said I didn't understand, he said: "chickens". Confused again. I thought chicken was poulet, but it turns out "hens" are special...they are "poules". Now, I can be confused in two languages!

The girls have been busy, producing way more eggs than Yves can use. It was sweet of him to share. He came over earlier in the week with these beauties. Everyone raves about "fresh" eggs around here, so I felt pretty special. I shared some with Evelyn, but then noticed something interesting about these...they are white. My first Easter here I hunted and hunted for white chicken eggs to color, but ended up getting white goose eggs from one of my neighbors here in the village. Hmmm, maybe I need to make a special request to Yves to get the girls busy for the holiday. We shall see. The 2 shots below are from Easter 2007-What fun!

Ah, Sunshine!

My sunbathing beauty here is in heaven. She doesn't need shades. She's happy to just put her face up to that sunshine and soak in every drop. She's no dummy. She knows she has to catch it while she can. She has a special place on every window ledge on every floor so she can follow the sun as it moves around the Chatette. It might look like she's  just a sunbather Sam, but she's really Sam the Supervisor of all the garden works going on at the moment. Somebody's got to do it!