Last week I got to sing again with the quartet Ars Antiqua de Paris at the lovely former farm and hunting lodge, Domaine de la Chaux which is nestled in the area's Regional Park. Alligny-en-Morvan is the closest village, a number of kilometers away. Even so, our GPS thinks that this place is in the village (it most certainly is not) and that "La Chaux" is the name of one of the village's streets. We managed to get there, once we figured out how the GPS thought the place should be spelled. The singing was fun, and all eleven people loved it, including Janice and our friends from Vancouver! Yes, there was a bit of a publicity problem. And this year, there was no open garden for the annual flower show, so very few people showed up. This never bothered us, and we sang if though the grange were filled, which it was last year.
We enjoy the gardens, the old buildings, and the sense of being on an isolated estate. It is the only such experience we ever get, so I'm willing to go whenever it works out. The weather was perfect, with gorgeous clouds the first day, but we soon learned that the forests are hurting from the extended drought. Forest fires have already cropped up in Europe and more are expected if rain doesn't come soon. As they said, it will take more than a mere rain shower to solve the situation. However, some folks are thinking this just might be a banner year for wine. Time will tell.
Janice chatting with Rapti and Jesse before dinner. We also saw them a second time on their last full day in Paris last week.
Breakfast happened as people slowly emerged. The previous evening was filled with laughter, stories, wonderful foods and wine, so we basically just wanted coffee and a slice of bread to get going. The man at the head of the table is Francois-Louis, a professional genealogist who was especially interested in meeting Janice. One of his ancestral lines includes some Anabaptists (not really directly related to Janice's) and she has since been in correspondence, pointing him to useful sources and (through Neal) to people in France, Germany and Switzerland who might be able to help him. He is an accomplished story teller, certainly in French, but also in English.
I never ventured out to examine this cluster of rhododendrons, but they were impressive from afar.
Janice took some photos during the performance, apparently without disturbing the other ten people.
As I write this up, we have but four days left before we return, and those days will go by quickly Monday will be devoted to proofing and shelving all the books Janice and Yves catalogued (and I processed). Tuesday will be packing, to ensure we don't need additional luggage (and any final library work), Wednesday will be spent entirely in Paris as we say our farewells for the year. Thursday we fly home. I then go to our local grocery stores and try not to weep--it is an annual shock, seeing how poor our fruits, veggies, cheeses and meats are, but after about three weeks I'll get used to it like everyone else. I likely won't buy any French wine for about 6 months because the shockingly high prices spoil my appetite, but eventually my memories will fade . . . .
With love from us both,
Evan
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