On Sabbatical

Back in (x?) months

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Segs and the City

Glen and I went on a three-hour afternoon/evening tour of downtown Austin, ranging from the Capitol on the North side of the lake to South of the Long Center. We zigzagged, slalomed and just had fun. The Segways are great, responsive little machines but, as I was told, don’t drive off any cliffs. It was a good September 29 celebration.

Loir-et-Cher Birding

My blogposts in France could not keep pace with my activities. We birded in various locales within an hour's drive from Vendôme and whenever a bird opportunely presented itself on one of our jaunts. We had the pleasure of joining the Loir-et-Cher Nature association on an outing.

Birding with the hospitable Loir-et-Cher Nature association in Blois, on the banks of La Loire (not to be confused with the Le Loir tributary).

My birding activities scored 10 "lifers" (list below, not in taxonomical order). I vote the Green Woodpecker my best bird.

The European Green Woodpecker (photo found on Google images).

• Gray Wagtail
• Carrion Crow
• Little Owl
• Cirl Bunting
• Gray Partridge
• Red-Legged Partridge
• Little Tern
• Little Ringed Plover
• Linnet (Common)
• Green Woodpecker

A Total Relooking

At the Académie Française, that august body that is the protector of pure French, there must be a gnashing of teeth. In daily life, the language is constantly being “mondialized” (to anglicize the French term). There is no escaping the creep of globalization.
Consider these borrowings and adaptations from English:

• Total relooking – a complete make-over
• Espresso et un brownie
• Sandwich au choix – your choice of sandwich
• Le hot dog
• Le muffin myrtille – a blueberry muffin
• Donut
• Une pasta box à emporter – a small box to be hydrated with hot water for a pasta meal
• Café Snack – name of a coffee and snack counter
• Auto Grill – name of a highway restaurant
• Stand Chaud – a hot buffet
• Chicken nuggets et frites – chicken nuggets and French fries, not at McDonald’s
• Simply Market – grocery store name
• Break Pain – name of coffee and bread/pastry shop (like a coffee break?)
• Un camping car - a motor home
• Quickos – something you order at McDonald’s (not to be confused with quickies)
• Speedy – name of an automobile oil change, etc. shop
• Le brushing – at a hair salon, ask for this to blow-dry hair
• Le footing – jogging
• Athle-Running – name of athletic shoe store
• C’est nickel – it is bright and shiny, in perfect condition
• C’est super - it’s super
• Le scotch  - trying to figure out how to say scotch tape? Easy.
• Vente de mobile homes – sale of mobile homes, although you might not understand these words when spoken: mobeelome.

Universal Directions

Going around and around in a round-about with five exits and not sure which way to go?  There is an easy solution. Just follow the top arrow for “All Directions”.

Medieval Lavardin

We have been going for hikes in the surrounding area. For this outing we started at the foot of the Château in Lavardin, about a twenty minute drive away. We enjoyed the cliffs with troglodyte dwellings on one side of Lavardin, the view. the town itself and a path along the Loir river.

Gathering at La C….rie

The sun came out for the family lunch that MD had planned. She made a delicious Moroccan Lamb Tajine.

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La Ferme de Nouray

We drive to a nearby farm for fresh produce.

Park & Wash?

Never saw this in a parking lot before:

Rainy Day

It is a rainy day. I sit on the veranda and enjoy the bucolic view as I sip my hot coffee and check email.

Vendôme

MD’s farmhouse, where we are staying, was built in 1897. We are just 15 minutes by car from lovely Vendôme which is located on the Le Loir tributary of La Loire. Vendôme is a pleasing venue for long walks.

The Birdhouse Project

The birds are giddy with Spring libido. We have been tracking them in the dense foliage of trees with binoculars. It is much easier to get an eye-full at a feeder, but cousin MD’s had fallen down because the post rotted. So the morning project was born.

  Success. Now we just need to get the birdseed.

The Cheese Keeper

Ahhh, back in France.

This was our abundant cheese board at lunch today at MD’s. The Le Mothais goat cheese wrapped in chestnut tree leaves was remarkable for its flavor and my favorite. When finished, we set the whole cheese board in a small garde-manger used as a garde-fromages where it fits perfectly. The cheeses are kept in a cool pantry by an open window, not in the refrigerator, so that they are ready to eat and not too cold to taste.

Glen in Frankenstein

We hiked up to the Frankenstein fortification through green woods full of birds and a variety of wildflowers. There are 67 Nabingers (original spelling of Glen's surname) in the phone book here and he spoke with two. One was an 80 year old woman who can read without glasses and is very quick, literally and figuratively ,and very nice.

P.S. We nicknamed the GPS "Gypsy" and told her to speak English. However, her pronunciation of French and German place names is practically unintelligible.

GPS-ing in France

The GPS checked the satellite and knows it is in France now. Oh la la, it may start speaking French to Glen. "Fallait pas tourner ici, andouille." ( You should not have turned here, dummy.)Heureusement il a sa traductrice (he has his translator with him). We are on the road for Wolfersweiler this morning.

To Wolfersweiler and Frankenstein

Frankenstein Chateau

Some Novingers emigrated from the Wolfersweiler/Frankenstein area in Saarland, Germany, to the United States in the early 1700s. Glen has been wanting to visit this area, which has gone back and forth between what are now France and Germany. This should be interesting. We shall see what awaits us.

Tasty Food

We love the tasty, healthy food at Casa de Luz, which we have frequented since the early '90s. Walk through the bower to the co-op restaurant. A very Austin experience.

Sweet Spring

On a lovely Spring morning, we picked strawberries at Sweet Berry Farm in Marble Falls. We ate strawberries, strawberries and ice cream, strawberries on pancakes...and more strawberries. They were fresh and delicious, but not as sweet this year. We had good moisture but the weather may have been too cool. The picking and the eating were a treat, in any case.

Animal Review

I am an NPR fan. I laugh out loud at "Wait, wait, don't tell me..." This can be embarrassing when I am in my car in a parking lot by myself and can't get out in the middle of an episode because I am visibly doubled over with laughter. I didn't hear the review on Animal Review, but I laughed out loud at the blog. If you are feeling blue, read Animal Review.

Happy Valentine's Day

In Memoriam: Al Wutscher

"And the true spirit shall return
to the burning flame from whence it came,

a portion of the eternal." -Shelley

We lost my brother-in-law, Al, today.

I hold him and Nan in my heart.

Happy 2010

Love that hike.