Tag: French Sabbatical

I was debating which of two topics to write about today, our last full day in Pornichet (yes, we are anxious now to return to Nantes and get moved in to our house, which we will do tomorrow). Since arriving here, I’ve been interested in visiting the cemetery near our apartment, especially the part dedicated to German soldiers who died in this part of France in World War II. And Melinda and I did do just that yesterday afternoon, taking about an hour to do so. It was very interesting and humbling, and I took a lot of pictures. But I’m not going to write about that, obviously.

Instead, I’m going to tell you about the TV show that Melinda purchased on iTunes just before we left Seattle and that she, Chloe and I have watched each of the last two nights! It’s called 9 By Design. It’s about a family of 9 (2 parents, 6 kids, 1 baby) who do very creative design work on houses, apartments, gyms, hotels, whatever. If you know Melinda, you can see why this appeals to her. Oh, today’s photo? That’s the mom on the computer screen and Melinda’s & Chloe’s feet. A neat shot, eh? Two days in a row for Chloe’s likeness to be on the blog, too.

So I chose to tell you about watching a TV show over the cemetery. It probably reflects some of my twisted priorities, that I like the idea of posting to the blog about TV shows. And if you can’t tell, take this as a hint (warning?) of future postings. I’m talking about you, Mrs. Livingston.

Chloe told me after yesterday’s blog posting that she and Ella have been noticeably absent from the blog lately. I said that since she really doesn’t let me take a lot of pictures of her, and those I do take she rarely wants made public, it’s hard to post one to the blog. But to be fair, she’s right. The real reason is that Chloe and, to a certain extent, Ella have been doing their own thing while Melinda and I head out each day. Chloe prefers to sit by the pool over going to the bakery or market, and Ella likes reading in the apartment. Speaking of swimming pools, Ella sees their purpose as being a place to swim and play while Chloe sees them as something you lay next to.

Regarding the girls, both spent all day on Tuesday with Manon and her friend Camille who lives in Pornichet year round. Camille guided the four girls by bike to the beach at La Baule where they met up with some other teenagers. Chloe went with them again yesterday, this time to the beach at Pornichet.

Today’s photo comes from Monday when the four of us rode to a different part of the Pornichet beach. Melinda took several pictures of this cool, weathered fence that was just behind us. So here you go, Chloe. You’re in this photo, along with the fence, two of our bike baskets, Melinda’s flip flops and Ella’s blue towel. Where’s Ella? With me in the ocean jumping waves, which seems so much more reasonable than laying in the sun.

So yesterday Melinda and I took a more typical French lunch, sitting for 2 hours in a restaurant in Pornichet and having a multi-course meal. We ordered from a menu that was posted on a board outside the restaurant, having multiple choices in each of three courses. We tried different things and shared, and the first course was excellent. Melinda had a salad and a piece of toasted bread with melted french cheese. I had prawns. Melinda chose salmon for her second course, prepared with a flaky pastry covering and which was quite tasty. I opted for the steak which wasn’t nearly as good. Melinda asked me what was I expecting, ordering steak in a coastal town. Fair point. For dessert Melinda had ice cream while I ordered cheese. Boy was I surprised when the server wheeled out a huge cart of cheeses and asked me to choose. I asked for her recommendations and she seemed a bit unsure what to tell me, ultimately suggesting some of each. What a variety and what a way to end a meal.

Today’s photo is of the server with the cheese cart. Melinda thinks it somehow completes a trilogy of blog postings, beginning with the oysters of two days ago. I don’t know what she’s talking about. Oysters, followed by me thinking a fire hydrant is sexy, and then a picture of our server. I’ll have to think on it. I will say that two hours with this server wasn’t such a bad thing, even if the steak wasn’t great.

One of the great images of France is romance. And there really does seem to be something to it, although I’d say it often comes across in subtle ways. Just look at this fire hydrant, for instance. I mean if it’s possible to make something as utilitarian as a fire hydrant sexy, you’d expect the French to figure it out, don’t you think? Look at it, really. It has curvy hips, for crying out loud. And this one is not just an isolated example. I found it while on a casual walk around our apartment complex in Pornichet, but I’ve seen others just like it elsewhere.

On the subject of French romance, it is fun to see couples refer to their partners as “ma chérie” or “mon chéri” (my darling), something Melinda and I have both found endearing, especially among elderly couples. Melinda is trying to make the expression part of our marital practice. It always seems to accompany a twinkle in the eye, one that implies a friendly kiss is not too far away.

So Melinda and I went on our own into town late this morning. Chloe was anxious to go to the beach so we didn’t intend to take a lot of time, but we did want to stop at the bakery recommended to us by the Boudeau’s friends and do a quick tour of the Pornichet Market. Little did we know that on our tour we’d find an oyster bar! So try to picture yourselves in France with your sweetie on a sunny summer day in July, in a beautiful little town along the Atlantic, inside a brightly lit market full of fresh seafood, fruits & vegetables, and you find an oyster bar. Your children are awaiting your return. What are you to do? Hurry back home? We ordered 6 oysters (huitres) and 2 small glasses of Chardonnay, of course, and had our picture taken by the salty French server.

By the way, it turned out that we didn’t have sardines yesterday as those desired weren’t available. We did sample andouillette, however, grilled along with some absolutely delicious artisan sausages. You may be more familiar with andouillette by the name of tripe or, as in our case, French pig colon. Melinda loved it and gobbled it up. Me, not quite the same. Laurent was gracious enough to finish my portion.

Now from a title such as this on a blog such as mine, the understandable assumption is that this posting would be about Chloe & Ella in the pool. Alas, no. Here is a photo of Romain & Manon Boudeau in the pool. I think it captures siblings quite well. The obvious love and affection these two feel for each other is written all over Manon’s face. Clearly, Romain has been nothing but a thoughtful and supportive big brother. Some things, like sibling affection, are clearly universal.

The Boudeaus arrived in Pornichet yesterday for the weekend, having good friends who, as it turns out, live just seconds from our apartment and along our common bike route. Last night we all went to the nearby town of La Baule which has quite a bit more nightlife than Pornichet. The girls got ice cream at midnight with four other teens and got to walk along the beach. We adults sipped cocktails in an outdoor café. Today, in fact in just a few minutes, we are all heading to the friends’ house to eat, as I understand it, sardines. Um… Where’s Nic Warmenhoven when you need him… First I need to get all the siblings out of the pool.

Well, I hate to admit but it’s true. Clearly, we’ve come to Pornichet a year early. Imagine my excitement a little more than a week ago when Melinda suggested Pornichet as our destination for the two weeks preceding our moving in to our home in Nantes, especially after learning I did a thorough review of Pornichet online, thorough enough, that is, to learn there is a racetrack in town. I even found the track’s website and was under the impression that live racing would be taking place! Even more exciting, after our arrival in Pornichet and the renting of the bikes, I learned that the racetrack was only a 5 minute ride from our apartment!!

So I ventured out to the racetrack, ready to get all the information I needed to attend a day of racing. What I discovered was a construction site. Indeed, as my photo shows, the racetrack in Pornichet is undergoing a serious remodeling and won’t be open until next year. I’m a year early. But that doesn’t stop me from imagining what things will be like from this vantage point a year from now. “And down the stretch they come…” I wonder what that sounds like in French.

I’m connected to the Internet for free at the Pornichet Library, or what is called the Médiathèque. The open hours are a little strange, and that’s coming from someone who lives in Seattle and has to deal with the Seattle Public Library’s crazy hours. For instance, the library opened today at 3:30pm and closes at 6:30pm. There were several people, like me, waiting outside to get in. It was a good thing I was 15 minutes early. You see, Melinda & I biked into town from our apartment and then continued on up the beach in the bike lane (she kept going, I turned around to head back to the library). With my laptop in a pack on my back, by the time I got to the library my shirt was soaked. It was nice to have a few minutes to cool down and let my shirt dry.

I’ve been connected for about an hour and used that time to do all the important things I haven’t done in a week – catch up on the sports news, especially the Mariners (they score 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th only to lose in 13?). The girls stayed at the apartment, Chloe sunning herself by the pool and Ella relaxing inside. Now I think it’s time to rendez-vous with Melinda and get a late afternoon drink before taking a dip in the pool. Tough stuff, I know.

Does anyone remember that old TV program called “In Search of…” hosted by Star Trek alum, Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy? At the time of its airing I remember not liking it much, thinking it was taking time away from much better shows like “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Bewitched,” and Gilligan’s Island.” When we went on vacation when I was a kid, one of the first things I’d do when we’d get our hotel room was check the TV listings to see what shows were being aired in the city we were staying that were different than those being shown at home. If it was “In Search of…” I’d be disappointed. What was I going to do when time in the pool was done?

So it’s kind of funny that the show has come to mind when I think of Ella and her quest. She is in search of France’s best cheeseburger. Certainly, this is worthy of a segment on the old program and I’m expecting to see Mr. Spock show up to narrate. Imagine following Ella from café to café as she orders and then samples the cheeseburgers, looking for one that she acknowledges as being on par with those she can get at The Ram in Seattle.

Walking through Pornichet looking for a quick lunch, we found a simple little eatery with counter service. On the menu were paninis and crêpes, even hot dogs and hamburgers. Ella stepped up and said, “Je voudrais un cheeseburger.” She was reasonably pleased with this one, even though it did not come with fries. She was tempted by the bacon cheeseburger but Melinda held her back on that.

Clearly, the search has not been completed. To be continued…

Ladies & Gentlemen,

It was an exciting moment today in the Tour de France as we were fortunate to catch the leaders on their way to Pornichet from their apartment this morning. Our crack photographer was in position to snap this picture just outside of the city. Leader Ella seems to be in complete control as you can plainly see from the expression on her face. While she is undoubtedly working hard as she rounds this bend, the glint in her eye indicates that she is simply toying with the competition. Laboring just behind her is Chloe who, with full basket, appears to be pedaling hard to stay within drafting distance of the front-runner. We believe that is Melinda who completes the trio and is sitting high in the saddle, a posture that typically indicates fatigue. Goodness knows that at this point in the race many a rider has shown signs of tiring. One can only hope that the croissants at the end of today’s stage sustained these impressive riders as they soldier through another tough stage of the race.

That’s all for now. This is Andy Smallman, signing off from Pornichet, France, where the weather has been perfect and the riding conditions ideal. The beach and the pool have been equally refreshing, and the meals and beverages dubbed first rate, for all involved.