The Wedding
We started our Epistle month attending
our son's wedding at their home in Idaho.
This was a garden wedding and the weather failed to cooperate in that 48 hours before the event the forecast was for pouring rain and chilly weather. And, unlike many weather forecasts, this one was spot on. We spent two days setting up portable tents to cover 1400 sq ft of the yard and kept all the tables and chairs out of the immediate rain. The BBQ and libations flowed and family and friends that drove and flew in from all over the country seemed to barely notice. Newly minted daughter in law Amanda designed and sewed her own wedding dress. The couple have put a honeymoon trip to Scotland on hold while they focus on household improvements for the time being. The kilt would have been your first hint.
Our final stop was at daughter Cassie's family in Astoria Oregon for a few days where we had a chance to go Kayaking on the Columbia River
Daughter Cassie, Granddaughter Kayla and herself
The Transition
The next step was to hop over the pond by flying back East and just keep-on-trucking over to Frankfurt, Germany, in a 9 hour flight on top of a 9 hour hour time difference, plus an 8 hour layover at the airport to catch a 2 hour puddle jumper to Nice, France and a one hour Uber ride home. We left Seattle at 11AM on a Friday and got home in France at 8 PM Saturday night. Suffice it to say we were fried. Masks were required to be worn for 33 hours straight. I saw one masked woman who was turned away 10 feet from the aircraft door because she was not wearing the 'right' kind of mask.
We managed to meet all of the incredibly restrictive entry requirements to the EU (European Union), including never before seen scrutiny at security checkpoints (both in the US and in Europe) and meeting all Covid police requirements (full vaccination and in possession of CDC Covid cards and European equivalent health certificates) Whew!
Just when we thought we were in the clear, the German Police descended on my laptop when it triggered an alert on their bomb sniffing equipment. I was praying that somehow I would not make the 6 o'clock news...again. Finally, we arrived home, knowing that the US State department had issued a 'Level 4' advisory for Americans NOT to go to France due to Covid issues and possible terrorist activity. OK then, we weren't going to Paris anyway. Regardless, when we arrived we still poured a glass of wine, sat out on our terrace and watched and listened to the waves crashing on the rocks and beach below. Honey, we're home...
Our usual schedule has us away for 8 months before returning, but with Covid and the border being closed to us, that plan got shot to (the opposite of heaven) and back, since it has been 15 months since we were here last. The villa was in great shape but the garden looked like Nagasaki after the bombing. It has been incredibly hot here and no rain for months. As you read this, Janice is furiously performing CPR and breathing life back into it.
As for 'moi', I got started on the last bit of reno in our lower level kitchen, bathroom #3 and bedroom #5 when Janice told me I took out the wrong wall. Yea, real funny. When done, hide-and-go-seek should be fun. BTW, where do the wires go?
Meanwhile... we had a little dinner party with some friends and this was a typical Janice French desert tray.
Les voiles de St Tropez
(The sails of St Tropez)
This is the first time we have been here at this time of the year as we are usually here February through May. This has allowed us to see things we usually miss like the yearly regatta where for two weeks they have sailboat races and competitions. If you are into the sport this is where you go to see and be seen. The first week they have 250 smaller (but not small) sailboats all over the Bay of St Tropez (we are at one end of it) and the second week has the big boys out in force. Think mega yacht sailboats. Keyword being mega.
The whole town has a two week long party with evening concerts, masked balls, parades, bands and all manner of festivities. Unlike in the Thousand Islands, they don't have pirates.
OK, so they are not all sailboats.
