July, 2009

©Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.com

Our Islands come in all shapes and sizes

Greetings from the Thousand Islands

This was a busy month for receiving visitors. First to arrive was our 15 year old grandson Alex who flew in for a week from Washington State. We didn’t do that much, really. Except for a boat tour of the islands, of course. Well, we also did have Wayne volunteer to drag us around in his boat while I taught Alex how to water ski. This was my second attempt as my efforts two summers ago ended in a dismal failure. This time, at untold cost to my pride and dignity, after demonstrating all the ways that would result in a catastrophic failure, I finally got up and skied successfully.

To see video, click on arrow above on bottom left of the screen

With such a thorough demonstration, he was up in no time.

Then again, we did manage to take in our local yearly motorcycle rally and even spent some time working on my airplane. Of course we were not about to miss the air show at Ft. Drum, home to the 10th Mountain Division. These soldiers have been deployed from Afghanistan to Iraq for years so the area is very much a military town. We always make a point to thank them for their service to our country anytime we see them in public and I am pleased to see how much they seem used to being approached in this manner. It appears that it is something they are quite used to experiencing.

Alex in Alexandria Bay

We couldn’t very well let the kid die of boredom so we visited Ft. Henry also, Canada’s version of West Point. You know- lots of history, guns, explosions and all manner of things a boy loves.

Finally we spent a day in Ottawa (Canada’s capital) where we visited the Rideau Canal, the Parliament buildings and testosterone heaven, the National War Museum. Like all museums, many displays are narrated by people who lived what they are describing and this one was no exception. Incredibly, in one display, were photos and a recorded interview of my grandfather describing his war service in France during WWI. In the National War Museum!

WOW!

Like I said… we didn’t do much all week.

The magic carpet: CH2-2858

The significant amount of time I spent NOT building my airplane this month was a choice and I make no apologies for it. What a problem to have, so many things I want to do and so little time to do them all in. It’s my idea of having a life. Between inviting company and participating in social events, I still managed to sneak away tor a total of 54 hours to work on it. It was a little intimidating at first and often felt that like flying itself, aircraft assembly involves learning a whole new language.

I remember looking at the inventory sheets and seeing parts called “Ronny brackets". I was looking at 17 boxes full of parts and pieces and thinking “what the devil are ‘Ronny brackets’, much less ‘where do I put them?’ Then there was the ‘control horn’. You’re kidding right? Airplanes don’t have horns! Then I thought ‘maybe it’s for when you are taxiing and you want to warn other ground based airplanes’.

Wrong! It’s a part that controls the elevators. Elevators? An elevator in an airplane? Get out-a here! Do I look like I have ‘stupid’ tattooed to my forehead? ...and back to the instruction manual I would go. A month later I am hardly a pro at this but I am edjamakated to the point where I can scratch and spit and talk trash about root tubes, longerons and jury struts with the best of them. I am like a kid who plants a seedling then wakes up in the morning to see if there is a tree to climb. I can hardly wait...

Island Reflections

Last March I mentioned that another magazine article was being written about Honey Bee Island and was scheduled for release in June. True to her word, Kim’s article appeared in a magazine called “Island Reflections” The name change from the original “Island Treasures” series reflected that it was now under the auspices of a new publisher. With a run of 40,000 to 50,000 the magazine was included as a special insert in local newspapers on both sides of the river in the USA and Canada and in local marinas, tourist information centers, restaurants and other public venues.

You can read the article by double clicking on any page

Finally, shortly after we arrived, we noticed that a new viewing area had been built on the roadside between the US and Canadian custom stations between the two bridge spans that cross the river. The thing is that the only thing that you can view from this spot is Honey Bee Island (between the flags). We are flattered that they would feel the view justified the effort and expense they clearly went to. Maybe we could set up one of those big commercial binoculars that charge .50c for a peek!

Mandy

Next on the visiting schedule was darling daughter Mandy. She had flown in from the Netherlands to Washington DC the previous week after successfully completing this years exams. There, she was joined by her sister Kami where the two of them had volunteered to participate in the “People to People” program. Mandy had tacked on a side trip to get a little face time with us as we were unable to see her this past winter due to school demands.

Mandy is now an old hand here, knows most of our friends and has seen many of the local sights. Yet, aside from wanting to be with her wonderful parents, when it comes to the islands, like her brother Wesley and sister Cassie who have also visited several times, she ‘gets it’ too. For those who do, it is not just a cool spot to visit, it is a place you are drawn to be at.





Of course, she wanted to spend some time working on dads airplane, but with an eye to the future, was also interested in learning all about the various aspects of being able to be here on her own (or rather with Mr. wonderful in the future). To that end she learned to operate and dock the boat and worked at getting more familiar with the area so she could find her way back to the island once she leaves to go anywhere.

We had a blast driving to the Finger Lake area of upper New York State to go raspberry and cherry picking as well as lounging out on the dock, swimming and dragging her in the doughnut behind the boat. Finally, we spent a day in Ottawa, visiting my aunt and uncle Dave and Monique (a Federal Judge) who had arranger to have Mandy tour the Supreme Court. Very cool

Taking it to the next level

I have blathered in these pages many times about our numerous home exchanges. In fact, we have several more in the works for fall and winter. It is ironic that the best one to date was the one we did not use.

Last fall, we suggested to our daughter Amy and son in law Vance that perhaps we could set up a home exchange for them to use and offer our home in France in return. This was pretty much a shot in the dark since they require a home large enough for the two of them, their 5 children, two nurses who need to accompany them to help provide round-the-clock care for Christopher and enough room for a hospital full of equipment, wheel chairs, etc.

"The cabin"

We set them loose on our home exchange web site and they found a place that was perfect for them. It was a stunning 8 bedroom, 4300 sq. ft. (400 sq meter) lakeside log cabin in the Idaho mountains that sleeps 15. The master bedroom has a deck overlooking the white sandy beach on the lake on one side and a 4 story atrium inside the house on the other.

Believing that it was unlikely that these folks would be interested in exchanging for our modest little digs we decided to ask anyway and were thrilled when they enthusiastically accepted.

So last week the kids drove up there and had a great week paddle boating, BBQ'ing and hanging out at the beach.

TA-DA!

Last May, when we left France, I said that I would post some pictures of our "Juliet Balcony" when I got it installed at the Bee. This was what I spent way too many hours hand forging in France this past winter and dragging half way around the world. This was no mean feat when we (read I) had to drag this disassembled 50 pound (23 kilos) box in and out of the subway in Paris [up and down staircases] in and out of airports all over kingdom come- along with the rest of our luggage - from Europe to the West Coast back to Canada. Well worth it, according to my bride.



Obviously, it had to fabricated and transported in pieces as it could not be checked in at the airport assembled. Then, once on the island, I had to reassemble it for final installation. Now that the drudgery and hassle is becoming a distant memory I am very pleased with the result, including the detail of the leaves. The 'Juliet Balcony' is little more than a safety barrier, preventing someone from falling out the open second story door.

Why have a door with no outside staircase you ask? Aside from giving us a large screened open 'window' to the warm nigh time breezes, it is to allow us to bring in or remove large pieces of furniture from our bedrooms as our interior circular staircase is too narrow.

June , 2009

©Ian Coristine/1000IslandsPhotoArt.com

Some of our 1865 islands are very basic and modest

Want a riddle?

OK, try this one. What has 8,000 parts, is delivered in 17 boxes (three the size of your car) and has “Some assembly required” and “Batteries not included” stamped all over them? Need another hint? OK, it actually has 8002 parts if you include the floats.

Give up? Why it’s my flying machine! It was delivered 48 hours after our arrival, to a local warehouse at an undisclosed location, where I want to sequester myself for the foreseeable future. The only part that bugs is that I will see little of the islands for some time to come as I attempt to do this correctly. Let’s see now… “Insert sub-assembly ‘A’ (wing) into sub-assembly ‘B’ (fuselage) and fasten securely”…

It’s pretty wild to think you can spend as much as you would for a decent car and in return get the parts for an airplane that will look and be delicate (the entire airplane weighs 500 pounds), susceptible to being easily damaged (Aluminum frame and fabric skin), has no finished interior (except the seats), and is designed to be flown only in good weather.

And so it begins...

Your car on the other hand is fully assembled, has a plush interior with CD player, air bag, air conditioner and has a nice solid sound when you slam the door.

But….It’s not a magic carpet…and that makes alllllllllll the difference in the world.

Of course the first question I am always asked is “How long will it take you to build it?” The factory sales literature says 150 hours. A far more experienced and knowledgeable source told me it would take 300 hours. But I heard about a guy who took 900 hours and read about another who has been working on his for 7 years. So you tell me…

The thing is that I have no ‘must meet’ timetable, nothing to prove, no records I am trying to beat so it will take the time it takes. I want to do it well but sooner rather than later. I know enough to know everything takes longer than you plan and unexpected things always pop up. Already I have almost a month of commitments and visitors that will bring all assembly to a virtual halt. “C’est la vie” (That’s life!)

Home at last!

So we are back. Whew. The milk run, which felt like criss-crossing the continent back and forth to catch up with all the kids and grandkids, is over for now. After 7 weeks we were beginning to feel like we would never spend another night in a bed we were familiar with, but we are finally back and settled in. As I left off last month, we were on our way to California where we had a great visit with our daughter Kami in Los Angeles.

Returning to our home in Arroyo Grande for a mere week, we replaced and painted some of the 3 bar fence that surrounds our property, painted the metal flashing around our large solar panels, mowed 3 acres, repainted the garage door, re-oiled all the Mahogany entry doors, replaced a toilet, sealed 300 feet of a 500 foot long driveway, found time to visit as many friends as we could and complete some ‘honey-do’s’ for my favorite mother in law. You know, as much as you would typically do in a week at home.

Our fanatical focus at getting better organized and more efficient in our transitioning from one home to the other has begun to really pay off. This time we arrived at the island well after dark and within 48 hours we were completely up and running. Consider that it was not long ago that this was a 6 day chore. “Up and running” means that the water pump is back in the river and the system functions without leaks from the winter freeze, satellite TV, telephone and internet are turned back on, the fridge and larder are stocked and the boat is launched. I even had time to get a haircut and take delivery of my airplane.

Our initial grocery run is much like anyone’s on the day they move into a new house. Since nothing can be left behind for 7 months (especially anything liquid that will freeze) we have to start from scratch every summer. (Catsup, mustard, salad dressing, butter…everything)

Performing one miracle after another...

No sooner were we back that our friend Ian invited us to a ground breaking of sorts for the Thousand Island Maritime Museum that is slated to be built nearby. Janice volunteered me to perform some magic for the event and so we meet the owners and developers. ( additional photo in this month's edition of "Thousand Island Life " magazine at http://www.thousandislandslife.com/BackIssues/Archive/tabid/393/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/264/Navigating-Lost-Channels.aspx)

The following week end we were invited to sail on the owners 117 foot (35 meter) 2 masted schooner “Fair Jeanne” through the islands. The kicker was that several of us got to climb to the crows nest and bow spit (the part that sticks out from the front of a sail boat)

Sailing away on the "Fair Jeanne"

I was invited to sail on her from our area to Quebec City next week for 10 days but had to decline as our grandson will be visiting. There are opportunities for having too much fun around here.

Climbing out on the bow spit

View from out on bow spit

Climbing the crow's nest (see height below)

Stopping by Singer Castle on Dark Island, which by the way is...

For Sale

Listing # 1014, Sotherby’s International Realty. $26,000,000.
“Unoccupied castle: 28 rooms, clock tower, 13 fireplaces, 2 boathouses, icehouse, secret passages, dungeon…”

Some of the features of Singer Castle, on Dark Island in the Thousand Islands just a short boat ride from our cabin.

May 2009

Happy Birthday

Yet again, our beloved Honey Bee celebrated another important milestone this month by turning 100 on May 3rd. Understandably, people ask us “how can the cabin be 134 years old when the Island is only 100?” The answer lies in estimates.

When we bought the property in 2000, the previous owner told us that the cabin was estimated to be a 100 years old when he purchased it in 1975. We checked with 2 owners previous to him and the estimates held. We understand that the cabin was actually built on shore nearby in Rockport, disassembled, brought over to the island and reassembled in place. You can still see the Roman numerals carved into the ends of each log marking their reassembly sequence.

A local history buff has suggested (but not proved) that the oversized logs could have come from one of the British forts that were nearby. The cabin saw the addition of its large pink granite fireplace in 1927 and the addition of the kitchen and upstairs bedrooms in the 1940’s. If you are so inclined you can read the entire history at http://www.honeybeeisland.com/history.html

On the road again..

Last month I mentioned that we had just left Brittany for the season and were off on a 7 week trip, transitioning before arriving at the Bee for the summer. After driving through the Loire Valley, we stayed in Salon De Provence (home to Nostradamus) in the south of France on the Med for a week.

"A Good Year" was filmed here

While there, we went wine tasting at Chateau La Canorgue in nearby Bonnieux (you might recall that Russell Crow filmed “A Good Year” there), had a picnic in the olive grove in Glanum that Vincent Van Gogh used as a backdrop for his painting “Olive Grove”, and toured the Roman theater in Orange.

Roman Theater in Orange

Built in the year 400, this theater is the best preserved in Europe and is a Unesco World Heritage Site (WHS), making it the 86th WHS I have visited. Orange was the retirement haven of former Roman officers who had served the Emperor at least 20 years. (My slave driving boss made me work 30!)

Dave and Monique and view from our Chalet bedroom windows

We then drove to Sion in southern Switzerland to meet my aunt and uncle Dave and Monique from Ottawa who were joining us for a week (of our two week stay) at a beautiful chalet we had in the mountains overlooking the city. We meet them at the train station as planned but Monique hobbled off the train in crutches. She had hurt her knee in Venice where they were arriving from and needed to go to the hospital immediately. We spent the next 6 hours in the local emergency room while they X-Rayed, blood tested and prodded her to no avail.

Our Chalet in Switzerland

Realizing that she would be unable to do anything that we had planned (Switzerland is not an ideal place to try to hobble around on crutches) they decided to fly home early. After a mere 48 hours with us we drove them to the train station and ran them out of town on a rail.

The Matterhorn

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. So, we drove to Zermatt to the foot of the Matterhorn for a day trip. We then drove across the Italian Alps into northern Italy to the Bellagio and Lake Como areas for a few days. A stunning picture postcard area, we came upon the Villa Belmonte in Tremezzo where Mussolini and his mistress were executed. Having explored the area and not having met the same fate, we returned to our digs in Switzerland for another week.

Blondes just want to have fun

Lake Como area, Italy

We visited the fortified mountaintop Abbey in Sion, home to the world’s oldest working organ (1435). The salt mine in Bex was great and with 50 KM (31 miles) of tunnels it has been operating continuously for 300 years. It’s most prominent visitor was Duchess Marie Louise Bonaparte, Napoleon’s wife in 1815.



We drove half way across the continent back home to tuck our car into our garage for another season but made the time to stop in Vezelay on the way. The big draw for us was the Basilica which was built in 1050 and is a WHS (# 87). It was out in the middle of nowhere in the Burgundy region of France on a gorgeous day. We figured we might be the only two people from out of town but arrived at the village square to find 15 Lamborghini cars on a rally. At $350,000 a pop, we were looking at over 5 million dollars in automobiles.

Once home, we took the train to Paris for a week’s visit. We are always surprised to see that some of the worlds best known tourist attractions, like the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, while magnificent, don't hold a candle to some of the lesser known Cathedrals in Amiens or Chartres. It's all about location. 'Notre Dame' is in Paris so it is visited by millions more than the others, off the beaten tourist path.

It is a real treat to be able to spend a week in Paris where we don't have to feel that we have to rush out morning, noon and night to see as much as we can as fast as we can. Yes, we visited the Louvre, walked along the banks of the Seine and hung out by the Eiffel Tower again as we have before. But part of the time, we enjoyed just hanging around the neighborhood because we have the luxury of ...time, and we are very grateful for it. Paris in the spring...ahhh.

We flew back to Seattle, Washington on May 11th.

Fantastico!

While traveling through Italy on our last trip there, aside from the wonderful family we home exchanged with, we meet a young couple in Sila, in the southern most part of the ‘boot’ of the country where few Americans travel. We hit it off big time and have stayed in touch since. He is a lawyer who has represented some of the most nefarious characters of the area while she is a journalist. (People in both those professions seem to gravitate to us) Recently she asked if she could write an article about our visit there (I told you they don’t see many Americans) and our penchant for moving around. Of course they couldn’t resist printing a picture of my HOT California babe in our hot tub.

Interestingly, the article is in English and then translated into Italian on the same page. Minor facts and figures got lost in translation but all in all it was pretty sweet.

To read, double click on article pages

Final thoughts
on living in Europe

OK, this will be the last in my little series. For one, by the time you read this we will no longer be in Europe and for another you have had quite enough. I have ranted in these pages before about the fact that being a long term tourist in Europe had some real pluses and minuses. Some are just a novelty. Some are ridiculous. Many though, are quality of life issues.

A tough one for most North American visitors are the traffic “roundy-rounds”. Those are the circular ‘intersections’ where it [admittedly] looks like a Chinese fire drill and appears like you are taking your life into your hands. Actually, it is a rather sophisticated choreography. After 5 winters here, we are HUGE fans.

The trick is to really understand the rules and drive around enough of them for it to become second nature. That simply will never happen on a 3 week vacation to Europe so we Americans always leave with a feeling that it is a crazy system. We are wrong. It is by far the most efficient way to move traffic with a minimum of delay for everyone. You can easily have 5 to 20 cars proceeding safely in all directions simultaneously. It’s a darn shame that our country will not adopt it in our lifetimes.

Ditto for the Metric system. We are wrong, wrong, wrong. I love the fact that America will stand up to the world, fiercely defending our independence, our ideals and way of life. But it is embarrassing when we insist on doing things one way simply because we are used to it. It’s like climbing the ladder of success only to realize you have it leaning against the wrong wall. The Metric system is much simpler and far less prone to errors. Come on America, let’s save ourselves for the big battles in life! Crushing despots like bugs, regime changes, tossing bailouts about like popcorn and important stuff like that. Let’s get our heads out of the sand and other dark places.

Then there is the history….. having read the Epistle before you surely know how enamored we feel about this place.

On the other hand, Europe has some… well, ‘issues’.

As a visitor you would surely notice that the price of gasoline at home currently averages about $2.50 a gallon. Yesterday we saw it here for $7.50 a gallon (Over $2.50 [Canadian] a liter). Road tolls are prevalent all over Europe. So, a day long road trip cost us $350. (US) for gasoline and road tolls only --and we have a cheesy little Toyota! Consider that if you drove here you would have to add a car rental (twice the price as you would pay at home), meals and hotels.

As long term tourists (or short term residents depending on your point of view) we get to experience some of the other idiosyncrasies. I was in the store the other day, looking for a replacement sponge head for our little floor sponge/ mop. $3-4 at home, $20 here. A cup of plain black coffee at a gas station: $7.50 I still can’t get over the fact that we pay $225. per year TV tax. This is for the right to receive free over the air signals.

Two more things that are not my favorite. ALL motorcyclists here are like the Hells Angels. They are absolutely lawless. They drive where they want, how they want, as fast as they want with no apparent consequences.

Finally, if you come to Europe don’t forget to pack your toilet seat. After 5 years, I have simply given up trying to figure out why virtually all public bathrooms (and a heck of a lot of restaurants) have no toilet seats or lids. We are not fans.

If it’s Tuesday,
this must be…

As I mentioned above, we have flown the coop, returned from political exile and landed in the state of Washington where we began our bi-annual visit to kids and grand kids. We began by spending several days with daughter Amy's family. As I write this, we are in Idaho with # 1 son Wesley for several days then onto Oregon to see Cassie and kids. Finally, we will be off to home in the Golden state of California before flying out to the Bee for the summer.

I do love coming home.

April 2009

New and improved.

Now with video!!!!

Contrary to public opinion, we here at the Epistle don't sit on laurels all the time. We constantly strive to be on the bleeding edge of the technological evolution. As fast as we can figure out how this cool stuff works, we implement it.

Chateaugiron

This medieval fortress was built in the 13^th century and renovated between 1450 and 1470. It counted 6 towers (of which 4 remain) and a drawbridge. It is a listed monument open for public tours.

Project update

Project? What project? Projects are for people with money and our lives are all about saving for her infernal flying machine, remember? "Save, save, save", that's the mantra heard around here. However, just because we are spaghetti-o's broke doesn't mean we have to suffer from PDS. (Project deficit syndrome) So, to keep things moving along, we have been busy with a number of labor intensive but cheap-to-do finishing touches that we had hoarded the supplies for. We have done odd bits of painting here and there and made finishing touches in our Master Bedroom and dressing room in preparation for carpeting next year when we hope to have her you-know-what paid for.

We have also made changes in the kitchen that we want to remodel next year after … well, you know. The changes are minor and have transformed a counter area from not-so-very-nice to barely passable. In our view, that's progress. You will note the lack of pictures here. Finally, one not very noticeable but hugely time consuming project that has needed attention since we first bought the house was pointing the stone walls we have indoors. Pointing, if you are not familiar, are the mortar joints between all the individual and irregular stones in a wall. It is a mind numbing task that is (I am told) about as exciting as applying hemorrhoid cream. Pointing takes forever to do but adds that all important 'finished' look.

Finally, it seems that no recent winter in Brittany is complete without an obligatory forging project. This year I forged a 'Juliet balcony'. It is the waist high protective barrier that I will install on the outside of our 2^nd story bedroom door at the island. There is no outside balcony or staircase, but this allows us to open the door to the view and the air with this as a safety barrier. As I obviously could not carry it on the plane in one piece I made it so that it could be disassembled, and packed the pieces into a box which I will substitute for a suitcase. Once reassembled and installed in June, I will post a pic.

Speaking of pictures I have managed to get one that shows clearer detail of our front door entry light (the light is in the wine bottle). This is the rooster's head piece we had professionally forged two years ago. In spite of my best efforts I could never get a picture that showed enough detail to do it justice. Again, think France. This 5 foot tall piece would obviously look completely out of place in California.

Taking a stroll down memory lane

You missed a BIG deal around here about a week ago. Janice and I celebrated the big 25. Certified combat veterans, we are. It was touch and go for a while but I finally got her to re-up for 25 more when we will be only 83. That anniversary will be very special because it is 5 years after the actuarial tables say I should be circling the drain. Of course, we couldn't help reminiscing about events that led up to our wedding.

We met when I took my 4 year old daughter Kami for her first dental checkup and Janice was the dental hygienist. I asked her out, then failed to show up when my car broke down. (Honest!) It quickly became obvious that I might have a chance to marry up but I bamboozled her into asking me. The fun started when she did and I played coy and said I would need to think about it.

She didn't have to wait long for her answer. When she showed up at her office on Monday morning, she wondered why all her co-workers were giggling and hovering nearby as she walked into her operatory and opened the curtains. Her view was of the complexes' large parking lot enclosed by a chain link fence. On this fence was a 165 foot long (50 meter) banner made from blank newspaper rolls, with 6 foot high (2 meter) letters that said "YES JANICE, I WILL MARRY YOU!"

Not nearly as pleased as I had hoped she would be, she raced out in horror and tore it down before most patients began to arrive. Unfortunately, she did it so quickly that no picture was taken to record the event. My theatrical bent was evident to her years before I formally took to the stage.

Wanting to ensure that she understood my unrelenting enthusiasm, I called and had her look at the 'want ads' section of our local paper, assuring her that I had seen a message addressed to her. As you know, there are thousands of little 3 line "for sale" or "help wanted" ditties and she looked and looked in vain.

A clear case of not being able to see the tree for the forest, as hard as she tried she could not find the segment that appears below until someone pointed it out to her.

She married me in spite of it.

This very public professing of one's love and affection is risky business. The effort can easily be received with less enthusiasm than with which it was created. A few years after we were married I gave it one more try for Valentine's day when I paid a fellow who had an ultra light airplane to fly over our church just as service was letting out.

He had a way to slip large poster sized letters in clear 'pockets' under the wings so they could be visible from the ground. Releasing red smoke for effect, he buzzed the area over us for several minutes. The " I (heart) J a n i c e " made it hard to miss whom all the fuss was over.

Yes, I got teased by the guys for doing such a corny thing, but that was mostly from the scowl they got from their wives when they realized it was not for them! But… the look on my brides face (and the stupefied look on 3 year old Mandy with big sis Kami) in the video that captured the event made it all worthwhile. You can see it by clicking the arrow in the video below.

Is living in Europe

really that different ?

The short answer is that in a lot of important ways, yes. Take bankruptcy for instance. At home corporate and personal bankruptcy is not uncommon. Here, corporate bankruptcy exists also but personal bankruptcy doesn't. Why? Because the courts won't grant it. In France, if you accrue personal debt (including business debt if it is in your name) the courts will require you pay it all back, no matter how long it takes. People are very reluctant to start unincorporated businesses or take on too much personal debt knowing that if they get in over their heads, there is no way out.

Inheritance and divorce law is another. By French law, children can collect their inheritance 'share' when a parent dies or divorces. Like most laws, there are exceptions and limitations but this is the default position. This can result in the remaining parent having to sell their house and / or obtaining their children's permission to sell their home to pay them the inheritance they are 'owed' under French law. [Note to our kids: don't even think about it! We bought under a treaty exempting us from this statute]

Real estate prices here are not negotiated nearly as much as we see at home. Here, people set a price and frequently have a 'take it or leave it' attitude. Properties can remain on the market for ages until someone is willing to pay the asking price. Some agencies even advertise run of the mill properties without listing the asking price requiring an interested party to make some effort to find out.

Private garage sales are rare here. Instead they have what they call 'brocantes' or 'vide greniers' [empty your attic] (what the Brits call 'boot sales') Janice likes to check them out for little French treasures but it is often surprising just how high the prices are. People seem to think their old junk is worth almost as much as new.

To us, another interesting thing we see are the TV adds. Only here can you see travel adds trying to entice you to visit such fascinating places as Croatia, Azerbaijan and Angola. Heck, as long as you are in the area you could stop off in friendly Darfur!

Incoming…

This month we were delighted to have friends and family visit from America and Canada. First we had dear Thousand Island buddies Wayne and Barbara (From Ottawa) fly over and spent a week with us. We drug them from Roman ruins to Chateaux, from 10^th century Cathedrals to our favorite beaches. We plied them with French wine & cuisine, had a terrific visit and when they had quite enough of us, they were off.

We quickly changed the sheets and hit the reset button with the arrival of my favorite mother in law Lorraine and new husband Vern. In spite of having been to the same sights many, many times, we never tire of being able to share them with all who land on our doorstep. Vern is a WWII vet and was adamant about visiting the Normandy beaches. While at the American cemetary at Omaha beach he was honored by the staff by being asked to help fold the flag when it was lowered for taps. A group of students from Ohio surrounded him to form an honor guard.

As I write this we have just pulled the plug for another season and will not return to Brittany until next December. This will be a particularly lengthy transition as we have just started this year's European road trip. We are currently in Salon De Provence in the south of France for a week and will travel about for the next month. On May 11th we will be heading back to the west coast for several weeks finally arriving at the Island on June 1.

More blah-blah-blah next month.

March, 2009

Chateau de Hac

Built in 1440, this castle is a listed French heritage monument, yet is one of many in our area that remain a private residence. Restored in 1684, the castle is flanked by 5 turrets and it is furnished with a collection of medieval tapestries, stained glass and trunks from the 12th to 15th centuries.

Honey Bee Island hits the big time!

Wow! This is a big month for the Bee. Last summer we were introduced to a new friend on the river. Shortly thereafter, she told us she was a reporter for a local newspaper and was writing a series of articles on island life in the Thousand Islands. Kim said that she was always looking for new material both to continue her series and for a book about the Thousand Islands she hoped to write. Having heard of our schizophrenic lifestyle she asked if she could visit and interview us at the Bee and my agent... eh… I mean Janice made us all lunch. Originally slated to be published in April, the article was killed when Kim was among 600 reporters throughout Canada laid off from the newspaper conglomerate when the economy went truly, pants-wettingly, oh-my-god wrong.

As a reporter, she is no slouch. She is an award winning Canadian journalist and former national correspondent for some of the largest newspapers in the Canadian metropolitan areas. Her work has appeared in numerous national publications including the Readers Digest. Looking to spread her wings in new directions she began to write for the ‘Thousand Islands Life’ magazine and did a really sweet feature article on Honey Bee that appears this month. You can read the online edition by copying and pasting www.thousandislandlife.com into your browser.

That being a done deal, we were asked if the Bee could be featured in an upcoming glossy regional magazine called ‘Island Treasures’. It is slated to be published in June and will feature 10 islands in the area. With any luck, we will negotiate the movie rights, royalties and residuals shortly thereafter...:)

CH2-0209-2858

There was a very exciting development in the aviation world this month. While I have soldiered on with my online ground school, the time came to take the plunge and buy a set of floats and order my…eh…Janice’s airplane. There could be a 3 month lead time in ordering the components from the factory before they can be delivered to the Bee when we arrive in June. Over the past 25 years they have manufactured and shipped well over 3500 airplanes of this model and another similar to it around the world. That is all well and good but I am beside myself with joy that CH2-0209-2858 will soon be mine.
I mean hers.

Is life in Europe really that different?

Last month I got started on some of the differences between daily life at home and here in Europe. One of them involves gas stations. Like at home, many of them here have multiple pumps to serve several clients simultaneously. Makes sense, right? Here though, the fueled cars are then funneled into a single line of vehicles to drive by the attendant’s station to pay for their purchase…one at a time.

The attendant won’t reset the pump until the gas has been paid for, so the end result is that in spite of having 10 pumps only one customer is served at a time. Why don’t they pay at the pump with a credit card, you ask? By and large this is not a credit society. Credit cards are virtually non-existent here and are quite expensive for those who use them. Other than their mortgage or the purchase of their cars, they usually pay cash. It minimizes efficiency, but you don’t see the same level of personal financial meltdown that you see from the fiscal irresponsibility at home.

One of the little traditions here in Brittany is to lay your spoons and forks backward (tines facing down) when setting your table for company. The story goes that people with family crests would have the emblem embossed on the back of their utensils then turn them backward so guests would be sure to notice it. Although these crests are rarely seen today, the tradition is kept alive. While here, we play along.



Most milk sold here is of the UHT variety. (Ultra High Temperature sterilization) The boxed product is kept at room temperature (until opened) on store shelves like cans of soup and has a shelf life of 6-9 months. It took me a long time to be willing to try it fearing that milk that had been kept at room temperature for who-knows-how-long would kill me. To think that this is from the same people who cringe at our genetically altered foods.

In France, just like at home, the major banks have branches all over the country. Any similarity ends there because in many important ways, they all operate independently. Yes, you can withdraw cash from an ATM with your debit card at any branch, but if you attempt to make a deposit to your account from outside of your area, they seal your money in a pouch and use a bank courier to forward it to your branch. This process can take up to 10 days.

Recently we have all heard a lot of fuss being made of developing alternative energy sources. Wind, solar, geothermal….everything seems to be in the mix. Yet another first for our little backwater is the La Rance tidal power plant near St. Malo in Brittany. It is the only utility-scale tidal power system in the world and has been operating without a problem for 42 years.

Finally, I was in the hardware store recently, looking for a manual stapler but the one I saw was $80. And you wonder why we carry 250 pounds of ‘stuff’ with us when each time we fly over…..

What, me work?

Every month, I have some smarty pants, tongue-in-cheek comment about my being unemployed. You’ve seen it, right next to the ‘THE EPISTLE’ masthead at the top of the page. Not wanting my kids to think I was a total slug, I almost applied for a job. With the economy in shambles, our investments evaporating into thin air and home values dropping like a rock, I thought that prudence would call for a greater effort and flexibility on my part to keep the wolf from the door.

Recently, when the Queensland Australia office of tourism published an opening as caretaker of Hamilton Island, I thought that I found something that would reasonably compensate me for my efforts and would fit in with our chosen lifestyle. The job which paid $100,000 for a six month stint, involved 12 hours of ‘work’ each month. Duties included swimming, fishing, snorkeling, producing a blog extolling the area’s beauty and fetching the mail. I mentioned that I ‘almost’ applied for it since my application could not be submitted because the agency’s website crashed after receiving over a million applications in the first 3 days. Still, I am open for similar opportunities.

Taking a stroll down memory lane

Everyone has their own memory of the time they left their childhood home for good. That is, the very first night that you knew you were completely on your own and there was no going back. For some it is when they went to college or when they got married. For others it is when they joined the military. Some perhaps were runaways. God forbid that you were kicked out.

I left at 18 under… well… ‘difficult’ circumstances. We did not agree about some important issues in my life and I supported my parents position that while living under their roof I should abide by their rules.

So, we had a little ‘regime change’ and being fiercely independent, I left with only the clothes on my back. I spent my first couple of nights at a flop house for homeless indigent alcoholics and derelict drug addicts. I would have gladly slept in my car but I didn’t have so much as a bus ticket so my tab was ‘comp-ed’ by a local church. I looked and felt like a fish out of water and I remember sleeping with my clothes on and with my shoes under my pillow as I feared not finding them in the morning. Thinking ahead, I had lined up a week-end job as a sales clerk in the mens clothing department of a large store to get a little start up money.



I was within two weeks of finishing my first year of University while in the mist of my final exams. Kicking my accommodations up a notch, I talked my way into being able to sleep on the sofa in the recreation lounge of an on campus men’s religious fraternity (I was attending Loyola). Not having a place to cook, I bought a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter and ate sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I got really sick of them, I had another peanut butter sandwich.

Being me, I thought this would only need to last a few weeks before my parents came to their senses, realized the error of their ways and begged me to come back. 40 years later, I’m still waiting. In fact, my father did contact me. We talked but there was too much daylight between our positions and we were unable to come to an acceptable understanding. So, I figured they needed to be convinced that I meant business and I was not like a sibling who had been a serial runaway. “This might take a couple of months” I thought, so I dug in.

I got a summer job which allowed me to get a room off of someone’s basement garage and frantically started saving for next fall’s tuition… just in case. In spite of the fact that I was completely self supporting, I was denied any student loan because my parent’s income was too high. I had no dishes so I would heat and eat soup right out of the can. I kept thinking that surely I would only have to hold out a little longer and I would prevail. After about a year I realized that the jig was up so I had better man-up, get a grip, figure out what I wanted out of life and just do it.

It was not my intention here to bore you with the story of my life. Nor to whine about how tough I had it. You might well have had it much harder. It is also not my intention to disparage my parents because I know that they have always seen things differently. While they didn’t intend it, I have believed that in the end they did me a huge favor.

I also know that my own kids often thought that we were born at 50, never had a life and always saw us live comfortably from the day they were born. But on March 27th, I will sit in front of the fireplace with a glass of Champagne and remember that first night 40 years ago. Some things have a big impact on a boy’s life.

Menhir de Pergat

This month we visited the Menhir de Pergat, a 10: 30 meter (Over 33 foot) tall standing stone we are told was erected in 5000 BC and is the 4th tallest in Europe. Standing stones are fairly common in Brittany and were hewn from local rock and erected by the pre-Celtic people of Brittany during the Neolithic period. They were raised as part of a larger Megalithic culture that flourished in Europe.

The purpose of Menhirs has provoked a great debate. Over the centuries they have variously been thought to have been used by Druids for human sacrifice, used as territorial markers or elements of a complex ideological system, or functioned as an early calendar. This particular one is only 14 miles (23 Km) from our door. The tallest one in Europe is in Carnac, Brittany, a few hours from here where we have seen it and over 3000 more aligned in a 2 mile row.

(RED) Face Book

A couple of weeks ago I got a request from someone to accept him as my ‘friend’ on Face Book. Anyone who has not been under Taliban rule knows it is a social networking site which I had pretty much written off as a place where 14 year old girls brag about many boys they know. Not wanting to be unfriendly I went to the site to ‘accept’ him thinking that some people just have too much free time and really need to get a life. Unfortunately, when I clicked on ‘I accept’, I failed to notice the default setting where I had authorized Face Book to contact E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E in my email address book to ask them to be my 'friend' also.

Crap.

Within hours I began getting dozens of ‘I accept you as my friend too’ notices from people I thought should know better and I was amazed at who I knew who had a page there also. Fair enough, to each his own. It got awkward though when I realized that my ‘please accept me as your friend’ requests had gone out to everyone from my proctologist to my mechanic, insurance agent and the IRS. To all those who did respond, thank you. I am glad you reaffirmed what I hoped was the case all along. For those who did not, I hope you will accept my apology and not think less of me for unintentionally asking. As for the IRS and my proctologist, I hereby officially recind the offer altogether.