robertcdeming

I hesitate to say I speak French, but I kind of do. I qualify that with, you have to speak slowly, and I may interrupt you because you have said a word I don’t know. However, last year when I walked the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail in southern France (15 days) two different people told me that I “spoke French with a Belgian accent.” I thought it was cool that they said I spoke French.

I spend a lot of time with my girlfriend Josette, who lives in rural southern Belgium, and primarily speaks French. Belgium has two other languages, Flemish and Dutch, and they are right next to Luxembourg (5 miles as the crow flies), which has yet another language, Luxembourgish, in addition to French and German. People in northeast Belgium speak Dutch (almost German) and English but not so often French. Josette has been studying English for quite a while but is reluctant to say much in English. Sometimes she says I am not helping her learn English.

For my part, I don’t need her to learn English, I am happy to converse in my growing French ability. However, for her part, she feels left out when I am with my friends who are speaking English. Some of her family speak some English, as everyone in Europe is trying to learn English, but I am content to speak with them in French. I have been working with her grandson Axel, who is studying English in school (required!), and when I am with him I only speak English. When he doesn’t know the word, he tells me in French, and I tell him the English word to use. He spent three weeks with me in Texas and did in fact get much better at English, being immersed in it.

How did I learn the French I know? I graduated high school in Big Spring, Texas, and took two years of French there. I suspect that French in Big Spring died with that teacher, but when I graduated I could sing the French National Anthem but not the American one. That was because I was required to learn “Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé!” When my contemporaries were learning to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” I was singing “God Save the Queen” as I was in school in England. When I went to Texas Tech I took two more years of French, and didn’t end up minoring in French because the last course I needed was French Advanced Grammar and Composition with Bubresko, and I knew I wouldn’t pass it because I was a slacker. So I minored in English instead. And I placed out of Freshman English by writing an essay. Looking back I think it might have been better for me to take Freshman English. I put the minimum effort in college because all I wanted out of it was a commission in the US Air Force so I could go to pilot training. All I needed was a degree in anything; there was a war on, and the Air Force needed pilots. I learned quickly that I would have to apply myself to get my wings, and I did. I remember very clearly my first instructor pilot in the T-37, Captain West, pre-solo, saying “Do you have a death wish? Are you trying to kill me?” He had been an IP for almost 4 years, was about to leave the Air Force, and was burned out. I am forever grateful that he eventually taught me to fly. By the way, those words from West are an exact quote, and they were preceeded by him rapping me on the side of my head (albeit in a helmet). This airplane had side by side seating, and the air conditioning didn’t work well at low altitudes, and it was Oklahoma in the summer, so we were both probably covered in sweat.

Walking the trail with my new friend Josette in September of 2018 was when I realized that after four years of academic French many years before I didn’t know French. This was before Google Translate came along for me, and I couldn’t understand much but I got her phone number and name. I stayed in touch with her by calling on WhatsApp video call. That first year I walked with her on GR65 fro Le Puy en Velay in France for about two weeks, much of the conversation was with the aid of our mutul trail friend (Swiss) Anne Marie, who spoke five languages, her first language is French but she is competent in English, and she translated for us. The next year we three walked 10 days together on GR 651 (the Cele Valley varaint, pure magic) in France. Then the pandemic intervened, and we met again on GR65, this time in Moissac, and walked three weeks to St Jean Pied de Port. Anne Marie was with us but ran out of energy about half way and returned home. When she left she said to us, “You two go on without me, friends, lovers, whatever you are.”

You see, Anne Marie knew. Apparently Josette was clueless. When I first met them they had just become fast friends, and somehow I found myself walking with them. I learned later that they discussed it and decided my French was so poor that I wouldn’t make it and that I needed their help. I walked into a gite d’etat with them (a hostel on the trail), and after a bit was in the garden in the back with a beer. She came outside, and I looked at her for the first time really, and my heart skipped a beat.

My heart really did skip. I can still remember that feeling. I thought to myself, “Oh —-, I don’t need this.” I talked myself out of taking that seriously for three more years. By the end of our third walk together, which was three weeks long, I decided it was worth the risk.

When we talk on WhatsApp (thank you, Meta) I use my iPhone and have my PC with Google Translate up. I use it to formulate sentences and get the verbs right. I now speak French almost exclusively when I am with Josette and her family. I often think in French. I throw in French words with my English speaking friends, not trying to be clever, but because that is what pops into my head.

Au revoir.

Robert

I’m leaving for the mainland in a few minutes. I hope to be back in January!

We did lots of beautiful walks, this one just after sunrise.

I never called Adele “Sis” but maybe I should start. she drove me all over the island for a week and a half.

This beautiful place is a big part of Adele’s life, and where she is connected to many friends.

I wasn’t much connected to the story of the nuclear bomb which destroyed the Japanese city of Hiroshima until I heard a presentation by a survivor, Mikio Saiki. 140,000 of his fellow citizens died in the blast and its consequences.

I appreciated the art of Hawaiians the most in my visit to Honolulu Museum of Art.

I did find my buddy Rocco in the museum.

She was the first woman of color elected to congress. Title 9 was her signature contribution to American women, and still benefits them today.

Adele and I walked the beach at low tide about 7 this morning. I met a guy with a cup of coffee looking out at the ocean. He said, “How are you?” I replied, “Fabulous!”. He said, “There’s no other way to be, this is Paradise.”

We went to dinner at the Elk’s club last night with some of Adele‘s friends. It’s right up against the edge of the water, quite a nice and popular place. we went upstairs to the roof to watch the sunset, and came across a lion.

The lion was headed into a graduation celebration, and we were lucky to catch a glimpse of it.

I did catch sight of ISS with its two stranded astronauts at 4:53 AM. It flew right over the back porch.

I hiked 1.2 miles and 600 feet up into the steep valley Adele’s house is in, with her delightful neighbor Sarah. There is a nice cool breeze here.

My new favorite thing are mangoes. They fall out of the tree into Adele‘s backyard. It’s Manna from heaven! 

Aloha from Paradise

Joyce (on left) and Kimo were classmates. The show moves to Waikiki shortly with a new sponsor, Southwest Airlines (which is putting lots of effort into entering the Hawaii market).

We went for the sunset return of the nesting Wedge-tailed Shearwater birds. They return to feed chicks after being at sea fishing all day. No photos of the birds, they are too fast and the light was dimming. Lots of swooping high speed birds!

I had the opportunity for this two mile walk with locals and 3 community policing officers. I had an interesting conversation with Drew, a 16 year police veteran.

This trail was 2 1/2 miles round trip and 538 feet of up. A great way to start the day.

I went on a 2 1/2 hour zip line tour today. https://www.climbworks.com/keana_farms

CLIMB Works was fabulous! Our group of ten had three guides who were precise in the procedures, clear in their instructions, and laughed all the way. I had never been zip lining before. We must have done a dozen runs. I was thirty years older than anyone, but fit in and physically had no trouble. Fun!

Aloha

Construction of Chateau Guédelon was started in 1997 and there is no end in sight. The project is using only Middle Ages techniques and tools; no electricity or hydraulic or steel.

Blacksmiths make all the tools for the project by hand. It takes all day to make an axe.

Carpenters split wood to make boards and trim with axes.

Bowls and eating utensils are made of wood

The walls are 5 meters thick at the base and 3 meters at the top

The well was the first thing made. It is inside the castle walls

Two hundred loaves of bread was made daily. We were not able to see the mill because the creek was flooding. The bread oven is huge and outside of the kitchen.

This is enormously time consuming, by hand with chisels made by the blacksmith

The geese were talking about Kira the dog when we went by, I’m sure.

I was interested to see in the film how they make concrete. They first start by burning limestone to get lime, and then mix it with the aggregate in exactly the same way that I saw it done in Mexico.

I was on a mision de candelilla construction trip once- we hired some local men to make the concrete floor of the covered porch we were building. They shoveled sand and gravel out of a dry creek bed into a pick up truck, then shoveled it out on site . They measured the aggregate, cement, and water the same way it was done in the Middle Ages. They also had no electricity.

I hope to go back in a few years and see the progress. It is an enormously successful project They have hundreds of thousands of visitors a year at €16 each. Ancient skills have been rediscovered, and a workforce of traditional craftsmen trained.

I first heard about this from a documentary. The English stonemason in the interview is still there, I spoke to him. https://youtu.be/Uy4uEZV4jpo?si=UDdzimF0M8Dh54xS

Ile de Re is a popular touristic island near La Rochelle. We arrived in the rain to an expensive yet tiny campsite. The weather forecast was for rain all week.

This little harbor for yachts is a very fancy and crowded place. Lots and lots of tourists, bars, and restaurants. It’s the biggest town on Ile de Rey.

The weather was perfect after all. We saw the three major towns and beaches, including the beach which substituted for Omaha Beach. It was Monday just before the tourist season really starts, and there were people everywhere. The island is large and you have to see it from a car.

Today we went to Ile d’Aix. You must take a ferry there, and you can see Ile de Re.

The ferry also took a couple of delivery vans aboard, although there appears to be no cars whatsoever on the island.

It is a very quaint place with only 500 or 1000 tourists today and not completely made of bars and restaurants

We ate at a restaurant, a 1 km walk from the ferry in the country, which was very good. We each had seafood, ended up costing about $35 each including a $9 craft beer. These places approach Fredericksburg prices.

We walked around the entire island, including through a fort from the 1800s. The island was heavily fortified before World War I. This small beach is only reachable by foot or bicycle.

With everyone except construction workers on foot or bicycle, it’s a calm and peaceful place. I think I’d be happy to spend a few weeks there accomplishing nothing of importance.

After two days of perfect weather, we got rained on boarding the boat. Now we are back at the campsite from last night, our favorite on the entire trip. It’s called camping in the Orchard. The owner has created small gardens all over the place, and it is wonderful.

Tomorrow: the chateau on the Loire.

It’s early morning and raining. I don’t know what we will do today., but yesterday we went for a bicycle ride.

We rented bikes at the same place we took the boat ride in the morning, 25 euros each. They fit us well and worked perfectly.

We did a 27 km route to the village of Damvix, where we did not see a gelato shop. It was a touristy place, so there probably was one somewhere.

We read an interpretative plaque about these white beans, a local staple, and saw this in a garage . I asked for the “white beans of the region “ at the small grocery store later, and he said no one really grew them around there anymore. He did have some cooked in jars, which I bought. He showed us that they were from another area, and said “it’s complicated.”we had them for dinner with sausages and salad; I loved them. Josette said she would be excited about cooking them but not eating them pre-prepared.

The shop on the right has a reputation for great bread. We will walk there in the morning to see. Josette asked a local woman on the street who confirmed the rumor she had heard about two places to buy bread, the COOP grocery (where we bought beans) and this patisserie. She was quite enthusiastic about it.

we have the little tent set up at the back of the car now because of the rain. However, it’s clearing up

Robert & Josette

We are camped at the edge of the village of Arcais outside of Niort, close to the Atlantic coast in France. The municipal campground is so cool we signed up for four nights ($15 per night). This is in the Regional National Park of the Poitevin Marshes.

https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marais_poitevin

The weather is beautiful again today, but rain is coming Sunday. We took a guided boat trip this morning, two hours, $50. Our guide was a well informed young man from the area named Louis. A notable fact about his family is that his grandmother had 22 children, all of whom lived. He explained the origins and history of the marsh. We saw blue and orange kingfishers, a wild native goat (perhaps that isn’t the correct classification but that is as close as I could figure) with a kid, a nutria (invasive species), and a duck.

He stirred up the bottom and ignited the methane created in the mud by decomposing leaves.

A fellow camper comes twice yearly to catch and eat American crawfish (invasive species here).

We may rent a boat without a guide; Luis promised we could navigate with these posts, but without we would never find our way home. Next: cycling. We are eating well, of courses. This morning I introduced Josette to Texas Trash Tacos: an egg, asparagus, Emmental cheese, macaroni, bacon, and chives. Tomorrow there is a market in the village and we will resupply.

I am traveling in France. We spent our first night near Verdun, went to a couple of museums, and learned all about the terrible battle in 1916 and throughout World War I. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Verdun

This morning I needed to get out of there to figure a plan, but there is nowhere to park in Verdun, so I headed for a village a few kilometers outside called Regret.

I missed the turn, so we passed by the village of Regret. Therefore, I can say I have no regret.

We are wandering kind of loosely around Central France, and tonight are camping near the Meuse river in a nice campground in the rain.

The tiny car camper is working out just fine. It’s a good thing we get along well, and we have her lovely dog Kira with us as well.

The citadel was an enormous underground fort in a hill beside Verdun, which was a key factor in the battles there. We took a tour in these underground tunnels in a small tram with partial virtual reality headsets.

We also went to a small private museum across the road, which had a very interesting story to tell. A recruit from 1914 was a telephone operator-forward observer, and he made well over 100 drawings of battlefield scenes. One of his friends was an army photographer, who took many photos of the same scenes; the drawings and the photos are shown together, it was quite well done.

Then we drove through the French countryside, rolling hills and wheat fields , interrupted by forests. They are cutting hay right now so there are lots of new round bales and hay on the ground ready for bailing. Every few miles there are ancient villages, incredibly beautiful and lined with flowers .

We are camping in a small VW Caddy Van and have a small tent which attaches to the rear. It is raining this evening, so we set up the tent and it worked perfectly for cooking and eating supper out of the rain. The RV park was €17, last night was very nice also and €19 .

We are eating well. The two campgrounds we have stayed offered to provide us with a fresh baguette in the morning for €1.5 to be picked up after eight. The baguette this morning was, in the French tradition, excellent.

We are headed towards Poindevan Marsh on the Atlantic Coast. I don’t know when we’ll get there, we have no real agenda.