WordPress tells me that I first started blogging eighteen years ago today, wow. I went through a few periods of infrequent activity, but have enjoyed putting my adventures up here; thanks to those who are with me today, and to those who have moved on to other places.

Last Friday we left Aix-en-Provence on a 15 minute TGV ride to Marseille, the home of David and Nat. David is Tricia’s cousin, and though she has many cousins, he is the only one she has regular contact with. We did have a surprise in the relations arena. Nat has been and is doing a lot of research on David’s, and by default Tricia’s, family tree. I had questions about my family so Nat, one of the best researchers you could ever fined, plugged in some names and found marriage certificates, census data, etc. in no time at all. Then she made a most interesting discovery. It seems that David, Tricia’s cousin once removed, and I are also connected. Our trees went back eleven generations to a common ancestor, Elizabeth, in the 1600s. So??? Does this mean that by marrying Tricia I married my cousin? Oh my the scandal, but since Alexis is quite normal I think all is OK.

Saturday they took us on two ferries to Les Goudes where we met up with two of their friends for lunch. It was a wonderful ride and a good lunch.

After a visit which was too short with David and Nat we made our way to our old Normandie haunt – a TGV to Paris, spent the night near Gare du Lyon, rented a car the next morning and drove 3.5 hours to Domfront en Poiraie.

We stayed at a BnB in Domfront with an amazing view of the city and the fields in the distance. If you knew where to look you could see where La Thebauderie is.

Tuesday we drove out to La Thebauderie to have lunch with our old neighbors, Mike and Gayle. We had so much fun laughing and reminiscing, while we caught up on all the latest gossip. Tricia took a video as we drove the 600 meters from the main road into La Thebauderie.

That evening we went back to Domfront, I sat at the Central Cafe and did a sketch of St. Juliens steeple while Tricia did a bit of shopping.

Wednesday we drove back to Paris, dropped the car off at Gare Montparnasse, and settled in to the appartement in a Haussmann style building that will be our home for seventeen days. It is decorated and furnished all in antiques, including a collection of walking sticks, for show only.

Yesterday we met up with our dear friends, former neighbors when we lived in Mukilteo, who now live here in Paris. We had lunch at an old favorite of ours, and of theirs now, La Rose de Paris. I did this painting a few months ago, they have changed the awning to green though.

After lunch we walked to Shirley & Jim’s apartment for desert. They have such a great place, their decorating and collecting makes it perfect for them. Along the way I took a few candid photos.

You never know the kind of people you will find on the street, this guy could not resist stopping to look at the oysters, his curiosity got him a free sample – minerally and briny Brittany at its best. (Thank you Shirley, Tricia’s Paris Correspondent, for the photo.)

Travelsketching is always good, but just creating something from your imagination is just as good. Did this last night.

Since leaving Portland on the 12th of may we have been on 6 flights, 3 trains, 7 hours driving, 3 boats, multiple taxis, two cable cars, and slept in 9 different beds – no wonder we are quite content to just hang out here for the next couple of week. It has been an adventure for sure.

I hope your days are just a bit less crazy, unless you want them to be crazy, and that you are taking the time to enjoy places and people – sketching as you can.