www.bargealouette.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Our voyage is about to end...
We had intended to cruise for about 5 years. Last year was our 7th cruising season, and we have one more this spring 2017. We will take Alouette one last time (for us) up the Roanne a Digoin, across the Canal du Centre, up the Saone River, and onto the Burgundy canal for a dry dock appointment in late June. There we will turn her over to her new owners. Its been a grand life but its time for us to move on and for Steve and Anna to begin their wonderful life aboard this fine ship. For those of you who were not able to make the trip over and cruise with us, I'm attaching a link to our webpage for the sale of our ship. There you'll find interior and exterior photos, as well as shots taken along the way. We will miss our beautiful barge but know she will be in good hands with her new owners!
www.bargealouette.com
www.bargealouette.com
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
When one door closes, another one opens.
All of our cruising seasons have been great, and I feel guilty for not writing for almost 2 years, especially since we've had such great guests, and I have all of these blog posts running around in my head. I'll just try to get back to them sometime later but want to start up again with this retrospective. So I've said it, now the guilt is off my chest, on with blogging.
Life without pets has been a real adjustment for us, but we have taken the opportunity to try something new, and get our kitty/dog fix at the same time. Last year we joined Mind my House, an online service that seeks to match pet/house sitters with people needing pet/house sitters. We were lucky in all our years with pets to have some great people come stay at our houses while we were away rather than put our furry friends in the kennel. We'd come home to our dog or our cats who were happy to see us but totally unstressed. So in November, we spent three weeks sitting for two beautiful cats in Switzerland. We fell instantly in love with them, and living in a vineyard near Lake Geneva with views of the mountains was spectacular. The local region had its annual wine tasting festival the weekend we arrived, complete with tourist train and shuttle buses (good idea to get everyone tasting off the roads). We had a bus stop just below our balcony, and we were living in the middle of one of the wineries in the tour!
After the first week where we stayed in most of the time just to make sure the cats were getting used to us, we had some lovely short day trips to Nyon and Basel.
The last week, friends Scott and Katinka on Eendracht visited for a day, staying in a nearby spa hotel. We celebrated our November birthdays (Tink and Deb) at dinner in a restaurant famous for its Malakoffs, and took a day trip to Montreux, home of the famous music festival.
The kitties were a joy to sit - Leeloo snuggled up to both of us immediately - Granit took some time but became a lap cat after a few days. Randy is the master cat masseuse and they both fell under his spell. I am simply the cat whisperer, at their beck and call. We're looking forward to going back again.
Over the Christmas holidays, we headed down to Spain by car, where we sat with two fun, big dogs, in a lovely house on a ridge below the village of Canillas de Aceituno, in the hills to the east of Malaga. On our way down, we spent two great nights at a nearby Bed and Breakfast Inn, Casa Agradable, above the village of Arenas. Hans and Anneloes are fantastic owners/hosts and we enjoyed two evenings in front of a roaring fire with them. They are quite knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, history and cuisine of the area, and provided us with a great guide of suggested sites to see in the Axarquia region. The inn sits high on a ridge with 360 degree views of the mountains, and valleys sweeping down to the Mediterranean. We'd love to go back, stay at Casa Agradable, and hike in the surrounding mountains sometime soon.
Rafa and Osi were delightful big companions. Their daily morning and evening walk routines were a hoot! We would go out with one tennis ball each - toss them in opposite directions, and the hike began. We were in a mountainous rural spot, so we all had a good workout going up and down the hills a couple of times a day. The boys would chase the balls until Osi decided it was time for him to get both of them in his mouth. Playtime ended and the walk began in earnest. Once we were back at the house, our mornings consisted of trying to get the tennis balls back from the dogs. If Rafa dropped his ball, Osi picked it up, chewing two tennis balls at a time - squeak squeak - slobber slobber - Rafa sitting on his cushion, pouting, pretending that he didn't care. The only way we could get the balls back was to stuff their Kong treat-dispensing chew toys with a treat, and even then, it took a quick lunge to get those slobbery tennis balls away from them.
We spent a quiet Christmas Eve listening to the bells and bleats of the local goat herd as the shepherds and their dogs moved them around the mountainsides back down to a pasture nearby. On Christmas it was nice enough to grill. We took a short trip to Malaga and to the beautiful village recommended by Hans and Anneloes, Frigiliana, and then our canine holiday was over. Not the last pet sitting assignment for us!
Life without pets has been a real adjustment for us, but we have taken the opportunity to try something new, and get our kitty/dog fix at the same time. Last year we joined Mind my House, an online service that seeks to match pet/house sitters with people needing pet/house sitters. We were lucky in all our years with pets to have some great people come stay at our houses while we were away rather than put our furry friends in the kennel. We'd come home to our dog or our cats who were happy to see us but totally unstressed. So in November, we spent three weeks sitting for two beautiful cats in Switzerland. We fell instantly in love with them, and living in a vineyard near Lake Geneva with views of the mountains was spectacular. The local region had its annual wine tasting festival the weekend we arrived, complete with tourist train and shuttle buses (good idea to get everyone tasting off the roads). We had a bus stop just below our balcony, and we were living in the middle of one of the wineries in the tour!
After the first week where we stayed in most of the time just to make sure the cats were getting used to us, we had some lovely short day trips to Nyon and Basel.
The last week, friends Scott and Katinka on Eendracht visited for a day, staying in a nearby spa hotel. We celebrated our November birthdays (Tink and Deb) at dinner in a restaurant famous for its Malakoffs, and took a day trip to Montreux, home of the famous music festival.
Over the Christmas holidays, we headed down to Spain by car, where we sat with two fun, big dogs, in a lovely house on a ridge below the village of Canillas de Aceituno, in the hills to the east of Malaga. On our way down, we spent two great nights at a nearby Bed and Breakfast Inn, Casa Agradable, above the village of Arenas. Hans and Anneloes are fantastic owners/hosts and we enjoyed two evenings in front of a roaring fire with them. They are quite knowledgeable about the flora, fauna, history and cuisine of the area, and provided us with a great guide of suggested sites to see in the Axarquia region. The inn sits high on a ridge with 360 degree views of the mountains, and valleys sweeping down to the Mediterranean. We'd love to go back, stay at Casa Agradable, and hike in the surrounding mountains sometime soon.
Rafa and Osi were delightful big companions. Their daily morning and evening walk routines were a hoot! We would go out with one tennis ball each - toss them in opposite directions, and the hike began. We were in a mountainous rural spot, so we all had a good workout going up and down the hills a couple of times a day. The boys would chase the balls until Osi decided it was time for him to get both of them in his mouth. Playtime ended and the walk began in earnest. Once we were back at the house, our mornings consisted of trying to get the tennis balls back from the dogs. If Rafa dropped his ball, Osi picked it up, chewing two tennis balls at a time - squeak squeak - slobber slobber - Rafa sitting on his cushion, pouting, pretending that he didn't care. The only way we could get the balls back was to stuff their Kong treat-dispensing chew toys with a treat, and even then, it took a quick lunge to get those slobbery tennis balls away from them.
We spent a quiet Christmas Eve listening to the bells and bleats of the local goat herd as the shepherds and their dogs moved them around the mountainsides back down to a pasture nearby. On Christmas it was nice enough to grill. We took a short trip to Malaga and to the beautiful village recommended by Hans and Anneloes, Frigiliana, and then our canine holiday was over. Not the last pet sitting assignment for us!
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Dry Dock Days
We spent 8 days in the
dry dock at Atelier Fluvial. Our survey
was excellent – she still maintains her strong, thick 105 year old steel
hull. We had a new bow thruster
installed, a new grease pump for the shaft, and two fresh coats of bottom
paint, so she’s good to go for another 5 years.
Life in a shipyard up on blocks is interesting, to say the least.
At 7 a.m. we were awakened to the dulsid
tones of welding, sand blasting, and all sorts of shipyard sounds. Over the weekend, we were able to get a third
coat of blacking from the red down to over the waterline, so after all of the
painting we did last fall, we are done – at least on the exterior. We’ll spend some time this summer freshening
up the interior paint, but that’s easy.
We were surprised while
in the dry dock by friends Bob and Lynn on Tracker – we met them in 2010 when
we were heading in to the same dry dock for the survey when we purchased the
boat. Déjà vu!
 |
| Floating again, street being moved so we can back out |
 |
| All 23 meters almost out |
They were on hand to fend us off as we backed
out of the dry dock, through the lock out onto the Saone River, and Lynn took
some great pictures.
We also got to spend some
great time hanging around the shipyard with David and Evelyn on L’Escapade,
which happens to be our sister ship – both of our ships were converted in the same
shipyard in Holland, right next to each other.
L’Escapade entered the dry dock for her appointment a few days after we
left.
I have to admit I had a
teary-eyed moment as I looked up from the floor of the dry dock at Alouette’s
“ample bottom.”
I thanked her for
keeping us safe all these years, and wondered if I will see her from the bottom
up again. Five years until the next haul
out, who knows what life will bring.
 |
| Entering the Saone River |
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Roanne to Fragnes
We slipped our lines on a
beautiful sunny April day this year, this time with crew on board, heading for our 5 year dry dock haul out in St. Jean
de Losne. During our March trip to
Budapest, I started to have a little pain in my left knee – perhaps it was
walking 12 miles per day on cobblestones – and after seeing the doctor in
Roanne, and being advised to stay off my feet for 2 weeks, we realized we needed
some help moving the boat. Good friends
Simon and Mae of Joie de Vivre came
to the rescue and offered to crew for us for as long as we needed to get the
boat up the Canal Roanne a Digoin, across the Canal du Centre, and up the River
Saone to the Atelier Fluvial dry dock.
So off we went. Driving the barge into the first lock is always a bit
nerve-wracking for me, but Randy maneuvered the boat in perfectly, Simon and
Mae handled the lines perfectly, and I was reminded for the first of many times
to sit down and get off my knee.
This was the earliest
we’ve left port, and we were rewarded by beautiful rural scenery – flowering
trees and shrubs, wisteria, huge fields of yellow rapeseed (canola oil), newborn Charolaise
calves and baby lambs.
The days flew by,
we were able to spend time in some of our favorite stops along the canals, and
before we knew it, we were in Fragnes. Along the way, Mae and I managed to get in a little therapeutic shoe shopping at my
favorite store in Paray Le Monial – the window decorations at this store are always
creative and a delight to see, not to mention the shoes!
 |
| Mae's, no heels for me right now! |
We all cooked and enjoyed
some great meals along the way.
 |
| Cuisse de Canard with Lentils |
Simon introduced us to the magic of Epoisses
burgers.
When it was time for Simon and Mae to go home, we were really sad to see them leave. Actually, we delivered them to Scott and Katinka on Eendracht, who paid us a handsome ransom. Seriously, come back soon Simon and Mae!!
When it was time for Simon and Mae to go home, we were really sad to see them leave. Actually, we delivered them to Scott and Katinka on Eendracht, who paid us a handsome ransom. Seriously, come back soon Simon and Mae!!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
So much for resolutions
Where do I start? Just blurt it out; after 43 straight years of coming home to a sweet pet companion or companions, we came home to an empty boat on Friday, April 4, 2014.
What can I say about Dimitri and Anya - litter-mates born in Austin, Texas on October 31, 1996. Reunited April 4, 2014. As 16 week old kittens, they flew with me from the home of their wonderful breeder, we called her Mama Geri, from Austin, to Houston, to Denver. An hour's drive from the airport, up Mt. Vernon Canyon, to our home in Genessee. They had many happy years as indoor cats up in the mountains, except for Dimitri's 9 day walk-about (we refused to give up hope that he would return even though we were surrounded by mountain lions, fox, eagles, hawks, all sorts of dangers). Memories of our trips to our adobe home in Santa Fe New Mexico, especially Christmas 2001 - my favorite picture taken from outside our casita with Dimitri sitting in front of the kiva fireplace, looking up at the Christmas Tree, Anya using her fleece saucer as a sled sliding along the heated brick floors. From there, to the highrise in downtown Denver (where the cats watched the peregrine falcons from our 23rd floor windows), down to Tucson, where bobcats were frequent visitors to our back yard pool and fountain. And then the first overseas flight to Geneva. Both were little angels in their Sleepypod carriers, specially designed to fit under the seat so they could go with us in the cabin. They were better than I was - I was a wreck worrying about them! After our first cruising season on Alouette, we returned home to the states for the winter, mainly to get our long term visas.
We've had a lot of time to reflect on this wonderful lifestyle, we wouldn't have missed doing this for anything; but as we've told so many friends in the past few weeks, life doesn't change, we still have the responsibilities, the ups and downs, the frustrations, the many moments of great joy...its just we're over here in France on a boat. And life goes on. My sister passed away last year, and as we prepared for Christmas our favorite Aunt Lil passed away suddenly - she had knitted hats for her great grandkids, her Christmas shopping done. My sister-in-law, Julie, who has been a mother to me all of my life, is in the later stages of Alzheimers. I could dwell on the downside, but choose to see the beauty in how this is playing out - my niece Kathy and I have become closer as we are in touch almost daily about Julie's condition and treatment, but more about how to support each other during this time. She is the little sister I never had, and I am so grateful for her.
The past six months, we've been nursing our ailing companion, Dimitri. Both cats were diagnosed with renal problems 2 years ago, not uncommon for older cats. We nursed Anya along during our cruising season in 2012 - we sadly said goodby to her in August of 2012. Dimitri, fortunately, was in fairly good health until this past fall (2013). We struggled with whether or not we should travel with him, but he was in pretty good shape when we flew back to the US in November of 2013. He was in good shape through Christmas, but then started the downward spiral. He was well enough to return with us to France in early February, but after a few rallies, he simply stopped eating, and it was time to say goodbye.
I look back at all of the posts I could have/should have done, and there are so many. But when we bring a pet into our lives, we enter into an agreement, a compact, to do the best by them. And that is what we have been doing for two years now. We still have had amazingly wonderful experiences traveling the canals here in France. Each day is the experience of a lifetime. But it has been difficult for me to sit down and write about it as we watched our sweet buddies deteriorate.
So here we are, Easter 2014. We look forward to the visit of our good friends Doug and Julie Joseph, sailing and diving buddies, in May of this year. We hope to cruise up to Paris and the Champagne region this summer, but also, we know we must take advantage of the opportunity to do some things we haven't been able to do. In June, we will travel to the American Military Cemetery outside of Cambridge, England, to place a wreath on the grave of my half-brother, Joey, an army medic, who died on June 29, 1944, from wounds suffered as a result of the Normandy invasion. This fall, we hope to welcome our Todos Santos friends, Doug and Lisa, for an autumn cruise, and afterwards we plan to travel to the Slovak Republic to see my ancestral villages. But someday soon, we hope to again sit in front of a blazing fire with a cat or two on our laps, listening to their purrs.
A special thanks to our good friends Woody and Marion, who have been with us through so much, and sent this photo of the nautical cats taken in May of 2011:
What can I say about Dimitri and Anya - litter-mates born in Austin, Texas on October 31, 1996. Reunited April 4, 2014. As 16 week old kittens, they flew with me from the home of their wonderful breeder, we called her Mama Geri, from Austin, to Houston, to Denver. An hour's drive from the airport, up Mt. Vernon Canyon, to our home in Genessee. They had many happy years as indoor cats up in the mountains, except for Dimitri's 9 day walk-about (we refused to give up hope that he would return even though we were surrounded by mountain lions, fox, eagles, hawks, all sorts of dangers). Memories of our trips to our adobe home in Santa Fe New Mexico, especially Christmas 2001 - my favorite picture taken from outside our casita with Dimitri sitting in front of the kiva fireplace, looking up at the Christmas Tree, Anya using her fleece saucer as a sled sliding along the heated brick floors. From there, to the highrise in downtown Denver (where the cats watched the peregrine falcons from our 23rd floor windows), down to Tucson, where bobcats were frequent visitors to our back yard pool and fountain. And then the first overseas flight to Geneva. Both were little angels in their Sleepypod carriers, specially designed to fit under the seat so they could go with us in the cabin. They were better than I was - I was a wreck worrying about them! After our first cruising season on Alouette, we returned home to the states for the winter, mainly to get our long term visas.
We've had a lot of time to reflect on this wonderful lifestyle, we wouldn't have missed doing this for anything; but as we've told so many friends in the past few weeks, life doesn't change, we still have the responsibilities, the ups and downs, the frustrations, the many moments of great joy...its just we're over here in France on a boat. And life goes on. My sister passed away last year, and as we prepared for Christmas our favorite Aunt Lil passed away suddenly - she had knitted hats for her great grandkids, her Christmas shopping done. My sister-in-law, Julie, who has been a mother to me all of my life, is in the later stages of Alzheimers. I could dwell on the downside, but choose to see the beauty in how this is playing out - my niece Kathy and I have become closer as we are in touch almost daily about Julie's condition and treatment, but more about how to support each other during this time. She is the little sister I never had, and I am so grateful for her.
The past six months, we've been nursing our ailing companion, Dimitri. Both cats were diagnosed with renal problems 2 years ago, not uncommon for older cats. We nursed Anya along during our cruising season in 2012 - we sadly said goodby to her in August of 2012. Dimitri, fortunately, was in fairly good health until this past fall (2013). We struggled with whether or not we should travel with him, but he was in pretty good shape when we flew back to the US in November of 2013. He was in good shape through Christmas, but then started the downward spiral. He was well enough to return with us to France in early February, but after a few rallies, he simply stopped eating, and it was time to say goodbye.
I look back at all of the posts I could have/should have done, and there are so many. But when we bring a pet into our lives, we enter into an agreement, a compact, to do the best by them. And that is what we have been doing for two years now. We still have had amazingly wonderful experiences traveling the canals here in France. Each day is the experience of a lifetime. But it has been difficult for me to sit down and write about it as we watched our sweet buddies deteriorate.
So here we are, Easter 2014. We look forward to the visit of our good friends Doug and Julie Joseph, sailing and diving buddies, in May of this year. We hope to cruise up to Paris and the Champagne region this summer, but also, we know we must take advantage of the opportunity to do some things we haven't been able to do. In June, we will travel to the American Military Cemetery outside of Cambridge, England, to place a wreath on the grave of my half-brother, Joey, an army medic, who died on June 29, 1944, from wounds suffered as a result of the Normandy invasion. This fall, we hope to welcome our Todos Santos friends, Doug and Lisa, for an autumn cruise, and afterwards we plan to travel to the Slovak Republic to see my ancestral villages. But someday soon, we hope to again sit in front of a blazing fire with a cat or two on our laps, listening to their purrs.
A special thanks to our good friends Woody and Marion, who have been with us through so much, and sent this photo of the nautical cats taken in May of 2011:
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
A Resolution
We are back in Tucson for a few months and I am resolved to do some blog posts over the holidays with pictures from our cruising season in 2013. In the meantime, here's a pretty one from the town of Gray in France. This was an entrance to the old chateau high atop a hill overlooking the Petite Saone River.Happy Holidays everyone!
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