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| Franklin, the last day of class, with our thank you gifts |
I started a Stitch n Bitch group in the port; we met on our boat every Wednesday to have some fun with crafts, and very little bitchin, followed by coffee. As a group, we made a basket of baby goodies for the owners of L'Authentique - their baby Louise arrived in March, before we all shoved off. We also have a group on the Ravelry website, Nautical Knitters, where you can see what we've been doing as a group.
Our plans were to cruise up the Roanne a Digoin canal, hang a right onto the Canal du Centre for a visit to one of our favorite towns, Paray-le-Monial, then turn around, head back out onto the Lateral a la Loire, into Decize where we would cross the Loire River and onto the Canal du Nivernais. We continued to have very heavy rainfall all across France, interrupted only occasionally by a sunny day - we began to think it might be necessary to sacrifice a goat or something to the great yellow ball in the sky when it occasionally appeared. As we crossed the viaduct over the Loire River in Digoin, the Loire was in flood, as was La Bourbince, one of its tributaries, which flows through the town of Paray-le-Monial. We started to have some bad feelings about the rising waters and the state of the canal and river networks in France, and sure enough, most of the rivers and some of the canals were closing temporarily due to floods. When that happens, everyone usually stays put, so mooring spots are at a premium. I needed to be in a place where I could catch a train to Paris, as I was scheduled to return to the U.S. for my niece Kaitlin's wedding on June 8th. Then a serious breach occurred on the Canal du Centre, halting all traffic across that section of the canal until it was repaired. The locks at Decize were closed and we would not be able to cross the Loire onto the Nivernais and get to a place where I could easily catch a train to Paris, so we stayed put in Paray until the breach was fixed, and continued on the Canal du Centre to Genelard, where I could easily catch the TGV high speed train to Paris for my trip home to the U.S.
I ended up buying another ticket home to the U.S. to see my sister, who had been recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. So I flew into Chicago a week earlier than planned, and hopped a flight to Fort Myers Beach, Florida, to spend some time with my sister. We had several really great days together, but then on June 4th, my sister passed away in her sleep. It was a shock, as she had been given a prognosis of 8 months, but in retrospect, I am grateful she did not have to suffer longer. Her last few days were pain-free and filled with happy occasions, including a ceremony by the Nightingale Society, which honors nurses for their years of service. In attendance were my sister's two children, Melodie and Mark, and their spouses Tony and Sondra, her grandson Cody, our sister-in-law, Sandy, and Marge's partner of 15 years, Allen. Also attending were several of Marge's close friends, including Mary Maci, who had become Marge and Allen's "Meals-on-Wheels," bringing home cooked meals, and so much comfort, to both of them.
I flew back to Chicago to end my trip on a joyous note, the wedding of my grand-niece, Kaitlin, and Drew Koessler. The days before were packed with lots of happy events, culminating in one of the most fun weddings I've ever attended. And the days before gave me time with my niece Kathy, mother of the bride, her husband Tim and their sons Taylor and Corey, my nephew Dan, who flew in from Florida, and my sister-in-law Julie, grandmother of the bride. I had a fun time getting to know a few of Drew's relatives. We - Kathy, Kaitlin, the bridesmaids, Drew's mom Jane, and her twin sister - had some good girly-girl time getting pedicures, manicures, make-up and hairdos together.
The morning I was scheduled to return to France, my flight was cancelled when the air traffic controllers in France went on strike. I was able to get on a flight the next day to Brussels, and then catch a train from Brussels to Paris, and on to Le Creusot, to get home to France, just before the trainworkers went out on strike! Summer is the season for one or two day strikes here in France, and I managed to dodge both of them!
The weather had finally improved while I was gone, and we spent another week in Genelard, doing a little painting, and visiting with friends passing thru the port. I plan to do another post on how small a world it is later, but we once again adjusted our plans, this time to cross the Canal du Centre, get onto the Saone River, heading north, and take either the from Champagne to Bourgogne and up into the Champagne region, over to catch the Nivernais and back down to the Lateral a la Loire, or up the Saone, catch the route to Strasbourg, and back down the Rhone a Rhin, the River Doubs. We then learned of a bridge repair on the Nivernais that would last until November and boats over 4 meters wide would not be allowed through. We are 4.4 meters, so that put a stop on that route. Then on July 4th, the huge incline lift on the route we would take to Strasbourg failed, crunching up a tour boat, thankfully no one was injured, but repairs will take several months. So once again, we had to adjust our sails.
So we are now on the Petite Saone River and what a wonderful spot to be. The weather has turned very hot, but the River is wide, always breezy, and we can jump in for a swim to cool off. So, the universe provides! Why didn't we think of doing this during the hottest months of the year? Who knows, we're just happy to have been pushed by circumstances in this direction right now! More on this lovely area next!
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| Mantoche |
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| Sunset in Gray |
