The Voyage of Alouette: You're never too old for bunny ears!

Alouette is a Luxemotor barge built in 1910 in Zwartsluis, Holland. She was first used as a cattle transporter, and later as a shrimp fishing boat. In 2002, she was lovingly converted by a British couple into a liveaboard barge. We are her third owners - Randy and Deborah, two Americans from Colorado who escaped corporate life in search of an adventure. After a few years of searching for the right adventure, we discovered the barging life. Having sailed for most of our adult lives, it seemed a perfect fit. We spent another year looking for the right barge and in the summer of 2010 found her in Roanne, France. We've renamed her Alouette - the Lark. And so in her 100th year, together with our two Russian Blue cats, we're shoving off for a life on the canals and rivers of Europe.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

You're never too old for bunny ears!

Laurel, Deb & Randy

Waiting for the Bastille Day fireworks in Briare - Bram Hewitt, Andrew and Laurel's son, visiting from Melbourne, Australia, surprised me with a set of my own flashing bunny ears! I promised I would wear them with great pride forever, though I don't know where, but a promise is a promise.

Here are a few shots of Andrew and Laurel with Bram on board, crossing the Loire River on the Briare viaduct. A cloudy and rainy day, but a beautiful sight nonetheless!