Things that go buzz in the night

The fan gently hummed. The clock tower five feet from the headboard of my bed chimed the hour of four. I was tucked into crisp white sheets under a fluffy white duvet. I was about to slip back into slumber when I heard it. Buzzzzz. Too loud for a fly or a mosquito. This was [...]

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Flora of France

Lavender season is almost over. Harvest season is just beginning. Who needs flowers when you can feast?

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Fauna of France

Anyone can post postcard-perfect pictures. (And yes, I will too.) In the past two days, though, I’ve been more interested in capturing critters.   Next post: flora of France

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Peeping at Tom

Eddie and I visited Lacoste in 2006. I found out Tom Stoppard lived here. I took pictures of his garden. I hoped to casually run into him on Rue Saint Trophime. I went home disappointed. Five years later, Tom has moved on. One of Lacoste’s local characters has a connection to Tom’s place, though, and [...]

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Foyer, doux foyer

Home, sweet home. This is my temporary home in Lacoste, France: I left my real home on Sunday with tissues stuffed in my bra to help me through the emotional experience of leaving Eddie and the kids. After many hours breathing recycled airplane air (three planes), wrangling suitcases (one large, three small), and enduring the [...]

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Here a fail, there a fail, everywhere a fail, fail

It’s been a busy week for me as I prepare for my Provençal adventure, and it has been a busy week for this blog’s eagle-eyed contributors. Apparently, it has been a tough week for those who write for public view. For example, Max found a syntax mistake made by a WTOC Web writer. “[This] has [...]

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Parlez-vous anglais?

In one week, this village will be my new home: It’s only temporary, though. The university that employs me has a study-abroad campus in the South of France. I was lucky enough to be selected to teach writing courses there in the fall. Here are the answers to the Top Five questions I’m asked: No, [...]

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