24. Les Buveurs d’Air In the second field trial, I asked that Marcel go last. I was still a bit gun-shy after being first in the field at the Berry event. People wanted him to show his best stuff, as I mentioned, and so were happy to comply. We got to watch all the other…

23. Le Jardin chez nous The FEDEX truck has rung the doorbell, and they are dropping off a dozen big, thin square boxes. Table pliable it says on the outside. Elizabeth is up to something. Her trips to the brocante have yielded lots of goodies, and I have noticed a great deal of—to be sure—very…

22. l’Éte en France Over the course of our marriage, prior to moving to France, we visited almost every region. For ourselves, or because Elizabeth was organizing trips for French Affaires. The one region we visited more than others was les Alpilles. Where we first went after meeting for drinks in Dallas, then celebrating Palm…

21. le Field Trial When you stop to think about it, much of life resembles a field trial. Entering fields that are strange and confusing, though bright with promise. Mistakes are made. Learning follows. My favorite French expression is c’est en forgeant, on devient forgeron. It is in blacksmithing that one becomes a blacksmith. The…

20. Marcel dans le Fôret Our pal Marcel comes from one of the finest breeding kennels in France. His nose is bigger than any other organ in his body, I’d wager. Knowing nothing about organs, of course. When we go into the Forest near 7 rue du petit Paris, out the track road to the…

19. Tayac-les-Eyzies One of the beautiful things about living in Courances is that Elizabeth has the most spectacular backdrop for French Affaires LLC imaginable. Also, a real plus is, no transatlantic flights from Dallas to Paris and back. So, she is in high cotton. Business is thriving. Our home is guest central. With the Pierres…

18. La langue française and la vie a Courances We are now moved in. Marcel is loving his new home and surroundings. Every morning, we rise, and after a coffee, he and I head to the chateau park. We have a big ancient key to the special entry door just down the lane. One of…

17. Nos Biens Arrivent Our things arrive from the United States. I’d say, at last, but the world of moving is one where you best throw away your watch and your expectations. You’ll just get angry. Movers have you. End of story. Though just one thing. They tried to tie things up at the port…

15. Born in the Year of “M” Wine-colored and taupe collar puppies have now had their shots. Arlette and Elizabeth have had several phone conversations (her accent challenges me and Elizabeth is the Queen of French). We are leaning toward wine-colored. He has a strong head. A big strong saddle of black on his left…