Memories of France
We five gathered on the patio this morning before leaving Provence
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Headed Home
As I write this on my iPad, we are 30 minutes into our flight from Nice to Philadelphia.
Before we left Flip’s villa, we five gathered in a circle around my iPhone to record impressions of our stay in France.
Afterward, Pam used my tripod/selfie-stick to take a photo of sky, hills, villa, and travelers.
I was struck by how similar and how different our takeaways were.
What seemed similar was how each of us wanted to take in as much as possible each day, to make sure we didn’t miss anything about France, about being together, about overcoming challenges big and small, scary and ridiculous.
Two of us mentioned chapels—the Matisse Chapel in Vence for me and the Folon Chapel in Saint Paul de Vence for Darlene.
Deb described the textures and designs she saw on stone walkways and buildings. She plans to incorporate them in her art when she returns to Omaha and Sanibel.
Marie recalled the overwhelming sensory impressions of mountains, ocean, buildings, people, and culture.
Pam remembered how warmly Darlene, Deb, and I greeted her and Pam as they stepped out of Thomas’s taxi in Aix-en-Provence to join us for the last two weeks of the trip. “There was so much to be grateful for,” she said.
Pam created a shared Apple photo album which will comprise her professional-level photos and pretty good ones by the rest of us. They will make a good show when we’re back in Maine. Maybe we will watch it after a Chef-Noel-inspired French meal that I plan to prepare.
I admired Pam’s constant alertness to photo opportunities, a quality she said can sometimes be overwhelming. “We only lost her a few times,” Darlene remembered.
Two absent members of our pack, Sophie and Gidget, will be very glad to see us tonight when we return to Old Orchard Beach. From photos texted to us by Marie’s sister, we know they have enjoyed their stay at Aunt Caroline Camp.
“Squirrel” was our travelers’ safe word, for when any one of us felt afraid or needed to hit the pause button. After Pam and Marie joined us, the word never had to be used, except when we thought we saw a squirrel’s nest high in a tree yesterday.
“I want to know what our next adventure’s going to be, because we travel well together,” Darlene offered. I suggested somewhere in Maine. Maybe we rent a car like we did for our time at my friend’s villa.
Marie’s career of driving for UPS explained her assurance on hairpin turns and roundabouts in Provence. I felt proud to be her navigator, calling out the turns visible on the CarPlay screen.
Five travelers, five ways of remembering Provence. And five ways forward from an unforgettable time together.
Thx for sharing,Len.
Seemed like a memorable trip.
Happy Autumn!