We're back from France and ready to face the rodents!
We vacationed in France for three wonderful weeks in May. I had never been to Europe, so this trip was especially exciting for me. We arranged everything over the internet, which offers amazing resources for trip planning. You can see some of those resources by following the France Itinerary links. We flew to Geneva (our flight was cancelled but we were successfully rerouted), picked up our leased car at the French exit to the airport, then headed out to see the French countryside. We tried to stay to back roads and away from cities, so our trip was much more relaxing and "French" than if we had driven freeways, stayed in urbia and suburbia. We also stayed in gites (B&B's) for the most part, which allowed us to meet real people. Our trip looped through central and southern France, including the Massif Central, Provence, and the Alps. We visited friends formerly of the Sacramento area. Karen got to visit her French family and a friend from her exchange student days. We hiked and ate and birded and ate and sightsaw and ate.
It's hard to pick out one particular aspect of the trip that was best, but I'd have to say that a real highlight was the food and wine. French cuisine is not my usual style, but it really is special. The French take food very seriously, both its preparation and its consumption, and the result is that you find good food everywhere you go. We tried to eat local specialties whenever possible, so we tasted lots of different dishes. The cheese, oh the cheese! And the wine! And the hams and sausages! We thought we were putting on big pounds, but we came back the same weight as when we left.
Now for the rodent part. Grrrr! The pesky little critters decided to take over our vehicles, which caused a fair amount of damage. The chipmunks packed the air filter of the truck full of acorns, which rolled down a hose to the side of the engine, where they started smoldering. We had to get that cleaned out and a screen installed on the air intake to keep them out in the future. The mice started to build a nest in the car's engine and on top of the gas tank, where they chewed away the insulation on the wires and caused a short. The car is still at the shop. Fortunately, insurance should cover most of the bill. So it's no more mister nice guy. I'm actively trapping the rascals in the garage now and doing what I can to make garage and vehicles rodent-unfriendly.
Other than that I've been back at work and trying to get the yard in shape for summer. I bought a boules set so I can play petanque, the popular French game. Maybe I should put in a real boule court.
Enjoy your summer, and keep those rodents out of your engines!
Terry 6/11/02