Snow day.....

Our possibility of snow turned into reality this morning when we awoke to about an inch or two of the white stuff on the ground with more coming down. The snow has continued throughout most of the day but temps have been hovering around the freezing mark so some has accumulated and some has melted. The roads which have been mostly a wet, slushy consistency will surely start to freeze over now that the sun has retreated.  It also seems that the hills above have unleashed a new batch of fog which is slowly descending into the orchards and vineyards below.

We might get a reprieve tomorrow but Thursday we may be in for Round 2 of this fluffy white stuff. Not much moves around in the area when the snow flies and these curvy roads get slick. If the sun pops out tomorrow it should make for some prime photo taking opportunities. It's been a hot cup of tea kind of afternoon and now I think its time for my 2nd cup. 

Tuesday morning - all quiet in the vineyard  

Tuesday morning - snowing and some fog 

Late afternoon - snow has tapered off  but now the fog is rolling in.

Brrrrrrr....someone is ready for spring....

Actually my first winter in France has been relatively painless although from all the reports back home it has been a very mild winter there. Only one snowfall here in the valley and that was no more than an inch which had melted by the afternoon. Mr Weatherman is calling for a chance of snow the next few days with lows in the 20's....I hope the snow stays in the mountains where they need it.

Sunday we jumped in the car (minus Rudy) and headed for Monteux where we stopped to pick up the grandkids Kiara and Naomie. From there a drive north to the small town of Beumes-de-Venise which partially gets its name from all the caves in the area.
The first record of the town is from 933 A.D. but the caves in the area were inhabited long before that. The cliffs appear to also have been chiseled into which would have provided at least minimal protection from the elements.

Sitting atop a ridge above the town are the remnants of an old fortress which we decided needed to be explored. We marched up through the winding streets which then lead us to a very small and overgrown trail that took us all the way around this ridge, but to only the west side of the ruins. Still, we were rewarded with some nice views of the town below.

It's amazing how many little towns and villages you can pass through when traveling just a few short miles. You can exit one village, maneuver around some hairpin turns and you're entering another with its own unique characteristics. Our trek Sunday was no different which means we will be returning to the area to explore some of the places we were only able to drive through.

Part of the cliff overlooking the center of Beaumes-de-Venise

No water flowing here...I'm not sure this old fountain and trough is leak proof. 

A small hole cut in the rock which I guess was for protection and possibly a good nights sleep 

Near the town center. The fountain on the left was built in 1639. 

A view from the top...or at least as far as we could go.

The ruins watching over the town on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

The weekend approaches....

Seems like the week has passed by quickly and the weatherman is predicting lots of rain for tonight and tomorrow. Another attempt at a mountain trip will depend mostly on the weather...rain here could mean snow in the higher elevations which would make driving treacherous.

I did miss 2 days of french class this week with yesterday being my only day in attendance.  Turns out the days I missed they only had class for half the day because of a lack of students. Yesterday was no different as there were only 4 of us that showed up. Seems that many are on vacation now and there has to be a certain amount in the class to continue. Hopefully next week will see a return to a normal amount of students in the class that will allow me to continue on my fast track to fluency in the language... :-)

There's hardly ever a time when we take off in the car that I don't have my camera with me. Usually when I'm taking photos I will also try to take some video as well. In late October of last year we descended on the town of Vaison-la-Romaine which has its origins even before the Roman era. The town itself is split into 2 sections connected by a Roman arched bridge that spans the Ouveze River. I've put together a short video of our afternoon exploring the older and "newer" parts of the town.

Have car, will travel.....

Photo from this morning on my way back from Mane. Photo taken between Mane and Apt. 

Another photo this morning out in the Vineyard. Feels like spring is in the air. 

Luckily my epic fueling blunder over the weekend did not result in a ruined engine. This morning I traveled with Alicia to Mane to switch vehicles and drive mine back to Villars. The mechanics flushed the fueling system of gasoline, put diesel in it and evidently it started right up. Alicia wasn't too happy with the outside of the car though. Seems that where we originally parked on Saturday had a nice, big tree towering over the car. Of course this tree happened to be a favorite resting area for a great number of birds and since the car didn't move for 3 days.......well, I think you get the picture.

It almost feels like spring outside today with lots of sunshine, a clear blue sky and no need for a coat. I would like to reattempt a trip to the mountains this coming weekend, minus any fueling mishaps.  Being without a car I have missed 2 days of french class and I'm sure I'll have alot of catching up to do tomorrow when I return.
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On Monday I received some very bad news from back home. Jenifer Youngblood, a  former coworker of mine at FedEx in Joplin lost her life over the weekend in a tragic automobile accident.
Jenifer worked at Fedex until about 9 years ago when she left to have her first son. Since then she and her husband Rob welcomed another son into the world and everyone who knew her knows she showered those 2 boys with a great amount of love and affection.

It is hard to imagine the amount of grief and sorrow Rob and those 2 boys are going through right now. I know they're surrounded by many friends and family and they will need that support in the coming days and weeks ahead. Jenifer or "Jen" as most knew her by, was only 39 years old.

Jen and Rob following the birth of their 2nd son Caden, with proud brother Tanner close by. 

Gasoline vs diesel....which is better?....

Saturday was going to be a good day. We got up early so we could get a head start on our trip deep into the Alps and possibly even make it to the Italian border. Once our gear was loaded into the car it was off to Apt where I topped off the fuel tank and then we pointed the car eastward for our mountain excursion.

About 40 minutes into the drive we made what was going to be a quick stop in the little town of Mane and then push forward towards our Italian invasion. Upon returning to the car I put the key into the ignition and the engine turned over easily but would not start. After several attempts at lift-off my mechanical know-how told me the engine was flooded.  No problem, we would just walk around town for 30 minutes, come back and all would be well. 

After our walk it was time for another try to fire up the Peugeot which sadly had the same results as before. Frustration was starting to set in when all of a sudden a thought hit me which I voiced out loud. "What type of fuel did I put in this car in Apt?" Immediately after this question I gave myself a very disappointing answer. "You just filled this diesel car with gasoline!!!" I should have known better but to my limited defense the gasoline handles here in France are green....in the U.S. the diesel pumps are green....I think. So, to answer the title to my post....gasoline is better for cars that run on gasoline and diesel is better for cars that run on diesel. This has been your fueling tip for the day. 

After trying to contact a couple of "24 hour" service stations that did not answer, we knew it would be at least until Monday before we could get the car worked on. Luckily one of Alicia's friends from Apt drove to pick us up and take us back home. Hopefully by Monday we will get some good news on the car and in the meantime our mountain trip and Rudy's invasion of Italy is on hold.... :-)

Outskirts of Mane - photo taken during our wait for that "long" ride back home.

This afternoon we took a little jaunt in my GASOLINE powered car up into the Vaucluse range. Just guessing I would say the temperature here in the valley was around 70 degrees with a few high clouds and a very blue sky. As we climbed in elevation the wind picked up and the temperatures steadily dropped. Of course we took some of those less traveled roads and ended up in the sleepy little village of Revest-du-Bion. You could tell this little village wasn't a big tourist draw like many in the valley we live in. Nevertheless it was a nice, neat and quiet place to walk around.....and take a few photos. 

Revest-du-Bion - If you've ever wanted to own a restaurant you're in luck...it's for sale!!

Revest-du-Bion - Most towns have water fountains with varying degrees and levels of architecture.

Above the town of Rustrel just starting our drive into the Vaucluse range
In the upper left hand corner of the photo is a small lake that Rudy likes to swim in. 

A video test.....

I have posted a video that I put together quickly just to see if it could be done. If it  plays without any technical difficulties I will post more in the future. This video was taken with my Canon hand held camera, which in the right hands will produce some nice, high quality video...notice I mentioned "in the right hands." :-)

Taken in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse in late summer of 2011.

Update: The video does appear to be working okay. The window for it is fairly small on here but
you can double click on the window and it will take you to YouTube where you can view it in full screen.

A cold morning in southern France.....

Just got back in from a morning walk with Rudy out in the vineyard & orchard and there is a definite chill in the air today. A thick blanket of frost is covering just about everything in the valley as far as the eye can see. It has been a mild winter so far with only one snowfall which was maybe an inch or so where we live. I am looking forward to the warmer temperatures when spring finally decides to arrive as it will be my first spring in France. I've seen many photos of the fields of lavender and I'm ready to experience them in reality.....should make for some very colorful photos too....I hope.

Alot of my time lately has been my ongoing efforts to learn the language which has truly been, and will continue to be a great challenge for me. Days not spent in the classroom will find me going over what we learned in class and then going over it again...and again...and again. For me, repetition is the key because if I don't go over what I've learned numerous times I will soon forget it. I think I'm going to have to push back my goal of being fluent in French by the end of the week... :-)

I haven't been able to take many photos the last few days but I still have my huge vault of photos taken since my arrival in August of last year. A small village that we traveled to in late summer of last year is also one we will visit again in the spring.

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is a little village situated beneath some towering rock cliffs which gives you the impression of being remote and isolated. There are many interesting aspects and visual treats when you visit this little river town. It is most famous for the spring that originates and flows from a huge hole underneath the cliffs in the northeast part of the village.

In the summer and fall this huge opening at the bottom of a cliff is mostly just a stagnate pool, but in the spring it is a constant explosion of water that comes from deep below the surface. The river it creates flows all year long and the water is clear and COLD!! As I mentioned the main pool is stagnate in the summer although water that feeds the river comes from other cracks in the earth nearby. I plan on a return trip in early spring to see the difference in the water flow which should be dramatic.

The river created by the spring runs right through the heart of the village and of course there are shops and places to eat for all the tourists who flock here during the warm months of the year. Look up on one of the cliffs above town and you can see the ruins of a castle which I plan to hike to on my next trip....I would take the elevator if they had one. 

The village center

The Sorgue River right before it enters the village

The source of the Sorgue River 

The castle ruins watching over the village below. 

Some riverside restaurants in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

A hazy day in the valley.....

A sunny Saturday here in the valley but with beaucoup haze. It's been one of those days where you can see the outlines of the Vaucluse and Luberon ranges from here in the valley but not much else. No wind,  some moisture in the air along with wood burning is probably the culprit. Not a good day for those wide landscape photos unless of course you like hazy looking photos. :-)

As it turns out this hazy day was a lazy day of sorts for me. I did manage to study some French and we did travel to Apt to raid the grocery store. It was also the day for Rudy to visit the veterinarian for his first ever French checkup. Turns out (which I suspected) he has an ear infection and a skin allergy. Hopefully the bag full of medicine and treatments we brought home will take care of his ailments.

We did have enough daylight left for a quick drive up into the Vaucluse range north of here. The roads are very curvy and the hills in this area drop off quickly into gorges. If you miss one of the sharp curves it will be a drop straight down about 200 feet or more in some places, with a definite sudden impact at the bottom of the gorge.

We made it as far as Javon Chateau which in my estimation is more like a small castle. It was built in the early 16th century and from what I have read it was used by the French Resistance during World War II. The chateau is still used as a private residence and has a great remote and picturesque location. It's one of those places that you would love to be invited in by the owners for a long and leisure tour, which unfortunately did not happen while we were there.

Chateau de Javon

If only these walls could talk 

Not your average 500 year old ranch style house.

Language adventures.....

I imagine just about everyone who has set out to learn a new language has experienced ups and downs when doing so. It's been the same for me with days in class where I think I'm making good progress and then other days when I feel like I've run into a brick wall.

I had seemingly been moving forward in a positive direction when the French language gods stepped in as if to say, "Not so fast Jeff!!" The last couple of days in class we got more into French reflexive verbs in the infinitive, present tense and perfect tense. Those language gods have had a fun time watching me struggle with something that is probably much easier than I am making it out to be. They have left me battered and bruised, stumbling out of class at the end of the day....I know they are taking great joy in all of this... :-)

But last night I pooled all of my collective learning resources together in an attempt to get over this obstacle. Of course it didn't hurt having Alicia helping me out as we went over each tense and she had me write out some sentences to better understand each subject. By no means am I comfortable that I have overcome this issue, but today I have committed to working extra hard to at least getting a grip around the necks of these irritating reflexive verbs. Tomorrow when I walk into classroom I will smile and give a confident wink to those French language gods......and hopefully not stumble out of class at the end of the day.

Rudy, Alicia and I did get out of the house Sunday for a 2 hour drive just south and east of Apt. We decided to take some more of those roads less traveled that we had not driven before. After a quick stop just outside the town of Saignon (for photos) we continued up into the hills and we were surprised that we could clearly see the Alps in the distance. We continued on, curving through the scenic hills and valleys passing through a few very small villages along the way.

Rock cliff at Saignon - only the foundations of a fort or castle remains at the top.

Saignon- looking northwest with Apt in the valley below

Saignon - Mont Ventoux in the distance

Rudy decided he wanted to visit St-Martin-de-Castillon which is a small village just a few miles east of Apt. When Rudy is along for the ride we rarely take him into a village with us because of other people, dogs and cats. If we do take him into a village he must be on a leash because he will go into "discovery mode" and leave us far behind. When we are looking over a rock wall or fence of any kind he will also jump up and stand on his hind legs because he wants to enjoy the views as well. I could sense that he enjoyed his walk around the town....actually he dragged us around the village..... :-) I know he would like to do more of that in the future.

A very small church - St-Martin-de-Castillon

Rudy and Alicia enjoying the view - St-Martin-de-Castillon

Rudy checking out a new "friend"

Checking out another vista on the other side of town

A short weekend......

Here it is Sunday night and I'm wondering where the weekend went to. We were able to get out the past 2 days to discover some areas that we had yet to visit. Saturday it was off to the town of Manosque which is a fairly short 1 hour drive from here. The town of around 23,000 has existed for well over 1000 years with a nice mixture of the old and the new.

We walked the narrow streets of the old city which were busy with shoppers and sightseers. Included were 2 stops at Chocolatier shops (yes, 2) to fulfill our (my) craving for chocolate. I've never actually overdosed on chocolate but I think I came close after consuming more than my fair share of this mouthwatering treat.

Center town - Manosque

Get your specialty thé and café right here....(tea and coffee) 

The last weekend for Christmas lights.

One of the shops that lead to my chocolate overdose.

I continue to be impressed with the majority of towns large and small that we have travelled to. The center of the towns are full of restaurants, shops and a variety of other business's. Rarely have I seen an empty building or one going out of business. Not alot of chain stores in the medium to smaller cities and most of the vehicle traffic still passes through or very close to the center of town. Each of the shops have their own distinct look and design which at the very least gives me some photo opportunities....:-)

Mime - Manosque - This guy needs a little sun 

Center town with an "old time" sepia look. 

Our mountain trip....

Last week I tagged along with Alicia and Rudy as we made our furthest trip yet into the French Alps. As we headed east we meandered through alot of smaller towns just to enjoy the scenery. Our main destination was the town of Digne which I would say is one of the gateways to the Alps.
When we arrived in Digne we walked the streets in the center of town, stopped and had a sandwich and then to a nice little coffee shop before we continued our trip east.

Heading out of town we noticed many of the cars meeting us on the road were covered with snow and as we continued the mountains started to come into much better view. The weather also became colder with more clouds and even a few flakes of snow. As the elevation increased there was more snow on the ground and I began to wonder about the condition of the roads ahead. As luck would have it we started to run out of daylight or we would have continued our journey further into the mountains. By my scientific calculations we were about an hour or so from the Italian border when we had to turn back.

A little town we passed through east of Digne - la Javie

Next time I think an overnight trip might be in order so we can truly take our time and really enjoy the area. I might even try some snowboarding or bobsledding during our return trip.....Jamais!!!...which means "Never" in French. :-)

The afternoon sun shining brightly on the cloud shrouded mountain peaks 

A closer look through the telephoto lens 

The clouds seemed to form right before us...and they would not go away.

Happy 2012 to all.....

By now everyone has said their last goodbyes to 2011 and officially welcomed 2012.  Personally, 2011 will go down as a year of very big changes for me. At this time last year I was just recovering from another busy peak season at FedEx in Joplin Missouri. Then came a huge snowstorm that crippled the city, one in which we actually shut down for a day at FedEx.

But nothing could compare to the monstrous F5 tornado that devastated a third of the city and took 160 lives with it. Hundreds more were severely injured and many families lost everything they owned. It was destruction like I have never witnessed and hope I never do again. The city continues to rebuild and slowly but surely Joplin will recover from the physical devastation, but it will take much longer, if ever that the emotional scars will heal.

When I mention Micki Sayre most reading this blog will not recognize her name. Marla 'Micki' Sayre was a person that I had the privilege of working with for 13 years at FedEx as a fellow operations manager. On October 9, 2011 Micki lost the most courageous battle with cancer I have ever witnessed. For 3 years she endured countless radiation and chemo treatments and she never gave up hope. Numerous days when she shouldn't have been at work she was there....with a smile,  and no mention of the toll the cancer and the treatments were taking on her.

Marla "Micki" Sayre

She was the type of person who gave so much of her time to and for others....rarely doing things just for herself. It's still hard for me to imagine that she is gone, I still think of her as occupying the same office, always at work early and ready for the new day.....and of course always wearing that famous smile of hers. I could write until next week about the type of person she was and of course all the memories. Simply put, she was a wonderful human being....she touched many lives and the world is a little colder without her.....and her warm smile.