Day 4 -- Making Art

Our first project was a "petite keepsake journal"

Back in March, when I knew I was going on this trip I started an altered-book travel journal.  I used a commercially made  5x7" blank book with various pretty artwork already on the pages.  

 In keeping with One Little Word, I had the beginning pages focus on what I wanted from the trip:

being mindful . . . 

 . . . telling stories . . .

 . . . mapping my journey

  

 And for each part of the trip I made a separate section with what I knew of the itinerary, maps, names of participants and space to add photos, ephemera and commentary.

So for the keepsake journal, I thought I would make it an autograph book.

First design the front and back covers, then brush melted beeswax on the covers.  I've done this before and got a bit cocky, thinking I knew what I was doing.  It resulted in very rough, streaky beeswax.  Oh well.  It goes with the ocean theme. 

 Next attach the covers to a piece of black construction paper, sew the pages in with ribbon (I used woad dyed rayon),

embellish the ribbon holding it together and viola!

the finished book.

 Inside front cover

who, what, where, when

After my new friends wrote in it, I added paper bits that reminded me of them.  For some I am still searching for that perfect image to embellish their sweet words.

Mon 6 Oct

Towns in Provence

lots of photos -- they take a while to load

Rognes

 Statue to local soldiers lost in WWI and WWII

Isle-sur-la-sorgue:

Menerbes:

If you want to know more about any photo, just leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Day 3 -- Flea Markets

I've been selling at flea markets for four years.

There's a cameraderie, a friendship that develops with the other dealers.  They are such generous people and one of the best things about being a vendor is the folks I get to see each week.

  Watching the vendors at the French brocantes made me think that it's possible these vendors have the same feelings about each other also.

In the town of Menerbes, we went to a vide grenier, which literally means cleaning the attic.  These are held yearly in villages -- it's a whole village tag sale.  One finds clothes, toys, furniture, books from book dealers, books a family no longer wants, and other treasures.  

 I purchased these beautiful cards of buttons and the gloves to sell

and a book to use in an art project.

The book, titled Le General Douraukine, apparently is a 19th c. tale of caution.  As the vendor shared the story, it sounded much like Dickens:  a bad man, who hurts orphans and in the end the orphans triumph.  I loved that the vendor wanted to share the story with me!

Is there something about book lovers which we see in each other?

Next the brocante at Carpentras:
I got the most amazing paper and other finds for collage and sale, but I was so entranced by what was offered, I got no photos of the actual market.  I know, I'm a sorry artful blogger!  


Last we went to a market written up in all the books, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.  I didn't purchase anything there, but the vendors allowed me to take photos -- so my favorite things:

 Beautiful embroidery thread

 Victorian White Linen Slips

and for my friend Shelby, a photo of exactly the sort of thing she sells.

Sorry you didn't fit in my suitcase, Shelby!

Sun 5 Oct

Day 2 -- Driving in France

This will be another post full of words and not so many photos.  It's not that I didn't want to take photos, but you've probably noticed it's not very easy to take a picture when you are driving.  Especially when you are driving an unfamiliar car, on roads that allow two-way traffic but is barely wide enough for one car!

Due to circumstances completely in my control, we got started late from the Marseille airport,  I met the women who would be driving with me and they are delightful.  We opted for a larger car, which came with automatic transmission, and began loading our luggage into the trunk.  The car was unlocked and we closed the trunk to make sure everything would fit.  All well and good, but the whole car locked at this point.  No problem, except I had put my purse, with the keys in the trunk.  Still no problem I think, I'll just go ask for their duplicate key, feel like a bit of an idiot and get the car unlocked.  Seems this car is from Paris, as the Paris office has the other key.  Someone from the equivalent of AAA arrives about an hour later and opens the car.  I am very sorry I didn't take a photo, as the tools to unlock the car are ingenious.  But the camera was locked in the car too.

Driving from the airport to our destination, La Bastide de Bonnieux is through beautiful, twisty, mountainous country.  If you have ever driven on the road from Santa Rosa up to Calistoga and then continued on the Middletown, you know what the road looks like (so, my husband, kids, and anyone who has ever gone to Camp Verdant Vales is visualizing it).  One would think this would be difficult, and the ladies in the car with me certainly did.  But it was like being home again and I had no problems.  It was helpful that no one was driving down as I was driving up though.

We have a GPS in our car.  I have never used GPS before and didn't think I would like it.  But in this instance, it was great.  It's possible that Lizette (we named her) took us on the more scenic route.  At one point I missed the turn and we found ourselves at a charming little outdoor restaurant.

View from our table

Another view from our table.

About an hour later we arrived in Bonnieux, our destination.

 This is the view of Bonnieux from across the valley in Lacoste.

 It is a VERY hilly town!

We spent a lovely time sitting in a cafe talking to a young woman from Toronto. My new friends  are also from Toronto -- very small world,

Tomorrow we drive a lot and go to brocants, vide greniers, flea markets@

Sat 4 Oct

Day One -- oh la la

This was a day spent almost entirely in airports!

It started Thursday evening when I went up to Boston for my flight.  Before hand my husband and son and I went out to dinner at CPK -- that was fun!  I got to the airport, had time to sit in one of the Boston Rockers the airport provides -- I know, there should be a photo of it here!  I tell ya, sitting in a rocking chair instead of the awful airline waiting area chairs is such a treat!  My flight left at 10:45 pm and it was uneventful.  I think that was the last uneventful thing of my day.

I flew to London's Heathrow airport, where they were having quite a bit of early morning fog.  Somehow, this caused them to cancel all sorts of flights.  Looking back the cancellations were pretty random.  My flight to Marseille was cancelled.  

There were no seats to Marseille to be had yesterday.  And the earliest they could book me would have been today at 3 pm, arriving many, many hours after I was s'posed to pick up two of the women traveling to the art workshop with me.  So, what's a girl to do?  Talk to the agent nicely and see how to get me to France.  I figured once in France, anywhere in France, I could somehow find my way to Marseille.  I had paid for a hotel room for last night, I had an agreement to meet L & C at the car rental place.  I was on a mission.   

The agent was able to book me on a flight to Nice.  The options were Toulouse (4 hrs away), Lyon (3 hrs away) or Nice about 2 hours down the coast from Marseille.  I was there a long time ago with my brother and have fond memories.  At this point I have moved from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1, only to be told I needed to return to Terminal 5 again.  So back thru airport security for a second time, and definitely feeling like a pack-mule.  At this point I'm thinking this sound like stories my sister told of her trip to Ireland with our Nana!  For them is was lost luggage, the Blarney Stone, etc.

The flight to Nice was delayed just a bit.  Enough so the buses and trains that might have taken me to Marseille have left their stations.  I have no idea how I am getting to Marseille.  I mention this to the woman next to me on the plane.  Turns out most everyone flying British Airways yesterday was negatively affected.  She says have them get you to Marseille this evening and don't take no for an answer.  Not my usual way, but ok.  At this point I am hoping that someone will hear my plight, and offer me a ride to Marseille,  Isn't that a movie with John Candy and a Polka band?

No Polka band, no need to hitchhike.  I gather my luggage, make my way to the British Airways desk, throw myself on the agent's mercy and am offered a paid taxi ride right to my hotel!  The ride was long, the driver was nice, I didn't have to slep my luggage another foot.  My room was waiting.

   

As you can see -- simple and small.

And wifi, breakfast in the morning and 

a hot shower with great water pressure!

Thurs/Fri 2/3 October