Guest post: Life in the village by J. Starr

A dear friend from Portland, came to visit me in Paris and Noyers. This was her first time in my village, which allowed me to see it anew through her eyes. Here is her take on the experience... 

Guest blog post by J. Starr:

"I had a sense of preparation for a love to come like the extension of canopies, the unrolling of ceremonial carpets, as if I must first create a marvelous world in which to house it, in which to receive adequately this guest of honor" ~Anais Nin. 

Life in The Village at Jules's
drinking pink bubbles on the stone patio
the sound of pigeons cooing on the roof
the church bell ringing
gazing at the bright stars from my bed while drifting to sleep
the morning light and birds singing as an alarm clock 
tulips on the cusp of blooming
playing slightly naughty card games with friends. 
the worlds best croissants from the bakery that only makes them to order on the weekends. 
singing to Neko Case and Wilco while making homemade ricotta cheese and butternut squash ravioli 
baguettes in a wicker basket
running past bee houses
friends that live a few steps away and walk over in their pajamas for morning coffee. 

Thank you Jules for reminding me of the possibilities of adventure, the beautiful mystery of life, creating the world you dream, nurturing your soul, making your own rules, and wishes fulfilled. 

Medieval introduction

My mom came to visit and I introduced her to Bourgogne.  Before seeing it with her own eyes, she used to think it was bizarre that I was so drawn to a medieval village in the middle of the French (wine) country. Because I was always a "city/beach girl".

"Oh, I get it now, it's not as strange as it sounds.  I can see why you spend so much time here, it really is magical."- Mom

L'Abbaye de Fontenay church. This is where her photo-taking got out of control.

L'Abbaye de Fontenay's monks dormitory. It was designed to look like the upside down hull of a ship.

The boys were out of town, but were generous enough to share their house with us. Here is the view from the bedroom she stayed in at the boys' house. 

One of my favorite places on earth, the boys' wine cave.

Les Cave Bailly Lapierre, where you drive your car into the cave and can taste/purchase a variety of Bially Lapierre cremants. I stocked up plenty, as can be expected.

We also did some house hunting around the village. The house attached to the left of the village's back arch was one I had considered buying last year, alas did not--overpriced, with moisture issues.

La Porte Peinte center for arts, in the heart of the village. Always an inspired afternoon escape.

Mom had to take the requisite photo in the rapeseed fields of flowers.

It's not everyday that your friends parents are all in the same place at the same, time (Argentina, US, and England). Especially on Mother's day. So Carla, Julian and I threw our moms a surprise three-way Mother's Day brunch that ended in bouquets for the moms, and dancing. Pure magic.

Surprise

Surprise (Fr.)/ Surprise (Fr.) v. : To cause to feel wonder, astonishment or amazement at something unanticipated.

The word surprise is the same in French as it is in English. It's just pronounced differently. No matter how you say it, surprise was exactly what happened to my newly 40-year old friend earlier this summer.

His partner had covertly arranged to have his friends from all of the world come to their house in Bourgogne for a surprise birthday weekend bash. Lucky for them that their house can sleep upwards of 14 people because remarkably his friends arrived from all over the world-- from the west coast of the US to New Zealand.

Getting him away from the house for the day on Friday proved challenging, but nothing an all day wine tasting couldn't resolve.

While he was out the guests began showing up, complete with various versions of jet lag. Everyone then proceeded to take the element of surprise up a notch by wearing disguises. George Washington wigs, masks, scarves, etc. were put to task. The fact that we all began our own "wine tasting" helped in the costume creativity department.

When he arrived, we were all huddled into the candlelit wine cave out in the backyard.

He was instructed to "go pick an evening bottle of wine from the cave" (like ya do when you live in Bourgogne, France). He opened the wine cave door and BAM! I think his suprise was actually a blend of overwhelming joy and sheer terror, as he could not make out a single person. Alas the big reveal unfolded over the next hour-- one by one their identities were revealed.

The entire weekend was non stop laughter, story telling, impromptu cabaret performances, bonding, and wine tastings. Perfection!