Hoop Doet Leven is sold … and off for new adventures with her new owners
One does not truly “own” a 95-year-old boat. At best you simply take your turn with the boat, following in …
Category Archives: barging
OK, apologies for not writing
Here we are passing a lighthouse and a fully-rigged schooner on the Canal du Centre in Burgundy. Not quite. We’re …
Easing into France
Sure. Right. Everybody’s so depressed because the world is coming to an end. Iran. North Korea. Stormy. Blah. Blah. Blah. …
Oh la la . . . its that time of year again
Yawn. Stretch. Breathe deeply. We’re easing out of winter hibernation and updating our six years’ lists of Things To Do …
Leap . . . and the net will appear
We’re approaching the midpoint of this, our sixth summer on Hoop Doet Leven in France (and the Netherlands. And Belgium. …
On the road again
We’re at one week and counting down to our return to France. (Our actual return to France will be brief …
WOW. Hoop Doet Leven returns to her roots.
WOW. In all capital letters. WOW, I’m back in the Netherlands, back after three weeks home in Massachusetts. Back at …
The art of French barging
The aft cabin on HOOP DOET LEVEN is where the Dutch family – mother, father and two daughters – who …
Cruising beyond our comfort zone
The rain stopped. The sun shone. And we travelled as slowly as we could – which, on a barge is …
This year’s demi-tour (U-turn)
We are so fortunate this year. What with the weeks of torrential rains we’ve saved an absolute fortune on sunscreen. …
Cruising into controversy
The world is topsy turvy. Migrants fleeing war, famine and poverty are pushing Europe to reexamine its generosity. And morality. …
Ch-ch-ch-changes . . . maybe
Oh boy. Its that time of year again when thoughts turn to things French. Warm baguettes. Stinky cheese. Placid canals. …
On a Barge in France, the book, arrives
The book, On a Barge in France, is finally completed and available on Amazon. It incorporates much from the blog …
We’re not on the Canal Lateral de la Loire any more, Toto
Aaaah OOOOOOOO. Aaaah OOOOOOOO. The horn moaned out of the fog enveloping the boat. Fog so dense the boat’s bow …
Three fantastic reasons why you should never, ever brag about how the engine has never, ever failed.
Back in my newspaper reporter days one of the fundamental axioms of journalism was that things – fires, school bus …
Slow food. Fast food. French food. We’re back.
An entire winter is a long time to hold your breath. Especially this past arctic winter in New England. Walking …
We fought the law and we won. Sort of.
This has been the summer of being flexible, of rolling with the punches. And of things, as they seem to …
Going where no barge can go … by car
With some trepidation I surreptitiously checked out the guy standing on my right in the cable car taking us up …
Visiting Hansel and Gretal, French version
The two men stood outside Hoop Doet Leven’s wheelhouse. The older man had a full, gray beard and a grin. …
On the bachelor barge
They say the mind retains no specific memory of pain, specific in the sense that on your deathbed you will …
(Re)discovering America
We flew back to the United States on September 11. We know, not a propitious day for flying but, on …
Thank you, everybody in France
A year-and-a-half cruising the French canals and rivers, south, east and north of Paris. The cities, the history, the food, …
Wandering down the eaten path
Yes, we’re still in France. No, there haven’t been many blog postings from this summer’s cruising. Sorry about that. As …
On the boat and off the boat
What’s different about this summer, our second summer on the barge in France? Well, last summer was all about living …
On the road again … sort of
Hoop Doet Leven is all painted and pretty. The engine started instantly after its winter hibernation. We broadcast our departure …
On a barge in France 