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On a barge in France

~ adventures on Hoop Doet Leven

Category Archives: france

In a house in France (boatless)

July 14, 2022

With Hoop Doet Leven sold to new owners the beckoning call of the soon-to-be-eaten snails still haunts us. We returned …

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Hoop Doet Leven is sold … and off for new adventures with her new owners

August 7, 2019

One does not truly “own” a 95-year-old boat. At best you simply take your turn with the boat, following in …

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OK, apologies for not writing

September 11, 2018

Here we are passing a lighthouse and a fully-rigged schooner on the Canal du Centre in Burgundy. Not quite. We’re …

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Please vote

August 10, 2018

We’re working our way down the Canal du Bourgogne through Southern Burgundy at a snail’s pace. But, of course, French …

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Easing into France

May 12, 2018

Sure. Right. Everybody’s so depressed because the world is coming to an end. Iran. North Korea. Stormy. Blah. Blah. Blah. …

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Striking off for France

April 20, 2018

With just a bit more than a week until we leave for four months in France on our canal barge …

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Oh la la . . . its that time of year again

April 6, 2018

Yawn. Stretch. Breathe deeply. We’re easing out of winter hibernation and updating our six years’ lists of Things To Do …

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Je suis célèbre

July 20, 2017

So while Sandra was off in Italy for two weeks painting clouds, I was painting the barge in a town …

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Leap . . . and the net will appear

July 11, 2017

We’re approaching the midpoint of this, our sixth summer on Hoop Doet Leven in France (and the Netherlands. And Belgium. …

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On the road again

May 15, 2017

We’re at one week and counting down to our return to France. (Our actual return to France will be brief …

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We’re so sorry

November 9, 2016

The post-election question at breakfast today was “do we still fly the U.S. flag on Hoop Doet Leven next summer?” …

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WOW. Hoop Doet Leven returns to her roots.

October 1, 2016

WOW. In all capital letters. WOW, I’m back in the Netherlands, back after three weeks home in Massachusetts. Back at …

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The art of French barging

August 5, 2016

The aft cabin on HOOP DOET LEVEN is where the Dutch family – mother, father and two daughters – who …

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Cruising beyond our comfort zone

August 5, 2016

The rain stopped. The sun shone. And we travelled as slowly as we could – which, on a barge is …

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This year’s demi-tour (U-turn)

June 5, 2016

We are so fortunate this year. What with the weeks of torrential rains we’ve saved an absolute fortune on sunscreen. …

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Cruising into controversy

May 24, 2016

The world is topsy turvy. Migrants fleeing war, famine and poverty are pushing Europe to reexamine its generosity. And morality. …

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Ch-ch-ch-changes . . . maybe

May 2, 2016

Oh boy. Its that time of year again when thoughts turn to things French. Warm baguettes. Stinky cheese. Placid canals. …

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More book news

February 8, 2016

The print version of the none-too-creatively-titled, but nonetheless entertaining, ON A BARGE IN FRANCE is now available from Amazon. The …

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We’re not on the Canal Lateral de la Loire any more, Toto

August 11, 2015

Aaaah OOOOOOOO. Aaaah OOOOOOOO. The horn moaned out of the fog enveloping the boat. Fog so dense the boat’s bow …

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Three fantastic reasons why you should never, ever brag about how the engine has never, ever failed.

June 10, 2015

Back in my newspaper reporter days one of the fundamental axioms of journalism was that things – fires, school bus …

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Slow food. Fast food. French food. We’re back.

May 29, 2015

An entire winter is a long time to hold your breath. Especially this past arctic winter in New England. Walking …

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We’re back, or we’ve left

November 11, 2014

We’re back home. Or we’ve left our new home. Its all a matter of perspective. Relativity is everything, as Einstein …

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A somewhat cheesey experience

August 16, 2014

The River Doubs (rhymes with “dew” – has anybody French ever pondered whether there is any redeeming social value in …

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We fought the law and we won. Sort of.

July 27, 2014

This has been the summer of being flexible, of rolling with the punches. And of things, as they seem to …

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Going where no barge can go … by car

July 5, 2014

With some trepidation I surreptitiously checked out the guy standing on my right in the cable car taking us up …

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← Older posts

Recent Posts

  • In a house in France (boatless)
  • Hoop Doet Leven is sold … and off for new adventures with her new owners
  • OK, apologies for not writing
  • Please vote
  • Easing into France
  • Striking off for France
  • Oh la la . . . its that time of year again
  • Je suis célèbre
  • Leap . . . and the net will appear

Earlier posts

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On a Barge in France – The Book

Our book about barging in France, based on this blog but with lots of additional material, is available from Amazon.

Click the cover to go to Amazon

Never Again

The political climate in the United States is ready for a novel about how the Holocaust could happen in America. I just happened to have written such a book.

Click the cover to go to my author web site and to order the book from Amazon.

Ben’s novel –

Our son Ben also wrote a novel. One reviewer wrote, “Who knew that a novel about the return of a native for his mother’s funeral, a job as a special ed teacher, and unfinished business over a long ago drowning would be so damned funny? And bring wonder and discovery along with it.”

Click the cover to purchase a copy.

Marshview Boatworks

During the winter I build small rowing, sailing and paddling boats at a boat shed next to our house in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Click here for the boatbuilding web site.

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