Striking off for France
With just a bit more than a week until we leave for four months in France on our canal barge …
Category Archives: france
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 …
Je suis célèbre
So while Sandra was off in Italy for two weeks painting clouds, I was painting the barge in a town …
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 …
We’re so sorry
The post-election question at breakfast today was “do we still fly the U.S. flag on Hoop Doet Leven next summer?” …
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. …
More book news
The print version of the none-too-creatively-titled, but nonetheless entertaining, ON A BARGE IN FRANCE is now available from Amazon. The …
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’re back, or we’ve left
We’re back home. Or we’ve left our new home. Its all a matter of perspective. Relativity is everything, as Einstein …
A somewhat cheesey experience
The River Doubs (rhymes with “dew” – has anybody French ever pondered whether there is any redeeming social value in …
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 …
Time for the eastward migration
Groundhog Day (or, as they call it in French, or at least in Quebecois, Le Jour de la Marmotte) came …
Doing the write thing
We drive into Boston every Saturday and spend three hours at the French Cultural Center in the Back Bay, Sandra …
(Re)discovering America
We flew back to the United States on September 11. We know, not a propitious day for flying but, on …
