Rain, rain, rain.....delightful dinner with American neighbors.......and moving day for Calla!

It looks like the groundhog saw his shadow in the US and predicts there will be 6 more weeks of winter!  Not sure what predictions have been made in France, but we are sure that we will see more RAIN!  Enough!  At least once in a while, we can go to the beach when there is a break in the rain.  The photo below is LOW tide at Port Manech which has the huge rocks that are not visible any other time!  Not sure how boats maneuver around the rugged coast here....dangerous!  But can you see the surfers to the left of the rocks?  The second photo is our port at the lowest tide we've ever seen!

Recent weather map for us and the UK !

Also, we were invited to dinner on Saturday night by the "other" Americans in the area.....we have decided they are the "Americans on the East side of the Aven River" and we are the "Americans on the West Side of the river".  Our British friends, Rod and Jilly, made it possible for getting us all together.  The dinner was a very French affair...with several courses...including cheese and soup!  Lots of work for Hank and Caroline.  We loved getting to know other Americans and comparing their experiences with ours.  They have two daughters in America (one actually lives near Calla in Virginia) and they have renovated a huge barn into a very modern, open space. It looks very much like an Arizona or New Mexico style...but not very French!  It is beautiful and they have collected things from all over the world.  Caroline has been coming to Pont Aven to run an art school for the past 30 years.  She is an art historian and she has some fascinating stories, including being a lecturer on a cruise ship in the South Pacific!  Hank worked in Boston for many years and finally retired several years ago and that is when they bought the house near Riec-sur-Belon, far out in the country.  We had a wonderful time, late into the evening.  I think Jilly and Rod found out what it was like to be with people talking about things that are not familiar to them....but we are learning a lot about British geography and life and love it as well!  

Here is a link to an article of something Caroline did in the South Pacific where Paul Gaugain lived after leaving Pont Aven...in French...sorry, but you might copy it into Google Translate....Interesting!    http://www.ouest-france.fr/la-fabuleuse-histoire-des-quatre-dents-de-paul-gauguin-1896590

.....or here is an article about it in English.....http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paul-gauguin-cruises-helps-make-new-discoveries-about-the-life-of-artist-paul-gauguin-242791781.html


Some interesting facts about the French language!  (from an uncited source)

• French is the official language not only of France but many other countries: Switzerland, Canada, Luxembourg, Monaco, Ivory Coast, and Niger
• French was the official language of England for 300 years
• It’s the official language of the United Nations (ONE OF THEM)
• It’s the only language other than English which is taught in every country in the world
• As many as 34 per cent of French people can speak English (HA!)

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  MOVING DAY for Calla
  
  
  Today is moving day for Calla!  After about 7 years in the same apartment, she's moving across the street into the 2nd building of her complex.  It is a newer and smaller building and the apartment is REMODELED!!!!!!  She said she'll have to figure out what can be put into a dishwasher!  I'd love to see it in person!  Exciting times for her!!!!! Yea!