Bonne Année 2011!

New Year's Eve 2007, Tesse Froulay, France.

Christmas in Normandy, 2007

In Normandy during December, all the small villages decorate with lights.  There is a competition to see which is the best. It's not only the business part of town, most of the houses are decorated as well.  There are tours one can book, to ride a bus to multiple villages in one evening viewing the lights.  I think they also have wine to drink along the way.  After all, it is France!

The Church at the top of the village of Beauchene.

Lighted arches mark the pathways in Beauchene.

Only in Normandy is there a still in lights for Christmas.  After all, Calvados is the apple brandy the area is famous for!

The Village of Beauchene has won so many times, they are no longer in the competition, but have the ongoing title of Best.  Our neighbors across the courtyard came over from England for the weekend, just to visit Beauchene.

La Sauvagere is a smaller village of 200 inhabitants that is totally decked out!  I think it won an award in 2007.

A horse running a mill stone to crush the apple for Calvados.



Penguins at the North Pole. 



A giant toy store on display in front of the fire department.

This year, there has been record breaking snow storms across Normandy.  I wonder if it has affected the light shows and displays.  I like to think they are still there and just as beautiful.

Christmas in Virginia, 2006

Harness with wreath hanging on a barn door.

Christmas 2006 was spent in Virginia, near to Colonial Williamsburg.  The decorations were understated, and made with natural items; boughs, fruit, grasses. 

Entrance to the Governer's Palace.



A fruit wreath, simple yet beautiful.



Neolithic Stones

One of our passions when we are stayed in France and Cornwall was finding the neolithic standing rocks. Stonehenge is one that everyone has heard about. But, it's the lesser known ones we really enjoy searching out.

In France, quite by accident, we found La Roche au Feis. The Rock of Fairies. It felt like the fairies did indeed live there.

Cornwall's stones were harder to find. Some we finally put the coordinates into the GPS and followed BIB's* directions. They weren't very well marked, leading us to wonder if it was a subtle means of protecting them. We found The Hurlers on an outing with Molly the English black and white collie.

The Dancing Maids took a bit more sluething, but worth it.

* Bitch in the Box, our GPS.

Hillsborough, North Carolina

We have been fortunate to have two stays in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Chris and Jeff have a wonderful house set in the middle of the woods. Their house felt like home the first time we walked through the door; the colors, the wood ceilings, the bookcases overflowing, and the wonderful "treasures". They have two dogs, Maggie and Blue and two cats, Felix and Tasha.



The first time we stayed, we soon realized we would need to come again. The area around Hillsborough, Raleigh/Durham is chock a box full of things to do and see. Lots of history, parks, a whole valley full of potters, and did I mention the Barbeque? Well, Carolina claims to be the birthplace of bbq! Slow smoked until it falls off the bones, then add the sauce, traditionally one with lots of vinegar.
The history part is pretty cool, too. During our first visit we went to a Civil War battlefield where one of Bill's great Grandfathers had fought. During the second visit, it was a Revolutionary War battlefield. Looking through their records, we discovered a relative of a friend was in the same regiment as one of Bill's relatives. We like to think that the two of them not only knew each other, but were friends, just like their modern day counterparts.

Looking For Misty and Stormy of Chincoteague

One of the more interesting places we visited while in Virginia was Chincoteague. Some of you may have read the Misty and Stormy of Chincateague books. I'd read the books, but never thought about it until our friends Mitch and Lillie came to visit. Guess where Lillie wanted to go? So we got out the map, plotted our route and away we went. Now if you ever want to go on an adventure to find some obscure place, item or even a stuffed horse, Mitch and Lillie are the folks to go with. They are tenacious, in a good way.

Chincoteague is on the little spit of land that is part of Virginia, but on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay. It is famous for it's ponies, whose ancestors escaped from a Spanish shipwreck many, many years ago. Every year, the ponies are rounded up, and made to swim across a small inlet, then the excess are sold. The rest are returned to the wild until the next year. Lillie had thought she might be interesting in buying one, until she found our how many thousands of dollars they sell for.

Arriving in the town, Misty and Stormy were everywhere. Books, movies, stuffed toys, jewelry, but we weren't looking for the imitations, we wanted the real thing! We were finally directed to a small house that had a sign, Museum. Mitch got out of the car to see if it was the real thing before we paid our entrance fees. He came back with a grin on his face!

The house was where the owners of Misty and Stormy had lived. The current owners had turned it into a museum and gift shop, complete with the stuffed Misty and Stormy. In the lot out back, was Misty's great, great grand son, still alive and unstuffed.

Hampton Roads Virginia

One of the main concerns when we are looking for a house sit is location. We always want to be near places that are interesting to visit. We were in the Hampton Roads area for nearly six months and still didn't see everything! Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, the NASA museum, the Chrysler Art Museum and a bit further away, the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond. Plus, all the many beautiful plantation homes, assorted forts and battlegrounds, and miscellaneous museums we just happened upon. Which ever way we went, there was something new to see and explore. If you have never been to this part of the US, you should go!

Hamptom Roads; Our First Housesit

As the time to leave for Northern Ireland comes closer, we find ourselves remembering past house sits, which I will share over the next few posts.

The first position we found through Housecarers.com, was for Janice and Erik, in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. We stayed in their beautiful house with their three cats, Mayday, Tasha, and Guinness, while J & E wandered the globe for nearly six months.

Pulling up in front of their house, Bill and I heaved a sigh of relief; it looked just like the pictures.




Janice and Erik must have been standing in the hallway, for when we rang the doorbell, it immediately opened. For a brief moment, we stared at one another, then we all seemed to speak at once. A Big Case of Nerves. This was the first time they had used a house sitter, as well as our first time house sitting for complete strangers. We had arrived two days before they were scheduled to leave. By then we had all calmed a bit. One thing which helped was discovering Bill and I knew Erik's aunt and uncle in Shingletown, CA! It really is a small world!



We dropped them off at the airport, ready for their big adventure. Then back to the house, to start ours! Time to get aquainted with the cats!
Mayday was the social kitty. She was getting on in years, loved to eat, both her own food as well any that Tasha and Guinness might leave, something we had to watch out for. Mayday was also, absolutely positive that everyone wanted he in their lap anytime one was seated. She was a Sweetheart! I haven't been able to find our pictures of Mayday, so will keep looking.
Tasha aka Zoomer, for her speed of light runs through the entire house, was the BOSS. If she wanted the sunny spot, she got the sunny spot. Back of the sofa? Hers! Top of the cat tree? Hers! Top of the computer monitor? Hers! Guess when you are gorgeous, with big blue eyes, the world is Yours!


Guinness was the lone male. He was shy, a picky eater, and at times didn't seem to know what to do with the two gals in his life. He made up for any problems by being loving, and almost apologetic when he had an accident. He was always happy to see us first thing in the morning, even if he wasn't interested in his food. Guinness also had the most beautiful markings we had ever seen. He was the color of a pint of Guinness with the most beautiful green eyes.