This morning, May 24, I am sitting in our Basque chambre d'hotes in Bayonne writing while Tom is out running. This is the first city he served in, in Dec. 1968. He arrived in time to witness the baptism of Sr. Sorhaitz who became the third member here. She is now 90 years old and we are visiting at her apartment this afternoon. Interestingly, when Erin our daughter served in the Bordeaux mission 25 years later, she was invited to the Sorhaitz's for lunch. There she was shown a picture of some elders sitting around the same table and asked if she recognized any of them. She pointed to one and said ‘That is my Dad’. Pretty fun for Tom and Erin. One of the elders who taught Sr. Sorhaitz, Elder Fred Nelson, died this week of a quickly growing cancer. We visited him and his wife Rella last fall before we came to France. So grateful for that afternoon. Although we still feel young sometimes, we are old enough to be grateful for each new day and each new experience.
Yesterday, we skipped Biarritz and Tom and I went exploring La Plage de le Chambre D’Amour in Anglet. As we got out of the car, an air force jet like a Blue Angel, in delta wing configuration did a low level sharp turn over the ocean right in front of us. I knew it was a sign that this was my kind of place; rugged cliffs, German bunkers from the war, a lighthouse, a 41/2 km cement walkway, restaurants and stands. We sat in the sun sharing a lentil salad and baguette and let the ocean waves ease away the stress of cities and driving.
It has been marvelous travelling with Pres. and Sr. Schow this week. While they have been emphasizing ‘everyone everywhere’ referring to finding people and inviting them to Sacrament meeting, we have been teaching basic health. Nutrition—5 fruits and veggies a day, whole grains and protein. Cleanliness—apts., kitchen, especially hands (20 seconds with soap and water, one verse or chorus of Je Suis Enfant de Dieu). Digestive system and water absorption - constipation, hemorrhoids, diarrhea and the brat diet. Ingrown toenails -cutting straight across and soaking. Exercise - strength, flexibility and stretching. This is the most fun because we ask what they do with their 30 minutes every morning. We are not concerned about cardio because they all walk so far. They are surprised when the president and Elder Spackman can touch their toes, do planks, jumping jacks, and fancy stretching and all are invited to join what they feel comfortable with. Everyone who participâtes gets a toothpick for an extra treat like grapes, strawberries, or mango. Their real break food is an apple and nuts.
Tom and I have used this trip to find some charming little country gites to stay in just outside the cities where the zone conferences were. We took 4 extra nights in between to celebrate our up coming 53rd anniversary. From Lyon we drove along manicured, ready to bloom, lavender fields and discovered the inspiration for Van Gogh’s poppy field. Magnificent red. I had never seen a poppy field before. We stayed at La Ferme Rose just outside Moustier Ste. Marie (ma ville préférée) on the way to Nice, where we experienced a restored French apartment in the Old Town. Loved the ceilings. Outside of Marseilles it was Le Moulin de Sonnailles.
La Bluette, sat on a high hilltop over looking beautiful vistas. Our hosts were delightful as they showed us their little countryside house with a fully equipped kitchen. Unfortunately we had no food to cook. We ordered from them for our dinner and breakfast. Authentic cassoulet with white beans, duck, and sausage, and salad and bread on the side. When we went to check out the next morning, (our rooms prepaid) they only took cash and we did not have enough. Embarrassing! What to do? They gave us a card with their bank number so we could direct deposit. I thought them very trusting but it was the only solution we could think of. About fifteen minutes down the road we came to a town which accommodates many hikers on the Camino. It had a bank machine where we could withdraw some money. We could pay our debts without exchanging dollars from Florida to euros in France in a bank transfer. Back we went, but our hosts were gone. We tucked a note in their door explaining we had left their money in ‘la terrine’ on the kitchen cupboard of the little house which was still open. Lesson learned: carry some cash.
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