Le petit cours fills up quickly with the addition of deux velos, deux chaise, la table et trois chaise, et chose fleurs. We've also added a fence for The Ferg, so he can't make an escape. With at least four outings a day, we try to introduce a little creativity into where to take the lad.
My old neighbor Louise (of Thor, Roy, Jake and David) and family has now moved to the hamlet of Lesparou, but she tells me about some of the millions of tracks she investigated with her doggies and Jake in tow. In an effort to get Fergus the biggest bang for the buck, so-to-speak, I have been taking him out with the bike more and more. Since he can't reach the pedals or work the handlebars too well, he just zooms back and forth in his own four-legged drive, no doubt reinforcing his attraction as a tick-attachment device. A big thanks to Sally and Louise for warning us about this pest.
The other morning, on the lane around the Chateau, I looked up and noticed a tipi that I'm sure wasn't there a few days ago. For a few seconds I forgot I was in France. It's reasonably-sized, facing east, has good long poles, and looks well-pitched. A mystery to be further explored...
The circuit around Lac du Montbel is both a great mountain bike ride and walk. When the bugs are high, I imagine that I take on fewer in my teeth when on the bike. The map shows it's about 16 or 19 km around the lake, but I've not completed the route...yet. As I like to describe it, in places it's a rather narrow path divided by trees and complicated with a sudden dip or log or rock jutting out. I've yet to crash or fall, but the tension in my arms and legs at the end tells me it is far from a relaxing ride. The Ferg always takes time to take a dip---but only up to the belly line.
This morning, I ran into Strathern, a young friend whose parents run Velomondo bike rental at Lac Montbel in the summer. I wanted to ask him what he thought about the difficulty level riding around the lake. When he told me that he had done it 27 times, and the best time was about 1-1/2 hours, reality set in. I'll be lucky to finish.
1 comment:
The picture of the teepee reminds me of your adventures in Colorado (or was it Montana?) after you left Northwestern, Nancy. Everyone thinks Luke has had way too many addresses over the years (16), but I venture to say you've had nearly as many!
Lac Montbel looks lovely...good luck with the "circumnavigation project"!
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