And now our future unfolds…

We drove like crazy people on Saturday, switching off every 1 to 2 hours, with breaks for the dogs, and arrived at our rental house in Lalinde around 7. It was raining much of the way, so sightseeing in the Alsace wouldn’t have been much fun anyway. Instead, I got to hear about how great the gas mileage from the diesel was getting all along the way (the equivalent of 40 miles/gallon for those of you who care).
Lalinde, France

Lalinde, France

The drive through the rolling wooded hills of eastern Dordogne was breathtaking and, luckily, the skies cleared up. Our house and the land it’s on has blown us away, exceeding our expectations. We have committed to staying in this house through the end of this year, so we’re anxious to settle in.

Our new digs!

Our new digs!

It was once a dilapidated barn, which the current owners made into a wonderful, warm home 25 years ago. They raised their girls here, then decided to move to a newer house just around the corner and turn these buildings into vacation rentals. There are two houses and we are in the bigger of the two and have exclusive use of the pool. There will be renters in the other house for 3 weeks in September, but otherwise we are here alone.
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We’re sitting in the middle of a 6 acre walnut plantation. It is so peaceful and the views are spectacular. There is tons of space for the dogs to run and they have smiles from ear to ear! And we’re only 1.5 kilometers out of town. It will be interesting to see how Theo adjusts to country life, as this is pretty remote for him. I grew up in the country, so this is like going home to me! He seems to be liking the quiet, coupled with the proximity to ‘town.’
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Walnut plantings.

Lalinde was the first English bastide town to be built and was founded in 1261. It is 20 kilometers east of Bergerac and sits beautifully on the mighty Dordogne River. We picked it as a base to explore the Dordogne (Périgord) region and assess its suitability as a place to settle. I will share more photos and history as we have time to explore.
So, welcome to our new home (for the next 3-1/2 months). Enjoy!
 Just a postscript on the cost of this beauty (since I KNOW you’re wondering). I suspect our average rent + utilities for the house will be around €1,900/month, including utilities, tv & internet. It comes fully furnished and outfitted.
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6 Responses to And now our future unfolds…

  1. Rhonda Hollingsworth says:

    What a wonderful place to spend time at. It looks so beautiful and green and love all the trees. I miss living in the country at times but Last Chance never looked like where you are now. So glad you get to live this wonderful adventure. Take care.

    • Cindy Loevenich says:

      So good to hear from you. The fact that it’s so green is part of the reason we love it so much. There’s some rain to condend with, but after living with the California droughts, it’s SO welcomed. I love that they don’t plant grass here, they just let nature take it’s course and the rain does the rest. I’ve longed for some ‘space’ around me for a while now, and this is perfect, as we can still walk to many restaurants, bakeries, butcheries, and stores.

      Keep in touch!!!

  2. Steve Wick says:

    Oh my goodness that’s SO beautiful and peaceful ! What a great find for your base of operations for the area. I bet Theo can adapt to the tranquility after all the years at nutty IBM. I’m sure all of your friends stateside are delirious with vicarious enjoyment, I certainly am!

    • Cindy Loevenich says:

      Oh Steve, we are sleeping like bumps on a rock. It’s so quiet, even the dogs sleep more soundly!!! And I have to report that Theo is taking to this retirement gig like a duck to water. I’m so proud of him. He’s totally chilled out. Let us know if you want to come for a visit…we have room!

  3. So let’s show them what our lives are like, let’s show them what the future may hold in store for them. This one was written by Sean Blane and David Rosen of Canada.

  4. Sybille & Wolfgang says:

    Bonjour Cindy, bonjour Theo,
    haben eure Reise aufmerksam verfolgt und finden euer Domizil sehr schön. Ihr habt sicher schon viel erkundet und wir hoffen, dass alles euren Wünschen entspricht.
    Bei uns ist nun auch wieder der Alltag eingekehrt und wir freuen uns auf unsere Reise nach Spanien in 2 Wochen (und dann in die Dordogne). Gestern haben wir den vorerst letzten Sommertag hier mit einem schönen Essen am Rhein ausklingen lassen. Heute ist Dauerregen und 15 °C niedrigere Temperaturen.
    Wir freuen uns, von euch zu hören oder zu lesen und grüßen euch ganz herzlich hier vom Rhein – Sybille & August

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