Long time, no post. NOW we’re in business!

Oh dear, where do I begin?

No internet. We’ve been without an internet connection for nearly 9 weeks. The ugly Americans from Silicon Valley. WITHOUT INTERNET! After anxiously awaiting our long-anticipated Orange appointment on August 17, we had two really creepy guys show up to dig up the street and get our line connected. Then it still didn’t work. So we called to file a report and they promised a “latest possible intervention date” of Saturday. We waited. Nobody showed. We called on Monday morning. They said someone would be here. We waited. Nobody showed. I called my girlfriend who speaks French on Tuesday morning and pleaded my case. She called and ripped somebody a new one. A really nice, competent guy showed up later that day. We had a faulty box. Wouldn’t you know? That sweetheart left us a loaner and a secret code to be able to replace our bad box at the local boutique. Ahhh. Now we’re golden. Well, except for the sloppy wire draped over the front rock wall into our garden by the creepy dudes. Sloppy, lazy work. Period. But we’re happy, happy, happy to have fast internet once again.

To catch up, we’re still living in the guest house, but have enjoyed a few quiet weeks without worker-bees around. The pool is finished, it’s been hot, and we’ve been in it at least once a day. Neither Theo nor I have ever had a personal pool before. Perhaps it’s the novelty of it all, but we are really delighted.

As many people have summer homes here, we have thrilled in meeting more and more friends this summer. Seems that every few days, there is some sort of gathering, or party, or town event. It’s exponential—great friends have great friends. So much fun! We’ve also enjoyed having visits from old friends and are looking forward to hosting several more guests in September.

As far as the house goes, we just have a few more details to finish—baseboards to install, a couple more hardwood floors to stain, sealing of the tiles, still waiting on one last window, and kitchen granite counters and appliances. So close, but we’ll be so happy to have the team back on site next week to bang this out so we can move in!

Here’s a little photo show of the progress in the last two months:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This entry was posted in American Expats in France. Bookmark the permalink.

10 Responses to Long time, no post. NOW we’re in business!

  1. Anne-Marie says:

    Such phenomenal progress you guys!!! And glad to read you are making time to enjoy fun, fellowship and FOOD :).

    • Cindy Loevenich says:

      We’re very happy with the progress. It’s absolutely amazing to look back through the photos from just a month or so ago. Such a transformation. It’s gone from being a raw house to really looking like our home!

      But PRIORITIES are always Dordogne dishes, doggies, dunking in the pool, drinking, and doubling over with laughter…

  2. Bruce & Jan Adams says:

    What wonderful progress. Bruce & I are still planning to visit you in October. But since we’re holding out for a military flight we don’t know the exact date yet. But we’ll keep you updated asap. We are certainly looking forward to our visit
    Bruce & Jan Adams

  3. Bracey and Richard Tiede says:

    It’s looking great and I’m glad to catch up online with you. Some day we shall visit!

    • Cindy Loevenich says:

      Once we get moved in and I get back to a normal pace, I will continue with the garden. We have 11,000 square meters (around 2.7 acres) and it’s mostly all torn up now with the digging and installation of the new foss septic, gas tank, drainage lines, etc. Will limit my “high-maintenance” areas to just a couple of beds. We still need to test our well and see if it’s viable for garden watering. They don’t water landscapes here (not that there’s not plenty of water), it’s just not done. So brown in the summer and green the rest of the year. But we’re adjusting absolutely fine. Will look forward to a visit with you and Richard someday soon!

      • Bracey and Richard Tiede says:

        Wow, that’s a lot of property to care for. There are a couple of books that might be handy for you by Olivier Fillipi, nursery owner in Meze. They are available in French and English. The Dry Gardening Handbook is the first and is a great introduction to mediterranean (small m) climate gardening where you don’t water during the summer (like now). The second book is about covering ground with plants that don’t need summer water instead of having a lawn. His excellent nursery has a demonstration garden in the back and is well worth a visit. He speaks excellent English and is very very smart about gardening in the climate. Nice fellow. And the oysters in nearby Bouzigues are incredible! I don’t know if there are Mediterranean Garden Society members near you but you might look at their website to see if a branch is nearby.

        • Cindy Loevenich says:

          Thanks for these recommendations! I have no delusions about ‘landscaping’ the whole lot. We have tons of wonderful trees and bushes that are well established. I’ll just need a bit of water to get some patches started, like an herb area and a couple of special planting areas. Other than that, natural is the name of the game. We do have an amazing local man to help with the winter mowing, trimming, and cleanup. I will look for these books and will plan a visit with Mr. Fillipi. Thanks Bracey!

  4. Maria and David Hayes says:

    It’s great to see how beautifully things have progressed. Theo looks so happy and you sound so happy. We are finally back in our newly remodeled home. Send us your address, will you? We’d love to stay in touch.
    Fondly

    Maria and David

    • Cindy Loevenich says:

      Been meaning to call. Shame on us. Congrats on the completion of your project! Our new address is simply: Le Coudeau, 24150 Lalinde, France. You’ll hear from us very soon!!! Best.

Leave a Reply to Cindy Loevenich Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *