A Beautiful White House Vegetable Garden....NOT

Don't you hate it when that happens?

I, like many citizens, was so proud when I read about the Obama's White House vegetable garden. Encouraged by uber chef Alice Waters, Michelle and her kids dutifully planted a huge victory garden at the White House. I was so encouraged by their gardening, as I am at our house where Francisco has put in a huge garden and has built a chicken coop. It's always just a little bit more complicated, I guess.

Today it comes out that there is toxic sludge in the soil, because the Clintons used a sludge-based fertilizer when they planted their own garden in the 90s.Readings of 93 part per million of lead means that whatever comes out of that garden won't make it to the Presidential salad bowl. Dóh!

I don't see why they don't just truck in a bunch of new soil and start over. But for now, it's sort of a secret, not something the Obamas will be releasing to the public.

How Much is Dinner in France?

I got an email from a reader named Janet. She asked me 'how many euros does dinner in France cost? What 'gotchas' should I be aware of? I answered her with some of the info below.

Janet i was just in France a few weeks ago in Normandy. Looking over my notes below are some ideas....there are no 'gotchas' in France, or in Europe. The tax and tip are included. you can leave a few euros but no tip needed.

In Rouen, a large city in Normandy, there was a really excellent tasting menu with three courses for 30 euros which included a huge cheese platter, you could pick from about 10 cheeses. That would be $41.00 per person.

In Le Havre we had Thai food and it was about 22 euros each. Lots of food, again no tip nor tax so that's it.

A seafood lunch of two courses on the beach in the same city was about 35 per person.

In Caen we had a nice dinner at a place called Boucherie Boeuf and Cow. Fois gras atop a filet of beef with potatoes was 20, a terrine de compagne was $6. A bottle of cold cider was 10.

At the Hotel Le Dauphin in Caen, we had tuna and duck dishes with strawberry soup and dessert with a bottle of cider and I think the total was about 74 euros for two.

In Granville, a lovely seaside town, we had bulots which is an appetizer of large snails for 8 and ate at a late night place for about 15 euros each. Mussels all over Normandy were about 10 e for a big plate and always came with fries. Not Freedom fries, mind you, French fries.

In Carteret a plate of 12 oysters on the half shell and two beers were 22 euros. Most delicious oysters I've ever had and the view of the fishermen was killer.

I hope this is helpful Janet, and I hope you enjoy your trip to France!

The Two Devices That Are Changing the Game

Here are two devices that I am sure are game changers. I've had my iPhone for a few weeks now, and beside it here is the new Palm Pre.

During my trip to New Jersey, while on the beach and on Safari, I was able to keep in touch, and it made the whole idea of going away much, much better. Not only do I love the email anywhere, but the way Apple displays the recent calls and the voicemails is better than on any phone I've ever had.

The Palm Pre has one thing about it that they trumpet as the killer difference: you can use more than one program on the web at the same time. I'm not sure that the average customer will appreciate that, but it does make it a little more useful.

Now Kent has one-upped me, though by getting the new Verizon Mi-Fi 2200. He'll travel with a cloud that will allow five laptops to get a Wi-Fi signal just by being near him. That has so many interesting applications, I can't even begin. Wow, technology is getting damn great.

Amidst Our Constant Rain, California Desalinates

I remember a friend of my sisters who farmed in Arizona laughing when we showed him our rain collecting tank. "With so much rain here, why would you possibly need that?" he laughed. We felt like we were doing 'the right thing' but the fact is our east coast water table is plenty full, unlike California's which is sucked so dry by thirsty crops like cotton and sugar.

After listening to relentless rain last night and over the past month, I read with interest about California's opposite problem, and how Governor Schwartzenegger has declared that water is the next big topic after the state fixes its budget problems. A story in the WSJ by Sabrina Shankman pictured Claude Lewis, the mayor of Carlsbad standing next to a seaside power plant. The plant next year will become the largest desalination facility in the Western Hemisphere, a foreshadow of many more plants to come as we come to grips with the shortage of fresh water.

In Saudi Arabia and North Africa, there are many plants like this. They shoot seawater through membranes at high pressure to create fresh water. Opponents don't like the fact that the giant intake pipes suck in lots of things besides water, like fish, crabs and other sea life. But nobody disputes that California has to find better sources of water than the dwindling Colorado and Sacramento rivers. To many, even expensive desalination is worth the big investment.

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Searching is Better When You Ask Facebook Friends

I have been carrying two issues of Wired around in 'the Abyss' as my backpack is known, and last night finally got a chance to read the July issue. Among a bunch of fascinating stories was a provocative piece about how Facebook intends to dominate the web and keep Google out.

The story by Fred Vogelstein begins with an anecdote about Larry Page becoming very upset when his bid to buy a stake in Facebook in 2007 was thwarted by arch-rival Microsoft. Facebook allowed the software maker to buy the small stake but said no to Google.

Vogelstein outlines a 4-step plan for 'online domination,' beginning with building critical mass by getting more and more registered users. They're now up to 200 million, and amass 850 million photos, 8 million videos and lots more info on their servers every month.

Facebook's intent, says Vogelstein, is to redefine search so that members will rely on their FB friends, rather than impersonal Google searches, to find what they want and navigate the web. The other goal will be to follow Google in selling targeted ads using the vast amount of personal information FB stores on more than 40,000 servers.

An FB friend today posted a warning, advising her friends to change the settings so that this information can't be stored by FB, or used to sell ads. But it may be too late. The story ends with a parallel...Google's first five years of life didn't even include the money-tree that is AdWords, they just developed a great search engine. It was only later that they, like FB, found out how to mint money by the ads.

Is FB going to be the Google killer?

The Music Man of the Jersey Shore

Aggie Roberts is the Music Man of the Jersey Shore. His ice cream shop on Grand Central Avenue in Lavallette packs them in seven days a week. While serving ice cream treats, a troupe of singers dances and clowns with the crowd for an hour of fun.

There’s nothing quite like it, and it keeps Aggie working eighteen hours every day of the short summer season. He’s been at this for seven years. They had 30,000 paying guests the first season, and in 2008 they saw 40,000. The combination of enthusiastic, talented singers and ice cream treats for folks on vacation is a hit!

Each year Roberts has more than 125 eager drama majors from colleges up and down the East coast audition for five coveted spots in his roster. Packed houses enjoy sundaes, ice cream floats and brownies slathered with chocolate sauce along with the rollicking cabaret. It called The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe, and it’s a hit with young and old, who fill the 95 seats every night until it’s time to “eat up, pay up, and get out!”

Earlier in the afternoon, the troupe puts on 4 pm Fairy Tales and they offer 5 pm shows too.

In Lavallette’s public library, the six computers are in use every hour they’re open, but a little secret is that The Music Man offers free Wi-fi and good coffee, starting at 8 am. Aggie said he’s open partly because somebody has to field the hundreds of phone calls they get from people who want to reserve for the singing shows.

Twilight at the Beach: Why We Came

What is it that pulls us to the shore? What is that feeling we seek, which makes us willing to endure traffic jams, exorbitant parking rates, being ordered around by beach attendants and sand in our sandwiches?

This.

It's that hard to explain, yet totally real experience of twilight by the beach. You've had a busy day, gotten some sun, and after a refreshing shower, you emerge to the deck, or the porch, grab an adult beverage, and soak in the ambience of the beach twilight experience. Whether it's on Long Beach Island in our rented whole-family beach house, on our grandmother Essie's porch in Edgartown, or here, in Seaside Heights, that experience and that beach twilight with family, friends, and anticipating a great seafood dinner that makes it all worth everything it costs to get here.

Giraffes Licking Our Car Gives Us a Thrill

This morning we watched giraffes lick the hood of our minivan as we drove through the Safari Park at Six Flags, about 40 minutes north of our beach pad in Seaside Heights.

The giraffes like the pollen that sticks to car roofs and hoods, and the people inside the cars like watching the giant necked creatures as they block traffic.

Six Flags was once called Great Adventure. The most prominent landmark here is a 450 foot tall tower that holds a looping track.As the photo at left shows, it goes straight up and straight down, achieving a staggering 128 mph on the long way down. Sadly, the structure was recently struck by lightning and so on our visit no riders were making the steep climb to the death.

It's an expensive proposition to make a day of this park, which a man in the parking lot told us is owned by the same guy who owns the Washington Redskins. You can find lots of coupons to save on the $89 combined admission price, or you can buy a pack of six admissions for $49.

But if you were a roller coaster aficinado, this would be a must-see stop. I mean, this many chances to defy gravity and risk death would be hard to resist for those who look for this kind of fun.

A Concert on the Beach on a July Jersey Night

A soft July evening, perfect for a concert on the beach. This was happening right across from our condo, these guys know tons of great songs and belted it out like they meant it.

The waves crash right next to the shore here, making it hard for anyone who wanted to ride the waves.

I noticed that there are many Hummers and Yukons here, vehicles that have been ostracized in New England are still cool down at the shore.

A Kids Delight in Seaside Heights

What could be more exciting when you're a little kid who has to go to bed at 7 to stay up way, way really late and go on all the rides you want while the ocean crashes just below? We took two little tykes and one little baby (who slept most of the time) to the Seaside Heights pier where they drank it all in with gusto.

Ride after ride, going around in circles, bumping around curves on mini-motorcycles, spinning in little blue huts, and at the end gorging on ice cream while the clock struck 10. The crashing symphony of this raucaus, tacky, cheesy amusement park put them in heaven.

Seaside Heights is quintessential Jersey shore; with the carny guy at the Casino Pier who promises to guess your weight, age or birthday (and spends more time deflecting people who want to hear the guess without paying the three bucks) ; and the Eastern Europeans who now man most of the rides on the pier. The girls had that surly, too-cool-t0-be-here look, refusing to crack a smile even as they loaded the joyous tykes onto the rides. Hey, they could be rich models some day. It reminded me of Long Beach Island but it felt more New York, less affluent, with more to do and smaller beach houses than the mini-mansions you see in towns like Loveladies.

What fascinated me and my fellow grown-ups most, though, was the Sky Scraper, a fantastically scary tower with two seats on each end. Two fearless souls would be strapped into these seats and the ride would whip them skyward end over end, spinning out there and screaming with delight/fear/absurdity. When one of the teenage girls alighted from the contraption, my sister Caroline and I had to ask...'what was it like?' "It wasn't scary," she said, an obvious veteran of far scarier rides at bigger, more modern parks like Six Flags. I couldn't stop watching that whizzing girder, and wondering what the hell it must be like being upside down way up there.

A night of fun, kid style, down the Jersey Shore.

In "Green River" Mass, Franti Thrills the Big Crowd

WOW! That's how I remember last night's Green River Festival. It was a beautiful night, with many friends, colleagues, aquaintances and fabulous music, all beneath a gentle summer night that ended with five enormous balloons being filled with hot air, lit up with their firestacks blasting into the nylon billows.

Michael Franti and Spearhead were all that my music mentor Joe O'Rourke promised they'd be. About as high energy and exciting a band as I've ever seen live. From the moment Franti took the stage it was non-stop audience participation, and the waving hands, jumping feet, and total attention focused on the tight band showed just how great a musician this guy is. Plus his band has to chops to do snippets of familiar tunes and then revert back to their own song, it was uncanny and enjoyable. They did reggae, rock and caribbean dance with aplomb.

The show was sold out....the lines snaked all the way down the long, long Greenfield Community College driveway. We ran into our friend Suzanne who brought us to her prime spot she'd staked out a few hours before, with a view of the stage. We stayed until the last song, and the only tiny disappointment was that he didn't play his song he wrote during the campaign. I know that his Barack Obama tune would have been a great big hit here in the fields of 'Green River' as Franti exclaimed. No we're not in Green River, but boy I was glad I saw that show last night!!

Cheyenne Rodeo Parade

Cindy's excited to be in the thick of the rodeo scene. Here's the parade in Cheyenne.

Cindy Guest Blogs from Wyoming: Rodeo Days!

Today is my first full day in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the gateway to the West. The city is abuzz because tomorrow is the first day of the Frontier Days Rodeo, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. This city of approximately 55,000 will swell to nearly 500,000 people during this annual ten day event.

More about that later, ....there is so much to see and do here, even before and after the rodeo...today we visited the Terry Bison Ranch, a working ranch located about ten miles south of Cheyenne.... but actually, two thirds of the ranch's 40 sq. miles is located across the state line in Colorado!

You'll find not only 5000 buffalo, but ostriches, llamas, trail horses, exoctic chickens, goats, fierce looking bulls, and several camels....yes, camels here in Wyoming! Senator's Restaurant and Brass Buffalo Saloon is reputed to have the best buffalo burger in the country, a campground, and a bunkhouse with 13 rooms for rent.

A few surprising facts about buffalo...these animals can run faster and farther than horses,....and 80% of buffalo are born sterile!

Cindy's Guest Blogging from the Rodeo in Cheyenne

Cindy is out in Cheyenne enjoying an all access pass to the Greatest Rodeo in the US. While she waits for the mighty George Strait to open the big festivities, the tourism folks are taking her on local tours. Here's a photo she sent of Bison at the Terry Bison Ranch in Wyoming.

After Five Years Away, Going Back to Green River Fest

It's been at least five years since I last bought a ticket to the Green River Festival, happening this Saturday on the lawns of Greenfield Community College. I remember this as an important event in the Valley, sort of a marker of summer. But I've spent so much time down in Holyoke I haven't made the trip to the festival. But this year is different.

I plunked down $45 for a ticket and am ready to enjoy the recreation of peace, love and fun that this mini-woodstock represents. The only thing I'm afraid of is that the forecast calls for rain. This brings me a distant faded memory of a photo I saw a few years ago of member of our camping party, standing underneath umbrellas at a Vermont campsite. Oh, I hope that it doesn't rain.

The festivals of years past were full of chance meetings with people I haven't seen in a while, fun chatting with vendors like my friends Sean and Darren Pierce, and lots and lots of good music. I dialed up the headliner, Michael Frante on the web, and his music is indeed infectious and fun. Let's just hope it will be as much fun if it's pouring down rain.

T. Boone's Still Serous About His Windfarm

Daniel Whitten reported on Bloomberg about one of my favorite oilman...wind-power promoter T. Boone.

"Billionaire investor T. Boone Pickens said today that he is delaying, not canceling, a $10 billion wind energy project in Texas." The so-called Pampa project will be postponed until 2013 when Texas is expected to complete a $4.9 billion transmission line, Pickens said in Washington today. News reports yesterday that he was ending the project are wrong, he said.

"I didn't cancel it," said Pickens, 81, the chairman of Dallas-based BP Capital LLC. "Financing is tough right now so what is going to happen is it's going to be pushed back a year or two." Pickens spoke after a press conference to promote legislation intended to encourage the development of natural gas-powered vehicles.

Pickens last year began promoting a national energy plan that relies on domestically produced natural gas to cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Electricity generated by gas and coal could be replaced with wind and solar power once the grid is improved.

His Mesa Power LLP ordered 667 wind turbines from General Electric Co. last year for delivery, he said, starting in the first quarter of 2011. The turbines, which can produce up to 1,000 megawatts, may be installed "in Minnesota or someplace else," he said. Or he may just "put 'em in the garage," he said.

At Harpo's Bar, Getting Ready for Trivia

I got out on the bike tonight, first time in a long time....and I thought about how if you don't jump when the call comes, you'll settle back into the lazy route. So roused as I was by Steve's promise to depart from his house, I set off and soon we were heading toward UMass in the soft light of evening in the summer.

Everything looked tidy on the back country lanes we pedaled, everything where it should be, nothing out of place. Yards which were getting a lot of attention. Then we passed one old farmer's house, shielded and mostly hidden by overgrown pines. There, in the yard and everywhere, stood grass covered junk; vehicles, tractors, equipment, and everything floating amidst overgrown grass, junk as far as you could see. I can only imagine what it's like inside this packrat's domain.

We rode up past UMass stadium, and noticed how the university has really caught on with its branding, good signs at every entrance to the place. On the way back down North Pleasant St., I saw we'd be riding right past the Harp, so we stopped in for a beer. They were getting ready for trivia night. It's a big part of the week here, they pack the place to read questions and offer cash prizes. Harpo writes the questions, too.

This is an honest bar where they serve Narragansett draft, along with Pickwicks and Guiness. Comfortable feel inside with lots of room to move around. Worth a stop!

The Boat Is Lifted Out of the Water by the Whale

We splurged and bought the Sunday NY Times yesterday. Splurged because it's all on my iphone, but my parents were visiting and they like that big printed copy. I read a fascinating piece about how whales are so well attuned to other creatures. The focus was different whales of the Baja, and a particularly hardy species called Gray whales. Despite being hunted down to just 1,000 animals, today more than 18,000 are swimming in the seas; this is the best rebound of any whale species.

The most interesting part of the story was a 1972 story of two fishermen in the lagoon between the Baja peninsula and mainland Mexico. A gray whale had been circling two men in a small fishing boat. then 'at one point she went directly under and lifted the boat out of the water.' The men were helpless, just waiting for the female whale to let them down. Then she came along side the small boat, and just stayed there, head popping out of the water, eyeing them. He reached out a finger, nervously, then then placed his hand on the big beast's side.
"As if basking in the feel of a grasp without malice,' the whale remained there.

Humpback whales have a technique where a group will begin herding prey, such as herring, by using a series of hunting calls, then one whale will dive below and blow out an intense stream of bubbles, pushing the fish to the middle, then the pod rises mouths open, to devour the fish.

Other studies have shown that sperm whales live in elaborately structured social groups, or clans, which are not related, but within each one are smaller, close-knit family units, with at least five separate clan dialects of clicks they make in a "Morse-code pattern." Other whales have learned to pluck individual cod off of a fisherman's line: And the big whales are teaching this technique to their young, so the current 5-10% loss of fish to whales will grow higher over time. Fish snatching is here to stay.

Venus & The Cellar Bar: Worth the Wait

The last time I wrote about Venus & the Cellar Bar, I got many comments from people interested in this new Easthampton restaurant. I have been wanting to go back and sample the cuisine, and tonight was a grand occasion to do so--my parents were visiting. Here is my earlier post about Venus with lots of comments

We ventured out into the rainy night to find our table full, but fortunately, we'd made a reservation, so in not too many minutes we were seated. The one downside to a place this small is that there is very little room in the regular restaurant for people to wait, just three seats in a narrow hallway. And downstairs in the bar, there's a little more room, but that's not too big either.

The food was really good...a nice mixture of fancy and comfort food. We began with an appetizer of Easthampton tomatoes which our waitress was kind enough to split into two plates. Biting into my first local tomatoes of the summer was a treat, and the goat cheese and balsamic a good accent. Main dishes included a plate full of veggies called a bulgar risotto...but that didn't begin to describe this melange of chickpeas, brocoli rabe, risotto, and many other vegetables. It made a good looking presentation on the plate. I opted for the poulet roti, simple chicken with vegetables, piled high with lots of jus on the plate with the crunchy asparagus and snap peas.

Service was attentive and relaxed....I just wish that instead of bringing meager slices one by one to the table they'd just leave the bowl of crusty bread. Besides treating bread like caviar, the entire experience was relaxing and fun...and not too serious. As people approached the maitre'd and he'd have to explain that there would be a 30 minute wait, I thought, hell, where ARE they going to go eat instead of waiting here?

Nobody is doing this level of cuisine in up-and-coming Easthampton, so I'm sure people will be happy to wait. The Cellar Bar downstairs is cozy and inviting, and in case a table doesn't get free in time, they serve the whole menu down there too.

I Always Admire a Persistent Salesman

I'm on the phone with a very persistent guy from Switzerland. He is trying to convince me that we should fork over $2 grand a month and he'll give us all sorts of content like video, news feeds and articles. The deal is that they collect all sorts of travel content and then offer it as a package to websites.

I was hard on the young guy, but he hung in there; continuing to push and ask questions and try to interest us on his ideas. I always like a guy who persists and believes in his product so much he won't be deterred. So I kept up with him, eventually realizing that they could spider our content so that we'll offer our articles to the other sites who pay for the service. It's complicated but intriguing; he kept trying to send us links to look at other sites but it was hard to find anything like GoNOMAD. Finally he showed me a site from Bangladesh...but it wasn't really anything like what he wanted us to set up.

It's a bright, beautiful morning and I've got our great intern coming in to go over new assignments. She's traveling to Montreal and we'll set up some tours and people to meet so she can write about it. It's a good day so far!

July, July, Will Summer Really Arrive?

Back into the daily groove, things feel good. We just might be past the season's unending, maddening rain, I'm thinking about a caprese salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil for Friday night. Here are the oysters we slurped up last week on Carteret Beach. Wow, I can still taste 'em!

Down the road looms a trip to the Jersey shore, which I am still confirming, but it would be a great story about visiting the classic beach town of Seaside Heights and the activities and highlights of the upper part of the shore, the part that doesn't get as much publicity as Long Beach Island and Atlantic City.

In the cafe, we've got a new bunch of videos playing on the display, fisherman in Carteret France, covering the infield at Fenway, and the market in Bricquebec. I enjoy having these slices of my travels be a part of the experience of the cafe, it adds to our travel cafe cred.

The Sox Sell Out, But Scalpers Left With Tickets

I joined 35,475 other Red Sox fans at the 503rd consecutive sell-out at Fenway last night. Despite the impressive record, I was surprised at how many desperate looking ticket scalpers greeted me along Yawkey Way. I held an extra ticket myself, and didn't think I'd be able to unload it since just about every other guy was mumbling, 'tickets, need tickets' as we scarfed down our sausage subs before the game.

I asked just one guy, who came along and said he wanted something cheap. A sawbuck later he was seated beside us in grandstand section 11. He only stayed for three innings, explaining that he traveled the country a lot and had visited twenty parks this year. I guess a July night at Fenway against the unglamorous Oakland A's was only worth an hour or so of his time.

It's been a few years since I sat face to face with the Green Monster, and I wasn't up to speed on the current traditions. They now include singing "Sweet Caroline" at the seventh inning, and bellowing YOUKKKKKK when chrome-domed Kevin Youklis gets up to bat. I was also somewhat alarmed at how many vendors were plying the stands, every other second a yellow-jerseyed young man would be either passing a drink or chucking a bag of peanuts to someone four rows up from me. And don't get me started on the prices...peanuts and sodas conveniently priced at $4.50 or $4.25 so anyone except Scrooge has to fork over the change to the vendor.

Bill and I agreed that we both preferred the mellow sounds of the old Boston Garden organ to the jarring rock and roll that comes on just as soon as the baseball stops. And the new tee shirt that Fenway faithful buy has the Shandell's line, "Love that Dirty Water" across the back.

Despite several gametime emails and a lot of photo taking and sending during the game, I did enjoy watching the sport of baseball in the world's most storied stadium. Big Papi slammed a double to center field, and ended up on the bag standing. The Sox won the game 5-2, and even the ride home was easier than I thought. Since Harpoon beers sell for a whopping $7.75 each, it was easy to only have one.

One Man's Way to Save the World

I read a story at the end of the day, handed to me by editor Steve Hartshorne. This is a great way to end the day, to read about Will Allen and how he thinks we can save the world. It starts with his 'small but remarkable' farm in the city limits of North Milwaukee. He grows a huge bounty of vegetables and raises livestock; goats, chickens, turkeys, ducks and bees. Neal Peirce wrote a column about it in the Gazette.

He advocates and has been successfully propogating the idea that urban, year-round indoor farming in greenhouses is a key to making it work. They generate heat in his greenhouses by composting. The result is heat that pours forth from the decomposing bio wood chips. coffee grinds and other trash. They sell fertilizer featuring the important handiwork of the worm, castings that are the most valuable part of the mix.

Fish is another food that Allen believes we should be growing like mad. Thousands of perch and tilapia live in the bottom layer of his green houses, in an interlocking system with filtering micro greens. An inspiring tale for anyone who ever wondered how self-sustainable we might ever be able to be.

From Solmaz, A Little Iranian Humor

It's great to be back to my beloved cafe and to GoNOMAD. I got a message on Facebook from another Iranian friend named Solmaz who I met while I was there. She has no qualms about posting controversial pro-revolution materials, as indicated by this cartoon she posted.

Funny, when I was there her and many others told me they never pay attention to politics and don't vote. I think things might have changed.

Shower Scene on Normandy Beach

Busted!

Cafe Life, Granville, La Manches

I wish customers could bring their little dogs into our cafe like they can do in France. Once again, it just seems more civilized here.

We are set to travel today--perhaps the busiest travel day in France, the start of the vacation season. We'll get an extra jump because my traveling mate gets nervous if we're late...Paris here we come!

Walking the Quays in Granville, Boats with No Water

We walked out onto the giant concrete barriers that provide a cushion against Atlantic Ocean storms and protect the pleasure boat harbor here in Granville. Even though it was 9:45 pm, it looked like it was about 6:30 pm, the barriers provided a long, long promenade from which to view the fishing boats, all stranded with no water at all on one side, and in the distance on a beach, people yelling and playing soccer.

We met a British couple who had come over on their BMW motorcycle on the ferry from Poole. It was their first time to Granville, and they said they agreed with us, 'it's lovely here.' We all liked our cheap ocean front hotel and liked walking on these big quays and seeing the strangeness of a harbor full of boats with no water.

Sometimes when you travel you go back to days of youth, places evoke nostalgia and warm memories of being here once before. Granville had that for me. That's why some people travel, to try and get back to that. But at age 50, traveling here to my beloved France, I have no yearning for youth, just more appreciation for being in the right place at the right time.