Plan B - The Art House

 We bought a house-!

In the south of France. 

Bize-Minervois. 

- In retrospect, that went fast.

Last year, sitting on the aft deck of Maggie May - month after month, watching the world deal with covid, it was clear that travel - as a sort of lifestyle - was becoming less desirable. 

We began to consider houses. 

All over the world, in fact. 

From Hawaii and Oregon to Laos and Thailand. 

Back to New Mexico. Various Caribbean islands. 

An old château. An olive farm. 500 year old stone houses. 

Beach houses. Glass houses. Tree houses. 

Eventually, we realized - we like it here. 

The boat is here. We have friends here. 

Why not - here? 

So I made a little book. (I'm always making books-)

I wanted to identify exactly which elements were important to us. 

Which were "needs" and which were "wants". I was very specific. 

As usual, I had a list. 

It took a LOT of searching - mostly online. 

We almost gave up a few times. 

But - it happened-!

Here's what it looks like: 

Even online, we fell in love with it. 

It's easy. Simple. A bit quirky. 

Unusual, but still - kinda French.

Just big enough. 

But - there's space for a music studio for Stan - and an art studio for me. 

Of course, compared to Maggie May, it's quite large. 

It's about 20 minutes from the boat. 

(Oddly, the boat has MUCH better storage! There are NO closets in this house.)

We're still in the south of France, between the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. 

The area is beautiful. 

Full of flowers and birds and markets.

Good food, good friends and wines. 

We're on the edge of the village, just below a pine forest.

Bize is a great little village - we'd stayed here once before with the kids in 2014.

A river runs through the village. 

The atmosphere is completely different from the Canal du Midi. 

After signing the documents in December, we had to wait 3 MONTHS to get the keys. 

We had NO furniture. No dishes, towels, linens, tools, containers. 

No house stuff. Nada. 

Starting again from scratch.

In March, we went into lockdown for the third time. 

About the same time we got the keys to the house. 

So glad we decided to get the house!

Stores were closed, but we could order things and have them delivered.

So - first thing we did was - put in a pool. 

Yikes! What a project. In May.

Cranes and tractors and what a mess. 

But - they started on Monday. By Friday - we had water in the pool. 

Okay, it's not really finished. 

They're all booked up over summer, and will come back in autumn to make it look pretty. 

Lay the stone surround. Finish the wall. 

However, it's fully functional, if not super attractive yet. 

It works. - And on hot days, man, it's great. 

In the last few years, there were some VERY HOT days on the boat. 

We DREAMED of - jumping into a pool.

Now we have one.

We're also gardening. 

That was the main thing we missed on the boat during the confinement. 

Not TV. Or a freezer. Not being on the grid. It was - puttering in a garden.

(Ice cubes came a close second.)

 The soil here is absolute clay. 

Terrible stuff and full of rocks! 

(How do they grow anything here?) 

But - plants seem to thrive.

We even planted tomatoes in May. 

By June, we were harvesting them!

Stan - looking for loquats...tomatoes in front.

Plus, in our garden, we have olive trees.

A plum tree.

An apple tree.
A loquat tree. 

Blackberries.

Figs.

Even banana plants.

And a "strawberry tree".

These are loquats. Who knew?

And a cat - who seems to think he (she?) belongs here.

So - it looks like Plan B is working out just fine. 

It usually does. 

Again - we got lucky. 

"Won't you stay - we'll put on a day? 

And we'll talk in present tenses..."

- Joni Mitchell

Three Odd Episodes in Spain

Adventure #1:

The Case of the Unpopular Rental

My first house in Spain became a rental house, since I wasn’t there often.

I had a local rental agent. It was in the town of Nerja, on the Costa del Sol.

The house was cute—beautiful views of the ocean, and the town was growing. 

But as a rental, it really didn’t seem to be doing well. 

The agent said it wasn’t a popular place to rent.
Every time I told him I was coming down to visit, the place stood empty.
(This was long before the internet or AirBnb.)

One time, without mentioning I was coming, I just flew down from my home in Switzerland for a weekend. I knew it wouldn’t be a problem, since no one ever rented the place anyway. I took my key and opened the door. A shirtless man with a beer in his hand answered.

“Who are you?” he asked, somewhat annoyed.
“Who are YOU?” I asked.

Well, it turns out the place was wildly popular, always full and always rented.
And I never received any of the money.

So much for my first rental experience.

PS: Yes, I did make a fuss. 

Yes, I did get some of the money back, after threatening to tell the story to the local newspaper. 

But - that was the END of renting it!

Adventure #2:

José Sanchez and the Stolen Toilet

During construction of that same small villa in Andalucia, I felt that the downstairs bathroom was awfully cramped. I mentioned it to the builder, José Sanchez, who didn’t seem to pay much attention. But my Spanish wasn't very good, so I thought maybe he didn't understand me.

The next day, I went into the house - and the bathroom seemed so much roomier!
- I couldn’t figure out how he had managed it - and so quickly!

Then I looked again.

It was only bigger because the toilet had been stolen.

My Spanish motorino - it worked - sometimes.

Adventure #3:

Impromptu Concert in Granada

We found a small guitar shop in the back streets of Granada.

They made their own guitars—Spanish guitars.

Stan picked one up and played a few notes.

The woman who owned the shop stopped what she was doing and disappeared.

She brought out another guitar, and carefully handed it to Stan.

A special guitar.

Stan played.

Soon, the whole shop was filled with people—other shopkeepers, neighbors, family—and two random Japanese tourists, all listening to Stan play. Some danced, some clapped in time.

Truly appreciating the music. One of those moments in travel when you KNOW- it's magic.

- The Japanese visitors probably thought this happened every day.

The Balcón de Europa in Nerja.

I had that villa in Nerja for about 20 years. 1980 - 2000, more or less.

In the early days, it was all farmland. Tomatoes, mostly. Donkeys carried the sacks to and from the village market. Roosters woke us in the mornings. The fishermen repaired their nets by the side of their painted wooden boats. The old women dressed in black, head to toe. No one spoke English. Life was slow.

Who would have thought that everything would become so popular, so modern, so international?

Everyone keeps telling us that - things change. 

But - we don't really understand it - until it happens to us. 

Sailing the Greek Islands - Santorini

Sailing the Cyclades

Stan and I join 8 others on a 15m Beneteau sailboat in Santorini.

We head out into the blue waters of the Aegean. 

Strangely, our skipper, Dean, we knew from the British Virgin Islands. 

He works summers in Europe - and winters in the Caribbean.

The others we don't know yet.

They don't know each other, either. 

Yes, most everyone is much younger than we are. 

As usual. 

But - it winds up being a great bunch.

This summer, the Greek economy is on the brink of disaster. 

No one accepts credit cards. Cash only.
ATM withdrawals are severely limited.

And only possible for foreigners.

There's an atmosphere of uncertainty.

With the boat, sometimes - we anchor.

More often, we pull into a marina.

We bring the boat in stern first, which is new for us.

It's high season on the Greek Islands.

On some days, we have to wait until a space opens up. 





Usually, I prefer the freedom of being at anchor.  It's quiet.

But being in port is handier for getting around the islands and exploring.





These days, there are probably more pleasure boats than working boats.
Tourism is a big deal here. 

Especially this summer, with the economic issues.

On our stops, we visit olive makers and distilleries.

Churches and ruins and monasteries. 

By local bus, boat - and mostly on foot.





Greek seafood. Greek cheese. Greek olives. 
We're always on the hunt for a decent bottle of Greek wine. 
(-a difficult quest-!)

The Greek islands are normally known for their fierce winds in late summer. 

However, when we arrive to go sailing, the wind dies completely. 

It's glassy clear and beautiful. 

But not sailing weather.

Plus, without the winds, it's hot. Very hot.

"The magic of the islands settled over us as gently and clingingly as pollen." - Gerald Durrell

We set sail from Santorini.

 To Ios - Amargos - Schinousa - Naxos
- to Mykonos - Despotiko - Sifnos
Folegandros (my favorite) and - back to Oia, Santorini.

The Cyclades.

After 10 days, dirty, sore and tired, we return to Santorini. 
Our Greek island sailing adventure is over.

I've always wanted to "sail the Greek islands"!
Channel my inner Ulysses...hunting for adventures.






Stan and I rent a place - a cave house (really!) just outside Oia, on Santorini.

Then - settle in for a week of unlimited electric power and running water.
On the grid. 

Unlike living on a boat.

The hills on these islands used to be fields of tomatoes, olives, grapes.

Now most of the water has been diverted to the hotels. 

It's VERY dry.

But it's still beautiful.

 The view is splendid. 

The temperature perfect. Quiet. 

A white cat is snuggled beside me, eyes closed. 

Neighbor women hanging out washing in the morning sun. 

Gorgeous sunsets, whitewashed walkways. 

Stan playing guitar. 

There's a nearby tavern for dinner. 

Outdoor tables. 

Low key and friendly. 

Or - we walk into Oia and shop for groceries. 

There are no cars in our part of the island.

The market woman has her son drive us home on our first day. 

"You have too much to carry!" she said. 

"My son will take you back. 

Finikia is not far." 

We do have a lot to carry. 
Water and wine, yogurt, pasta, cheese, olives - the usual.

But - I have NO idea what our "address" is! 

We just walked up tiny pathways. 

How to get to our house by car-? 

No idea! 

Tough times for the Greeks, but they're still friendly and welcoming to the many tourists who flock to the islands. It's easy to see why people have been coming here for so long.

It's dramatic and just so very thoroughly - Greek.

Other sailing adventures - on other seas:

The Grenadines - Again. And How this Sailing Stuff Started

Sailing the British Virgin Islands

And in Myanmar: 
Sailing with Sea Gypsies