The French Connection

“Mon petit doigt me l’a dit . . . ” is the french expression to say “A little bird told me . . .”

In this case it was a little bird, to be sure.  As I settled myself to write these few words, the sun was setting over Aix en Provence.  I gazed inward toward the past few weeks and savored the warmth of the apartment heated against the winter chill. But a little bird, not the noisy pigeons, nor the magpies, but a little insistent voice kept calling from the trees outside the window. Each time I stopped to look outside a new wonder appeared. The setting sun pierced the storm clouds that had hovered all day above the city and created new paintings of light and shadow across the rooftops and landscape each moment I looked.  And finally, after putting away the camera and settling in once again to write, the bird cried out even louder “Come look!”  And there was a rainbow rising up the flank of Mont St. Victoire, piercing the deepening night sky, turning all the paysage to purple.  It’s at times like these I wish I were a photographer with a good camera.

Every time I get discouraged that the winter is too cold and the days too dark, some lovely experience pulls me out of the wintry gloom. Even the snow (yes, snow in Aix) lifted my spirits.

If you click on these photos, as well as any others, they’ll enlarge, to show you the snow drops gently falling into our garden.  It was a lovely way to start the day as I set off for another week of french classes as IS.

It has been COLD – “un froid de canard” – as they say – and the smallest amount of snow stops schools and traffic. But I’ve been a loyal student, attending french classes every morning for three hours.  And Ken has been a hearty golfer, going out to the course in rain and cold to practice. And SweetPea?  She reluctantly puts on her jacket to go for walks on the cold pavements.

But we are each finding our own winter rhythm, and I take heart that the days are growing longer and soon my dearest friends, Colleen and Renée, will be visiting., Colleen in March and Renée in April.  By then Spring will be on the way and we’ll have days of happy wandering.

All eyes are now on Ken as he enters his first competition, in Portugal, to join the men’s senior professional european golf tour.  We had a little send-off party to wish him safe travels and a fun few weeks of golf. Neighbors from our apartment building, as well as Monique and Dominique and Simone, joined us for apéros.

All ages, from Allessia at 7 yrs to Simone at 91 yrs., gathered to let Ken know we’re his cheer-leaders from afar.  His cheer-leaders up close are John and Darlene Smokoska, Ken’s brother and his wife who have flown all the way from Spokane, Washington to be with Ken in Portugal.  They arrived this morning and will stay until the end of the tournament.  What a brother!!!  John will caddy for Ken on the course.  They’ve played together since teen years, so John knows Ken’s game well, and is a wonderful calming influence.

Ooops the final photo is of Ken is sideways and I don’t know how to fix it. He took on the first tee of the course where he begins the tournament on Thursday, Jan. 24. But you can see him just fine, I know.

Beam up your good wishes – or send him emails at   kensmokoska@gmail.com. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Happy winter! Your friendship keeps us warm.

What’s not to love about a golf course that places a sculpture at its first tee saying (in french of course) OUI  or  YES .  After Christmas and before New Years, we drove two short hours to the southeast from Aix to try out Golf Opio Valbonne. Situated between  Nice and Grasse, it gave us a good opportunity to combine sport and culture.

Before settling in to play some golf, we explored the Chagall National Museum in a beautiful residential section of Nice, high on the hill above the Mediterranean. We paused first on the terrasse to have a cappucino and a snack, where we were entertained by a puppy running at full tilt on the grass beside us, carrying a precious stolen object (perhaps a chestnut), playing keep-away from his owner. This set the perfect tone for entering the world of Chagall who seduces one into a world upside down,  swirling with color, and full of irrepressible life. I have always admired Chagall, and I felt a personal sadness when he died in 1985 at the age of 98 years. Many years ago, at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, I was able to see his famous stained glass windows that miraculously survived the 1967 war. And now, in Nice, I could stand again in front of his stained glass art in wonder.

Having faced many losses and dislocations in his life, Chagall’s art resists stasis, rejects the limits of the “orthogonal” world of logic, and invites the viewer into a dance that moves more like a waltz than a foxtrot.

I’m grateful this new year for every expression of YES that enters my life. Chagall is a painter who speaks YES in a thousand ways.  My Aunt Ginny in Pennsylvania has been and continues to be my guide and my mentor.  Very early in my life she taught me the value of greeting life with YES. Now, at the age of 92, she embraces a life whose edges are softened by a fragile memory. She is full of wonder and often is delighted by the unexpected.

This business of navigating the customs, mores and language of a new country definitely requires a positive attitude – aided by a good sense of humor. It’s easy to sometimes feel quite lost, or embarrassed, or downright stupid. Lately we have had to learn the complicated vocabulary of dentisty (lost fillings, broken crowns) and of veterinary care (gastrointestinal upsets of the newly-minted city-street-urchin, SweetPea). In dental jargon, temporary fillings are called band-aids. The veterinarians we have met are miracle workers who even opened their doors to see us New Year’s day. Within a few hours SweetPea was already on the mend.

Despite our difficulties with speaking french, we are embraced, assisted, and appreciated by the people who live here. For this I am immensely grateful.

Ken finds admiring golf partners near and far as he explores new courses.  And these golf journeys take us to some very beautiful places rich with history.  He may soon be setting off for Portugal to play in tournaments that could enable him to enter the professional world of golf here in Europe. He has received much encouragement to take this big step.

Ken, SweetPea and I begin the New Year with lots of optimism.  Our experiences here in Aix en Provence, and in our travels through France, have brought us new friends, a good dose of humility, and an eagerness to see what the next day will bring. Are we grateful to be here? YES!  Are we grateful to you for following our adventures? YES!

Best wishes for 2013.