The French Connection

The French Connection is a journal of impressions and photos recorded during my year living in Provence, France, from 2012-2013.

The dislocation of language
October 3, 2012

To live in a new country, whose language is not one's own, is a dislocating experience. For long moments one becomes mute. For long moments one is regressed, scrambling like a toddler for words that are always out of reach….

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The beauty of Home
September 23, 2012

Can it be only two weeks since we moved into our lovely apartment in Aix? Establishing a new life and a new routine changes the experience of time. Every day is forever and exhausting; and the sum of a week,…

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At Home in Aix
September 9, 2012

Even if I had a camera ~ which now I do not, since on moving-in day it escaped the car to begin a new life with someone else in Provence ~ even the best camera (which this former, fickle one…

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Landed – for now
September 4, 2012

Well, SweetPea & I are happily ensconced in a spacious hotel room in the SouthSea area of Portsmouth, UK, about 25 miles from where the QM2 landed in Southampton this morning at 6:30 am.  We arrived by taxi, while Ken…

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Sailing, Sailing
September 1, 2012

QM2 arrival SweetPea & Karen enjoy the view  

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Our Ship Has Sailed
August 29, 2012

The goal of setting sail for France seemed so far away, even impossible, as we traveled 3,500+ miles in our CRV, packed to the rooftop, to reach the Queen Mary 2. France seemed like a dream from some other era,…

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Homes Away From Home
August 22, 2012

If home is where the heart is, then we've been at home in all of these 13 states we've crossed on our quest to reach the Queen Mary 2 by next Tuesday morning (August 28). Having crossed the deserts and…

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On the Road
August 13, 2012

No more counting . . . We've done the impossible . . . loaded all our essentials, including SweetPea, into the CRV and headed out of SLO yesterday, the 10 Aug., to begin the cross-country trek that will bring us…

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On Our Way
August 12, 2012

Edit No more counting . . . We’ve done the impossible . . . loaded all our essentials, including SweetPea, into the CRV and headed out of SLO yesterday, the 10 Aug., to begin the cross-country trek that will bring…

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Don’t worry – Be happy!
July 28, 2012

In 13 days we leave SLO. So what's there to worry about?  Just because we're leaving our home for over a year?  Just because we are driving 3,200+ miles across what is fast-becoming the great American dustbowl, with average temps…

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