Jack & Martine's fun & discovery of France's Dordogne Valley

Life in the slow lane ... is getting faster!

Jack Tobin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:19:47 GMT

I KNOW … THESE BLOG ENTRIES HAVE SLOWED SOME! But things move at a predictably slow pace, here at Rancho Escargot! Spring to summer has also been slow in transition, but the pace has quickened considerably with much to do on the home and social fronts.

We’ve been planting flowers & garden, planning & preparing for the commencement of major renovations to our barn, tackling a seemingly endless list of small projects, and getting together with friends who, like us, all seem to be just awakening from winter hibernation.

Village markets are bustling, and Vide-Greniers (village garage sales) are presenting buying opportunities on things we have to have ... others, we didn’t know we needed.


      ... more summer olives!                    quest for treasures!             maybe a new washing machine?

Our British friend, Venu, just turned 60; our Irish friends, Miranda & Keith, threw a great birthday party for him in their art gallery, Galerie Pomié.

Fiona & Martine present un gateaux         Keith, makes the hand-off ...         we all catered to the 'new' OLD GUY!

Our French neighbor, Valery, who is a good friend and a conceptual artist, was asked to do a garden party … which he pulled off by planting hundreds of balloons, each marked & identified as a vegetable or herb from around the globe!


   ZUT! it rained on the garden party    'no worries' for Rafael, Valery & Sophia         'Tomate Rouge d' Australie'
                                                         ... it's good for the veggies!

American/ South African friend & artist, Catherine Stock, had a great Vernissage (art exhibit opening) opened by the mayor of Rignac and a dinner where we met a very talented puppeteer, Adrian Kohler, from Cape Town who brought an incredible hand animated ape to entertain everyone.


          le marie et Catherine                                 le galerie                         Adrian's ape makes a new friend

Well, now that I feel just a little less guilty about keeping this blog afloat … à bientôt, Jack

St-Céré

Jack Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:54:10 GMT

THE CHARMING 9th CENTURY MARKET TOWN of St-Céré is less than 5 miles east of Rancho Escargot. Built along the Bave River it was defended by a series of castles, especially St-Laurent-les-Tours whose two towers look down a steep hill onto the village’s old tiled rooftops.

           (St-Laurent-les-Tours 12th & 13th century towers overlooking St-Céré)

St-Céré owes its name to the martyrdom of Ste Spérie in 780. Born the daughter to the then lord of St-Laurent, Sérenus, Spérie pledged herself to God at a very early age and when she refused a pre-arranged marriage to a local nobleman was beheaded by her own brother and buried on the riverbank. Later, a chapel was erected directly over her grave which became a very important stop for pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela and her crypt is still accessible albeit just one day a year.

Taking a coffee in the place du Mercadial surrounded by its middle-age houses or walking through the twisting village streets soaking up the history is a pleasure not to be missed.


              (place du Mercadial)                  (River Bave running through St-Céré)

By the early 15^th century St-Céré became a very important crossroads for trading merchants from Asia, Africa and Northern Europe and that tradition continues today with a very large open market here on every 1^st & 3^rd Wednesdays of the month ... we'll see you there!
à bientôt, Jack

Voyage at the Gouffre de Padirac

Jack Tobin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:59:13 GMT

MANY OF OUR CLOSE FRIENDS marveled at how Martine & I spent 17 years living aboard, our sailing yacht, Walkabout (some thought we were crazy … but hey, we loved the lifestyle!). Over the years our passion for being on the water gave us the opportunity to experience all sorts of nautical adventures around the world from Antarctica to the South Pacific.

But … the possibility of a little voyage down a river deep underground was something never imagined by us before moving into this special region of southwestern France. Just a little over a mile from Rancho Escargot is probably one of the most unique boating experiences we’ve ever encountered. The Gouffre de Padirac provides a spectacular entrance to a network of rivers about 300 feet underground and the opportunity to take a little cruise of about 1.5 nautical miles through a beautiful grotto and cave network.



The view up from the base of the Gouffre's main chasm gives you the sense that you are begining a journey to the center of the earth. Then, you continue to decend another 100 feet underground to the boats below!



Here is a link to more information about this incredible natural wonder: Gouffre de Padirac 360˚
It's certainly a must do when visiting us. Bon Voyage! à bientôt, Jack

CLICK HERE FOR 'RANCHO ESCARGOT' HOLIDAYS!

Shop @ Rancho Escargot!

Jack Tobin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:00:40 GMT

WE HAVE HAD A LOT OF COMPLIMENTS about the Rancho Escargot logo! So many, in fact, we thought it was time to open a little corner store:


We also know it will be difficult to compete with our neighbors on the block but we hope you will check the fun offerings at our new Rancho Escargot Art2Wear shop and for informative books on our area, French cuisine treats & music please visit ...
Rancho Escargot's Little French Marketplace .

Our entire team has been working on forecasting results for 2008 ...


             (Frankly, I think we'll have to count on you for our success! à bientôt, Jack!)

VISIT Rancho Escargot in 2008!

Jack Tobin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 09:43:08 GMT

WELL JUST BECAUSE we are one of the smallest B&B operators in southwestern France it doesn't mean we should not strive to have the 'best' one bedroom suite available in the Haut-Quercy!

You will notice on our blog's sidebar - just below the calendar there is a new link! Rancho Escargot B&B ... oui, please expect shameless marketing & promotion of our "Escargot Suite" to continue throughout 2008! Our new little B&B site features; more photos of the Escargot Suite, a local weather link, and for Escargot Group Fun - how we can assist your 'group needs' with suitable accommodations & fun.

Please remember with just the "Escargot Suite" in our room inventory ... it's very easy for us to be fully booked! We hope to see you as guests in 2008. SO BOOK EARLY! à bientôt, Jack!

S&M ... MOST FOWL!

Jack Tobin — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:51:08 GMT

S&M ... MOST FOWL! Oui, from a culinary perspective some consider Foie Gras the byproduct of a demonic relationship between sadistic farmer and masochistic duck or goose … but this is how one of the greatest delicacies of France is created:


                                     the gentle loving French Way                         ... and the alternate perception
Foie gras is one of the most popular and well-known delicacies in French cuisine and its flavor is described as rich, buttery, and delicate, unlike that of a regular duck or goose liver. Foie gras can be sold whole, or prepared into mousse, parfait, or pâté, and is typically served on toast or as an accompaniment to another food items such as filet or fowl.



The liver of a duck or a goose is specially fattened by 'gavage', a technique used by ancient Egyptians and dating as far back as 2500BC, when they began keeping birds for food and deliberately fattened the birds through force-feeding.

In America, the Foie Gras debate is raging! Here are two opposing perspectives from Chicago where its sale is now prohibited:

“Our culture does not condone the torture of innocent and defenseless creatures.” Joe Moore - Chicago Alderman

“Foie gras has been around since the age of cuisine. Some animals are raised for food. They’re raised to die.”   Rick Tramanto - Chef at “Tru” in Chicago

Well, who do you agree with - the Alderman or the Chef? Check out “The Truth about Foie Gras” before you decide.

Today, our little corner of Southwest France in the Haut-Quercy is considered Foie Gras ground zero! Trust me when I tell you that this whole debate against it … is not all it is quacked up to be! à bientôt, Jack!

                                      CLICK HERE for Rancho Escargot 2008 reservations and information

Rocamadour

Jack Tobin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:49:14 GMT

A 20 minute drive from Rancho Escargot takes you to the nearly vertical village of Rocamadour which has been visited by pilgrims since the 9^th century. In 1166 when the perfectly preserved remains of St. Amadour were discovered under the floor in front of its little Chapelle Notre-Dame, Rocamadour became one of the most important centers for religious pilgrimage in all of Europe. It is said, ‘St. Amadour’ was actually Zacchaeus - a tax collector in Jericho at the time of Christ – who was advised by the Virgin Mary to come to this location in

France

to live out his remaining years as a hermit.


       Rocamadour                       Zacchaeus                                        Chapelle Notre-Dame

Toward the end of the 12 century, Henri Courtmantel, aka: "Young King Henry", son of King Henry II of England & Eleanor of Aquitaine (and the old brother of Richard the Lionheart), plundered Rocamadour and stole its most prized relics including; a small statue known as the 'Black Virgin' and Rowland’s famous sword, Durandal. Ultimately, under pressure from King Henry II, he returned these relics to Rocamadour and they can be seen there today.

Over the centuries thousands have crawled up the 216 stone steps of Rocamadour's Grand Escalier on their knees to seek forgiveness & cures or even more harshly ... as penance for petty crimes committed.

   (Steve, Bobbi & Martine seeking forgiveness of sins!)

Rocamadour is a must on any itinerary into the Haut-Quercy!



à bientôt, Jack

CLICK HERE for Rancho Escargot 2008 reservations and information

Bonne Année

Jack Tobin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:50:24 GMT

      Bonne Année 2008!



   May all your troubles during the coming year be as short as your New Year's resolutions.
                       So stir the eggnog, lift the toddy, Bonne Année everybody!
                       We welcome your visit in 2008! à bientôt, Martine et Jack

                   CLICK HERE for Rancho Escargot 2008 reservations and information

Joyeux Noël

Jack Tobin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:51:43 GMT

MERRY CHRISTMAS et Joyeux Noël to you all. We are on the eve of Christmas here with a wonderful blue sky & white frost dusting the grounds & woods of Rancho Escargot. The fire is blazing in the fireplace, Martine is baking yet another batch of Christmas cookies and I’m reflecting on both friends afar and Xmas’s past.

Looking at old photos, I came across some that Martine took on her expedition aboard the sailing vessel "Dione" to Antarctica in December of 1981. This was a 66’ Bowman (fiberglass ketch) that she with three other crew members sailed from

England

. They rounded Cape Horn just before Christmas and headed directly to the Palmer Peninsula. During that period of Martine’s life she was a professional photographer and during that Antarctic summer of 1981 had the distinction of sailing deeper into Antarctica on a private sailboat than any other woman before.

Here are a few images from that Christmas at the bottom of the World ...

Martine named this iceberg - Escargot ... what foresight!

à bientôt, Jack

CLICK HERE for Rancho Escargot 2008 reservations and information

Le sanglier ... Wild Boar

Jack Tobin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:53:08 GMT

IN MY YOUTH, growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii, hunting wild boar was a right of passage and that boar coming off the spit or right out of our imu was oh, so ono!



Now, I’ve lost my taste for hunting any type of wild game but find myself, once again, surrounded by forests full of wild boar & hunters. It’s the middle of our boar hunting season in the Haut-Quercy and every weekend Martine and I awake to the bark of the hunting dogs in pursuit & reports of the hunters rifles around Rancho Escargot.



Hunting sanglier (wild boar) here dates back literally thousands of years and I think it would be difficult for me to communicate my abhorrence for hunting wild game to my neighbors considering they know all too well how much I continue to love eating it!



Life is so full of conundrums! Mon deiu ... Bon Appetite! a bientôt! Jack

                         CLICK HERE for Rancho Escargot 2008 reservations and information