What's in the suitcase?

Whenever I travel to Duras, I always bring an odd collection of items with me. Things I could probably find there if I tried, but somehow I convince myself that they are just not available and therefore I must transport said items across the ocean.

I am already having giggle fits thinking about the TSA agent who finds this in my bag:

Yes, you have correctly identified this item as a plastic owl, or un hibou en plastique en Français. On a recent day in Beaufort, while scouring consignment shops with Luisa, I spotted this item and its bon marché price tag of $4 and the wheels in my head started turning. As I have previously mentioned a time or two, there are pigeons that regularly sit on the clocktower, and, doing what pigeons do best, they make a mess of my balcony. So, mon hibou and I are going to scare the s$&t out of the pigeons and (fingers crossed) they will go sit on the other side of the clocktower where there are no adorable balconies to decorate.

Of course I had to tell the owner of the consignment shop why I was buying the owl. This guy said he'd been in the antiques and resale business a long time, and heard a lot of interesting stories, but I was the first ever customer to buy a plastic owl to scare away pigeons in France. He liked the story so much he made me repeat it twice to other browsers in the store.

Well, lets hope my plan is successful. I'm sure there will be an owl vs. pigeons blog to give an update. Stay tuned.