First day musings sans pix

Ahhhh, finally sitting on my couch with a few quiet minutes to savor before I go to bed. 

It's always a long, hard slog to get to Duras, but ultimately it's worth it--always worth seeing the little distant gnome hat of the clock tower as you round the bend near Levignac, coming from Marmande, the rise of adrenaline as the car mounts the hill to the doorstep of the village. The squeezing of the car on the final leg up Rue Caesar Jauffret and then the empty spot in front of the cottage. Same thrill as last time. As always.

We settled ouselves in briefly, put on sunblock and floppy hats, then, like the sensible characters we are, we headed into town for what we now call our "attitude adjustment meal." The Chai and Rasade wine bar was shady in the afternoon so we chose a pair of glasses of rosé along with a platter of local charcuterie and fromage to snap us out of the lousy funk of long-distance travel that was weighing us down and making us cranky. The slippery duck sausage and the salty Pata Negra ham were out of this world and served to pry greasy smiles from our tight expressions. The wine acted as a lubricant, birthing the kinder words that burbled off our tongues. We ate, drank and suddenly the sunny, warm day was actually warm and sunny and breezy too, and all was forgiven and forgotten.

I was disturbed by the unchecked shabbiness of the potted garden upon arrival so found time to water, deadhead and groom the pots back to something respectable--more like me--and I felt much better when the job was done.

After showers, checked emails and some inventorying of the house, we went to the local Carrefour for some basic provisions, then decided to try Le Cabri for dinner, which is the restaurant just a mile outside of the village at the campground.

Our waitress Meghan was charming and kind, spoke both French and English, and was happy to have some American dialect spoken along with the ubiquitous British expat warbling. Her grandparents live in NYC, she said.

I had a salad with foie gras, bacon wrapped prunes and phyllo wrapped local goat cheese. Joe had duck confit with frites. All was simple, inexpensive and satisfying. Le Cabri is a great place to just be yourself. It's a campground so everyone shows up in shorts, with sunburns and cellulite, dogs and all else hanging out. No pretense here. Just casual, fun atmosphere and kind hosts.

It didn't get dark till 10:30, which was a total delight. If there's anything better than a summer day it's getting to enjoy more hours of one. Now I am tired.