The Wandering Walters

Boy, what a difference a day makes. Yesterday, we moved into another AirBnB (in Aiguës-vives) and it knocked the wind from our sails. The house had it's charm, but felt too isolated, too tired and worn, too dusty. The a/c didn't work, the propane tank for the gas stove was empty, and the windows were all shuttered making the house dark, musty and hot. How could we spend the next couple of months here?? Although I had numerous texts of reassurances from the host, I could still feel the shift... depression and dread starting to fill the space where excitement and enthusiasm used to reside. The host must have sensed the shift as well, because he texted that he and his wife were on the way to the house, driving from Narbonne (where they live), 30 miles away. They filled the propane tank, brought new towels for the kitchen, and batteries for the a/c remote. They were joyous, bubbly and gracious. They both spoke fairly good English (as well as Portuguese, French and Spanish). The...

Southern France has been experiencing record-breaking temperatures of late, more than 20 degrees higher than the average. Since our current Airbnb does not have A/C, we finally surrendered and found "a little vacation from our vacation rental" in Toulouse. We ran that little a/c unit from morning to night, and cocooned inside the little apartment for a couple days relief from the heat and humidity. We ventured out only to the front gate for Uber Eats deliveries. With the exception of taking Murphy to a groomer for a shave--this is no weather for his heavy coat. It figures that there was a market day happening just outside of the dog groomer's space. It couldn't have been easy maneuvering through the narrow, unknown streets full of pedestrians and bicyclists. I'm frankly amazed at how well Bill does driving in France, especially not knowing how to read many of the street signs. My hero.  Murphy is trying to stay cool - Speaking of driving...... we FINALLY picked-up...

France is having a heatwave, and the temps hovered around 100* today. The humidity makes the afternoons feel much warmer than even the summers in Arizona. But inspite af that, we set out to see the town of Foix today and it did not disappoint. After stopping at a pâtisserie for melt-in-your-mouth fresh baked treats, we headed out to explore the Chateau de Foix. With its 123 steps and steep inclines, this castle was not accessible for me, so I explored the attached museum instead, and Bill and Kim took on the rest. But, seeing this 12th century castle perched high on the jagged hills overlooking Old Town Foix, was well worth the trip in itself--despite the heat. And did I mention, our AirBnB--as with much of France--has no air conditioning?

Our offer was accepted on the house in Moissac! It's still likely to be a 3-4 month process before the sales transacton is complete. We've asked the seller to consider letting us rent the property in the meantime--fingers crossed. Our shipping container has just arrived and is being stored in Belgium until we are in our own home--so the sooner I'm sleeping in my own bed the more money we'll save. The current owners invited us back to the home earlier this week, and asked their english-speaking neighbors to join us--which made conversation much easier. And they extended their generosity by allowing us to come back on Thursday, so I could bring my cousin, Kim, on a quick tour while she is visiting. Kim arrived from Nebraska on Wednesday, and will be traveling through Switzerland, Spain and Portugal before heading back to the states. Bill and I love learning about France and what our new life will look like, but having a visit from a kindred spirit is really the icing ...

We are in Moissac (again) to tour another house. We had lunch in a little cafe on the square and while trying to find out more about their menu, the owner's wife came out to help (she speaks English). And while touring the house for sale, the realtor brought along a collegue who had studied in America, to help translate any questions we might have about the property. The patience and assistance we've received since our arrival has been abundent, and I hope to start a french language course as soon as we're settled, so I can properly thank each of them for their kindness. Everytime we're here in Moissac, I'm more convinced this town is where we should put down roots--and we may have just toured the home that could make that happen. There are some concessions that I'll have to make inside the house, but the backyard oasis will certainly make that pill easier to swallow. And, having the town square right around the corner and the train station 2 blocks away, would ...

What a week its been. After pushing back the closing date on the sale of our Arizona house, the lender determined our buyer had committed bank fraud--forging documents and even having an imposter pose as her Charles Schwab representative--so the whole deal imploded at the 11th hour. The full story is much more involved, but I'll spare you the details, because the twists and turns of this real estate transaction could fill a novel. Instead, I'll jump to the final chapter, which appears will have a happy ending. We are fortunate to have the world's hardest working realtor, and she had us under contract with another buyer by the end of the week. In much need of a distraction after our real estate roller coaster, we set out to explore the town of Castres and tour a house that's for sale on the outskirts of the city. The highways in France are crazy, narrow-winding lanes that require you to hug the sides of the ditch when cars approach from the other directiion. As a passe...