Tuesday, December 27, 2011

A canal barge in Champagne

This barge, moored near the center of Mareuil-sur-Aÿ in Champagne's Marne Valley, is actually a gîtes de France rental property. I think it would be interesting to spend a few days on the boat. I'll have to look it up to see what the details are.

Looks like a nice place to stay. The boat's name is "Of Clay and Water."

Yesterday, Monday, Boxing Day (what we Americans call the Day After Christmas), started out with a beautiful sunrise. I tried to take a few pictures of it, but I don't like the way they turned out. Still, I was looking forward to going out in the vineyard with the dog. Just as it got light enough to head out, they came. The trucks and cars. The drove out into the vineyard and parked, spacing themselves along the road.

That can only mean one thing: une battue (an organized hunt). The guys station themselves along the road with rifles in hand waiting for the prey to be driven up from the stream bed in the woods. Callie and I had to modify our walk and stay very close to the house. I could hear the horns and the hunting dogs barking over on the next road. We scurried around the edges of our neighbors' property and headed back into the safety of the house.

I worry about a stray deer jumping out in front of us and Callie chasing it into the hunt. So far we've been lucky.

9 comments:

  1. It's a shame about how the hunting limits your own freedom.

    I would love to stay on the that boat.

    And, Jerry and I used to have that same gherkin ornament. It's surprisingly elegant, but it didn't make it to Spain.

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  2. Walt, Hoseason's Boat company in the Norfolk Broads [UK Norfolk] expanded their operation to France a few years back... you and Ken can hire one of their cruisers to go holidaying on the Seinne and some of the canals.

    I can understand your concern about Callie... my Border Collie would have reacted in a very similar way [I think it's a Border Collie trait.] I managed to get mine to lie down immediately I gave a certain whistle... he was about four by then... it was very useful if I wanted to take a picture too, especially insect ones.

    And I've been sitting here watching the members of our local chasse arriving at the neighbouring farm... to hunt in this mornings fog!!

    Tim [not the wyf... but it's her laptop]

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  3. The new color background is a success--very readable, a stylish color, and nobody else is using it yet. I bet you start a trend.

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  4. Am enjoying the new colors, but liked the old ones as well.

    I saw a hunt like the one you've described in an old French movie, once. I don't think we beat the bushes like that over here, but I could be wrong.

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  5. I like the way Ken changes his font colors now and then, and this is a nice look on yours, as well. Is a new header photo planned for the new year/new monitor? :))

    Judy

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  6. I like the new background/text combo. Can you do my living room next?

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  7. We considered renting one of the barges on the Seine in Paris, but they're prohibitively expensive and rather small. I like the new layout.

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  8. Suchs interesting pictuers. Have a great new year.

    Angela

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  9. mitch, the hunting is seasonal (of course) and only on Sundays or holidays. It's not so bad, but sometimes the organized hunts take me by surprise. Thankfully, there are only a handful of those each year.

    tim, callie will sit when I tell her to, but sometimes the urge to run overrides. She's not had intensive training. :)

    carolyn, that's me. Trendsetter. LOL

    evelyn, they do it from time to time to thin the population of deer or fox when they get to be a too numerous.

    judy, we'll see about the new header. This is only my third in six years of blogging!

    chris, you'll have to get in line. ;)

    starman, I assumed they'd be pricey.

    angela, thanks! You too!

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