But why, you may ask? (Part 1)

     I know there are those who cannot understand my compass pull, my desire to live outside the US.  There are many reasons I could give for wanting to live in France.  It is not so much that I want to get out of this great country (although there are aspects of life in the US that I find uncomfortable, even disturbing at times), but it is more about the desire to, as Francis Mayes says, "examine my life in another culture and to move beyond what I know."
     It goes back to those camping trips!  I remember one where one of my dad's friends told him about a cabin that his family had owned

for generations and showed Daddy how to get there using one of his forestry maps.  We got to our campsite and the next morning set off on a hike to find the cabin.  Did the guy say how many generations ago??!!  Oh my!!  There were rusted bed springs but no mattress, cabinets with doors off the hinges, a wasps nest in one corner and spider webs everywhere, old cans and tins which once held coffee, salt and other food items.  The windows were missing panes and there was dust and dirt everywhere.
     But instead of being disappointed after a hike of at least one hour (according to the memory of my ten year old self) my dad was fascinated by it all.  And as he slowly turned

and took it all in, I began to see it through his eyes.  The eyes of someone who could very easily be another Jeremiah Johnson, Mountain Man.
     I could see him imagining this dilapidated old cabin back when it was newly built and considered someone's "castle."  He explored every corner, blew dust and dirt off of the table and chairs and counters so he could examine the wood.  He opened each cabinet carefully and looked at it all with a sense of awe.  And so did I.  While it was not at all what we expected, it was a wonderful find, one we talked about for years.
     So you see, I come by this yearning naturally (perhaps genetically!): the yearning to see what's around that next bend or over that hill.  It may not be what I expect, but it will always be an adventure.  And France seems to me like an endlessly alluring adventure.  (More to come at a later date regarding life in France)
Thank you for joining me on this journey!  Merci!