Great French Wine Blight

Beautiful, wonderful, glorious Montegut. We miss you again.

Our plan this year for May and June is to complete just one project, Josephs' bedroom.  Cousin Joseph called Montegut home for all of his 87 years. This is where he and all his siblings were born. Where his mother Francine was born and where her cousin Octave Dargeles was born. 

Octave is the link between France and California, that bridge on which we traveled to connect with Montegut. I have re-doubled my genealogical effort in hopes of finding some missing links to Octaves story. So far I have found dates and locations, but what I am searching for is the Story. Piecing the journey together has been helped along by our special friend and cousin Georgette Darees. Every letter sent from the Dargles brother was saved lovingly to chronicle the family's loss.

What made a young man and his brother even consider travelling half way around the world?

Where they courageous or desperate? Frightened? Adventurous? Those two young men may not have known but they were remembered every single day since their departure. The proof hangs in the Grandparents Room... we sometimes refer to it as the museum or the shrine jokingly, but the room is nearly the same as when the two  brothers left.

Here, cousin Therese shows me photographs of Octave, his wife Victorine and 3 of their 7 children. The photo was sent near the turn of the century to show the family in France how successful he had become in America. Photos this size were rare, taken in studios, expensive to produce and ship. Octave seems to have been a proud man, he worked very hard. He owned a successful Bakery in a growing city, he had a sweet, hardworking wife and a growing family. Well respected in the business community he even appears in a sort-of Who's Who of the county. We learned later that he wrote his own entry, probably not uncommon, it was full of self accolades and bravado.

Very early one morning Octave, Jean Marie and their father Raymond Dargeles drove the cow and cart to the nearby village of Rabastens to meet the train that would deliver them to Bordeaux to board the ship to New Orleans. 

I can imagine this scene (minus the rear-view mirror) on a nearby road might have been similar to the traffic Octave and Jean Marie encountered as they left Montegut  for the last time. 

The story is told that Octave and Jean Marie made the decision to leave Montegut as the result of the devastation of the vineyard in the mid-19th century. The tiny aphid known as Grape Phylloxera was probably introduced to France about the same time as steamship travel became popular. There is talk that this pest came from the USA. But it is tempered by the fact the solution also came from the USA. 
On our first visit to Montegut in 2003 we were warned "whatever you do, do not - DO NOT drink Josephs wine". Joseph coddle a few rows of wine grapes planted in the late 1960's and made "wine". We were caught off guard and a small glass of Josephs Wine was poured.... pure vinegar!! So a few years later we again were offered wine, luckily a cousin interceded on our behalf and asked "... is this your wine, Joseph?". He answered "oui... I bought it"... yes, it is a old joke, but this wine was at least drinkable!

There are no longer vineyards in Montegut or on any of the surrounding farms. We have a dream to one day reintroduce vineyards again to Montegut. 

But first we'll need to finish the renovations, the bedroom, the kitchen, the immediate gardens and the list goes on and on. Perhaps one day our children or even our grandchildren will take up the battle of returning Montegut to her previous vineyard glory.

And if you have, thanks for reading...

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Back to Montegut, this time prepared for more work.


Spring usually has excellent weather, a lovely time of year that offers a needed respite between the near freezing temps of winter and  heat of summer... spring, we are counting on you... please, don't let us down.

Our next undertaking will be to renovate Joseph's room. A very large bedroom upstairs, approximately 18 x 24 feet. One cousin told us he painted it when he was about 15 years old, that has been more than 35 years ago. Redecorating is not an undertaking taken lightly in these old french farm houses. Unless there is a structural issue, decor stays simple, classic and above all functional.

The ceiling was painted at some point, perhaps to hide water damage from broken roof tiles. The roof has since been repaired. The ceiling needs a lot of TLC and we will make needed improvements, just uncertain as to what those might be, could be stripping the paint or simply sanding and repaint.

This downstairs bedroom window shows the damage of poor renovation attempts. During the 1970's many stone farm houses were coated with stucco to modernize and repair exterior rain damage. Over time the stucco prevented the cement and natural stone stacked exterior walls to "breath". So, as the moisture built up it migrated to the inside of the walls, causing the interior paint to crack and peel and the wooden window frames to swell.  Needless to say stucco is no longer used on these old buildings. Currently the practice is a return to a very old technique, use a lime based plaster to repair the damage. I guess time will tell how this "new" method fares? I suspect our grandchildren will see the results.

There is a fair amount of damage around the windows in the downstairs rooms. It looks like a dreadful amount of work, but now it is only cosmetic. The target bedroom needs about a weeks worth of hard work, which will likely become at least 3 weeks total!

The wooden floor was in need of repair at some point. The make-shift patch cut from a tin can lid did the job! I like it, it works, it stays. Maybe a rug or maybe we will stain the wood like we did in the loft.

A couple of photos that show why we return, the potential in that hand carved railing! The wood is dry but very few cracks, the stairs are a little creaky but after 3 1/2 centuries it is in darn good shape.

A simple and effective front door lock.

The simplicity of design, the functionality of logical thinking and use of local materials...


Our little spot in France is still home to hard working farmers, the backbone and muscle that provides the delicacies that adorn Parisian tables. These old farms were self sustaining, the family garden is large by any comparison. Ours is about an acre, with loads of fruit and nut trees plus ample space for row vegetables bordered by a natural fence of berry vines and rose bushes.It has been a several decades (!) since the plum and pear trees planted by Barry's great-grandfather have been productive. At one time they were loved, the espaliered apple trees are proof, there are still 11 apple trees in the garden area.

We listened to stories, we read the books, we've seen the abandoned farm house renovations, we have seen the derelict buildings transformed into English holiday homes occupied a few weeks of the year and then left to stand empty.

We think we have everything  under control. Stay tuned, as you know nothing is ever what it seems.

And if you have, thanks for reading...

Building the Apartment - Project 2011

Doorway to the Apartment... and Project 2011

On the wall at the mid-way landing is the door to the back of the house. Directly below this part of the second story is the shower room and next door is the toilette, then the utility room with the water heater, washing machine and large chest freezer, then the large wine cave with an outside entrance to the breeze-way.  This second story addition to the  back of the primary home done in the 1940's.  It was primarily open space with one bedroom on the east end, for Therese.

Jean Darees,  the youngest son,  was the craftsman of the family, soon after the addition was completed, he planned out the space and built primary walls to make space for a bathroom, small bedroom and an area that we will use for the kitchen.  Just beyond the kitchen is another door leading to the original hay loft, located immediately above the breeze-way where all the Fetes are staged.

Coming through the door from that first photo, go back and look - I'll wait. Okay you're back, so coming up the steps there is a hallway. This is the view to the west, behind us are two rooms. The new toilette/shower room and Therese's bedroom, straight ahead is the kitchen and the loft, doorway just before the kitchen is our bedroom.  Note the single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.  The boxes of tile along the walls have been there since 2010.

This is a photo of the interior walls of the toilet room in the bathroom.  The French use terracotta bricks and wood that has slots to support the walls. The blocks are only about 3 inches thick and are roughly 6 inches by 12 inches.  Usually a grey coat of cement (scratch coat)is troweled on, next a finish coat of plaster then paint. 

Here is Linda doing the "Vanna White" demonstration at the interior wall in the kitchen.  To the left is the houses original outer wall, some 3 feet thick with scratch coat, it is now the interior wall for our kitchen. Again, with the single bulb at the ceiling! Definitely, need to work on the interior decorating!

This room is 5 meters wide and 10 meters long... BIG room! This is the view of the open end of the loft.  Notice the floor and the bottom edge of the opening are one in the same?  Great, for bringing in hay and grain but not so good for grandchildren leaning out to take in the view! Don't worry, we found a solution (I think).

Turning around, this was the view to other end of the loft, notice how the floor changes color? Look at the very cool little mini-Dyson vacuum cleaner.  No upright vacs in France - also no wall to wall carpet.  This little vac really took a beating. We used a large screw driver to scrape between every board, dislodging 200 + years of dirt and grime, and that little vacuum stayed strong load after load! Then the floor was stained and sealed. We worked in sections, to help us not get trapped. Plus, it was a real killer to bend over or crawl around digging out the dirt.

This is our Argentinian born - via South Africa - now in France worker, Ronald. Applying plaster to the block wall between the loft and the barn, he also did the plastering in the kitchen, bedroom, hallway and new bath.  I lost count of the bags when we went over 30.  First the plaster is applied, a couple of days to dry then sanded to the texture desired. 

Here is the opposite wall Ronald was working on, with, me DEEP in the sanding process.  Note the size of the latter I am standing on, seems french ladders are quite narrow.  The dust from this process can be found outside for miles and inside on every flat surface. With never a word about the noise and dust from Therese, Joseph or Jeannette who continued their life as if this crazy work happened frequently. We were still sleeping at Cousin Patricias petite maison in Bassoues, driving to and from Montegut each day.

Motivational shot: This is the view that has become the kitchen window. Looking north toward Villecomtal, it is traditional for the kitchen window to face north in this area of Gascony...we are told.

Again, for Motivation: I am jumping ahead a bit.  This is our kitchen sink/cupboard.  We found a gorgeous cabinet in a Brocante (used furniture-to us antiques store).  This china cabinet (you can see the upper section in the loft photos), with intricately craved fruits, was built in the Provence region.  The green and creme colored marble top was removed and modified to accommodate the sink.  Top drawers were also modified so are still useful.  Our English plumber, Simon was clever enough to use a very flat type collector and drain so we have nearly full use of the two cupboard doors. All the modifications were made so that we can return the piece back to it's original use.

To the immediate left is the cooker, a 5 burner, hot Italian unit, found in the discount isle of the local appliance store.  The center burner is for boiling pasta, but could also be used for a forge!  To the right of the sink is the clothes washer, then the dishwasher and refrigerator are on that side. All a perfect fit!

This is the "still nearly at the beginning" photo.We are still removing and finding storage for the accumulation of STUFF.  These two walls are original to the building and a metre thick. 

This cute little bed was in the bedroom, it's mattress was 2 feet thick and made of cotton wadding and burlap. Only a child could sleep in this little shorty bed.  I used the head and foot boards as head boards for two beds in the loft.  Linda did the sand and stain.  Wherever possible we used existing materials including re-purposing the furniture. 

We got so busy near the end of the trip that we took very few shots of finished work.  This is the kitchen with the Armoire (we're using this as a pantry) and kitchen table in place.  Notice the small cabinet with the basket on top.  This was a commode, yep, where you keep the chamber pot at night.  We bought it for only 10 euro at a Vide Greniere (village wide garage sale) solid inch thick walnut burl wood.  After a good cleaning and seal coat it now houses the propane tank for the cooker.  The marble top is the cut out left over from the kitchen sink project.

This sideboard/cabinet matches the one we used for the sink. We'll use this piece for a dish and cutlery storage cupboard.  The large dark door on the right leads up a few stairs to the loft.

We finished work on this interior project, all walls finished with plaster and paint!
All electrical updated and expanded for the kitchen and loft!
All new plumbing for the bath and kitchen, thanks to the forward thinking of Jean Darees there was a hot and cold water stub just below the bathroom floor that we were able to tap!
We also tiled the walls in the bath, tiled the floor and walk in shower!
Chandeliers are now present in the Hall, Bath, Bedroom, and Kitchen!

We had to open a hole in the base of the exterior wall for the toilet, kitchen and bath drains. We also upgraded the septic tank lids.   

There is one double bed and 3 single beds in the loft.  A double bed in the bedroom with matching armoire. A kitchen table plus a game table in the loft with two comfy chairs.  Also in the loft we found another antique bed that I converted into a sofa.  For that one of a kind piece, we still need to cut the foam and cover it, but all in good time.

Ronald did a great job on the walls and the bathroom wall tile, plus he removed and replaced about 1/3 of the floor in the loft.  Our plumber Simon also was very good and the electrician Maurice excellent, not cheap but really good. We felt in good hands with the tradesmen!

The Montegut apartment is complete! There are still little odds and ends to finish up... but, that is for another trip. To celebrate it's completion cousine Georgette, Therese and Joseph surprised us with a lovely bottle of Champagne! And just to be absolutely sure, we enjoyed a very special evening with cousins Odile and JP. Now we truly fell like we live in Montegut!

And if you have been... thanks for reading.

Au revoir Joseph

Joseph Darees

This is a photo of Joseph behind the house on his way back from a visit to the neighbor.  Joseph died earlier this spring, he was in his late 80's.  He was born in what we call the grandparents room and died in his own room next door. The grandparents room has been kept as almost a shrine, furniture is in the same position photos hang just as they were in the1890's.  His mother was a Dargeles - just like mine. 

Here we are with Joseph in 2010 when we replaced Linda's favorite gate (lower left).  Joseph seemed to simply pop up everywhere when we were in the thick of  major work projects.  Once, while I was intensely watching the top of the bucket while operating the Manatou material lift I saw something from the corner of my eye and there was Joseph standing between the huge tire and the lift boom.  Another time we had 3 workers and 9 different jacks hoisting up heavy timbers in the second story of the barn we were feverishly adjusting jacks when I turned around and, yes, there was Joseph.  Down at one end looking like he was ready for the big lift.  

Here Joseph is coming out of the chicken area, he opened the gates every morning to let the chickens out, he fed them and collected eggs every afternoon. Chickens at Montegut are a commodity not pets as is the current trend in California, these chickens do not have names.

Joseph also raised rabbits.  These rabbits are used for food and also traded with neighbors for other food products no longer grown at Montegut.  They are highly prized, both Linda and I can say Bon Appetit, too.  Cousin Odile prepared one for us last year at a dinner feast with JP and his Mother,Helene, Joseph's sister - she is over 90. 

Each afternoon, after his nap (he sat in a straight back chair at the dinning room table) he could be found hard at work on his Sudoku book, he played the expert level and finished a book in only a few days. Then is was on to a few more small chores around the property or just a walk to visit a neighbor then it would be time for the game shows on TV.

He lived a long life and always seemed happy going about his daily routine. Joseph will be missed by both his French and American familys.

Viva la France!

Barry and I will be arriving in Toulouse on 15 July 2011. Traveling to Montegut as soon as we can! We will be in France for two months, seemed like a good idea at the time, now we are wondering what we will do with all that time. In the past our stays have been 3-4 weeks and we always felt as if we were leaving too soon.

But we have planned our most energetic list of projects yet. I hesitate to list them here, oh well, why not;

install new septic system - big project!
install shower,toilet and sink in new bathroom
tile walls and floor in the bathroom
plaster walls in sleeping loft
replace sections of wood floor
"furnish" sleeping loft
install kitchen appliances and the new sink in the kitchenette
plaster the walls in hallway

Plus we want to travel and explore either Portugal or the northern area of Italy. Not too much for two months, right? Check back to follow our adventures, exciting and amusing and all true!

And if you have, thanks for reading...

That's it for now

Remember, if you have not been on the site for a while, scroll down to the bottom and read UP from where you left off.

I will also post some more random photos just to get you into the drama. This shot is Linda Joseph and I in front of her new gate (Old gate to Linda's right). This was one big goal completed for Linda.

The tile starts to go in place.

Like any tile project the full tiles go fast but cutting edges and making gables, ridges and valleys takes time and talent. Patric and Eric are good at the field placement but not so hot on the details. Our French workers do not understand that when you break a tile it can be used later to cut, they simply grab a new tile and cut off the corners rather than using the broken ones. It is very hard to determine from a huge stack of tiles just how far it will spread on the roof but soon it becomes clear that we will not have enough. We start to develop a system. I load the tiles in the bucket of the Manitou then drive to the house lift the bucket right into the back pockets of Patric and Eric. Patric hands them to Eric and he places them on the roof. It dawns on me that I am lifting every tile and they sit and wait while I drive back and forth to the stack. They take a cigarette break while I load all by myself. Clever these French “workers”. It only takes me about half of the roof to get the big picture and then have Patric and Eric alternate coming down in the bucket to help me load.

Roof is stripped

The first layer of wood that will become the ceiling in the Hay Loft.

Within 3 days we have the roof completely stripped. It is determined that we want to keep the old oak rafters for their looks but they really need to be supplemented with new ones to support the weight of the new tile. Off we go in the work van to the Toute Faire. Another 1000 euro and we have rafters. These rafters are put in place with nails that are bigger than any sold in the US. We need a bigger hammer. The old tiles were set on slats with broken pieces of tile under each one to shim them into place. The new tiles require a flat surface so that they can interlock. It will be necessary to level these beams both from side to side and front to back. A time consuming process. After the rafters are put in place the batons are placed across them and spaced so that the tiles precisely overlap. These batons must also be very straight or the roof will look like ocean waves. Jules and Eric find their rhythm and Patric becomes the narrator (Vs the worker). This “team” Patric and Erin we find out later do less work when they are together than when alone. It seems that their process is for Patric to pick up the tile and hand it to Eric to place when Eric could pick up the tile himself. They like the Café the lunches the cigarettes and oh yes the euro so they work together at twice the cost to me. It is not long that we let Patric go back to catching and killing chickens.

The other end of the Hay Loft

Open air Hay Loft

Another shot of the Hay Loft

Our newly formed team... now two Americans and two French get down to work.

The Hay Loft sans roof tiles...

Patric and Eric look at the beam project and tell us that we are crazy. We are in their country so we listen. Sure enough they come up with a better solution. This by-lateral international planning program takes about 2 hours. Now it is time for lunch. Linda has the Hertz rental so our only means of transportation is Eric’s work van. It is a 20 year old reneau full of tools and parts and it smokes worse than Eric. It is a diesel and it is slow, it has 3 bald tires. I jump in the front seat, Eric at the wheel and Jules and Patric sit in back with the doors open for their feet to hang out. Off to lunch we go. Lunch in France yes even very rural France (France Profunde) is a big, slow deal. There are three levels of prices for the Plat dejour. 12.50 for the full lunch including entre, wine, main course, and desert. 9.50 is for the plat and wine and 8.50 plate only. I write these numbers on the place mat get Eric’s attention and cross out the 12.50 and the 8.50 and make a big circle around the 9.50. He gives me an affirmative toothless grin and I think all is well. Remember that the Euro costs me $1.30 so lunch at 8.50 euro costs me well over $13 each. The French waitress comes to the table and we make a choice from two main courses. There is a side conversation with the waitress and Eric. I think they must be friends. I order the 9.50 euro deal as does Jules. For some strange reason both Eric and Patric get an entre. Then out comes the main course and a large carafe of wine. Humm who ordered that? We all get down to work. It is delicious of course. As we finish there is another conversation with the waitress and Eric. The plates are cleared and out comes desert for Eric and Patric. They clean their plates eat all the bread drink all of the wine eat desert roll and smoke two cigarettes each. Jules does not drink but smokes. This process takes 2 hours and Jules is chomping at the bit to get going. Jules eats on the job with one hand while running the hammer with the other so this lunch process is truly foreign to him. He is type A and going nuts to get back to the job and my inner calculator is running at full speed. I get up and walk in to pay the bill 52 Euros. Yep they ordered what I told them to order then added on all the other stuff one at a time. One lessens well learned by me. On the spot Jules and I decide to pack lunch and give these bozo’s 10 euro each and let them buy their own lunches.

The story continues - this is Barry's Post.

This is Linda at the base of the steps going into the room we call the Hay Loft.

The size of the job becomes a reality, we will need help. Back to JP for assistance. He has a “worker” that is paid 15 euros per hour. He is a crazy Frenchman and spends every dollar he earns the day it is given to him but he has tools and a work van with a roof rack for lumber, he has no front teeth, and is meth amphetamine thin... “But if you watch him he will work for you”. This is my kind of guy. We tell JP to have him show up the next day.


The Manitou and Eric show up first thing in the morning. Terez and Joseph invite the entire group in for Café. At Jules and Eric’s combined hourly rate each Café break costs about $35. And after Café there is cigarettes, Eric rolls his own cigarettes so that he can mix in a little marijuana to make the day go by a little faster. Oh yes the smell of tobacco smoke, pot and liberal amounts of French calone make Eric, well “aromatic” at best it is a good thing this is outside work.

The first day with Jules and Eric is roof strip day. Roof tiles more than 100 years old begin to fly off the roof and form stacks on the ground. These tiles will be broken up and used as fill around the building. The French waste nothing!!!

The roof stripping job becomes difficult and slow. There is literally tons of tiles to be removed plus tons more of rotted wood slats that support the old style tiles. At the end of the day Eric tells us he has a friend that will work for 12 euro per hour so that we can get this project done much faster. We agree to hire Patric. He can’t start for a few days because he works at a chicken ranch and is catching and chopping off the heads of chickens at night and sleeps by day. We tell Eric to work this out and we will take what we can get.

When Patric arrives the cost of the Café beaks goes up to $45 each. That includes the time for all of the kissing and smoking. We are told that we are getting a great hourly rate and part of the deal is that we feed the workers lunch. How bad can that be?

Another angle shot of the beam

With the help of cousin JP we are told to go to another village to the Toute Farie (not to be confused with the Tooth Fairy). He knows the manager there and has an account. Jean-Michel also speaks a little English. Barry and Jules find the blocks, of course they are larger than the ones used for the last post project (we think the old blocks are circa 1940) We buy a stack of blocks, all that will fit in the back of the Hertz rental car, put a few bags of concrete in the back seat and off we go back to Montegut. This is the first day and I am already lost in the drama. So glad I brought my Kindle. After all the materials are unloaded I park the car in the shade and get back to my book. Every kind of construction noise comes from the barn. Wood cutting, concrete drilling, block cutting, hammering, by the end of the day there is a stack of blocks that reach the floor above. Barry and Jules agree that day one was a good one. They are both filthy beyond belief, covered with sweat and pouter from the terracotta block cutting and saw dust from the post cutting. Jules is covered with concrete from head to toe. There is about 2 feet of straw on the second floor of the barn with about 2 inches of dirt under the straw and on top of the board floor. It takes Barry and Jules about an hour to dig a path through this stuff to make sure they do not step in any hidden. Both must wear masks because of the dust. After all this... Yes, they plop themselves down in the Hertz rental and we head back to Monteseque and Bassouse. This will be our daily grind for 3 weeks. It is clear to me that I am not needed on a daily basis. I will run errands from time to time but full time contact with the project is not necessary.

The Poutre Project

Because the Manitou will not arrive for a day or two Barry and Jules decide to start with the poutre. The poutre beam is the single most important support beam in the barn roof. It is some 25 feet long and the thickness of a large oak tree. It actually is a large oak tree. One end has rotted out because of a multi-decade roof leak and the beam has fallen about 14 inches. It is propped up with one of the jacks and another oak tree limb. The position of the beam is such that the roof line has a major sag. There is a beam lying under a foot of straw that looks to be the same length. And another one the right size to be a support post. After a lot of discussion Barry and Jules decide to build a support structure similar to the one that supports another beam. This is a stack of terracotta blocks joined by concrete-mortar. They must drill holes in the concrete floor to put in reinforcement bars so that the stack doesn’t move around and then as the stack grows a row at a time reinforcement bars are again added to link the new stack with the old one so that the support structures will work together. They will then wait until the roof is stripped removing the weight of the tiles from the beam before they jack it into place and install the post.

Every morning we are greeted by Joseph and Therese.

Therese is 82 and Joseph 86. No matter the hurry we are in there must be time for the Bise. Everybody gets kissed once on each cheek. They do not speak one word of English and are both deaf so there is a lot of hand waving and pointing. They shrug, smile and go back in the house pulling us behind for Café. This routine will expand to Café in the morning, at lunch and at 5:00 and for Barry will include wine and if a project is completed a shot of Armanac. There are about 20 to 30 assorted chickens in the yard. Therese is raising a new batch of chicks and is training them to move from the barn to the garden. She uses a bamboo stick for herding and a pan full of feed for motivation. It is really cute to see her work with the chicks. Little do they know that in 2-3 months they will be in the freezer? They all seem happy now.

We arrive early in the morning.

The Manitou is supposed to arrive this morning or maybe the next. JP One of our French cousin has arranged for the delivery and a “special price”. JP’s help has been fabulous. One thing for sure is that the old roof must be stripped off so that is where we will start. The back side of the house is only 1.5 stories high and more accessible than the front full two story approach. The back side is also at a lower angle. Jules does not want to “walk” the front side of the roof and prefers to “work out of the bucket”.

Georgette invited Barry to use any and all of Jean’s (her deceased husband – another cousin) tools so the first stop is at Mommoulouse to shop around in his garage. Barry had been in there before and was impressed with the tools and equipment tucked into various cabinets and a large loft. There were also 10-15 jacks made for tunneling in a rack at the back of the garage. These would come in handy for the “pootra” (major support beam) part of the project. Jules approaches the garage with a take no prisoners profile. He is like a kid in a candy store. Soon the rental car is full to the top with rakes shovels jacks all sorts of hammers and electrical tools from grinders to cut off saws. This is where I begin to think that the Hertz rental car just became a utility truck. The only thing missing was the roof rack. Off to Montegut we go. The rental Fiats is riding down on its bottom and struggling to move at all.

Will it rain?

Today is slightly overcast and the roof at Montegut is still open so we hope that it doesn’t rain. I can see that Barry is trying to relax, however his brain is tabulating the costs of the work so far and what it will take to get this project wrapped up. My hope is that this trip, including all the work is well under the original estimate for the repairs we received in May. That estimate is what motivated this “do it yourself” trip, so far we are well under the estimate price, and hope to stay there.

The MANITOU, the material lift, alone costs $260 a day and each day our workers burn through about $400 and the cost of materials is really stacking up. A single sack of rapid set concrete cost $20 (less than $4 in the states we have invested $3,000 in rafters so far and $1,300 in wood lap to cover the ceiling in the hay loft. Barry is hoping that the roof tile that is already on site will be enough to cover the roof sections that have been opened.

Work gets started:

Barry will post a little later about the construction process. This is what it looks like to me. He has been successful in finding the right products, getting them on site, explaining to the workers what to do with them and supervising the process while working the heavy equipment. He loves this kind of three ring circus atmosphere. I have a photo of Barry operating the material lift with Jules and Eric (local French worker- the spitting image of Peppy LePue) in the bucket being lifted to the top of the roof of this 2 story building. The lift boom is 40 feet long when fully extended. I know he is exhausted at the end of the day, but I know he is also having a blast. He loves this kind of stuff!

We took full advantage of the opportunity to sleep late, against the theory that missed sleep can be ever be reclaimed. We are awake and ready to go by mid-morning!

We are invited to J-Pierre and Odile’s home for lunch. We are happy to be included in the celebration luncheon of J-P’s mother, Helene 90th birthday. Georgette is also invited and we always enjoy her company.

We arrive at nearly noon. Helene is beaming as she stands over a small sample of her tomato and green bean crop from her small garden, all the guests will take home several days bounty.

The meal begins with pate on small toast rounds, a sliver of cornichon a delicious and lively flavor combination.


For our second course we feast on a beautiful shell fish terrine of remarkable flavor, garnished with fresh tomato and onion slices with finished with lemon and parsley. The presentation is exquisite but the flavor is beyond description. A culinary work of art.

Next a colorful plate of local melon with whisper thin slices of jambon (ham), this is a little bite of heaven.

Each course seems better than the last when the main course of new potatoes and grilled lamb and beef kabobs are cooked as the conversation slides easily from weather to family to travel to gardening. When we finish feasting on the tasty kabobs we are presented with an array of cheeses that are all tempting and in the end quite satisfying. Dessert tonight is a Pruneau Gateau, moist and rich the perfect end to a relaxing Sunday afternoon meal with family.

J-P and Odile live only 4 miles from Bassoues, in the charming village of Montesquiou. The church sits high and the steeple is visible from many miles, biscuit colored stone houses trickle down steep curved streets of cobblestone. This is one of the prettiest little villages in the area. The road sweeps past beautiful and carefully landscaped gardens and most tourists motor past on their way to view larger churches and abbeys. Each village in this area has its’ own unique personality, Montesquiou possesses its own quiet charm. There are hanging baskets thick with bright red geraniums, trailing ivy and vivid begonias, these cornucopias depict summers bounty and offer an inviting and personal gesture from village. A sweet invitation to explore further into the life of this village.

And if you have, thanks for reading

It has been two weeks since our arrival. I am writing like a madwoman to get everything documented, but internet access is very limited on this trip, I am sorry not to have posted the high points.

Here is a quick run-down:
1. old tile was stripped from the roof
2. new wood was added to account for the difference in tile size
3. weather has been very accommodating
4. a few problems were encountered and solved - whew!
5. canned tomato sauce with Georgette
6. prepared plums to can with Claire
7. met two very interesting English couples... hi David and Ida
8. struggled with the bank again today... long story no end in sight!
9. found a new chateau
10.observed a movie scene being shot in Bassouse
11. took me ONE FULL DAY to wash 3 loads of clothes, that is one very tiny machine
12. slowing down a little now that some major problems, at home and here are being solved..
13. found some interesting antiques... photos to follow!
14. shopping for bathroom tile this afternoon

Must run, promise to post more later.

And if you have, thanks for reading.

La grange toit

Our recent trip in May was a planned reconnaissance. We took hundreds of photos of Montegut, inside and out, each wall/floor/ceiling in each room and close-ups of window ledges, ceiling joists, door frames - and on and on and on.





Don't you love this photo of the steel plate used to hold the tips of the floor planks together.


There is so much to do, everywhere. Once at home we were able to make a list, a very extensive list, and then prioritize the repair lists. Our intent is not to remodel or Americanize anything, but to restore as much as we can to make it liveable in a day to day and season to season plan. We would like to be able to travel during any season and have family and friends join us, too.

No matter how we looked at it the roof over the hay loft always tops the list. There is a section of roofing that has never been replaced, original tiles from who knows when. Well, we do have a pretty good idea of when, but it is hard to believe the tiles have been up there for two centuries.





This photo shows the corner of the "L"... home to the right and barn to the left, the corner that creates the "L" is the hay loft. You can see how much darker the roof tiles are, those are the original tiles and they just happen to be twice as heavy as the new tiles.

This is good news and bad news.

Bad news; because each and every tile has to be removed to reinforce the basic structure of that inside corner, prior to new tiles being placed.

Good news; the tiles are quite sought after for renovating period homes in the area. They will have to be handled a bit more gingerly, but in the end perhaps we will sell them.



I would prefer to use them to top the new chicken coop I have planned. The chickens run free, all 30+ of them, that's a LOT of chickens walking, pecking and doing what chickens do... around the house. The original free range chickens. There is plenty of room for me and the chickens, I just prefer the chickens stick to their own space.

Needless to say B will be the captain of the Projet la Toit (roof project). I will be trying my hand at plastering! Take another look at the photo, you'll see an area that appears to have been newly patched? The term NEW is relative with a house as old as Montegut. That patch was probably done when repairs were made in the 1960's! I figure by the time I finish the side of la entable (this is Barn for animals, Grange is Barn for crops)my skills will have improved so as to look at least acceptable. Ochre has always been the color of Montegut, no one can remember it ever being anything but ochre colored. It will remain ochre on our watch. The pigment is mixed into the plaster, pretty efficient.

La toit projet will take at least two weeks. Plastering the east side of la entable should take me only a few days. The second project I have in mind is to build a new gate to replace the rickety one (same photo). I am pretty excited about these jobs, and can hardly wait to get started.