It has been five days since my last post and much has happened. Judi was still with us most of the week. We enjoyed the market day on Wednesday with my new favorite jazz band, Gig Street. They play a sweet mix of jazz, blues, and pop music that is good for the soul.
Judi and I also took a trip to Lake de Peiroou, but the Mistral was blowing so hard we could not draw. Therefore, we adjourned to St. Paul de Mausole to commune with the spirit of Van Gogh for a while. It was pleasant among the olive grove with Les Alpilles in the background as we contemplated his year in this asylum.
Thursday morning we arose early to get Judi to the Avignon TGV station and made it with plenty of time to spare. Jean and I then decided to visit Gordes, the hill town made famous by Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. Someone here had told us there were fantastic rock formations near there for drawing and painting. We never saw the rock formations, but did visit this interesting town. It has been largely rebuilt since WWII due to heavy damage inflicted by the German Army. Gordes was a partisan stronghold and paid dearly for it. Highlights included a tour of the caves under the village. Every house was built on excavated caves and much commerce and living was carried on down there over the centuries, including olive pressing, leather tanning, shoe making, wool processing, and weaving. The views from this clifftop village are broad across the Luberon.
A significant highlight of the day was meeting Pascale Camy, a very talented bronze sculptor.
Her work is stunning and deserves a wide audience. Please click on her name above to visit her website and view her magnificent works.
Today marks the beginning of the 10 day long fete in St. Remy. We spent the morning arranging for shipping a bag of extra things back home. In the afternoon we walked out to St. Paul to do some drawing and painting.
Back at home I was making some pasta for dinner when the fete began. While eating we heard the fireworks signalling the start. However, by the time we got to the street the bulls had already passed. There will be bulls running in the streets somewhere around town almost every day for the next week, so we should be able to see them sometime. Tonight it is relatively quiet because the inaugural dance is held out at the edge of town. Tomorrow’s dance is held on the main square and will be loud music until 3:00 AM.
Paul
Travels With Picasso 
Gig Street — Wow! I like their music. And their website? Pulls you right in! Thanks for sharing, Paul! 🙂