France

24 September, 1979.  Aubenas, France

Dear folks, 

yes, I’m still in Aubenas – a hard place to leave, I’ve discovered, with sparkling weather, home cooking, and total peace and quiet – not to mention the presence of Nicole Cholvy. We’ve been renovating the Cholvy two-story stone house with paint and wallpaper, and we are now attacking the bathroom. We’ve managed to break enough pipes and electrical lines so that baths are now taken in the kitchen and any night reading on the second floor is done by candlelight. 

We are gradually firming up our plans for the next few months. The latest scenario includes a week or so in Paris in early October (with Big Mom?), a week in London, a tearful farewell to Nicole, a solo flight by Big Sam to New York to see some old and new friends, Washington and Dad and Edie, Gainesville for a longish stay with the gang, hopefully for Thanksgiving, then on to Sunny California. I don’t really know how long I’ll be in California – a lot depends on my reactions to life there, work possibilities, and of course, the effect Nicole's absence after these very close years. I would like very much to stay with you for a while, and thanks for the invitation.

As you can see from the photo, we’re both pretty fat and sassy – a sign of the bloated contentment of life in Aubenas, attributable to excessively high consumption of cheese, wine, and rich egg sauces these last several weeks.

Thank you for forwarding the letter from Mette Stranson, an old friend from Grenoble days.  I’ve instructed her to phone you for information on my whereabouts when she and her friend Richard pass through California in late November or December.

I’m finally in the - after the days of plenty shall come the days of want. My negative account is probably one of the major arguments in favor of an extended stay in the Bay Area,  home of jobs (?) for aging computer programmers.  Despite my apparent poverty, I feel better not accepting your generous offer of a birthday check, but thank you anyway.

Nicole sends her best. If everything works out, I may be able to see you in Christmas.

Love to you,

Sam

25 September, 1979. Aubenas, France. 

Dear folks,

Nicole just mailed a letter to you from me … without stamps and without return address. But I write another one in case the French postal system is really mean. So, hello again from colorful Aubenas – land of sun, horse chestnuts, goats cheese, and (for the past three days) “Le Mistral“, an incredible wind which whistles and puffs south from the Rhone Valley, threatening to launch any homes not made of heavy stones. The change in weather has been dramatic: last week we were sunbathing on the banks of the Ardeche River, and this week we are breaking open the winter clothes and trying on sweaters and long underwear.  The temperature is down to 12°C, and, to make matters worse, the central heating is temporarily off while we redo the bathroom, a job which will take us at least two more weeks. We’ve already papered and painted two bedrooms and shuffled 5 tons of heavy wooden furniture between the attic and the rest of the house – the bathroom will be our final work of art. 

If all goes as planned, Sam, Nicole and Madame Cholvy will be in Paris in October for a week of tourism. If you are there as well, Mom, telephone Helene Roger (work phone 790.62.11) for our whereabouts – it would be lovely to cross paths in that lovely city. 

I’m still hoping to eat some turkey with the Florida gang on Thanksgiving (save some dark meat for me), while Nicole begins work in Paris (she’s not at all eager to rejoin the human race, but doesn’t really have an option). I don’t know what I’m going to do in California – maybe work, maybe sell my house and split for India, maybe turn around and come back to France and work in Paris. Len writes that I’m down to minus $800, so my first concerns are monetary, obviously. Despite my, sad economic state, I feel better not accepting your generous Christmas check – may I exchange it for $100 worth of hugs and kisses and ricotta cheese pancakes?  

Love from Swami Anand Samuel and Ma Prem Nicole

9 October 2079. Aubenas, France 

Dear folks 

Len just wrote me that my bank statement has me about $2000 in the whole… poor at last. I wrote him to try to hold the fort until I get home (in early December, after a great Thanksgiving in Florida with you and the little ones), but if you can’t, I’d like to borrow from you whatever is needed until I get rich again. If you could float a loan for me, at whatever interest rate you like, I’d be most grateful – or, even easier, sell my Picasso book if you think the time is right. I expect to be in the chips soon (offers on both sides of the Atlantic, plus a bundle that HP France has been holding for me these past five years), and would consider myself a good risk.

We’re into our third month in Aubenas, with little to show for it except an extra 10 pounds each in our cheeks and our waistlines. Next week we head slowly north with Nicole’s mom for a week in London.  - she’s never been north of Paris, and speaks about 13 words of English. Whopee! Still hope to see you, mom, in Paris on the way: remember to contact Helene Roger if and when you arrive. 

We’re almost finished redoing the bathroom; I don’t think anybody will mind not taking showers in the garden anymore. We picked all the Cholvy's these vines last week, and expect to produce about 30 bottles of pretty bad wine. We've worked our way through the peach season, the blackberry season, The myrtle season (10 kg in two weeks), and the pear season, and the end is not in sight. We are escaping just in time.

Love from Sam and Nicole