He would have loved it

This past week we had the pleasure of welcoming family and friends to our country home here in the hills of Gascogne.  With room for at least 14 guests, it's an ideal place for big family gatherings - one hardly notices there are a dozen people kicking around! On Thursday, Emily Faulkner (daughter of Chris and Joan, our very first Halifax friends) and her boyfriend, Quinton, stopped by for 2 nights on a tour of the south-west.  Emily has been in Tour since September doing the 3rd year of a French degree. The following day, Susan and Mary H arrived from Geneva, Mary having flown into Geneva from Toronto the day before.  Susan stayed for the weekend, then drove back to Commugny in horrible holiday traffic.  You are my hero, Susan!  Thank you for bringing yourself and Grand Mary to enjoy this beautiful place with us. 

Auberge de Rantaures - the grill

Mary spent a full week with us in one of the few regions of France she had not visited. We went to Auch, the capital town of the Gers region and meandered through the tiny villages of Sarrant, Cologne and Solomiac.  The adults, Bennett/Hainsworths and Sayle/Adams, were treated (by Mary) to a true Gascogne country dinner in the tiny hamlet of Lussan at Auberge de Rantaures ("restaurant" written backwards).  The chef cooked our meals in an open fireplace on one side of the dining room, which was an old stone-walled room filled with quirky wrought iron sculptures.  The duck, lamb, beef and fish were fantastic, as was the local red wine. Everyone went away satisfied and thinking "we have to come back before we leave!"

As if that wasn't enough, Mary offered to take Sarah and I to a nearby Michelin 2-starred restaurant, Le Puit Saint Jacques, for lunch on Wednesday.  For foodies like me (and my late father-in-law, Howard) a Michelin starred restaurant is the Lionel Messi of cuisine, although Howard would have used a different analogy, perhaps the Mozart of cuisine.  Our meal, as expected, was fantastic and we talked about how much Howard would have loved it; not just the meal, but everything here... immersion in the French countryside, the markets, the wine, the history, the language and most of all, experiencing it all with his grandchildren. I couldn't help but imagine Howard and I wandering through town markets and foie gras farms searching out ingredients for the evening meal, visiting the local vignoble, stopping for restauration at an outdoor cafe, then cooking up a feast for the extended family.  Like kids in a candy store. 

Here's to you, Howard.