Barge Date:  06-19-2021

2021 Travel to Begin June 24

We have our tickets and will depart for France on June 24 using the normal route through Atlanta to Paris. If it is Atlanta it is Delta.

I am taking my usual collection of items I have assembled or constructed that will make life on the barge more attractive.  Will post as I get them in place on the barge.

Going back with a bit of trepidation. We departed last from France in August 2019.  While the boat is still afloat there may well be hidden problems that we will only discover once we go on board.  Will the batteries be at full charge? Will the fuel be normal and not have water and diesel bugs in it? Has the water system escaped any damage from cold weather?  What does the deck look like? The varnish? The paint? And more that I am not even considering now.

It may well take more than a week to get underway. If the batteries are OK and can start the engine then the biggest concern will be the diesel.  Will undertake some steps to see what I can find out.  Will drain the sludge from the tanks and this may give some clue.  Is there water?  The tanks were topped off as we departed but some moisture always gets in. The question is how much.  Then there are diesel bugs.  These are small microbes that can infest fuel and seem to become obvious at the worst possible moment. I am not aware of any history on the boat and we buy our fuel from suppliers that don't let the product get old; this should help.

But we will need to go out on the river for some distance at the beginning of our trip and I don't want to get into a situation of being dead in the water and with a river current.

Will spend a night in Paris to get our clocks reworked.  We arrive at 8am and hope to be at a hotel near the Gare de Lyon by 11am.  Maybe take a nap then walk out along the river and visit the marina at the Arsenal where we hope to stop over some day.  Then on the fast train to Dijon and a local to Auxonne.

What will I enjoy most on return?  Since I turn off news it is not having news injected into my life.

 

Barge Date:  05-12-2021

Soon to be on our way

Have been in a funk sitting around wondering if and when we can fly to France. But today I received great news that will make going to France easier and cheaper.

Everyone on the Barge Association site have been doing what I have been doing:  watching the news, learning what will be new this year.  With the UK out of the EU they are finding all of the Brexit changes have put them in a new soup. Harder.

But by reading everyone's post you pick up some clues.  Someone mentioned that he was told by no less than 2 people who do the French Visas that since his wife is Irish and he is a Brit he does not need a Visa.  So I wrote a letter to the French in Washington and they said with EU wife/American husband you can stay as long as you like.  I will just need to have a copy of Marianne's passport, US drivers license and marriage document although they did not give guidance on this point. So for me no trip to Atlanta, no fee and no required insurance. This is the biggest barge news in 4 years. The shame of it all is that it has probably always been this way and we failed to learn of it.

But I wonder if the airlines know about this spouse rule. Remember 3 years ago my ticket was for more than 90 days and they nearly stopped my trip. At that time I had some 45 days remaining on my Belgian visa so that plus the 90 days allowed me more time. I was delayed for about an hour at the Delta counter while they talked to someone at corporate.

Here is what the French said today about a visa:

Dear Sir, Madam,

European citizens and their spouses and children do not need a visa to stay longer than 90 days.

However, due to the current restrictions, if France is not your primary residence, you will have to wait for the restrictions to be lifted.

Regards,

Consulat général de France, Service des visas

For all the other people needing a visa I wish them well.

Marianne and I leave tomorrow for a week stay in Santa Fe, NM.  Have never been there. Small town with a central old section.  Lots of artists.  We will stay in 2 different small houses within walking distance to the things we want to see. If need be, we will rent a car for a day or two if we want to get out and about.  7,000 feet in the sky.

Then in June everyone flies to Pittsburgh for this twice postponed wedding of Andrew and Christina. Weather should be good.  Looking forward to seeing my little muskrat. She is up and about and talking up a storm.

Anyone want to house sit in Thomasville, GA just let us know.

 Barge Date:  02-05-2021

2021 ????????

Is there progress? Some.

On January 18 we were able to get a shot of the vaccine.  Great.  Hope they have more in three weeks. Called for an appointment and got it but when we arrived it seemed that anyone who would think to could just walk in, fill out a form and then roll up their sleeve.  Maybe I missed something.  Anyway, easy for us and after real concerns that maybe no one was working on this final step everything kind of fell into place. So thanks to the people at the hospital.  I took this picture as proof I was there.

Updated the navigation software. Proof that I expect to be let into France some time this year. But there should be real concerns. Yes, I have the vaccine. But will France be under control by April, May, June, July or August?  Must they deem that the US is under control? Should it be just enough to show that I have the vaccine? With their many lock-downs, curfews and intra-departmental restrictions would they allow an American to say "I am no problem" and then leave me alone? Probably not. So let's hope France gets it together and they once again allow tourism to take place.

Had the granddaughter with us for 4 weeks.  Yes, 4 weeks. A very nice experience.  Andrew worked from our office so not a case of vacation days.  Working hard for the company's first launch to the moon some time this year.

Could see changes in Anni taking place over this time period. She motors around very well, loves books, played with the many things she received for Xmas.  Took about 2 weeks to get her to come to me unassisted but worth the wait. She says I am her favorite. My name has been shorten to just Papa as she tries to say it; sounds like pop sounds; pop, pop.

Had a small gazebo built and delivered. Put it out by the koi pond.  A nice addition. When this France thing ends some day I can waste some hours tucked inside, away from the bugs, to listen to the water falls at the pond.

 Barge Date:  12-08-2020

2020 is a Bust

Life’s a bitch.  To think I was a week from buying tickets to France. I had already paid for the waterways pass.  Paid for medical insurance the visa required. Yes, I already had my visa. And here I am in December, stuck at home, laying low, being safe.  Who could have predicted all of this?

I could continue to bitch but at this point it is a lost cause.  I am in line already to get the first vaccine offered.  Don’t get in my way. Being in the “at risk” group has its perks. So if there is a plan it is to get the vaccine, hope it works, hope that France thinks it works, and visas will be issued normally.  We will travel as soon as we can.

Good news about the vaccines; 95% effective.  Just hope that they can get them out and about soon.

The barge has been in Auxonne for 15 months, tied up in the marina.  Just floating there.  I check on it regularly; in the daylight hours to do a visual inspection and at night to make sure electric from shore is connected.  I can see the exterior is getting dirty but other than that it look OK.  What about the inside?  Through the DBA membership I am having a fellow bargee go onboard and take a look.  Hope to have his report soon.  Other than that it is what it is. Nothing I can do unless it begins to sink.

So on the home front life goes on.  LiQiong was in China during their lockdown.  She spent the better part of 2 months in her apartment.  She had food brought in - like room service, it seems. She is back home after first locking herself down for 14 days with a friend. Looking at graduate schools.

Jinglei has been in Columbus, GA for most of the time period, first working for the YMCA in a daycare/camp program they offered to families working in healthcare. At some point she caught the virus and after some early tears locked herself down.  Symptom were mild and she is back at work and school. She is doing the university mostly by computer.

The kids up north have been working at home and everyone seems to like this option.  Seem to be adhering to the rules.

Andrew, Christina and Anni came for a long visit at Christmas and then again this summer for 3 weeks. Couple this with our visit to them last Fall and we have been able to see the growth of Anni. Amazing. She is now on 2 legs and motoring about the home.  To date we have never seen her have an emotional meltdown.  Happy all the time. We think she has a good imprint of our faces so we are happy to do FaceTime with her.

Marianne and I made a road trip to visit them this summer, pulling a U-Haul to Pittsburgh to carry a large china hutch for Andrew and Christina. The hutch was my Fall, ’19 project. Spent a few days with them then drove on to NY to see Alienor, Trevor and old friends nearby.  Everyone had been following safe practices and all went well.  Delivered a small table to Alienor and Trevor.

So what does a guy do in a curtailed year?

Been catching up on all the work I have not done the past 3 summers we were in Europe. Cutting, trimming, raking, painting, woodworking, room conversions, etc.  Added a new garden shed and gazebo to the back side of the property; purchased, not built here. New gravel for the driveway. Hope to tackle more inside work on the house this winter; new trim and paint.  Happy with the outcome of a slab of wood I turned into a desk for Marianne’s new office.  Transformed a bedroom into an office.

Look for a post early in 2021.  Stay safe.
 

Barge Date:  03-11-2020

Get an Email When There is a New Post

Good news.  You now have the option to receive an email each time I activate a new post. Look above, just under the barge picture.  If you will enter your email address you will be enrolled for my Lionel...d'Antan posts.

Future Prep Work for Traveling

Barge Date:  02-10-2020

Took the 4 hour trip to Atlanta for this year's version of the French visa.  The process went well.  Two of the employees remembered me from last year.  Will keep it simple - 180 days "long stay visa".  That should cover me from April through September and depending on when we actually arrive and the days out of France (back for the wedding) I could stay well into October.  The key, I think, for the long stay is to tell them about the boat so they know what is going on.  Received the passport with visa back in about 10 days.

Received an unusual gift for Xmas.  How Marianne came upon this unique gift was just happenstance but we must take what is offered.  Will travel with us to the boat this year. Sorry, not my life story; just lined pages so I can start one.

Freakin' Awesome

The big picture look at where we will be traveling this year is to say south and southeast of Paris. To get there we will take the Canal de Bourgogne (Burgundy Canal) northeast from our winter port of Auxonne. The first leg of the summer adventure has the small city of Auxerre as our target. This is a trip of 284km, 199 locks and 1 bridge. We start at 185 meters, climb up to 370 meters then drop to 96 meters. There is a tunnel at the top that is about 3.5km in length. We end up on the River Yonne. We have made plans to winter in Auxerre.

The Canal de Bourgogne had its beginning in 1775 and was completed about 55 years later.  But as early as 1605 surveys were underway as to where to dig the ditch.  So an old canal (there are older ones) and it  has been a major route between Paris and the north and the Med and the south of the country.

The blue tracks to the west of the red and up to Paris will be our playground this year.

The general timetable for getting going this year is to leave the US April 10 or 11. We will enter France at Paris.  Depending on the arrival time we may stay a night to get our sea legs.  Then it is down to Dijon on a fast train and then the local to Auxonne.  We will want to make Auxerre by the week of May 25 as we will leave the barge here for our return for a wedding on May 30.  We may fly into Pittsburgh to make things a bit easier.  Following the wedding we will return to Thomasville for a short stay before heading back to France.

Marianne will once again seek a house sitter for this early part of the year. Anyone reading this might want to consider moving to Thomasville for some of the period we are France; this year or next.  Great place to spend some time.  Mike and Vicki enjoyed their 6 weeks here last year.

2020 And We Are Ready

Barge Date: 01-13-2020

Yes, Barge Time is Approaching

It is not too soon to be thinking about returning to the barge. But to confess, I think about the boat every day.  Would love to be on board at this very minute.

Preparations for our return are happening.  Purchased the French license today. This is for 365 days but we will probably return late August or September. The little projects to be done in the shop are mostly completed.  I have been working on a very large china hutch since September and it has literately taken up a big spot in the shop.  I am doing the finishing work now and hope to deliver it to Andrew and Christina in February if it is not cold it Pittsburgh.

I do get some boat satisfaction everyday because I can look at Lionel via a camera that is positioned at the marina.  I left the boat with a bright LED light shining out the port window to tell me the electric is on so batteries are being maintained.  Here are 2 pictures

 

Obviously my neighbor has copied me. Lionel is the lower light.

You might think this concern for the boat is over the top. But in December a new built barge sank under unusual circumstances. The barge was tied up properly and supposedly under the eye of marina people but things happened.  This part of France was getting much needed rain but perhaps too much in a short period.  It happened during the night.  A power station has a dam with water behind it and the people in charge decided there was a need to release a big slug of water during the night and it would seem without considering what would happen down stream.

The barge was tied along with others but with the owner back in the UK.  By the time the alarm was raised water was coming up very fast. Those on board their boats had a lot to do very quickly and did not have the opportunity to adjust the lines for this ill-fated barge.  Tied fast, the boat rose with the water and this caused the port side of the boat to go under and it began receiving water.  The water penetrated the interior and she went under;  not even visible.

But there is more bad news for the owner.  The fine insurance he has seems to be a scam.  Some Spanish company that has been identified at crooked but this is news to the owner. Perhaps he has a case against the fellows upstream that caused the rush of water but that is somewhere in the future. Big expense to bring the barge up.  It is floating now but life will never be the same.

And then there is the general risk that some clown will come along at night looking for a barge to set adrift.  This year I will be using some chain for a secure hold to the shore.  If I will be gone for a number of days and I am on a river I plan to drop the anchor and some  chain.

I had the marina do an alteration to some pipes in the bilge.  This location is the low point for water on board.  Two of the pipes had very small taps and a large pipe that brings water from the bedroom storage had no way to drain.  So I asked for changes that will allow me to connect a hose so I can drain the system completely.  I have an old 24v pump from the old water pressure system and a 24v outlet 1 meter away so I am ready to go.