To 'vacance' or not....?

Bonjour mes amis!

A cross-post from my other blog---as I am pondering whether or not to 'officially' take some vacation time this month.  Brocantes are in full-swing for another month or two... so there are plenty of shopping days left until it wraps up, and school starts in about 3 1/2 weeks....

So.... maybe, just maybe you will see the 'On-Vacation' notice hanging up at the shop.... or maybe I will just sneak in a few afternoons like this..... we shall see. 

French August--Août .....at last! 

 

It's August!  At long last the summer weather we pined-for since LAST August.... has arrived.  It is glorious--most days we have sun, breezes and at night cool winds.... (with plenty of mosquitoes and no window screens I might add!)  But summer is finally here--and we love it--nonetheless!

August is also a renown month-long 'vacances' in France.  Well actually--there are some French that take the month of July (our neighbors to our right for example....with their loud late night conversations clearly heard when we are inside our house with windows barely cracked..... and their darling, also loud, angst-filled toddler---who like his parents doesn't seem to have a bed-time either....) Oh dear!  Am I sounding snarky?!  Not intended!   The 'holiday-neighbors' are lovely. 

Lovely. 

Okay--the other group of French take the month of August.  The ENTIRE month.  Which simply means that our road is packed with beach-traffic--cars parked blocking our driveway on most days and that to get to French Guy's parents house--a mere 10 minutes from us--during August--takes about an hour!

Then there is us French-American types.....American-French? More American than French I am afraid--because even after a couple of years and two summers here.... we are currently juggling three full-time businesses between us we haven't really taken a vacation. Actually we are fine with it.  Better than fine! Because the bonus side of not having the standard 9-5 office jobs is that on any given day--or moment--we can "go" on vacation.  And we do.

We are happy enough with an afternoon--or evening--heading down to the beach--'our beach' playing in the waves or in the mud or puddles, at low-tide.  Just a walk down the road--and sandy-family-bliss.  No or low expectation-fun--that delivers BIG.

Happy enough for a low-tide, over-cast afternoon at the beach--playing in tide-pools and trying to master the skim-boards--without the 'skim'.

And discovering that over-night-- or maybe in the month of July--that the 'Oldest Garcon' has now grown taller than me!

No need for vacation--well at least no need to go-away!  Go-away? I wouldn't leave this for a second!

Bonnes vacances mes amis!