We're planning our biennial trip to France again this year. My husband has family in France and so we go regularly to keep in touch. For us, it is not the trip of a lifetime to France; Just a long way to go to see family and friends. ;-)
Jean Paul and Michelle Debax live in Toulouse, France, in a huge old rambling 400-year old house. I felt at home there as soon as we set foot inside almost 10 years ago. Something in their house is always in a state of remodel or repair--just like the house I grew up in. ;-) Upstairs they had huge rooms filled with books. In their working lives, both Jean-Paul and Michelle were University professors, so they valued their respective studies and built their own professional libraries to support their studies. That makes my Librarian's Heart smile! ;-) Michelle taught Spanish, and Jean Paul taught English classics. He speaks English not like a Frenchman, but like an Englishman. I love talking with them--mostly because I can understand him!
One year, Michelle and Jean Paul hosted a dinner party in their newly remodeled dining room. It had formerly been a garage--and they kept the bird nest in the ceiling corner to prove it! I loved it! It felt like the farm where I grew up in the country of Northern Wisconsin. With an additional elegance.
In the picture above, you can see the nest on the cabinet above dear Francine's head.
The Debax are down-home and unpretentious people. Just a regular kitchen--no granite counter tops, or even a dishwasher--yet wonderful meals come from these simple kitchens.
The last time we visited, we arrived in time for tea in their rustic kitchen--filled with later afternoon sunlight. It's one of my fondest memories of our trips to France. Christian was thinking clearly enough to take some of these pictures. I love this one of Jean Paul : Portrait of a Gentleman!
Jean-Paul has had some health issues in recent years. We know the crew is getting older, dealing with health problems. Christian's mother died a few years ago. Some day, we won't always be able to visit with these dear friends. I just want them to know how much I enjoy their company and hospitality.
Last time we visited, they took us on the usual walk through downtown Toulouse. Michelle and Francine went into a little shop and bought something -- I remember Jean-Paul was just so tickled and pleased with these "2 figures embracing." I guess he thought it was just like me and Christian--a well-matched couple. It was a yin-yang salt-and-pepper shaker set in black and white. Simple. But the look of sheer delight on Jean-Paul's face when he gave it to us was PRICELESS! So yes, the two figures are fondly displayed in our China cabinet where we eat every day.
