Our next stop, and our fourth volunteering stay of this trip, was in Chapèze, St. Savin, Isère (region Rhône-Alpes)... about 50 km southeast of Lyon. Although we only stayed here for one week, it would turn out to be one of our more action-packed and rewarding visits thus far. Our hosts, Annick and Thierry, are members of Workaway, a work/stay exchange program similar to WWOOF. At every turn, they made efforts to make our stay as culturally rewarding as possible...
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| Sunrise, our first morning here. |
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| Annick and Thierry's house, situated on a rolling plateau at about 350m elevation. |
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| Our first task was harvesting apples... |
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| ... Katy getting serious about it... |
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| ... and Bodhi a full-handed apple thief. |
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| Alongside of us, a crew of grapepickers arrived to perform what's called in France the vindange, the harvesting of grapes for winemaking. Happens every October all over the country. |
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| This was a lively vindange crew. |
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| Their morning's effort. |
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| The fabulous beckoning massif of Mt. Blanc, Europe's highest peak at 4810m... this is the closest we will be to it on this trip. |
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| Loaded up with apples. (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| The lovely garden. A well-maintained area and ultimately a very safe environment for Bodhi. |
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| Annick and Thierry's farmhouse, which like most of them in the area, dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries. |
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A countryside welcome.
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| Bo enjoying his new surroundings. |
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| Our digs were this charming caravan... |
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| ... decorated with gypsy-influenced ornaments... |
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| ... and very cosy. |
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| la toilette seche (composting toilet). |
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| Our host, the energetic Annick. Here she is making waffles the old-fashioned way, on a wood stove. Annick works as a nounou, or child-minder, for three local kids. |
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| The waffles are the afternoon snack for all! |
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| The grapepickers mentioned above invited us over to their farm to sample what is locally called vin doux, or sweet wine. In effect, this is non-alcoholic fresh grape juice. |
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| Theirs is an old-fashioned wine-making operation, to be sold and consumed locally. |
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| Bo loves the cows. |
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| But we were run out of the place by this mob of geese! |
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| Katy and Bo peeling apples. These are destined for a crumble, and apple compote. |
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| Katy assists Solène and Lenny on a brief English lesson (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| Lenny giving Bodhi a lift in the courtyard. |
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| Bodhi bathtime in the garden! (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| On an afternoon stroll. Lenny still giving Bodhi a lift. |
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| One afternoon, Annick organized a wild-berry-gathering (for cornouille) outing in the nearby hills and forest. So we brought a picnic lunch and enjoyed the early October weather. (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| Noa and Bodhi on the hunt for cornouilles. |
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| Lenny displays our cornouille pickings. These are to be made into a fantastic tangy confiture. (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| The boys splashing around. |
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| High-flying in the countryside. |
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| The local traditional building technique is called pisé, which incorporates thick mud walls as the building structure. |
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| Katy hit the jackpot here, as Dominique (a local horsewoman who keeps her horses in a shed next to Annick and Thierry's) invited her out on a couple of rides. Katy, who grew up riding horses in the north of England, was elated. |
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| Bodhi got in on it but only long enough for this picture! |
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| Katy working her horse. This was Katy's first time out on properly-trained horses in 9 years. |
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| Katy and Dominique. |
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| Katy gives the grolinette a spin... |
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| ... while Bodhi wheels this courgette in a thousand circles around the garden. |
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| Katy gives Jeff a hand on this outdoor roof structure and future volunteer vanity. (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| Annick provides some counterweight for Jeff's nailing. |
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| et voilà, nearly finished. |
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| Dominique invited us over for drinks and snacks to thank Katy for her efforts... |
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| Here's Thierry with Bodhi and Dominique. Bodhi and Thierry got on like old pals. |
Nearing the end of our stay, Annick had organized a slide show and presentation for the local village events association, in the neighboring village of Demptezieu. This was to be a special moment in our trip, as it gave us the chance to share our experiences with a variety of people.
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| "Le tour de France de Bodhi", the name given to our presentation by Thierry, who designed these posters to be hung about the area! |
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| The château de Demptezieu, where the slideshow is to take place. |
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| The star of the show strutting around. (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| About 50 folks showed up for the presentation... |
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| Bodhi doing his best to distract the audience. (photo courtesy Annick/Thierry Sambuis) |
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| Friend and neighbor Joelle brought the evening's stellar baked good, a personalized Bodhi Apple Cake! |
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| Everyone tucks into pies, tarts and cakes and conversations about life on the road with an infant, on bicycles. |
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| Visiting the medieval church in nearby St. Chef. |
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| The fountain at St. Chef. |
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| Our last night here Thierry and Annick organized a bonfire soirée, inviting a bunch of friends over for food and drinks and conversation. |
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| Funny enough we ended up toasting marshmallows. |
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| The whole crew after a great week on the scene (L-R: James, Julie (Annick and Thierry's daughter), Bodhi, Thierry, Annick, Katy and Jeff) |
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