The Wheels Have Come Off The Wagon

We were concerned about beating Hurricane Milton into Florida. Perhaps we should not have.

Instead of riding out the storm with Pam and Randy on the east coast, CJ rode out the hurricane in the Marriott Orlando Airport. Carol rode it out at Advent East Orlando hospital.

After 17 marvelous days on holiday in Paris and with family in Brittany, the wheels have come off the wagon. Day 18 begins with Carol on the floor of our hotel room screaming in pain every time she attempts to move. A group of five EMTs from the Orlando fire department take her to Advent Health Hospital - Orlando East.

The doctors spend the rest of the week attempting to figure out what is wrong with her. When there is more than one issue, diagnosis is a daunting task.

Carol apparently fell. A small shingles rash misled them. Her fuzzy answers to questions also sent them down the wrong road. 

Friday, day 20 is a bad day. She believes they've told her she has a life altering problem and she's beyond depressed. On Saturday we get better news, her shingles infection is clearing. She has a fractured pelvis from the fall. The fracture is what is causing the severe pain. The fracture does not need surgery and will heal with time. She needs rehab.

Instead of enjoying Pam's gorgeous swimming pool and the Atlantic Ocean a block away, this is Carol's view and my view.

We hope to get in-home PT at Pam's. The middle of our US holiday is cancelled.

Saint-Meloir-des-Odnes - The Village

Saint-Meloir-des-Odnes is a quaint little village with a massive church; a church out of proportion to the village's population. In ancient times, it appears the areas wealth was derived from potato farming and the town's wealth demonstrated by this massive church. The church towers over the village.

The church's interior is traditional.

The village center is a few square blocks.

The town hall, or Marie, as it is called in France.

Today there are traditional homes as well as modern interpretations of the tradition in the village.

The next two are pictures of the same house.

This home is a delightful interpretation of modern landscaping, modern design, yet embedded in the traditional Bretton house form. It is now a bed & breakfast.

This is a similar interpretation. It is directly across the street from the one above.

Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes Home

The first part of our time with Didier and Jocelyne was in their primary home in Plougavalin, on France's Atlantic coast near Brest. The remainder of our stay is at his childhood home in Saint-Meloir-des-Odnes, near Saint-Malo and Cancale.

CJ once followed Didier to the bare attic floor beams of this place. After serious renovation designed by Didier and much of the work done by him, he turned it into a magnificent second home of 'old stones'.

We stay in the room with the door at the top of the external stairs. It makes getting our two big suitcases easy to get to the room given inside there is the narrow spiral staircase.

When last we were here, the house on the right was not and the lot it sits on was a part of this property. Didier sold the lot to help finance the new home in Plougovelin. The house on the property to the right of that was also part of the original property. Didier's father built that house.

This ancient well, still working, and the apple tree across the street are also part of the property. 

The staircase was not built for the size of people today.

Since they are not going to return to the house for a month, the apples must be picked. Didier will use a ladder to drop them, and the ground crew will box them.

Didier's Paintings

When Didier decides to do something, he does it. He decided with no previous running experience to begin by running a marathon; and he did!

In the early 1990's, Didier decided to take up painting. These are some of his masterpieces. He loves painting on old wood such as a cabinet door.

These are two of the Avenger Class minehunters that our AN/SQQ-32 mine hunting sonar went on.

Apologies for the reflections from the window.

Typical Bretton clothing of old.

He has several seascapes. One once hung in three of our houses. We commissioned it special to go with a very particular fabric Carol chose to reupholster two love seats.

Pointe-Saint-Mathieu.

This is the second of three renditions of Le Mont St. Michel hanging in the Saint Meloir house.

Didier's Birthday

A highly recommended restaurant, Le Benetin, is on tap for lunch. It is located near Saint Malo and overlooks the sea.

We enjoy a wonderful lunch, and great wine; and a soufflé desert.

Fish.

Lamb.

Foie gras.

Squid.

After, we enjoy the proximity to the sea.

Bretton Architecture

One of the things I love most about Brittany is the architecture. I once collected pictures of the distinctive church steeples around Brittany. This post is over the architecture of homes.

Sometimes the architecture reminds you of a World War II movie.

And then there is the tale of Didier and Jocelyne's two homes. The current modern home and the inherited property near St. Malo.