Rachael Burks » Summer in France

That is all. This is the end.

Rachael — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:09:53 +0000

After 5 magical months in the south of france— everything came to an end this past weekend… We had a final dinner together in Laure’s restaurant check it out: a farewell to french cuisine– I missed the cheese and bread before I even left France. Ensuite: after 5 months in a different world there are very few words that come to mind when writing a blog post. There are no words that can do this experience justice… it was magical, moving, and life-changing. I guess I’ll leave it at that. I can’t begin to thank the Martials for their generosity in putting up with my american ass all summer and fall— It was such a treat… such a fabulous summer. Thank you to all at Blancardy, Montpellier, Chamonix, and Paris for this experience–it’s going down in history as the best summer of all time for Rachael Burks!

Holy LARGE PIG Batman!

Rachael — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 15:01:22 +0000

Yeah. That would be the sanglier (wild boar) that David hath slain my last weekend at Blanardy: 97 KILOS PEOPLE! Congratulations David! (SECOND SANGLIER EVER HAPPENS TO BE CLOSE TO 100 KILOS!!! get-off on your bad self friend!)

The last job…

Rachael — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:41:15 +0000

So, the wine harvest came and left enormous amounts of work to be done on the vineyard to care for next years inventory… My last job at Blancardy was to shovel grape skins from the cabernet into the presser. The grape skins were well over my head:I shoveled grapes for hours:It was awesome to have a job like this; it combined my love for hard work with my love for “playing in the mud” — I WAS COVERED WITH GRAPES: (then again snow-angels in the tail end of the grape skins helped me achieve super-filthy!)… after shoveling all morning, I got in a little bit of a grape war with Thomas: I’ll let you be the judge -who do you think won? (I think I lost?)A farewell to my working partners: I miss them already after having worked with them both all summer: David and Thomas. great friends to work with. Thanks guys.

It’s Here!!!

Rachael — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 07:28:13 +0000

THE WINE HARVEST CAME AND WENT! Work hard for 8 days… finished with 390 hectares. Yeah… you work hard… One night I was so tired i left the dinner table and fell asleep on top of my covers filthy with grape skins and sugar-shoes still on -WITH MY DINNER NAPKIN STILL IN MY HAND? Grapes GrapesGrapes GrapesGrapesPressing Grapes Future Wine The wine harvest is hard work… up early-work late. sometimes it’s cold sometimes it’s hot–but regardless of the temperature you are covered in grape skins and saturated in the sticky sugar omitted by picking, pressing, moving, and shoveling tons and tons of grapes. It was an awesome experience- I got to drive the machine for the vindages as well… which is always a bonus.

I like building blocks

Rachael — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:37:00 +0000

well gang- let it be known that I CANNOT BUILD THINGS LIKE BILLY POOLE COULD! Here I was thinking i was “ok” with a skill saw— WRONG! I’m horrible and can barely hammer in a nail correctly…. let alone figure out where to put it— however loved every minute of being outside attempting to build stuff…. (with power tools)pas mal… pretty cooool beans.

TORRRO!

Rachael — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:55:33 +0000

I did it….. I went to my first bull fight. Coolest part was that it was in a still-up-and-running Roman arena in Nimes. As in… damn damn cool. I don’t know if you can see HOW CLOSE that bull is–and how big he is too? — but it’s REAL close…and REAL big… impressive–often touching a bit. insane. Delphine and Rach with a rad backdrop. The crew… (with a Roman wall to lean against)…and of course drinks. Juliette with a Rica, Rach with a beer, and Delphine with a glass of champagne… (it was a little bit of a party after… )

Rachael … in a bonnet?

Rachael — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:35:31 +0000

Ok… the neighboring village of Ganges throws a huge three day festival called “Ganges 1900″ — I dressed in bloomers and a bonnet and road around on a float for three days… INCREDIBLE. I felt- needless-to-say- a little “out of place” being American on a French float? Everyone was dressed up, the village transformed, and everything came together for a few days of fun and some hard work as well: We cooked for a banquet of 500… GONG SHOW:It was truly impressive to see the lengths that people went to for everything. The costumes were magnificent. The stores were completely transformed, people paraded around on old bicycles, super old cars, and baby carriages… everything authentic and incredible… it was amazing to see what people still hold on to and can only show off once a year… Super fun. Ganges 1900. Good times.

BONJOUR MAMA BURKS

Rachael — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:00:52 +0000

So guess who decided to show up at Blancardy last week: O… that would be my mother: HI MOM!“Hi Breezy!”First stop: the Cirque du Navacelle: I couldn’t wait to show mom Cevennes. It was gorgeous and as usual pictures just can’t do it justice:That’s a little village down there and though it’s not visible the village rests on the crest of a series of waterfalls… small, but stunning.Next we went to the market –which I’ve been dying to show my mother all year. I think she liked it! We purchased mussels and ate a TON at lunch along with these tiny little shellfish called: “tellines” …. they were delicious. Crappy thing was that I got food poisoning from one of the 70 little buggers that I ate and ended up super sick for an entire night and the better part of the next morning… So after I started to feel a little better I did the only thing you can do after puking all night: ate : Mom and I drove up a windy road in the forrest to crest the mountain just at sunset before eating at a beautiful little Auberge here in Cevennes: Next day Alain took us on a tour through the mountains… don’t think that the promenades through this fabulous mountainous region of France will EVER get old… I was so happy to show mom. AND THEN WE ATE AGAIN: this time at the Blancardy Auberge… I’ve been here for three months and have never sat in the restaurant. IT WAS MIND-ALTERINGLY AWESOME! Sy-ah good. After eating I decided to take my mom walking… all around Nimes: Beautiful old city with roman ruins and towers dating 100 years BC…??! Yeah. I think mom liked it… (that WOULD be a roman arena behind mom… not photoshopped in although it looks like it’s superimposed? unreal.)And finally a farewell walk through the Blancardy property to send mom off the sunset before she parted the next morning.Thank you so much mom for joining me out here. It means so much that you cross oceans for me. I love you dearly and am so happy to have been able to share this new-found part of my heart.

I guess I drive “moto” now?

Rachael — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:07:55 +0000

Ready set: Here’s a 2 minute lesson in french on how to drive this… Ready…Go! : 140 km “outing”…. ?? …. ?? ….. ?? YESSSS!!!!! Gorge-ous. (wah wah wah)

A Farewell to Nug

Rachael — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:33:40 +0000

Words are limited when expressing the sentiment surrounding the farewell of Miss Kelly Holland. She and I have been adventuring together for years now. This next adventure of hers however does not include me at all. Kelly Holland -pro-skier- is now heading to Duke University to start a program on the other side of the USA for a nursing degree… I’m proud of her decision, dedication, and courage. I miss her already and I hope that her journey across the United States is a safe and pleasant (long-ass) drive.An occasion such as this meant I needed to drink that PBR she hauled all the way over here for me… and it was DAMN GOOD: To see the Nug off the French Pussy made an appearance… for a couple of nights of good times… ending in an all-nighter dancing in Montpellier. Syaw Fun!Not to mention that Delphine- Bulldozer was in the house for the weekend of farewell:Pina Coladas by the pool? O twist my arm…We’ve had a hell of a summer Nug… I love you… wish you the very best out there in North Cackilacki… You’re thought about every day friend.