D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
July 2009
Bayuo Seco's Rolling Postcard
Page: 3We presented an afternoon New Mexican dance workshop in nearby Parthenay (a medieval town) and a Cajun dance that evening at a little restaurant. The cook, named Marko, made a beautiful jambalaya complete with crayfish and shrimp and some very authentic-tasting Cajun sausage. He also made the best bread pudding I have ever eaten, served with a sublime bourbon sauce. For us, the best part was at the end when three local folks got out their fiddles and guitar and played some music for the "avant deux" dance of this region. The people who had been dancing all afternoon and evening to our music showed us how it is done around here.
Every time we come to France we learn new things. This time we have learned that a "giraffe" roundabout (rond-point/traffic circle) is one with five roads going off it — the neck and four legs, so to speak. There are always new things to eat, different ways to cook vegetables, yet untasted cheeses and wines. After a few days in the country, our French comes back and the rrr's roll easily off our tongues. It is a thrill to be here each year, listening to and playing music, and seeing the beautiful countryside.
One thing we still can't figure out is why every receipt from the store or gas station has the price not just in euros but also in the old French franc. It has been almost seven years of the euro now, and there is no turning back.
We will be in France for the month of June, playing for workshops and dances, a family reunion, a 50th birthday party, a house concert, and several restaurants. Then we will play a festival in Germany, and get ready to come home to our quiet life in Silver City. It does take lot of energy to sustain this pace. We take naps when possible, and sometimes get a day to ourselves. But we never forget the privilege we have been granted to be ambassadors of our culture. It is an honor and a pleasure.