May 19, 2022
In Beaune
Our day begins with Susan’s laundry. We’re staying in an apartment with a washing machine and drying rack here in Beaune and Rachael offered the use of it to Susan, who enthusiastically accepted. There was some thought to have her stop in at our place on the way into town yesterday, but it was too hot and late in the day by then so the plan is for her to come over this morning around nine, after some early morning rain passes by.
Just after nine the phone rings. It’s Susan, saying she and Vivien George are just outside; but she doesn’t see the apartment so Rachael heads out to the street to meet her. A few minutes later Susan calls again, having seen no sign of Rachael. She starts explaining where she is - next to a wine museum or something, I think - but I ask her to give me the name of a street; then to repeat it more slowly, in English instead of French, and wait while I find her on the map.
She’s about a mile and a half out of town, out in the country somewhere. Apparently there’s more than one Clemenceau Apartment in town and she’s looking for the wrong one. I tell her to bike back to where we had dinner last night since she definitely knows where that is, and I’ll walk down to meet her there.
I pass Rachael on my way over to update her on the situation and then walk to the restaurant. Five minutes later Susan arrives, and I point her to continue down the street for another four or five blocks and watch for Rachael, who I then call to have her go back on the street to flag Susan down.
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No riding today. We have a social event arranged - Keith Klein and his wife Susan (Susan, Susan, and Suzanne! What are the odds?) are driving down from their home south of Dijon to meet with us for lunch, so trying to fit a ride in around the edges doesn’t really work or make sense to any of us. Fine with everyone, because Suzanne and János need some time to get organized for a tour after their drive over from Gauting; and Susan, Rachael and I are all overdue for a rest day.
So, a blitz description of the day: Rachael and Susan tend to her laundry, and then gas together at the apartment through the wash cycle and hang it out to dry while I take a walk through Beaune, enjoying the surprisingly refreshing morning. Susan heads back to her home, Rachael takes a walk. It starts sprinkling a bit. The phone rings - it’s Rachael, suggesting I rush back to the apartment to take the laundry indoors before it gets soaked.
We all meet at 12:30 at a restaurant in the center of town, have a great lunch and visit, and then retreat to our respective dens to avoid the now unpleasant heat.
At 7 we walk over by Susan’s place to meet at a sidewalk cafe for a light meal and to deliver the now clean laundry. Suzanne joins us, but not János. We talk over the day and the dismal state of the world, say goodnight, and walk back to our lairs.
Our day ends as it begins, still tending to Susan’s laundry. On the way back to our room the phone rings. It’s Susan, calling to report that she is missing a pair of bike shorts and one sock. I suggest that we could just bring them by when we meet in the morning, but that won’t work - she won’t have any pants to wear for the ride. She only brought one pair?
Back at our apartment we find two(!) pair of shorts on the drying rack outside, and the sock along with a shirt still in the washer. I bike them over to Susan’s. She thanks me again, and sounds sheepish - I feel like a little kid, she says. No problem, kiddo! It’s an honor to be cast as a bit character in a Susan Story!
Do you remember Roshamon, the Japanese film with three different versions of the same incident so you’re left trying to mentally triangulate to what really happened? Or the fable of the seven blind men and the elephant? That’s sort of what we have here in the coming days, with three active journals covering the same story. CNN, FOX, MSNBC. Who should you believe?
I’m going to make life a little easier for all of us by simplifying the plot line to just two primary feeds. After nine weeks on the road I could use a blog break anyway, so we can mostly all read into Susan and Suzanne’s accounts for what happened here. I’ll still drop in some photos and any videos that happen along, but otherwise I’ll keep things brief and enjoy the rare gift of having some company we can share the coming days with.
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