Rescue on the ‘low’ seas

Today was our last full day in France.  The weather was ‘variable’.  Mostly gray with periods of rain and periods of sun.  We spent the day exploring the little towns on the coast in Brittany and even discovered places where Mireille had never been.  Unfortunately when we ventured from the car to walk around, the rain would fall.  We would scurry back to the car and then the sun would break out.

The coast is beautiful, though.  It is wonderful to see how dramatic the sky is as it changes. One moment it will be gray and overcast and then a beam of light will break through and light up a building or a boat or a hill.  Everything around it will be gray and indistinct.  And then the next moment, the light is gone again.  It is fascinating to see.  Very religous in feeling.

We had a great lunch at a little Creperie in a small town on the coast south of here.  I had a crepe with scallops, onions, and cream sauce.  Delicious.  I need to get more adventurous with my sauces! 

The owner was very friendly and we ended up staying a long time.  That area of Brittany grows a lot of onions and when they are ready, some of the people from Brittany will take onions to England and Ireland to sell.  The people are called ‘Johnnys’.  They travel around the countryside in England on their bicycles selling onions. 

When we came back to the island, we were a little too early and the tide had not cleared the road to the island so we were prepared to wait for awhile.  Unfortunately one car had decided not to wait and had tried to turn around on the sand next to the road.  The sand was still pretty waterlogged and the front tires sank deep into the sand.   The owners had called a local tow truck but the shop was closed and they weren’t reachable. 

Panic was starting to set in when we  arrived.  Cars frequently get stuck in the sand.  If they cannot be extracted before the tide comes in again, that is a very bad thing.  Some cars could not be extracted and are now completely buried.

Mireille and Bill  tried to help push the car out – no luck at all.  Then one of the locals had a brilliant idea.  They put a piece of plywood under the car jack and used it to jack the car up.  Then wood was placed under the front wheels so they could get traction and get out of the sand.  Luckily that worked!

I am impressed with the amount of resourcefulness that island living requires.  When the tide is in, people on the island have to figure out how to solve their problems without access to mainland resources.  This creates a very independent and self reliant mentality.