EXCERPT FROM SARA’S JOURNALNovember 15, 1998
Cameyrac et St. Sulpice
The tidal river Dordogne marries Bordeaux’s Garonne just north of
here. The Dordogne is lazy and mallard-inhabited like the Nicomeckel. Its spongy dykes
oblige omnipresent lovers.
The road from Cameyrac to Cavernes is a twisting tour of grazing
Charolais. We pass under the autoroute to Paris and find the scenic drive to Ambes. The
town is much the same as Cavernes, and St. Sulpice, and St. Loubes. It’s quiet and
only distinguishable by the breed of its barking dog. Shutters are shut and there is a man
in a cap riding a bicycle. An otherwise average main street is transformed into a Grand
Boulevard with a tandem parade of turning trees.
The rain faucet turns on and off, and every cloud has a silver lining.
We round the bend at the Dordogne and Garonne junction and are promptly sabotaged by
France’s commitment to efficient motorways. It’s a challenge to find a muddy
bolt-loosener.
There’s a sunset in the maple-leaf ivy. The ivy hugs the wall and
conceals lizards when the temperature drops. When the temperature drops the sunset
deepens, turning the ivy crimson.
