Letter from Verac
Celebrating the 4th of July By Working Comme Des Paysons On A Farm In France
Nothing says the 4th of July like dried grape vines on the grill, slightly chilled Bordeaux, pate d’Armagnac fresh from the tin and an afternoon spent elbow-deep in the hard, clay soil of the earth as the Tricolour waves gloriously above our sunburned brows.
Any student of the American Revolution will tell you how without French support the 4th of July in the New World would just be another unremarkable box on the calendar. So Candace and I are enjoying our mission of goodwill with our oldest allies in the land of Liberté, Égalité Fraternité (and confit).
So to all you back in the States currently riding waterskis over the glacial lakes; testing the very integrity of a hamburger bun by loading it high with various meats, pickled goods and condiments; watching the Stars n’ Stripes lit in various hues of celebratory fireworks as it yet waves; you’re welcome.
In the grand tradition of Gallic philosophizing, I would leave you, gentle readers, with a few thoughts on freedom and independence. Candace and I are experiencing a new kind of liberty for us: Personally, here in the countryside of Aquitaine, I am enjoying a temporal freedom where so many of the wonderful, sense-memories of growing up with my family are near in my mind as we prepare fresh dinners each night, take in the smells native to a garden, forget that clocks are ticking away throughout the world and enjoy the virtues of youth and age concurrently.
Independence & liberty, to me, mean the freedom to self-actualize; to be unstintingly your own self. May we all celebrate and promote these ideals in the world around us this Fourth of July, 2016.
Bonne fête de 4 Juillet a tous!
