Arkel OverDesigns. A Wonderful Bike Accessory Company!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yves.
There is just 'something' about those French.

My husband bought a black wool cap in Quebec at a hat shop 3 years ago. With his beard, it makes him look French and sometimes when he wears it he pretends to speak French because he knows it drives me wild.

DH and I sometimes go for a lovely 50 mile round trip into Mass. and back home to NY. Our mid point lunch stop is Great Barrington MA. which has some wonderful shops.
We usually just have some apple crepes and latte at a little cafe, but while there one day we discovered the most wonderful shop that sells cheeses and olive oil, dried figs, olive oil soap, hand made sandwiches, good cold cuts, etc.
It's owned by a real Frenchman- Jean-Francoise, and his lovely wife Helene.
The cheese is really from France, and it's really good. There are cheaper cheese shops nearby, but without the French accent so why bother. A little good French cheese goes a long way.

We hire a man to come plow our driveway when we get snows of over 5".
Three years ago a French speaking Quebecois fellow named Benois came to our house looking for snowplow work. We hired him...completely charmed by his je-ne-sai-quois. He was very methodical, putting out tiny red poles along the edges of the driveway so he could plow correctly when there was deep snow obscuring the boundaries. He carried his laptop in his truck and had a cell phone so we could stay in communication on 'iffy' snow days.
Then he disappeared the following winter, and we couldn't get in touch with him- his cell phone number had changed. So we hired another snow plow guy, and he was actually cheaper...but it wasn't the same somehow. He wasn't Benois.
A few weeks ago Benois suddenly phoned us out of the blue and explained that he had had a back injury and surgery and was out of commission last winter and did we want him back? All in his heavy French accent of course. We were overjoyed to have 'our Benois' back again.

Coincidentally, for dinner this evening I had some of Jean-Francois' bleu cheese and crusty bread.

[Zen]

Paul added that in protest, Yves now wears all of his clothing made out of the fuchsia fabric and is sure that the trend will spread.

i tried to buy a pair of fuschia Keens from SAC today but missed out due to a slow computer. I'm sure they were an Yves design...

Lisa, your snow plow man sounds charming

[pardes]

I'm finally out of my pjs and off to drop in the lab to make sure the Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer is still running and didn't crash last night. On the way to the lab I plan to stop by the lbs and visit my new winter bike sitting in the dark in the supply room where it waits, not so patiently for the Arkel racks panniers to arrive and be installed.

I tell ya....men are so fickle. I've been dumped by Yves!

He promised next day air shipping but the shipping department folks didn't follow through and they won't arrive until Monday. The least Yves could have done was deliver it personally by dogsled or something.

Men! They are all alike.

hmmmm....I wonder if Mrs. Yves works in shipping?

[jobob]

hee hee - I think you're on to something there.

So is the GC-MS behaving itself?

[pardes]

So is the GC-MS behaving itself?

Well, actually I am STILL in my pjs. It's 33 degrees out there with high winds! If it crashed, it crashed.

The plan now is to try and make it to the restaurant for dinner tonight. We'll see. Right now, the box of macaroni and cheese "blue box" is looking more tempting than putting on six layers of clothing, which by the way, is all soaking in a bucket to de-stink itself and waiting to be dried.

[Crankin]

Lisa, is that French cheese shop in GB?
Maybe it's time for a meeting?
As long as I don't have to do that lovely 7 mile climb...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa, is that French cheese shop in GB?
Maybe it's time for a meeting?
As long as I don't have to do that lovely 7 mile climb...

Here is the shop's online blog:
http://bizalionsfinefood.blogspot.com/
It really looks just like the picture on the right with the hanging sausages!
Be prepared to taste and buy various olive oils, cheeses, prosciutto, dried figs, and have a sandwich while you are there.
I think it may be getting too cold and unpredictable weather-wise at this point to successfully plan a 50 mile round trip bike meet there, though!

Ok you are going to KILL me now.....
After doing that round trip to Great Barrington many times, Brian and I decided to try doing it in the opposite direction last month just to see how it was. It was WAY easier and that 7 mile climb out of town became a lovely descent instead. The inclines throughout the route to GB were now more spaced out and gradual when going in the other direction.

Don't kill me.

[Crankin]

Gee, thanks for the information about the ride!
I have never been in that shop, but I know I have passed it. No, I didn't think we would ride and meet there; I meant drive! Although, it probably would be more equitable and realistic if we met in Northampton. About half way for each of us. Doesn't your daughter live there?

OK, enough off topic. Email me...