Saturday: differences and similarities

Saturday, Sept. 8 1:40pm

Late start today--slept in because we were up till 2:00am. I drank too much wine. Strolled around the little town and discovered a castle at the top of the village. Not much happening here at all. Several locals walking around with books and seemed to be gathering near the welcome center--can't quite figure out what for. But curious to know how these people spend their days. Obviously no communting to an office job. How are the bills paid here? Running their business, maybe they have a farm or a trade? It's definitely got be thinking about "going to work" and "life's work." I don't think the folks in this small village think about being on or off duty. They live to work and work to live but in a more balanced, healthy way than we talk about in the US.

Several handsome young men sitting around tables at the restaurant below our room socializing. Some casually bring in supplies. The pace is so different. So peaceful.

Later that afternoon...
~Japanese tourists in Gordes--they don't pretend to be anything but what they are.

9:23 pm
Enjoyed a couple beers at the little hotel bar with Vincent (the B&B owner? manager?) who was all bunged up because the power kept going out. Orange pants tonight, cobalt blue last night. Trying to make small talk and run the restaurant and flirt and get us drunk "on the house!"

Wandering around tonight I spotted a black cat snoozing in a window along one of the narrow cobblestone streets. I got closer to try to get the kittie's attention and noticed inside were 3 boys, probably around my kids' age. One with a growing-in mohawk, shirtless with a big belly. Two were playing video games on the tv--Xbox, I believe, and the other was playing on a laptop at the table. Looked a lot like the kids back home, which was interesting to see way out here. Made me relax a little about the pressure and judgements I put on myself as a mom. Screens are nearly everywhere.