Last Saturday we did our annual olive harvest party at Xavier & Valerie's:
But first, how about that lemon tree! Estelle took that photo!
We should also note that last wkend Estelle got to take home her class mascot, a stuffed bear called "Biscotte". Biscotte got to harvest olives too.
Here, my old boss from 10 years ago, Philippe, shows Estelle how to work the elecric gaule. Xavier invested in this tool a few years back and it certainly has expedited the whole experience.
Estelle waits with Biscotte and her peigne (comb) to attack some of the lower branches on the trees below on this terrace.
Laying net = the first step in the whole process. It is a fine art, and very specific because catching the olives as they fall, and then being able to peel away/lift up the nets depending on how they are overlayed on each other is crucial.
Above: Jean-Pierre sends Estelle up the embankment to place a "sardine" (like a tent stake).
Waiting with the peigne! Below: using the Gaule - wooden bamboo stick that you tap tap tap to knock down the olives. These gaules belonged to Xavier's father's father. Behind Estelle are Michelle and Antonia.
Above: a small take from a few branches. Below: the wind machine. Once the olives have been taken from the nets and put into the crates, we haul the crates up the hill to this machine and dump them in. The machine blows air thru the olives as they fall, thus blowing out the leaves. Two of us kneel down at the chute and pull out any heavy things that don't get blown away - like stones and twigs.
Below: the best moment: Eating lunch outside in the sun on the terrace at the upper villa. You see Zet, Xavier's mom on the left. She made the polenta, which is wrapped up like a sausage in a tea towel. We had it with "daube" - traditional Nicois stewed beef with carrots. Succulent. One year the daube was made with wild boar that Xavier had shot as it was eating his tomatoes. But it's illegal so we have to keep that on the QT.
Here's Michel lowering the metal trap stop on the wind machine because the crate below was full.
Estelle and Jean-Pierre and Philippe pull out the big branches before we all do the tricky manoeuver to lift this net and tip all those kilos of olives into a crate to haul up the hill.
Here's Estelle with some of the finished sorted crates. What you can see is that they are stacked two on top of each other. The pressure is always on for Xavier because he makes an appointment at the moulin (Olive press place) in Italy months in advance and you can't change it. So on Tuesday, no matter what, he loads his truck high and drives to Italy with the olives and they are pressed into oil and bottled before his eyes. So he always wants to have all 25 trees done.
A fun moment in Papito, Xavier's fishing boat parked near the olive trees.
At 4:30 Thomas and Lena arrived to fetch us.
Xavier had 3 days with 3 different teams. We were Day 2, on the team with his childhood friends of Philippe (my old boss from 2001 and how I originally met Xavier), Jean-Pierre and Michel. Somehow Xavier, the man himself, escaped my camera, as did Quentin, Xavier's son and my student for 10 years, who is now off at Merchant Marine school but was home for the holiday wkend.
Back at home: breakfast with Biscotte:
Grocery shopping with Biscotte:
Coloring with Biscotte:
We feel so incredibly lucky to be able to participate in that olive harvest each year because it is authentic and private and not something trucked up for a tourist experience. I remember 10 years ago I had no clue as to what the heck was going on. Now I'm an expert - though I still get barked at about laying net wrong. Reminds me a lot of my dad!
Below: on the left, a Dutch friend Michel, on the right a Dutch boy from a different family, Stayne. When I met Stayne he was 4 1/2 and peed his pants at the first Thanksgiving. This is when you realize 10+ years have gone by. Now he golfs and drives a scooter.
Please note the Elton John video in the background. There's Stayne's dad pilot Harry explaining something important to Curtis.
Below: Ian and Mark, Scottish and British. Live in London, have a place for holidays in Nice. Mark and I discovered that we lived in DC at the same time - usually there are so many people at C & D's villa events that you can't really talk to people. With a reduced crowd (14 adults), I really got to visit with some people - like Mark, who lived close to where my niece Sara lives now. Mark is a big biker and is preparing to bike from Land's End in England to someplace in Scotland whose name I've forgotten - John Dows?
Craig, Curtis (American) and Claudia, Stayne's Dutch Mom.
The Lonely Doll decided to come to Thanksgiving with us. It seemed like a Dare Wright kind of day.
Lizzy & Barry, old friends from London who moved here about 8 years ago. I'll miss seeing them.
Here's Craig's piece de resistance: Phillipino Sheila and Bonita that he hired to be in the kitchen and deal with dishes and serving and clean-up. We love them. They have seen my girls grow up at each event. Sad to not see them anymore! Thomas told me after that they asked him if he knew of any French guys looking to marry a Phillipino friend of theirs so she could have her papers. Cracked me up. You can see the terrace off the kitchen.
Doug attack. Behind you can see all the gifts for our Yankee Swap game.
Yes that is still Elton John.
Brigitte (French wife of Sylvain, their handyman for the past 11 years) discusses dogs with Lizzy.
The boys. No Mark cause he was too busy with Estelle....
Mark and Estelle played games for an hour in front of the fire.
Watching the game, waiting for our #'s to come up. Note the pocket doors that had been closed. Behind those doors those Philippino ladies turned that kitchen from post-buffet disaster into a dessert showcase (showcasing my desserts, of course - cheesecakse with berry coulis and lemon curd plus oatmeal chocolate chip pumpkin bars).
Léna wanted to bring everyone their gift. All the time. There's Stayne's sister Emma sitting on the couch. Those kids flipped between English, French and Dutch every other sentence. Wild.
Claudia gets help.
I found out Sunday that later that evening after everyone had left, Doug bought a Jaguar. Literally. On-line. Doesn't he look like he has something up his sleeve here?
They were, as always, great hosts. I still can't believe they are leaving. Like my only family here and they are leaving. Such a bummer, but such a great new opportunity for them! Very exciting.
