Oyster beds

Last August I visited the oyster beds of Arcachon with Francis and Frédéric Dubourg. You can read those posts here. and here.

Last week Patrice and I returned to the Arcachon oyster beds and we were lucky to spend two more days on the boat with Frédéric as he further explained the intricacies of oyster farming.

You will recall that oysters lay millions of microscopic eggs once the water reaches a temperature of ~23 degrees C. The larvae then spend about two weeks swimming freely - at the end of which time they must attach to a surface in order to grow a shell. Last summer, Frederic distributed 1800 tiles in an area protected from winter storms - hoping to return this year to find that the oysters have attached and grown to the size of a quarter. A few days ago, he recovered a few hundred tiles, and scraped off the layer with the year-old oysters. Here's what they look like now.





Next step: distribute the baby oysters into a different area where they will grow for another year.


It's a labor intensive process. The oysters grow more quickly when they grow directly on the sea bed, but they must have plenty of space, plenty of oxygen, and plenty of food. Frederic does this by raking the soil, but with primitive machines such as this,


and the old fashioned way like this:


Furthermore, Frederic alternates the oysters between different beds - much the same way that a farmer will rotate crops - in order to find the perfect growing conditions for his free range oysters. The Dubourg family is the last of the oyster growers raising oysters directly on the sea bed. It's a labor of love, and the oysters honestly taste fresher having spent their lives submerged in the waters of the Arcachon basin rather than being bunched together in bags which are out of the water for longer periods of time.



Frederic works almost entirely alone in the oyster beds - doing the back breaking work of seeding, spreading, sorting, raking, tending, repairing, gathering, sorting, bundling, and shipping the precious cargo directly to the Cabane a Huitres in Paris. That's where Francis takes over - greeting and serving the customers, sometimes shucking 60 dozen oysters in a single day. The entire production of Dubourg oysters is consumed at the Cabane in Paris. Direct from the water to the table within 24 hours.


Heading back to port - Théo, Frédéric's son, Frédéric, and Patrice. Maybe Théo will take over from his dad - making him the sixth generation?

Arcachon (continued)

Arcachon is a resort town with some incredible houses that date back to end of the 19th century - built by wealthy vacationers from all over Europe. They seem to be all turrets, towers and trim. Most houses have been divided into apartments, but are still quite striking. Here are a couple just down the street from where we are staying.



I'd hate to have to paint the trim on one of these!

Arcachon

Francis (from the Cabane a Huitres) has graciously lent us an apartment in Arcachon where we have come to get some fresh air after last week's events. Unfortunately, the apartment doesn't have internet access and I am suffering from computer withdrawal. I am now in an internet cafe on battery power, so I don't expect I'll be posting much for the next few days.

Thank you for your kind thoughts regarding the loss of Patrice's brother.
I'll be back online in a few days.

Happy July 4th!

Trocadero

The fountains of the Trocadero gardens (across the river from the Eiffel Tower) are not often working. So when I passed by recently, I wanted to be sure and capture the moment.

Pascal

Patrice's younger brother, Pascal, passed away early on Monday morning -- less than three months after his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He was only 61 years old. He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday morning, and by Sunday evening we were informed by the doctors that he might not make it through the night.

He was conscious until the end, although in much pain. At 3:00AM he turned to Joelle, his companion of many years, said goodbye, and took off his oxygen mask. Within an hour, he was gone.

His family is relieved that his suffering is over.
Services will be held on Friday morning.
I never had a chance to know Pascal. And this is not the way I imagined I would meet the rest of Patrice's family.

Highs and lows

Life is good here in Paris.

Lunches with girlfriends:


Oysters chez Francis with Sophie and René:


Outdoor concerts - the grandson of Django Reinhardt


However, we are preoccupied with the other, less cheerful thoughts. Patrice's younger brother Pascal is gravely ill. He is suffering from pancreatic cancer and we have no idea how long he'll hold on. It is especially disturbing for Patrice whose mother, father, and wife succumbed to cancer. Patrice has no other brothers, sisters or cousins. Needless to say, this casts a pall over our daily plans as well as our plans to come to the U.S. in August. We'll have to play it day by day as we cherish our own health and good fortune.

On a more optimistic note, I'm starting to get used to the motor scooter. It still makes me a little nervous, and I certainly don't drive it! But it is a good way to see Paris from a different angle.

Maillol sculptures

The Tuileries garden near the Louvre boasts several large sculptures by Aristide Maillol, a French sculptor of the early 20th century. But these kids don't really care who created them.