Of dogs and dumbasses

For those of you who have followed our trip thus far, here is an update. On the matter of dogs: We were asked by the mayor of Saignon to go again to the Gendarmes to report our encounter. He called first and we met the chief of the station who listened to our story and wrote out a clear concise report about it and put it in their files.

The dog above is Lula, a town dog who is now our friend. She is loose in town and as friendly as a puppy. She loves to chase sticks bur is reluctant to give them up, so two sticks is the best method.

As to dumbasses, that would be me. We went yesterday to fill the car up. As most Americans will attest, our diesel pumps are always green, to avoid mistakes. So....I pulled our diesel up to the pump and grabbed the green pump and started filling, wondering why the nozzle didn't fit right. I got to 27 liters before I realized that I'd been pumping regular gas, not a good fit with a diesel. I went to the clerk and told her what I'd done. She spoke lovely English and helped us push the car to the side. we called the rental agency and they sent a tow truck that took it away. We called a cab and limped home. The rental agency, Sixt, called and said our car would be ready today.....28 kilometers away! Luckily we know a wonderful man here in town who volunteered to drive us this morning to get it.

So, if you travel to France, rule number one is don't go with a dumbass*. Rule number two is Gas is green, diesel is yellow or orange!

*Dumbass is a colloquial southern expression that was taught to me by Dan Culp and perfectly fits my recent actions.