imagined-community

Tuesday morning, after a simple breakfast of baguette, fruit, and coffee (between 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.) we started our volunteer work. Because our group was volunteering late in the season (La Sabranenque programs run from May through October) we were working on the Sabranenque compound. For the first few days we collectively built some stone steps and a short dry stone wall. And we hauled a lot of rocks! I soon discovered that finding the right size rock to provide the maximum stability for our rock puzzle stairs was no easy task.

(Want to learn more about traditional dry stone wall techniques? Check out this video, “Walls of Stone” about traditional masonry in the United States. I wish I had watched it before I went to Saint Victor la Coste.)

Later in the week we divided into two groups. Some of us continued to work on building walls while the other group paved a traditional stone road (in the above photo). I was really impressed with their amazing paving! It is really something to watch people build a stone road by hand.

(You can read more about the revival of traditional stone paving here.)

Each day we stopped working around noon and ate dejeuner (an enormous amount of savory homemade food…j’ai grossi) on the patio or inside when the mistrals struck. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the staff of La Sabranenque went to the rock quarry for the afternoon. Volunteers were invited and encouraged to help out at the quarry, but we were not obliged to work during the afternoon.

Tomorrow. Day trips in the area around Saint Victor la Coste…