In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Before closing up for the summer, we scrambled to take photographs, estimate the size of rooms, inventory house contents, and record the procedures of opening, closing, and upkeep. We would need this information for an ad in the house-exchange booklet, a promotional letter to send prospective exchangers, and a file of house information for eventual tenants. As we compiled the materials, I found myself reminiscing about where and why we purchased the armoire, the writing desks, and the tawny leather chair that we regularly vied over. I wrote instructions on how to close the armoire without stressing its delicate panels and considered whether tenants should be asked to apply beeswax by hand, as we did each year. No, they couldn’t be expected to lavish love on every item in the house; they would be here for a holiday. 13 e x i l e a n d r e t u r n Back in Madison, we dealt with the challenge of constructing the telegraphically short ad in the houseexchange booklet. We were entitled to two short lines, and most people filled these with symbols from a predetermined list. Neither the symbols nor their translations captured the spirit of our house. How were people to know that the house nestled, with complete architectural harmony, within a village built around a medieval fortress? How could we convey the unique beauty of a room with walls of soft-colored stone? Would readers of the catalogue know anything about Périgord—the way of life, the food, the history, the natural beauty, the sweet temperament of the people? There were no symbols for castles, abbeys, caves, prehistoric sites, open-air markets, outstanding restaurants , or fine wineries. Finally, we decided on this one-line description: “Stone cottage, village, castle view, cave area.” Through symbols we indicated the presence of a fireplace, shower, garden, mountains, river, public swimming, hiking/walking, and tourist attractions (right in the backyard if they wanted one, but we did not have the space or gumption to explain about that—besides, our new hedge would diminish the nuisance). A photo would have to convey all else. We chose a shot that showed not only the house but the retaining wall for the terrace and a glimpse of the houses on either side. Our thinking was that people who were looking for rural isolation would be warned off by the evident proximity of neighbors, while those seeking village charm would be enticed by the white hibiscus flourishing by the stone porch and the scarlet petunias decorating the terrace wall. 2 7 2 t h e b at t l e o f c a s t l e n au d Working with one of these exchange catalogues is rather like using a dating service. You give information about your house, set dates when you will entertain an exchange, and state your preferences for locations. Our notion was to try a clean break, a vacation as different as possible from those at Castelnaud, and we decided that meant coastline instead of inland, cool instead of hot, modern instead of ancient, and English-speaking instead of Francophone. So we posted GB, CA, US, USNW—Great Britain, Canada, United States, and more specifically the northwest states. We hoped that in one of those locations there would be some couple tiring of misty summers at their seaside cottage and dreaming of inland hill towns, steady sunshine, and French cuisine. We sent in our ad and waited for replies—any time after Christmas, we were told. Away visiting family in the week before New Year’s, we wondered how many letters there might be from exchangers waiting at home in our mailbox. When we returned, we discovered five replies—two from San Francisco, two from Seattle, and one from Vancouver. The hopeful correspondents all sent letters with tantalizing descriptions. We went back to the exchange catalogue to scrutinize the ads, locate the addresses on city maps, and consider the relative merits of neighborhoods. There was a sense of pressure, since we knew that most exchangers sent off multiple feelers and would be eager to make a match as early as possible. We were elated when our first pick, Vancouver, confirmed by e-mail that an exchange was on. A recently retired math professor and his artist wife were keen on a month in Périgord, and we would occupy their town2 7 3 e x i l e a n d r e t...

Share