A guest post today: I met New Orleans designer Alix Rico (American) and her photographer husband Paul (Spanish), when I shot their house in Provence for the Country French bookazine. They have a beautiful summer home in the Luberon in the fairy tale village of Goult. Alix periodically emails a "postcard" to friends, about their French life. Their beloved chien, Mignon, appears in most photos. I'm always telling Alix that she really should have a blog, so a guest post seemed appropriate. I loved this "postcard" she sent, about the workers in her village:
Life goes on here in the Luberon, and those who live in Goult must work! So I have compiled a little showcase of our Village commerce and it is fun! For such a small town we have several people I see every day, and more who are also here but I could not include. We are so fortunate to have a butcher, a baker, and several restaurants. We also have a doctor, a dentist,a Post Office and a library. So to work! 
Next is the happy and energetic waiter at our local café. He is from Vietnam. He is always smiling and very quick to bring you a glass of Pastis or a wine. We like to go to the cafe on Friday nights to listen to the singing. And we always enjoy seeing him deftly handle the crowds and the glasses!
And the handsome guy with the crate of vegetables is Michel, one of the wonderful family of grocers who brings us beautiful, fresh produce and cheeses every day. Last week we saw the family dancing a can-can to the strains of a marching song at our village party! Trés sympa!
But it our local artist's story I wish to tell. Her name is Francoise Van Heruverswyn. She is from Belgium and she is really cute and friendly. If that is not enough, she is a great artist as well! She does abstracts and fun nudes of women. But my favorites are the wonderful pastel watercolors she does of our village of Goult [top photo]. The rendering is tiny but so detailed that you can actually pick out our house! 
And thank you, Alix, for sharing your village life with us. What a great group of merchants, and I think Goult is quite lucky to have the three of you as well! Love this photo, right, which captures Alix and Paul's exuberant spirit. And the house is beautiful too, n'est pas? If you want to see more of her design work, go to her Pinterest site. You can contact me if you want more info about Francoise and her art.
RECIPE: Alix's Sweet & Savory CookieCrackers
Alix served these when we visited, and everyone was fighting over the last one. They are Savory Thyme Shortbreads, but I call them CookieCrackers because they are a little of both: sweet and salty at the same time, with fresh herbs, and just the thing to munch on with a glass of Bandol, that fine rosé from Provence.
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh sage leaves or 2 teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch-thick pieces, room temperatureBlend first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, process until dough comes together. Divide in half. Shape each dough piece into log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Chill until firm enough to slice, about 30 minutes.
Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut each dough log into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rounds; place on sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Reverse sheets so bottom sheet is on top rack of oven and top sheet is on bottom rack. Bake until cookies are golden, about 15 minutes longer. Cool on racks.
The recipe is from a 2007 issue of Bon Appétit.
In the COMMENTS: Julie, of the blog Traveling Through, you are so right about the artists being everywhere in France, around every corner. Colleen, I'm sure your home must be filled with your wonderful paintings (see them at Colleen Taylor Fine Art). Dee, we miss you too!
And I couldn't resist one last photo of that ever-chic media hound, MIgnon, who travels in style around Goult.
4 thoughts on “A Day in the Life, in the Lovely Luberon”
Lynn, thank you for sharing my website! You continue to always put a big smile on my face! Francois style of her soft watercolors is lovely. I think I’ve heard of that Pilgrimage from a truly inspirational movie I watched recently. I wish I could remember the title.
Thank you for the cookie cracker recipe. I can always trust the recipes coming from you are wonderful. That fuzzy little Mignon is precious in that antique car. Merci
What a wonderful post! I enjoyed every word and photo, and look forward to trying the recipe. The mention of Francoise making the trek from there to Santiago de Compostela brought to mind a book I recently read, “Paris to the Pyrenees, A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James” by David Downie. That book is probably the closest I will ever get to making the pilgrimage. How David manages to it with a back injury is beyond me. It’s a great read. My daughter, Darci is packing now for her return to France. We have had a wonderful visit with her, and now I must get back to her. Her flight leaves in the morning. (Cue sad Mom tears.)
What a charming,no! enchanting post!
Though I confess that adorable Mignon has stolen the show!
I am totally swept away by this slice of life and feel like I know these people and am a part of their community!
Life in the lovely Luberon is right!
Lynn, thank you for sharing this treat with us!
Oh, what a lovely surprise to see this post. We rented a house in Goult in ’08 and loved it! Such a charming and wonderful town and so convenient to all we wanted to do and see. We were right in town and I do recognize all these shops. Oh, to be there now!!!