A Home for the Postcards

Earlier this week I wrote about a box of antique postcards that one of my high school teachers gave me many years ago.  They belonged to her grandfather who was a brewmaster with the Schlather Brewing Company, the most successful brewery in Cleveland, Ohio, at the beginning of the 20th century.  Many of the postcards were sent by his boss, Leonard Schlather, from the many travels he took around the world.

I certainly did not want to throw these out, but I could not find anyone who was interested in them.  Finally, I sent an email to the Rocky River Historical Society.  After Schlather had made a fortune, he built a mansion in the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River.  I soon received a reply from one of the officers of the club, and she said that they would be delighted to accept the cards that were written by Schlather (which is more than half of them).  So, the majority of the postcards have found a home where they will be preserved and valued for their historical significance.  In her reply, she sent me a photo of the Schlather house (sadly, no longer in existence) which once overlooked the Rocky River valley.

 The photo was published in Cleveland's major newspaper, The Plain Dealer, on July 7th, 1901.

A Quick Trip to Chicago

On Tuesday I took a quick trip to Chicago to visit my friends Tony and Terence.  I had not seen them since before the pandemic, and I wanted to say goodbye before I make the move to Mexico.  

I left Cleveland around 8:00 in the morning.  I was a dreary, gray day, and, as we headed out over Lake Erie, we were soon above the clouds.

It's a quick flight of less than an hour, and by the time we had descended below the clouds we were almost at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.

We spent the day talking and catching up on everything that had been going on for the last several years.  Later, we went out for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, "Las Mañanitas" which is just a few blocks from their place.  It's a Mexican restaurant, and definitely a cut above the typical restaurant that claims to serve "authentic Mexican cuisine".

Tony had oxtail, which he said was excellent and fall-off-the bone tender.  Terence and I both had Yucatan chicken.

  

Looking out over Lake Michigan from their apartment the next morning

Before noon I took a taxi to head back to the airport, and by late afternoon I had returned to Cleveland.

Moving Day

No, I'm not leaving for Mexico just yet.  That's still about a month away.  However, yesterday, the movers came to pack up the stuff that I am taking down there.

Since the previous owners of the condo in Mexico City are leaving the place completely furnished, I do not have to move that much.  There are certain pieces of furniture, my relatively new TV, and a lot of my paintings and other decorative items that I want down there.  The moving company I have contracted is highly recommended and specializes in moving household goods from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico.

Yesterday morning the movers arrived with a U-Haul truck and packing materials.

  Within a few hours they had everything boxed and wrapped.

This morning they returned and loaded everything onto the truck.  It will go to Atlanta where they have another shipment, and then on to the Mexican border, and eventually to my place in Mexico City.

Searching for a Home

No, this post has nothing to do with real estate.  It's about finding a home for something that I do not want to just throw in the trash.

Many years ago, my high school Spanish teacher, who was like an adopted mother to me, gave me a box of antique postcards that belonged to her grandfather.

His name was John Schneider.  He was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in the late19th century.  He became a brewmaster and eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked for the Schlather Brewing Company, at that time the largest brewery in Cleveland.

The owner of the brewery, Leonard Schlather, was also born in Germany and had become a very wealthy man from the success of his brewery.  He and his wife traveled extensively, and Schlather frequently sent postcards to Schneider.  The cards in the box all date from the first years of the 20th century, and many were from Schlather's trips to faraway places.  The messages on the cards were always written in German.

A few of the postcards...  (clockwise from upper left) the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, the Hofbrau House in Munich, Germany, and the Plaza Navona in Rome, Italy.

There were also several postcards sent from the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.

I have been trying to find a home for these postcards.  I called the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, left a message.  I did not hear back from them.  I went to the Berea Historical Society, and, although the lady found them very interesting, they were not something that they would want for their collection.  (Understandable, since the connection to Berea is very tenuous... that fact that they belonged to a long-time faculty member of Berea High School.)  Then a lady from the Western Reserve Historical Society finally called me back.  Although they did not want the cards, she gave me some suggestions.  The Schlather Brewery was located on the site where the Great Lakes Brewing Company stands today.  She said that they might have an interest.  Also, Schlather built a mansion in the Cleveland suburb of Rocky River.  The Rocky River Historical Society or Rocky River Library might accept the cards.

I will give those places a call this week.  However, with my move to Mexico, I am very busy.  I don't have the time to search much more.  If those places do not want the postcards, I will, as Alejandro suggested when we Skyped last night, simply pack them in my suitcase and take them with me to Mexico.

Merry Christmas

It's only September, but my Christmas cards are all set to be mailed.  Much earlier this year I did the painting which was to be used for the card, and I went to a local printer to have them printed.  Then, a couple week ago, I printed off the address labels, and created new return-address stickers.  Those have the address in Miami that I have been assigned by the private mail service that will deliver my mail to Mexico.  (My mail will go to Florida and from there sent via UPS to an office in Mexico City.)  I also printed off a short note to enclose in the cards giving everyone my new contact information.  I was ready to make them out, something which I accomplished over the course of several evenings.

Next, I went to the post office to buy stamps.  Obviously, this year's Christmas stamps are not yet available.  However, they had something even better.  This month the U.S. Postal Service issued a new booklet of Forever Stamps featuring piñatas.  Perfect!

With the cards ready to go, I took them to my friend Gayle.  I always send out my Christmas cards the day after Thanksgiving, and mine are always the first to be received.  This year, I will have made the move to Mexico long before Thanksgiving.  But Gayle kindly offered to send them out for me at the usual time.  So, for this year at least, the Christmas card tradition will continue.  For the coming years, I will have to investigate how expensive it will be to send cards via my private mail service.

A Birthday Celebration

My schedule is very full for the coming weeks.  Not only am I busy getting ready for my move to Mexico, but I have a busy social calendar getting together with friends before I leave Ohio.

Last night a group of us met to celebrate the birthday of our friend Gayle.  Gayle and I go back all the way to kindergarten.  We really weren't close in school, but in later years, being nearly the only ones in our graduating class still living in our childhood homes, we have become good friends.  There were five of us all together...  Duffy, who was also in our class, his husband Carlos, and my friend Frank, who has come to know them all well.

We went to a nearby Italian restaurant and had a delicious supper.

We then went back to Duffy's house where we had a birthday cake.  Gayle was serenaded with "Happy Birthday", the Puerto Rican birthday song (Duffy and Carlos have a home in Puerto Rico) and "Las Mañanitas", the Mexican birthday song.

It was a great evening with good friends!

2024

As you know, every year a have a calendar made which features photos that I have taken.  I then give the calendars out as Christmas gifts (and, of course, keep one for myself). This year the photos were all pictures of works in the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Earlier this summer, I went on the Shutterfly website and prepared my calendar for 2024.  As soon as I returned home from my most recent trip to Mexico, I ordered the calendars so that I could give them out before I make my big move.

Earlier this month, the package from Shutterfly arrived.

I have two of the calendars already packed in my suitcase... one for my apartment in Mexico City and one for Alejandro's family.  Others have been given out to friends who usually receive the calendar at Christmas, and I sent six of them to my cousins in Switzerland, England and Norway.  

I went to the post office last Thursday to send them off to Europe.  Amazingly, on Monday I received an email from my cousin Kevin in England that his calendar had arrived.  Just four days!  And this morning I had an email from my cousin Brigitta in Switzerland that hers had arrived.  Only one week!  It seems that the international mail is moving much faster than previously.  I looked at the U.S. Postal Service website and put in the tracking numbers. All of the calendars to Switzerland were delivered today.  Only the package to Norway is still lingering at the international distribution center in Chicago. 

I won't tell you now what the theme of the 2024 calendar is, but come next year, I will show you the photos month by month.

SOLD!

 

After the inspection of the house last Friday, I was told that there were only a few minor issues.  Apparently, those issues were inconsequential to the buyers.  Yesterday the realtor came to the house with another document for me to sign.  (I don't remember what it's called.) It stated that I am not responsible for any repairs prior to closing.

The wheels of bureaucracy will turn for a few more weeks before the deal is officially closed.  However, my realtor said that at this point he has never seen a sale not go through.  He confidently changed the sign from "SALE PENDING" to "SOLD".

Leftovers from the Last Trip

As I was looking through my files, I realized that there were a few pictures from my last trip to Mexico that I had not posted.  Here are a couple of photos of a meal we had toward the end of my stay.  (Alejandro took the pictures since I did not have my camera at hand.)

For dinner one day Alejandro's sister bought some "tlacoyos", a dish that I really like and have even made at home.  A "tlacoyo" is made from "masa" (corn meal dough) and filled with beans.  It is then fried and usually topped with beans, chopped onion, salsa and "crema" (similar to our sour cream).  They are so tasty!

For dessert we had something that I had never had before, even after countless trips to Mexico... "camotes" (sweet potatoes) from a street vendor.  If you have spent much time in Mexico (or at in least Mexico City) you have probably heard the unforgettable sound of the "camote" vendor passing down the street on his bicycle cart.  When steam from the steamer filled with sweet potatoes is released it produces a distinctive whistle.  It is a very eerie sound, especially when the vendor is passing down the street late at night.  Anyway, even though I had heard the whistle of the vendors countless times, I had never eaten any of their "camotes".  On this occasion, Alejandro went out to the street and bought sweet potatoes for us all.

They are covered with brown sugar, and they are quite good.

It was definitely a very, very Mexican meal.

Appreciated

As I mentioned the husband of the couple that bought my house is one quarter Mexican.  He said that he liked the Mexican influence of the decor, and, in particular, he mentioned the Mayan carvings in my office.

On the doors of the storage cabinets, there are woodcarvings that I bought on one of my trips to Yucatán.  I found them in the workshop of a woodcarver in the town of Izamal, about 40 miles to the east Mérida.

 

On the doors of the cabinets above my computer station, there are smaller carvings which I found at the Mayan archaeological site of Labná.  If I remember correctly, the father of the fellow who was the caretaker of the site was a woodcarver.  The son was selling his father's work at the entrance to the ruins.  Each carving is a Mayan glyph and means something in the ancient Mayan writing system.

My realtor later admitted to me that he had his doubts about those carvings, and even I wondered whether the new owner would take them off the doors.  But as it turned out, they were a selling point that endeared the house to the buyer.

Whew!

 

Before the sale of the house can go through, it has to pass an inspection.  That was really worrying me, because the house is over 70 years old.  I was imagining all sorts of scenarios in which the inspector found major problems that would hold up the sale and cost me loads of money.  Worry-wort that I am, my stomach was tied in knots fretting about the results. 

The inspector came last Friday accompanied by the buyers' realtor.  I left the house and ran a couple of errands.  Then I went over to my friend Gayle's house to kill some more time.  Shortly after I arrived, my cell phone rang.  It was my realtor.  He said that we have a "situation".  My heart sank.  "The inspector can't get the furnace to come on."  I said I was only five minutes away, and that I would come right over.  By the time I got there he had the furnace running.  I suppose it was slow to start because it had not been used all summer.  (Yesterday, we had a very chilly night, and I turned the thermostat up.  The furnace came on immediately with no problem.)

The inspector was done with his work and said that there were only a few very minor problems.  (I suppose that I will receive the list from my realtor on Monday.)  I felt as if a ton of bricks had been taken off my shoulders.

I also had the opportunity to meet the young couple that are buying my house.  They seem very nice.  They have been looking for a house for months, but every time that they put in an offer, they were outbid.  They liked my house better than any of the others that they had seen, so they are thrilled that their offer has been accepted.  The wife enjoys working in the garden.  Well, next spring she will have her work cut out for her, since this summer I have not had the time or inclination to work in the garden at all.  The husband is of one quarter Mexican ancestry, so he loved the Mexican influence in the decor of my house.  So, it really seems like it was meant to be, a "win-win" situation for us all.  I sold my house in an incredibly short time, and the buyers seem perfectly suited for the place that has been my home since I was three years old.

Independence Day

Today is Mexico's Independence Day.  (And if you have been reading this blog long enough, you already know that Independence Day is NOT "Cinco de Mayo".)

(image taken from the internet)

On this day in 1810, Miguel Hidalgo, a parish priest in the town of Dolores, began the struggle for independence from Spain.  He was the leader of a group of conspirators who were plotting to break away from Spanish colonial rule.  When the conspiracy was discovered by the authorities, Father Hidalgo, in the early hours of the morning, rang the church bell and exhorted his parishioners to rise up against the Spanish.  His speech became known as "El Grito de Dolores"... "the Cry of Dolores".  Hidalgo was to lose his life before a Spanish firing squad, and the war dragged on for eleven long years.  But in 1821 the Spanish viceroy finally signed a treaty recognizing Mexico's independence.

The big celebration actually took place last night.  Each year, as many as half a million people crowd into Mexico City's main plaza, the Zócalo.  The bell which Father Hidalgo rang now hangs over the balcony of the National Palace.  The President appears on the balcony, rings the bell and proclaims the "Grito".  In towns and cities across Mexico, mayors and governors ring replicas of Mexico's independence bell.

I have never been in Mexico on Independence Day, but by next year's holiday I will have resided there for nearly a year.  I do not, however, plan on attending the celebration on the Zócalo.  Standing for hours amidst a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people in not my idea of fun.  Nevertheless...

¡Viva México!

Belated Birthday

On Tuesday, the second day that my home was on the market, I had a couple of requests for showings.  Of course, it is customary for the homeowner to leave while the house of being shown.  I was talking on the phone with my cousin Gail in the morning, but I had to cut the conversation short.  I told her that I had to go because someone would soon be coming to see the house.  She said to come over to her place.  I had not seen her since my return from Mexico, so that gave us a chance to visit and catch up on the latest news.  

I headed back home between showings, and while I was driving the cell phone rang.  I pulled over, and it was a request for another showing, the third for that day, later in the afternoon.  I waited at home until the realtor for the second appointment arrived, and then I took off for a lunch date.

Frank, my friend who housesits for me, was going to take me out for lunch.  I had been in Mexico on my birthday, and he wanted to treat me to a belated birthday meal at Olive Garden. I told him to meet me at the restaurant rather than coming to the house.  There we joined by two of my high school friends, Gayle (not to be confused with my cousin Gail) and Duffy.  (You have met both of them a number of times in earlier blog posts.)

Duffy, Gayle and Frank

(photo taken by Gayle)

We had a leisurely lunch and good conversation.  Afterwards, Frank went back to my house, and we visited some more until it was time for the next realtor's appointment.  Earlier, Gayle had said I should come over to her house during that showing.  So, I drove to her place which is less than ten minutes away.  As I was getting out of the car, the cell phone rang again with another request, the fourth for that day, an hour later.  I ended up hanging out at her house even longer than I planned.

Even though it was annoying to have to constantly leave the house, it was nice to spend the day visiting with friends and relatives.  And the best belated birthday present of all was to receive the news the next day that one of those showings had resulted in a sale!

Exciting News!

My house has only been on the market for two days, but this morning I received a call from my realtor.  Four parties viewed my house yesterday, and one of them made a very good offer.  I have heard stories about homes selling quickly, but I never imagined that mine would sell so fast, especially since it only has one bathroom.

It will be more than a month before everything is taken care of, but if everything works out, I should be on a one-way flight to Mexico before the end of October!

Yippee!!!!! 

For Sale

Yesterday the house went on the market.  Monday morning the real estate agent put a sign up in the front yard, and within an hour my house appeared on Zillow and other realty websites.  Before noon I had received a call from a realtor asking for showing that afternoon.  Of course, I had to leave the house.  It was a nice day, so I went out for a walk.  I went around the block, and by the time I returned to my street, I could see that the realtor and the client were already pulling out of my driveway.  They had only been there for about fifteen minutes, so obviously the potential buyer was not interested.  

Later in the afternoon, a liquidator recommended by my agent arrived to look at what has to be cleared out of the house.  (Since the condo that I am buying is already furnished, I will move only a very small number of items from my house.)  They looked at every room and did not seem fazed even by a few larger items that I worried would be difficult to remove from the house.  Once I have a buyer, we can schedule a date for them to do the liquidation.

In the evening, I received another call to schedule a showing this afternoon.  So, I will have to get out again.

I am hoping that the house sells within a short period of time.  I am pessimistic since the house has only one bathroom, a big drawback.  But everyone tells me that the house will sell quickly.  Fingers crossed that they are right.

Lunch with a Friend

One thing which I must absolutely do before I head to Mexico is to get together with all my friends.  So, in addition to having a lot to accomplish in preparation for the move, I am going to have a very busy social schedule.

Yesterday my friend and former colleague Katie invited me to her house for lunch.  So, I took a welcome break from my housecleaning chores and drove to her home.

(photo taken by Katie's son Christian)

Katie was a member of our foreign language department and taught French.  She is still teaching at another school district.  Her husband Olivier is a native of France.  I attended their wedding many years ago, and I have watched their two children grow up.  Their daughter Nina graduated from college last year and, for the time being, is living in France.  Their son Christian is a senior in high school.  So, my friendship with the family goes back many years.

Olivier's work takes him all over the world.  Unfortunately, he was not there; he was on his way to Barcelona.  But Katie, Christian and I had, as always, a delightful visit.  This was not farewell.  I will have to visit again in October after Olivier returns from his business trip, and they have assured me that they will be visiting me in Mexico after I have made the move.

Definitely one of the things that I will miss when I am living south of the border will be my many dear friends.

Katie and Christian

Busy, Busy, Busy

I don't have time to write a lengthy entry this morning, but I wanted to write something quickly since I have not posted for the last couple of days.  The house is going up for sale tomorrow.  The "deep cleaning" of the kitchen is on pause, and today I need to do a general cleaning of the whole house.  Who knows when someone is going to want to look at the place?  In addition, I am invited for lunch today at the home of a friend and former colleague.  So, I have to have breakfast, and get to work!

Deep Cleaning

I will soon be putting my house in Ohio up for sale.  In fact, tomorrow I have a meeting with a realtor.  Before I sell the house, I want to give the everything a "deep cleaning"... moving the furniture and appliances and cleaning all areas you don't see.

Before I left on my most recent trip to Mexico, I deep cleaned the two bedrooms and the living room.  Yesterday I began on the kitchen.  I moved the stove and cleaned behind it (what a mess!).  I started washing all the kitchen cabinets with Murphy's Oil Soap.  I cleared everything off the shelves, threw out stuff that I won't need in the (hopefully) short time that I remain here, and washed the shelves.  There is still a lot to do, and I expect to be very busy in the coming weeks. 

 

Red, White and Green

September 16th is Mexico's Independence Day.  (If you didn't already know, NO, it is not Cinco de Mayo!)  Even before I left Mexico at the end of August, stands were popping up everywhere selling flags and other patriotic decorations, trinkets, and clothing.  This stand was just outside of Chedraui, a major supermarket chain.

I actually bought a tee shirt here... at the very top of the stand you can see a shirt imprinted on the front to look like a "charro" outfit, the elaborate suit won by Mexican horsemen.  I won't be down there to wear it on Independence Day, but I will have it to wear in future years when I am living south of the border.

The Two "Amigos"

Here are some photos that Alejandro's sister took of the two family dogs, Iztac and Pepe...

 

The Face that Launched a Thousand Ships

 

On my flight home, I finished a book that I had been reading throughout the trip, a 600-page-plus novel about the Trojan War.  "Helen of Troy" is a retelling of the mythological story of the queen of Sparta whose abduction by Paris, a prince of Troy, leads to war between the Greeks and the Trojans. It was written by Margaret George, a writer who specializes in biographical novels.  I recently read another one of her books, "Confessions of a Young Nero".  

In this novel, the story is told by Helen herself and begins with her childhood and continues through Helen's return to Greece after the war.  In this version, Helen is not abducted by Paris.  Helen willingly, eagerly, abandons her spouse and runs off to Troy with her lover.  Her husband Menelaus is an honorable and kind man, but their marriage was without passion.  Throughout the story, Helen is very much aware of the death and destruction that her rash action has brought, yet her love for Paris does not waver.  It is also clear that the Greeks used Helen's abandonment of her husband as an excuse to wage war against the wealthy city of Troy.

In the story of the Trojan War, the Greek gods play an active role in the events, so it is hard to completely exclude the supernatural.  Nevertheless, the tone of the book is generally realistic.  The author, known for her meticulous historical research, gives us an excellent depiction of life in the Bronze Age.

The novel presents to us all the famous characters of Homeric legend... Cassandra, Hector, Agamemnon, Odysseus, Andromache and more.  The great Greek warrior Achilles is portrayed here a a cruel, violent, arrogant villain... an interesting contrast to the usual portrayal of him as a heroic figure.

I found the tragic fall of Troy especially moving.  The aftermath of the war, with Helen eventually returning to Sparta with her husband, a portion of the legend that is not as well known, to be very interesting.

If you have an interest in ancient Greece and its mythology, I recommend this novel.

Flying with the Blue Moon

My return journey from Mexico to Ohio on Thursday was marked with none of the cancellations or delays which have plagued so many travelers.  

When I checked in online 24 hours ahead of time, once again I was able to upgrade to an "economy plus" seat for both flights without any charge.  My frequent flyer status makes me eligible for upgrades, but that has only rarely occurred on the day of travel at the airport.  On my flight down to Mexico this time, I accidentally discovered that I could change to a seat with more legroom the day before without paying more.  I don't know if this is something new, but I was happy to get a more comfortable seat at the standard economy price.

My flight from Mexico City was not scheduled to leave until 11:35 AM.  However, Alejandro and I left for the airport around 7:30 when he returned to the house after taking his sister to work.  Although the traffic was very heavy, we were at the terminal by eight.  I needed to check my luggage, but there was no line at all at United desk.  We had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast.  My husband and I then said farewell, and I went through security.  There was no line there either.  My flight began boarding on schedule, and the plane pulled away from the gate just a few minutes late.  Not only did I have an "economy plus" seat by the window, but there was no one in the middle seat... so it was a very pleasant flight.

It was a cloudy and hazy morning.  I was seated on the right side of the plane, which, if conditions had been ideal, would have afforded me a view of the volcanoes as we took off.  But I was barely able to see sprawling eastern suburbs of the city before ascending above the clouds.

The sky cleared as we made our way northward along the gulf coast.  Soon we were making our descent into Houston.  

The only unpleasant aspect of the entire journey was at Houston Airport.  I used to be able to zip through immigration and pass through security effortlessly there.  Now (I don't know if it's because of the hour of my arrival, or because of the renovation of the terminals) I would rather travel by way of Chicago's infamous O'Hare Airport than through Houston.  Fortunately, I had a three-hour layover, so I never feared that I would miss my connection.  There was a fairly long line to go through immigration, although it moved steadily.  I had no problem picking up my suitcase, passing through customs or rechecking my luggage.  After that you go up an escalator to go through security again.  However, a long, snaking line was formed before reaching the escalator, and people were allowed a few a time to go up the escalator.  There you were met with an even longer line waiting to go through the checkpoint.  It was one of the longest waits I have ever had to go through security, and by the time I had passed through and took the train to the terminal for my next flight, half of my layover had been eaten up.

I had a pass to use the United Club lounge, where I could relax and have a free lunch.  However, there was a sign outside the lounge saying that they were not accepting day passes that day.  So, searched for someplace to have lunch.  Another thing I don't like about the Houston Airport now is that all the nicer, sit-down restaurants have gone annoyingly high-tech.  The only way you can order is by scanning a QR code onto your smartphone, order from your phone, and pay by credit card.  Sorry, but no!  I went to a fast-food place and ordered a sandwich.  By the time I finished eating, it was time to head to the gate where my flight to Cleveland was scheduled to leave.

We were a little late in boarding and taking off, although we still arrived in Cleveland ahead of schedule.  Once again, there was no one seating in the middle seat.

Taking off from Houston

As night fell, I looked out the window and saw the moon rising above the horizon.  My attempts to take a photo were not very successful.

If you have been following this entire trip, you may remember my early morning departure via Chicago on August 2nd when there was a full moon outside the window.  This month we had a "blue moon" (not a reference to the moon's color, but to the occurrence of two full moons within one month).  Actually, the full moon was the night before, but it still looked pretty full as I looked out the window on my way back to Cleveland.  It seemed to give a sense of symmetry to the journey... flying out with the full moon and returning with the (nearly) full moon.

It´s September

I returned home in time to flip my calendar to the month of September.  As my readers know, my custom-made calendar for this year features photos that I took of works at the Cleveland Museum of Art.  Since we are heading into fall, I thought that this painting by Van Gogh, with its autumnal hues, would be appropriate.

This is one of three oil paintings by Van Gogh which the museum has in its collection.  It was painted by the artist toward the end of his short life while he was interned at an asylum in St. Remy in the south of France, and it is considered an excellent example of his mature style.