The Village Of My Ancestors

I was 19 when I took this picture of my mother, father and younger cousin enjoying a sunny day in Chaignay, Bourgogne — my ancestors’ village, in eastern France.

One year later, I would take (and pass) my driver’s license test in that Peugeot 201 you see in the background. I had nicknamed the car “Bubu,” as in Bucephalus — the horse of Alexander the Great. And she would indeed set me off on my own, much more peaceful, conquest of cities, pastures and roadways around the world.

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