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The House

Le Vignaud on Fire

Last September Jason got an email from an old friend about a little stone house in France. Wearing his blue suit and with two suitcases he set off on an adventure. A year later, none of us really know what’s going to happen to that house. We usually don’t even know what’s happening with Jason…

Jason’s decision set off a series of events and adventures in my own life, which most recently took to me to the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. Burning Man was my own experience, but I still paid homage to its origin in my life.

On the base of the Man

On the base of the Man

One of the first things I did after arriving to Burning Man was walk over to the giant wooden effigy and leave my mark in Le Vignaud Blue. Nearly a week later, after the Man was just a pile of burning and smoldering ashes I threw in a 200 year old piece of oak, taken from an old roof beam in Le Vignaud.

At first I wasn’t sure why I put this memorial at the Man instead of the Temple. I think it’s because although Jason’s role in Le Vignaud may soon be at an end, the village itself and the few people living there will keep on truckin’. And who knows, maybe being burned with the Man as a symbol of rebirth will prove to be a bit of good luck for the little commune.

Izzy’s Le Vignaud

Izzy and Friend

Yet another crazy collaborative effort that took a few months to complete! It’s worth the wait though… This is Izzy’s view of Le Vignaud from her visit back in June. I think it may be the most complete view of Le Vignaud yet available on the WWW. Of course nothing beats a visit in the real world, but this is about as close as it comes. She’s captured some great moments, and lots of nifty details about the place that have never been documented. This is one for the LV Historical Society Archives.

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Stone and Glass (New Stairs)

The New Stairs

Finally Finished!

Those things are better which are perfected by nature than those which are finished by art.
-Ciccero

Back in February when we cleared out the yard, we built some steps up the front path near the mailbox. Still, on the opposite side of the yard near the house, there was another drop-off with no proper way down. I always felt bad when Jeneane would come over and she couldn’t come down into the lower yard. If she wanted to come into the house she had to go the long way around through the driveway. I had been promising her I’d build some stairs to get down to the house since probably November or December. This is the story of Jeneane’s stairs.

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The Yard in Spring

The MailboxMid June: The Irises that we planted in March were blooming. The Poppies covered the front yard. The sunflowers were growing tall and their buds were getting bigger. It was at this time of year that I received the most compliments about the yard and how great the flowers and gardens looked… It was late spring and the wildflowers had reached their peak. It was a wonderful time of year to sit back, relax, and finally enjoy all the hard work that was finally paying off.
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The House in Spring

But the sun shines bright and warm this first spring morning, re-creating the world…
-Henry David Thoreau

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One more time, in Harmony.

“If You will it; It is no dream”
–Theodore Hertzl, State of Israel

Le Vignaud, May 2009.

Le Vignaud, May 2009.

Things have developed very rapidly over here. There’s a lot to say, but little time, and words are difficult.

It seems that I will be or will soon be leaving Le Vignaud indefinitely. I won’t go into the details of the situation (as some of you already know, to varying degrees), but will only say that this was a very difficult decision to make.

I have spend the last seven (going on eight) months of my life working towards this crazy dream of mine, and have cherished the time I have spent here. I have no regrets. It has been truly a wonderfully eye-opening experience, and I hope to have passed on at least a bit of it. I learned and progressed in many ways because of it, and I will take many lessons and discoveries with me when I go.

Without digressing further, I’d just like to thank you all simply and honestly for everything. If you are getting this letter, you have been an integral part of making this happen. Weather it comes from me, or through a friend- I acknowledge and thank every one of you for the love and support you have all shown throughout this project.

And in parting, I’d like to ask one last favor: I want to ask everyone reading this to send a postcard. Just one. One last one. Or a first one. Forward this to friends and encourage them to do the same. Write what Le Vignaud is for you (weather you were there, saw photos, or heard about it through a friend). Say thank you. Write your favorite quote. Song lyrics. Your dreams. Anything. Please.

Send it to:
11 Le Vignaud
23000 Anzeme
France

Thank you.

-Jason Langley

Home (A Photo Study)

The Mantle, Still Sponsored by PhilbeeWhen does an empty space turn into that thing called Home?

Last November, I moved into a house I had never seen and did not intend to inhabit very long. Without realizing it, that place became home. It happened so suddenly, and when Home comes- things begin to change. No longer is the space around you simply the space in which you live. The space in which you live becomes loved. It becomes part of you. You care for it as Self; You come to know it, and you accept it faults along with its praises. The chipping paint and cracked floors give voice to memories, and the clock lives at 5:39 forever.

Then came the time when I had to leave that place I called Home. When I left that space and moved my belongings to another location, did Home follow me? Or do pieces of Home stay behind? Perhaps home is less of a stationary object or place, but rather something closer to an idea; an ever-changing cloud of objects, people, ideas, and routines that circle in and out of our daily life…

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John Preble, This One’s for You…

Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline.
-Tao Te Ching.

Soaking the Stress Away

Soaking the Stress Away

Back in junior high, I worked for this guy out in Abita Springs. He was this crazy old guy who had bought an old gas station and started collecting things. He covered the walls and the ceilings with crap he’d found in the trash or things people left on his doorstep and called it a museum. It could be anything though: Old computer parts, driver’s licenses, paint by numbers, broken dishes. For me, it was bottles. Thousands of them. (more…)

Roofing Round Two

Dirty Darren and Alex get together to help tear the roof off the house- once again. These photos are from back in May, but things haven’t progressed since then. Just after we began, we ran into a few problems- Money, time, injuries, Paddy… So now, three months later, the roof is still uncovered, the tarps are torn, and the rain keeps falling.

This project, along with many others is on hold indefinitely… Still, the memories and photos are there. For what it may be worth.

Dirty Darren

Dirty Darren

View from the Top

View from the Top

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