Ecole de Voile

Sailing School

We'd been eyeing this sailing school in La Tour de Peilz since Michael was 3, admiring family friend Isaac's Wed afterschool lessons (Wed: 1/2 day school - mountain kids go skiing in winter!).
Sailing's been on our minds, since being with the Bonds on Whidbey Island, raising all things nautical, like kayaking, up a notch. (Jack on the left in the last boat).

The La Tour school differs from most in teaching the work of sailing: pulling out the boat, assembling the sail, docking.

They learned to right a capsized boat, perform rescues.Even Jack joined the 5-7 yr old course.

Sailing &, especially skiing - given the natural resources - are generally "normal" here, not falling into the haves vs have nots camps. Families also budget more for vacations - a frequent criticism of our, perhaps, more European-style president - taking advantage of their mandatory holiday time; by contrast, American work conditions seen as generally harsh. We'll never be Europe, but I'm keenly aware of the diminishing standard of living for the American middle class, real wages having stagnated since the 1970s.

My diatribe (after 2 years of reading): part of the credit crisis owes to Americans trying to recoup via credit and sending out an additional wage-earner what their parents had outright; mistakenly thinking owning more and better quality goods compensated for lack of time to even enjoy them; see Juliet Schor's The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure.

My own family's working roots have spoiled me against golf & tennis, ie leisure sports, even though I'd probably enjoy the former; it always seemed to be about real estate.

Anyway, I'm a tenured academic with the last company job in the country whose unemployed summer status is coming to an end. Everyone appears to be thriving, Carolyn using her French in town, kids in school next week, & Wed afternoon sailing lessons running through fall. We have a schedule.