Tuesday, June 3, 2014

In case you’re wondering what all the brouhaha is about

...in the case of the exchange of American Bowe Bergdahl for five Guantanamo Bay detainees, Yahoo published an article today by Edward Morrissey that first appeared in The Week that may shed some light on the subject.

But the real news hereabouts is of a twofold nature:

Firstfold First, new reader Gerry Brague, who may be a relative of mine (we’re still working out the details) , sent me the following photograph of a bottle of wine, Chateau de Brague Bordeaux Superieur 2001, for which I am grateful:


Okay, the bottle is leaning a little, or perhaps it was the photographer, but never mind. The interesting thing to me is that the small print reveals that the Chateau de Brague winery is in Vérac, which is in the Gironde (Aquitaine region) in southwestern France.


This is the Bordeaux region, which makes sense, but la fleuve Brague the river Brague is in southeastern France in the Côte d’Azur region, near Cannes and Nice. So I am confused. Perhaps there are (or were) Bragues all over France.

Nevertheless, in spite of the spelling of our surname, my dad always insisted that his ancestors came from Wales.




















Not that kind.

But it’s a great segue into the second part of the twofold news hereabouts. This week, Mrs. RWP’s cousin's son, Jim Holmes (for the genealogical purists among you, Jim is Mrs. RWP’s first cousin once removed, not her second cousin), took first place in the the 41st Cape Fear (North Carolina) Blue Marlin Tournament when he caught this 821-pound whopper. Jim is squatting in the Côte d’Azur region of the photo:



C’est tout pour le moment. Au revoir.

15 comments:

  1. I'm gonna stick to the wine having written and deleted several lines about the last photo. It's your blog, we don't agree on everything and a bottle of wine would probably help in that area. The area in question being very interesting and how kind of a possible relative but clear friend to send you that particular vintage.

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  2. All Consuming, the possible relative but clear friend did not send me a bottle of wine. He sent me a photograph of a bottle of wine. Still, I am grateful.

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  3. I would have been more impressed if Gary was posing with his catch cradled in his arms, like all those identical fishing magazine covers, all over the world.

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  4. Tom, are you drinking from your own bottle of Chateau de Brague Bordeaux Superieur? Who is Gary? There's not a Gary anywhere in sight. Jim caught the marlin and Gerry is the possible relative who sent me the photo of the bottle of wine. I think you meant to say Jim.

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  5. You know we're all pissed when we write comments right?

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  6. Michelle, I would not ordinarily publish a comment with the word "pissed" in it (I know, I am horribly old-fashioned), but I am allowing it this time because it illustrates how the meanings of words differ in the U.S. and U.K. -- in my country the P-word means "angry" but I gather from the context that it means "drunk" or "intoxicated" or "three sheets to the wind" or "feeling no pain" in yours.

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  7. Truth is one of the first casualties of war.
    Love the wine bottle - and wonder whether sending you the photo was kindess - or a tease.

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  8. Sue/E.C., I think the photo was definitely a kindness. It certainly added to my knowledge of things Brague. I hope to learn before too much time elapses that the relationship is real.

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  9. My ancestors came from Wales, too. I knew you looked familiar.

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  10. Tom, I'm glad that's all straightened out!

    LightExpectations (Kirsten), I have always wondered whether the Brague name came over to the British Isles during the Norman Conquest, which would would explain why my great-grandfather's name was William and not Harold (U.K. readers, take note.)

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  11. I have quaffed Chateau Brague before. It is a rather acidic wine that plays havoc with your digestion. In supermarkets in the Bordeaux region they often give away bottles of Chateau Brague with lottery tickets - just to get rid of it. C'est la vie!

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  12. York etc., according to a rather well-known book, all liars have their place in the lake of fire. I'm just sayin'...

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  13. Can we all expect wine for Christmas?

    Perhaps you heard about the multiple death threats made to Bergdahl's parents.

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  14. Snowbrush, what we expect and what we get can often be two very different things. My dad used to say, "Wish in one hand and spit in the other, and see which you get the most of." My mom used to say, "If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride." I'm just sayin'....

    The Bergdahl story continue to fascinate. I'm sure we have not reached the end of it yet.

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<b>Always true to you, darlin’, in my fashion</b>

We are bombarded daily by abbreviations in everyday life, abbreviations that are never explained, only assumed to be understood by everyone...