The Mairee's office was closed when we first stopped by on June 4, but a workmen in a van said to knock on the door, the Mayor will be there even though it was not opening hour yet. And sure enough the the Mayor came out and the first of many warm welcomes started. He was very enthusiastic about the upcoming ceremonies and there was no sign that 25 years as mayor had made him less so. From that point onward the Mayor included us in everything while still fulfilling his role with the community. On June 7 we went directly to his office again and knocked, and this time the same workmen in the same van told us he was at the stele (memorial) and so there we went and there he was. Many echoes of small town America, where strong communities and beloved Mayors define the quality of life, we were glad for the reminder....
Jean Paul Pitou was equally tireless and demonstrated again that he can organize events. It seems that he even arranged for perfect weather, and there was not one point of criticism. Everything was perfect! I wish I had more pictures of Jean Paul but he was usually attending to something. I will wait for a future post to pay tribute to Jean Paul, so here is the Mayor in action....
