Sunflowers–and come see the exotic pink bird in our garden… at the next wine tasting here at Mas des Brun, August 6th. We hope to see you! Contact jm.espinasse@gmail.com for details.
le flamant rose (flamahn rowz)
: pink flamingo
Audio File: listen to today's word and example sentence, read by Jean-Marc: Download MP3 or Wave file
Flamant Rose. En Camargues, les flamants roses sont des espèces protegées. Pink Flamingo. In the Camargue, pink flamingos are a protected species..
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
"Reverse Culture Shock"
After missing the London-Nice connection, Jackie’s bag made it all the way home from Denver! My 16-year-old was sleeping off her long voyage when Chronoposte arrived with the beat-up valise, but when Jackie awoke her first instinct was to ask for that bag.
“It’s in the garage, Sweety. Have Max carry it up for you.” I left my daughter to root through her suitcase (sur place, for there was apparently no time to wait for her brother!). Moments later I heard a knock on my bedroom door.
“Mom, there’s a surprise for you in the garden….” Jackie said, wearing that crooked smile her father wears when he’s up to something.
I couldn’t help but wonder what my husband (assuming he was in on this) had installed, erected, or otherwise “fashioned” in the backyard. Would it be pleasing to the eye? Would it involve a thick band of silver tape as so many of his solution-inventions do?
Climbing the stone steps beside the garage I followed the girl in cutoffs, my heart swelling as her ponytail swept from side to side. How Jackie had changed in four weeks, after spending time with my sister and family in Colorado and Idaho!
“Mom. I need to take the TOEFL test. I want to go to the University of Colorado, in Boulder!” she announced, almost as soon as her plane landed….
TOEFL? Boulder? Go away from home? But that was a few years away! For now we were here together, here in a garden in the south of France–here on a treasure hunt! My eyes scanned the verger, its floor covered with paille. But nothing looked out of the ordinary … there was the comfrey and the row of chives I’d recently planted, the little plants leaning out of their toilet-paper roll jackets (which were supposed to eventually compost, according to the experts).
With an anxious motioning from my daughter, I moved on to Sector Two, where four raised beds made of local stone held a chaotic forest of herbs and vegetables. “Say ‘hot’ or ‘cold’, and help me find it!” I begged, when suddenly a bright something to my right began drenching my peripheral vision, in pink!
Turning, my eyes met a plastic pink flamingo.
"It’s from Heidi," Jackie pointed out.
Well, that was odd, I thought, staring at the unnatural object. Sort of kitch! Normally my sister has better taste than that.
It would be necessary to hide the thing. But would I remember to pull it out when my sister came to visit? In the words of Walter Scott, “Oh! What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” No! The whole scenario was too complicated. I’d have to fess up, and let my sister know that this one was a bomb. Not at all my style.
“Heidi said you would understand,” Jackie smiled, eager to know my thoughts.
Understand? Now it was I rooting through the pockets of my mind’s valise, trying to make associations. Pink flamingo… understand… pink flamingo? Little beads of sweat formed over my brow as I came close to failing The Recognition Test.
Was it something to do with our childhood, Heidi's and mine? My mind raced back to the Arizona desert, where coyotes and quail, and rattlesnakes roamed. Were there pink flamingos, too?
“Mom!” Jackie’s impatience woke me from my reverie. “Heidi said it’s something you (you Americans) do. You put these in people’s gardens … to surprise your friends!
My mind began to perk up and I was back on the streets of Phoenix, rolls of toilet paper in hand, laughing with a gaggle of girls as we played a prank on a friend. Once the cactus and the citrus trees and the mesquites in the front yard were covered … we’d leap out of the yard and run like bandits.
I vaguely remembered an occasional pink flamingo in those desert gardens, but it never registered then (at 12-years-old). Except in retrospect. Yes, it was another kind of prank! Not the kind kids were good at (owing to the expense of the plastic birds.). Toilet paper could easily be stolen from the bathroom!
It was surreal, standing there in my garden, listening to my French daughter teach me a lesson in American Pop Culture. Surreal may well be the definition of reverse culture shock: when something is so intimately familiar to you that you can’t recognize it at all.
"You mean out of all the stuff you bought in America, you managed to cram a giant flamant rose in your suitcase?"
"Aunt Heidi helped me," Jackie shrugged her shoulders and that crooked smile was back.
As we gazed at the kitchy pink bird, I threw my arm around my daughter and broke out into what the French call a fou rire—a serious case of the giggles. That sister of mine. She’s priceless. And so is this cheap pink flamingo!
Comments
Would you keep the pink flamingo–and “own it” when your French compatriots come to visit, questioning your sense of style? Or would you plant it in your neighbor’s garden, and so introduce the prank to French culture–which seems to have its own version: garden gnomes! Click here to comment.
Not everybody is thrilled with this new arangement. Some are getting their feathers ruffled over it! A pink imposter?
Breizh is not happy with the new setup either, and is remembering a sarcastic French expression: Tout nouveau tout beau (A new broom sweeps clean). Harrumph! Time to chew on an ear of corn, if ever it will grow.
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Mais porquoi pas? Guarde le. La Rose Flamant fait un bon eclat du coleur dans un jardin.
Mais porquoi pas? Guarde le. La Rose Flamant fait un bon eclat du coleur dans un jardin.
Our daughter Darien graduated from U of C Boulder many years ago and would do anything to be able to live in the South of France! You’re lucky Jackie didn’t gift you the U of C mascot because then you’d have a large Buffalo minding your jardin!
Our daughter Darien graduated from U of C Boulder many years ago and would do anything to be able to live in the South of France! You’re lucky Jackie didn’t gift you the U of C mascot because then you’d have a large Buffalo minding your jardin!
What a special memory you’ll have every time you see it! Colorado is captivating. My oldest son moved there five years ago. He lives north of Boulder about 20 min. I just found out yesterday my sister will be moving near there, too! I would even go myself, but too many ties and roots here in AZ. 🙂 enjoy your pink gift from the U.S!
What a special memory you’ll have every time you see it! Colorado is captivating. My oldest son moved there five years ago. He lives north of Boulder about 20 min. I just found out yesterday my sister will be moving near there, too! I would even go myself, but too many ties and roots here in AZ. 🙂 enjoy your pink gift from the U.S!
It could be worse. An (adult) friend of mine once installed a pink flamingo in the garden of a fastidious friend while she was on vacation. They set it in cement.
Then there is this from the University of Wisconsin in 1979:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pink+flamingos+uw+madison&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=AWXSU4jyPIa0yATR8ILADw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1289&bih=1016
It could be worse. An (adult) friend of mine once installed a pink flamingo in the garden of a fastidious friend while she was on vacation. They set it in cement.
Then there is this from the University of Wisconsin in 1979:
https://www.google.com/search?q=pink+flamingos+uw+madison&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=AWXSU4jyPIa0yATR8ILADw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1289&bih=1016
The plastic pink flamingo apparently is the City of Madison (Wisconsin) official bird. The affection for it began at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more, including dozens of flamingos on campus, see http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/15633/view
The plastic pink flamingo apparently is the City of Madison (Wisconsin) official bird. The affection for it began at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. For more, including dozens of flamingos on campus, see http://photos.uc.wisc.edu/photos/15633/view
It’s fabulous in all of it’s kitschy-ness! Bet no one there has one! I’d keep it just as it is!
It’s fabulous in all of it’s kitschy-ness! Bet no one there has one! I’d keep it just as it is!
I say keep it… as a constant reminder of your roots! Kitchy or not… that guy/gal is awesomeness! How thoughtful too!
I say keep it… as a constant reminder of your roots! Kitchy or not… that guy/gal is awesomeness! How thoughtful too!
We have a fundraiser for our church youth group. If you don’t get bird insurance, you can get flocked and have to pay to get rid on the flamingos. You can also pay to have one of your friends flocked. It is fun and at the end of our harsh winters a welcome sight. I prefer my sole peacock pot holder in my garden. Keep the flamingo and go for pranks, or display when you need some color outside.
We have a fundraiser for our church youth group. If you don’t get bird insurance, you can get flocked and have to pay to get rid on the flamingos. You can also pay to have one of your friends flocked. It is fun and at the end of our harsh winters a welcome sight. I prefer my sole peacock pot holder in my garden. Keep the flamingo and go for pranks, or display when you need some color outside.
I love the eclectic in my home or garden, and a touch of kitsch (be it flamingos or gnomes) can be endearing. In Ashland, OR one year a family had their two pink flamingos stolen from the front yard. A week later they started receiving post cards from the flamingos with photos of exotic places they had flown to. It was in the paper and very funny. Just sharing. . .
I love the eclectic in my home or garden, and a touch of kitsch (be it flamingos or gnomes) can be endearing. In Ashland, OR one year a family had their two pink flamingos stolen from the front yard. A week later they started receiving post cards from the flamingos with photos of exotic places they had flown to. It was in the paper and very funny. Just sharing. . .
I’d not only keep it, I’d name it! There might even be outfits!
I’d not only keep it, I’d name it! There might even be outfits!
I’d keep it, it’s a great conversation starter. Years ago, for a friend’s 50th birthday we (his friends?) put 50 small pink flamingos in his front yard at 7am, rang the doorbell, and sang “Happy Birthday” to him. (We didn’t buy the “birds”, there was a place that would rent them, cheaper than buying.)
I’d keep it, it’s a great conversation starter. Years ago, for a friend’s 50th birthday we (his friends?) put 50 small pink flamingos in his front yard at 7am, rang the doorbell, and sang “Happy Birthday” to him. (We didn’t buy the “birds”, there was a place that would rent them, cheaper than buying.)
OH, KEEP IT ! WHAT A GREAT CONVERSATION STARTER.
OH, KEEP IT ! WHAT A GREAT CONVERSATION STARTER.
A flamingo showed up on our lawn on my husband’s 30th birthday, though it was a year before we found out who did it. Then, when we lived in Michigan, there was a company that would put 40 flamingos on your front lawn overnight, plus a banner, for a 40th birthday. My husband had never heard of the service; he loved the joke (and we put hats on the flamingos and took lots of photos of our little girls next to them) but was visibly relieved when I said we had to finish our fun by noon, as that was the pick-up time: he thought I had purchased all 40 and wondered what we would do with them. To this day, we have a flamingo in our sunroom as a reminder (and most birthdays we find him a shirt or a greeting-card that carries more flamingos – he loves it! So, yes, keep it 😉 and explain the fun of silly pranks that say “I’m thinking of you.”
A flamingo showed up on our lawn on my husband’s 30th birthday, though it was a year before we found out who did it. Then, when we lived in Michigan, there was a company that would put 40 flamingos on your front lawn overnight, plus a banner, for a 40th birthday. My husband had never heard of the service; he loved the joke (and we put hats on the flamingos and took lots of photos of our little girls next to them) but was visibly relieved when I said we had to finish our fun by noon, as that was the pick-up time: he thought I had purchased all 40 and wondered what we would do with them. To this day, we have a flamingo in our sunroom as a reminder (and most birthdays we find him a shirt or a greeting-card that carries more flamingos – he loves it! So, yes, keep it 😉 and explain the fun of silly pranks that say “I’m thinking of you.”
I would be happy to show Jackie around CU-Boulder. I have worked in Norlin Library for almost 40 years and know the place inside-out. Maybe she and the flamingo would like to come and take a swim in the new buffalo-shaped outdoor pool!
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_25916902/cu-boulder-buffalo-shaped-pool-opens-monday
Meredith
Boulder, CO
I would be happy to show Jackie around CU-Boulder. I have worked in Norlin Library for almost 40 years and know the place inside-out. Maybe she and the flamingo would like to come and take a swim in the new buffalo-shaped outdoor pool!
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_25916902/cu-boulder-buffalo-shaped-pool-opens-monday
Meredith
Boulder, CO
I would keep it. It is a great conversation piece and will make you smile every time you look at it.
How fun!
I would keep it. It is a great conversation piece and will make you smile every time you look at it.
How fun!
Kristin,
I think that you should spread the American culture, and plant it in a neighbors yard! You never know who needs a good laugh. It could also be a start to a new friendship!
I’m in Arizona as well, and when my daughter was fund raising to go on a study abroad trip, we purchased 12 pink flamingos, and hung a sign on their necks that said “If you would like my owner to remove us from your yard, please contact Leah daughter’s name and phone #) to make a $10 donation for her study abroad trip OR if you want my owner to come plant us in your neighbors yard you can donate $20.00.
Of course, we had many phone calls and many after dark flamingo plantings! What a fun time with my daughter and we got to know many neighbors that way too!
Bless you and I can’t wait to hear where your flamingo ends up!
Fondly,
Beth
Kristin,
I think that you should spread the American culture, and plant it in a neighbors yard! You never know who needs a good laugh. It could also be a start to a new friendship!
I’m in Arizona as well, and when my daughter was fund raising to go on a study abroad trip, we purchased 12 pink flamingos, and hung a sign on their necks that said “If you would like my owner to remove us from your yard, please contact Leah daughter’s name and phone #) to make a $10 donation for her study abroad trip OR if you want my owner to come plant us in your neighbors yard you can donate $20.00.
Of course, we had many phone calls and many after dark flamingo plantings! What a fun time with my daughter and we got to know many neighbors that way too!
Bless you and I can’t wait to hear where your flamingo ends up!
Fondly,
Beth
Keep Rosie the flamingo! She is a splash of love-color in your garden. Think of all the joy & care that went into the planning & execution of this gift. Also explains Jackie’s distress at the loss of her bag. Besides, whimsy is good for the soul.
Keep Rosie the flamingo! She is a splash of love-color in your garden. Think of all the joy & care that went into the planning & execution of this gift. Also explains Jackie’s distress at the loss of her bag. Besides, whimsy is good for the soul.
Ken, thank you for the link to Madison, Wisconsin’s flamingos. Amazing!
One morning we found 2 flamingos in our yard.We’d been flocked by friends to whom we that given some logs. Well they stayed In our gardens for a while,moving here and there. A neighbor stopped by and said the she would never have one in her garden. We cherished it for a while and then one night we returned it to it’s rightful owner. Now I wishI had it back.She died of cancer a few months ago.
The police department in the neighboring town got flocked one day. It just put a smile on your face as you drove by.
Yes it’s kitsch, but as others stated,put it among some pink flowers or move it often and some days it might just hide in a far away garden. It will always remind you of your sister.
Aren’t you glad that Jackie got her suitcase back?
No flamingos in Connecticut…
Ken, thank you for the link to Madison, Wisconsin’s flamingos. Amazing!
One morning we found 2 flamingos in our yard.We’d been flocked by friends to whom we that given some logs. Well they stayed In our gardens for a while,moving here and there. A neighbor stopped by and said the she would never have one in her garden. We cherished it for a while and then one night we returned it to it’s rightful owner. Now I wishI had it back.She died of cancer a few months ago.
The police department in the neighboring town got flocked one day. It just put a smile on your face as you drove by.
Yes it’s kitsch, but as others stated,put it among some pink flowers or move it often and some days it might just hide in a far away garden. It will always remind you of your sister.
Aren’t you glad that Jackie got her suitcase back?
No flamingos in Connecticut…
Well, it is quite obvious that you must keep her. American’s do have a sense of humor. Perhaps you could get J-M to build a little pond for her to stand in.
My niece went of U of C in Boulder. The only bad thing is that she never moved back home. The good thing is we get to go visit there and Boulder is a sweet place to be. A real sense of community for a town that size.
Well, it is quite obvious that you must keep her. American’s do have a sense of humor. Perhaps you could get J-M to build a little pond for her to stand in.
My niece went of U of C in Boulder. The only bad thing is that she never moved back home. The good thing is we get to go visit there and Boulder is a sweet place to be. A real sense of community for a town that size.
Pass it on! Share the fun…we need more laughs in our lives.
Another zonie reading your stories!
Pass it on! Share the fun…we need more laughs in our lives.
Another zonie reading your stories!
Kristie
In my part of Florida it is called “getting Flocked” and usually 50-100 flamingos are put in someone’s yard to mark a memorable date, century birthday or such. Then whomever puts them there usually comes a day or two later and removes the, as they are often a rental, for the big collections, not just the odd one or two.
Virginia
Kristie
In my part of Florida it is called “getting Flocked” and usually 50-100 flamingos are put in someone’s yard to mark a memorable date, century birthday or such. Then whomever puts them there usually comes a day or two later and removes the, as they are often a rental, for the big collections, not just the odd one or two.
Virginia
If I see a pink flamingo in someone’s yard, I know that it’s a birthday gift-for-the-day, and they in turn will pass it on accordingly to an unsuspecting friend. It always brings a smile to the passersby.
If I see a pink flamingo in someone’s yard, I know that it’s a birthday gift-for-the-day, and they in turn will pass it on accordingly to an unsuspecting friend. It always brings a smile to the passersby.
By all means, keep your pink flamingo. Just look at the bit of color it adds to you garden. I love it! Of course, I’m from Las Vegas, what do I know?
By all means, keep your pink flamingo. Just look at the bit of color it adds to you garden. I love it! Of course, I’m from Las Vegas, what do I know?
Our dear Kristi,
I admit I’m not a (live)flamingo fan(after seeing them at SeaWorld in SanDiego),but we all have our own special taste and considering that this guy is a gift from Heidi,I think you should definitely keep it.Remembering your toilet paper escapade will always wrap you in hug when you need it most!
Another wonderful post!
Thank you!
Love
Natalia. xo
Our dear Kristi,
I admit I’m not a (live)flamingo fan(after seeing them at SeaWorld in SanDiego),but we all have our own special taste and considering that this guy is a gift from Heidi,I think you should definitely keep it.Remembering your toilet paper escapade will always wrap you in hug when you need it most!
Another wonderful post!
Thank you!
Love
Natalia. xo
When I lived in Montana, the Jr class at the high school started a fund raiser. It was would you believe a flock of Pink Flamingo’s! The idea was to send them to a friend with some kind of note( to be posted in their front yard) happy birthday, or whatever. The class left their note that said “You have been flocked” It cost $20.00 to send to a friend and $ 10.00 to have it removed. As you can guess it was a real money maker. They paid for their whole senior trip that way! Just a little side note eight kids graduated that year, but they had a great senior trip! I would keep it, because every time you see it, you will giggle and think of how much you love your sister.
When I lived in Montana, the Jr class at the high school started a fund raiser. It was would you believe a flock of Pink Flamingo’s! The idea was to send them to a friend with some kind of note( to be posted in their front yard) happy birthday, or whatever. The class left their note that said “You have been flocked” It cost $20.00 to send to a friend and $ 10.00 to have it removed. As you can guess it was a real money maker. They paid for their whole senior trip that way! Just a little side note eight kids graduated that year, but they had a great senior trip! I would keep it, because every time you see it, you will giggle and think of how much you love your sister.