The Provence Book a Guide to Provencal Fables

“To Joan. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou, plus a house in Provence.” ~Dedication: The Provence Book.

It was a perfect Provencal day, where the cobalt-blue morning sky turns white by noon under the sun’s intense rays. Nutmeg arrived at Provence Paradise, an enclave of self-catering accommodation in St Remy for a tour of the villas.

After the tour, it was time to leave, but not without a copy of The Provence Book: A Guide wth Fables.

The Baldwin family’s first trip to the region was in 1973 as part of an extended three-month trip through France with their young children. Joan Baldwin says that was when Provence first got under their skin and set the stage for future trips.

The Baldwins moved to Jackson Hole after Huntley’s retirement in 1992. Now, he could focus on his oil painting, and they could spend more time in Provence. The Huntley’s typically rented for their stays in Provence to establish routines and adopt the Provencal pace of life. Over 15 years, they stayed in several towns. However, the hamlet of Puyvert in the South Luberon was their favourite.

Huntley Baldwin was born in Washington, D.C. in 1939. From an early age, Baldwin wanted to be an artist. He trained at Georgetown, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. You can read his biography in the original Ginger and Nutmeg post.

The Provence Book was written and illustrated by Huntley Baldwin. The book is a collection of memorable experiences from the Huntley’s countless visits to Provence. Joan tells me that Huntley had the idea to create a travel guide/memoir, but he was unsure how to organize all the details he had amassed in more than eight journals. The fables became the answer and the organizing tool for the book. The book was introduced at a signing reception in 2011, just three weeks before Huntley Baldwin died in an untimely accident while biking.