This is the story of my life so far: 68 years and counting.
Prequel: A Brief History of my Family in France
The story starts here
Previous episode: Part 81
In September 1986, I was posted as the Navy representative in the CAD, which is the "Centre d'Analyse de Défense" (Defence Analysis Center).
The CAD is a rather secret military research establishment. It is located on the ground of the "Fort de Montrouge" one the 16 forts that have been built around Paris between 1840 and 1845 for the defense of the city.
The fort is no longer on the territory of the city of Montrouge but is now part of the city of Arcueil.
I will spend two years at the CAD before leaving the French Navy in September 1988.
During that time, I learned many things that will help me for the rest of my working life.
Before moving to the Parisian region, I had looked for a house to rent not too far from Arcueil, and I had found one in the city of Fresnes, 6 km south of the Fort de Montrouge.
It was a rather big house with 5 bedrooms.
8 avenue du Docteur Schweitzer, Fresnes
source: Google Street View
When I first visited the house at the beginning of summer 1986, it was being renovated. In particular, a dehumidifying system was being installed, as it appeared that the house was rather humid without it.
When we moved there, it was a clean house, with very few problems.
On the front of the house, there was a small rectangle of soil, where my daughter Roseline planted some flowers and strawberries. More about that in another episode.
On the back there was a small courtyard with a big cherry tree, where the children could play.
On the "rez de chaussee" (ground floor), there was a large dining room/living room, a good size kitchen, a toilet, a bathroom with a bathtub, and two bedrooms.
On the first floor (second floor for North Americans), there were three bedrooms, including a large master bedroom, a toilet, and a bathroom.
So, in total 5 bedrooms. Why did we need 5 bedrooms for our family of 2 parents and 2 children?
This will be explained in the next episode.
Continue to Part 83.
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Summary
Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7
Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14
Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21
Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 - Part 26 - Part 27 - Part 28
Part 29 - Part 30 - Part 31 - Part 32 - Part 33 - Part 34 - Part 35
Part 36 - Part 37 - Part 38 - Part 39 - Part 40 - Part 41 - Part 42
Part 43 - Part 44 - Part 45 - Part 46 - Part 47 - Part 48 - Part 49
Part 50 - Part 51 - Part 52 - Part 53 - Part 54 - Part 55 - Part 56
Part 57 - Part 58 - Part 59 - Part 60 - Part 61 - Part 62 - Part 63
Part 64 - Part 65 - Part 66 - Part 67 - Part 68 - Part 69 - Part 70
Part 71 - Part 72 - Part 73 - Part 74 - Part 75 - Part 76 - Part 77
Part 78 - Part 79 - Part 80 - Part 81