Jan and Janet's Excellent French Adventure

Jan Lipes, an American physician and painter, and his wife, Janet, are looking for a handicapped-accessible Provence rental for one month (May, June or September) in 2010. They'd like an apartment or small villa with 3+ rooms, plenty of air and light. They don't need a pool but they do need a garden or terrace. They're looking anywhere between St. Remy and Villefranche but prefer the St. Remy, Avignon and Aix areas. Jan speaks French and is eager to meet people, so the Lipes prefer to rent something not too isolated.

Jan's paintings, by the way, are wonderful to begin with but even more so once you know his story. He has lived with multiple sclerosis since 1979. After he left medicine in 1993, he began painting (with no training), using his left (non-dominant) hand because his right arm had stopped working well. "My whole story is quite serpentine, mysterious and ultimately life-affirming," he tells me. "Meanwhile, if there is anything I can do to help this effort to get back to my beloved France next year, I'll do it! I may be a New Yorker by birth, but my soul is French!"

You can see more of Jan's work at www.janlipes.com. Pictured above is Summer New Hope.

If you have or know of something for Jan and Janet to rent, please email them at jklipes@comcast.net.