Evelyn Jacob SPOTLIGHT FEATURE WENTY-FIVE PAGES into Paul Deggan’s autobiographical ac- count of his mid-life rebirth, All Our Summers Are French, and | was already queasy with just how damn happy he was. He wasn’t high on EST or religion but on the life he has made with a young Frenchwoman 24 years his junior — a wild and crazy existence that has had him jetting back to the Auvergne region of France every year for the last 12 years. So it wasn’t hard to figure out what my first question would be when | met with him at the Dun- bar home of Vancouver author Paul Grescoe. ‘‘Are you really that happy?” “tts a continued excitement. We're a very happy family. We keep congratulating ourselves on how lucky we are,” responded Deggan, still jet lagged and rumpled from his transallantic flight. Now the father of two young children, Deggan still finds it hard ‘having control of FIVE movie screens right in your home. You'll have front row tickets to the hottest movies shortly after their release in the theatres. 2 HOME you contro! of WORLD CLASS and Paradise shared Story behind summer art school told in A// Our Summers Are French to believe how his life has turned out. Twelv years.ago he was living in Lions Bay, teaching art part time at Capilano College and making a moderate living at design. His marriage had failed, and life seemed to be slipping into a quiet, almost boring routine. Then a happy twist of fate turn- ed life on its head: he would meet EXCLUSIVE SPORTS AND sporting events J ot . INCREDIBLE, /% é » THEATRE gives concerts! These “MAIN EVENT: SIVE t customers . to YOU! GRAB Hi S" are EXCLU- O pay-per-view .. exctusive GET THE PICTURE? agubectsnasficsranas fh: :me SauAsuseyeaedece PDELMAAAATIBOARINGSAE and marry the woman of his dreams, Babette, and together they would open a summer arts school in a medieval hill-top village in the rugged Auvergne region of central France. “twas expecting my fife to wind down to old age.” says Deg- gan, “I couldn't have been more wrong.” Deggan is proof that you're as othe NEWS photo Paul McGrath CAPILANO COLLEGE instructor Paul Deggan shares his idyllic life with readers in Att Our Summers Are French. young as you feel. AL60 he’s no spring chicken, but Babette, Sarah, 12 and Adrien, 7, are his fountain of youth, “A young tamily has given me a new shot at life,”” he says. But running after a seven-year-old? “For aman it’s (fatherhood) much more valuable when he’s mature. Young men tend to be more self-absorbed and caught up MEX Lad hg hnihcdenndke ema CFP id hkdj hehe Luh hfh PREVIEW Wednesday, Nov. 4, 1992 - North Shore News - 34 in their careers. Older men don’t take anything for granted. Becom- ing a father at 50 was fantastic.“ Deggan stretches out on a couch in Grescoe’s living room. folds his hands and places them behind his head. He's only been in Canada two days and already he misses his family and the tairy-tale existence he teads in Montaigut-le-Blanc. He's here ty promote his school and will spend the next two days inva Wwhirhwind of interviews. His summer arts school has become so popular that last year, classes completely sold out. Students can enro! in everything from drawing and painting to cre- ative writing. They spend four manths im- mersed in the picturesque Auvergne, eating home-cooked meals prepared by their hostess, Babette, and sleeping in an an- cient stone house. Courses are run under the auspices of the summer extension program at Capilano College, where Deggan teaches drawing and painting from January to April. Seniors can sign up for classes through Elderhostel Canada. Deggan instructs some of the classes but has had to hire other Canadians to meet the expanding enrolment, such as North Van- couver painter Kiff Holland and Paul and Audrey Grescae. The Grescoes taught creative writing fast summer for the first time and are dead-set on returning next year. If this all sounds like something out of a book, it is. Deggan couldn’t stand keeping his para- dise to himself so he decided to See Art page 34 NLY FOR 5 - price as a video rental and much iess than going to a theatre. Simply 8 CHANNEL 3° See for yourself. Check the tv listings or watch the Home Theatre Preview Channel. . your 24 hour source of current Home Theatre hits and upcuming events And for only $6.00 a month’, not only does your movie box give you HOME THEATRE ... (TF ALSOGIVES YOU control and access to ali other PREMIUM SERVICES including Superchanne!. PLUS ... parentat tock- out, volume and remote control. cali 986-2428 and a Home Theatre operator will assist you. You will be billed monthly and ONLY for what YOU DECIDED TO WATCH. GET CONTROL GET THE BOX! “Plus applicanie tires Must nave base canle tv Sha Wy, cable « tS