Asparagus Hunting

Today I had one of those experiences that I came here for in the first place. No pictures though.
I had been dragging around for 2 days, getting lots of work done but lying low. Today was beautiful so I decided to take the dogs for a short walk in the woods. I hoped to find something to photograph.
I drove up to then end of my street near the cemetery. I saw an older couple looking for something, collecting something in the woods amongst the old stone terraces. I walked over towards them and the man opened his palm and showed me three thin wild asparagus spears. They were Asparagus hunting.
When I was a kid my Grandfather used to take me Mushroom Hunting every Sunday out in the cow pastures behind my house.
I smiled and kept walking. The dogs and I  walked up into an area where there had been crocus, but they were all gone. So we meandered back in the direction of the couple. Slowly, I started seeing asparagus shoots glowing green in the sun. I started picking them. We walked down further into another direction into the woods. Leaves are starting pop out on branches, ferns are thrusting up out of the ground. Everywhere I looked there were asparagus. They don't grow in groups, but are mixed in with the other brush. They are a different kind of green and really glow when in the sun. I picked more and more. Now, all I could see was asparagus. No flowers at this time in this area except some violets and dandelions.
I had collected about 20. I was so excited to go give them to the couple. I rushed back. The man was about 20 feet away through the woods..."Bonjour Monsieur...BONJOUR!" He couldn't hear me. He finally saw me with my outstretched hand holding about 20 spears. A big smile came onto his face and he mumbled a whole bunch of French. We pushed through the brush ( Emile fighting the whole way) to get to each other. He opened the bag and I laid my group in with his, heads all in the same direction.
We started talking. I was so happy to speak French. He did not slow down for me. I could understand about 40% by hearing...some by hand movements, and some I did not understand at all. He was a slightly cranky old guy with a blue gas station jacket and hat on. A man of the earth. He was great.
He and I picked beautiful asparagus spears as we spoke....His name is Yves, like Yves Montand. I told him that I loved the song La Boheme, he told me that that was Charles Aznavour and told me he loved it too and started singing it.
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AlgU_BJyF5NLKpgM9RlmIoubvZx4?fr=yfp-t-900-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=la%20boheme%20charles%20aznavour
We continued to pick shoots. He asked me if I was on vacation. I explained how long I was here...He asked about Emile. He told me that he had to have some kind of awful stomach operation, He was deaf in one ear, couldn't hear well in the other. We talked about various other things...he could not understand my pronunciation at points. I could have sworn he said they somehow made Amaretto or put the spears into Amaretto and cooked it that way.,,sounds delicious. He asked me my name. I had to pronounce Caroyl in French.
We came back out to the road and his wife was there. He told her about me. She told me that Yves is Charmant...I said, like Yves Montand. They both laughed.
Such a simple experience, but this type of thing means everything to me. The light was so beautiful and I loved this old man. I wish I had asked him if he would teach me French.